When head coach Andy Reid said in his season-ending press conference that Donovan McNabb will be his quarterback in 2010, Reid committed to his 12th straight season with McNabb at the helm.
Reid drafted McNabb second overall in 1999, months after he took over the job as head coach. Since then, Reid and McNabb have had the strongest connection of any coach and quarterback tandem in the league.
The combination of Reid and McNabb has made 142 regular season starts, sixth all time and the highest such mark of any active duo. With one more season, they could reach third place on that list.
Regular Season Starts For Head Coach & QB
1. Don Shula and Dan Marino - 184 games
2. Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw - 158 games
3. Hank Stram and Len Dawson - 153 games
4. Marv Levy and Jim Kelly - 151 games
4. Dan Reeves and John Elway - 151 games
6. Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb - 142 games
The Reid/McNabb combination is even more impressive considering that they both began together. Consider that a head coach and quarterback tandem has combined for at least 11 seasons together 13 times in NFL history and only once, with Reid and McNabb, did the two begin their partnership as a first-time head coach and a rookie quarterback.
For the Eagles, the continuity created by the successful duo has been an advantage.
"If you have the right coach and the right quarterback, you have a chance to win every single Sunday," said ESPN football analyst Jon Gruden, "and Philadelphia has that."
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 3:30 p.m., January 18
