Is this your next head coach?

I’m hesitant to share this, but if it’s true and I didn’t say anything, I would probably regret not saying something…

…but I also might regret this. Here goes nothing…

A Facebook status post from Denver Broncos fullback Kyle Eckel (a former Eagle) stated the following.

Inside word. John Gruden is in Philadelphia right now shacked up in a hotel getting ready for something. My guess is he’s not about to join the Flyers’ coaching staff. New Eagles head coach? Looking like it

What the hell?!

This rumor is picking up on Twitter, but none of the major outlets have even begun to tackle this. Nothing from Schefter, Mortensen, Glazer, Florio. Nothing. What I do know is that I plan to punch Kyle Eckel in the mouth if this is all crap and I got out of bed for this. But I’ll play for now.

I’ve noted multiple times in this blog and elsewhere that decisions made by the Eagles seem less and less to have Reid’s fingerprints on them, leading me to question how much stroke the longest-tenured coach in the NFL actually has.

From the decision to trade McNabb to naming Kolb the starter, to the decision to start Michael Vick, to the post-game conference where Reid said Sean McDermott would remain as the Eagles defensive coordinator, to the hiring of Juan Castillo, to this rumor tonight… if something like this came to fruition, it would be the culmination of Reid losing his grip on the team he once had so much control of.

It’s just so hard to believe.

Gruden was an offensive coordinator in Philadelphia for three seasons before Al Davis named him the coach of the Oakland Raiders. A year after his departure from Oakland, he won a Super Bowl with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers, defeating the team he coached just the season before. He parted with the Bucs after seven seasons, and became a color analyst for ESPN in May of 2009. He currently shares the broadcast booth with Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

Only time will tell if this rumor, that doesn’t seem to have many teeth, if any at all, holds any merit. A coaching change at this juncture ultimately seems unlikely. However, the Eagles have been throwing people off  (their fans, mostly) for the better part of two years.

Just curious… if Reid goes, can he take Joe Banner with him?

UPDATE 12:29 am:Eckel deleted his status post just minutes after midnight. He posted a new status, saying “People remember. Its all speculative. Have fun with it. Don’t ive or die by it. Man oh man.”

No major media outlet has picked up on this story. It should also be considered that the Super Bowl just ended, so there’s that. It just goes to show what kind of monsters Facebook and Twitter have become. I need Adam Schefter and Jay Glazer to come in and put this thing to bed… or give it new life. Just to let you know, if they even bother with this, I’m expecting the former.

UPDATE 8:47 am: Eight hours later, there is no major media outlet taking this on. Les Bowen tweeted late last night when a “Tweeter” posed a question to him about Gruden replacing Reid.

Yes. JonGruden is replacing Andy Reid. I am replacing Howie Roseman. Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas is replacing Joe Banner.

And that pretty much puts it to bed for me. I don’t think there is any real news here, but it was fun to entertain the thought.

Reid reigns. Philly continues to weep helplessly.

UPDATE 10:48 am: The Eagles released a statement regarding the Jon Gruden rumors:

Early this morning we have received several inquiries regarding the rumors regarding Andy Reid and Jon Gruden. This was simply a rumor and there is no basis to it at all. It is simply not true.

Nail. Coffin.