As Chairman/CEO Jeffrey Lurie stood at the podium which overlooked the crowd of media in attendance at the NovaCare Complex auditorium on Tuesday afternoon, he was extremely honest and open explaining the wide range of emotions that he experienced in what he declared was "without question the most disappointing season" in his 17 years with the team.

Again and again, the eloquent Lurie surmised that the 2011 season was "unacceptable." Lurie tried to temper expectations back in training camp that the Eagles were ticketed for a title after a brief, but frenetic offseason resulted in a lavish acquisition of talent. He readily admitted then and reiterated on Tuesday that he felt the Packers and Saints, the last two Super Bowl champions, were the cream of the crop in the NFC. Lurie expected throughout the course of the season that the Eagles would inch closer and closer to those two teams. However, the Eagles regressed and stumbled to a 4-8 start before the team jelled and rallied to finish with an 8-8 record.

When the season was inching closer and closer to the end, Lurie knew that the most important item on his offseason agenda was to make a determination about the future of the man who has brought the Philadelphia Eagles organization so much success for over a decade now in head coach Andy Reid. Even though Reid is under contract through the 2013 season, Lurie admitted that he had an open mind to any possibility and would not shy away from conducting a potential search for a new coach.

In the end, Lurie had three primary reasons which allowed him to arrive at the conclusion that if the Eagles are to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2012 then Reid needs to return as the head coach for a 14th season.

"There's no doubt in mind that if our focus is on trying to win a championship next year, the best coach for that is Andy. We owe as a franchise to Philadelphia the singular pursuit of winning a championship," Lurie said. "The payoff wasn't this year, but the payoff has a chance to come soon and be really great."

Here's a look at the three reasons Lurie cited to bring Reid back:

1. Overall Track Record

Reid is the franchise's all-time winningest coach with 136 victories including playoffs. That win total is tied for 22nd in NFL history. The Eagles have been to the playoffs nine of the past 12 seasons. They have been to five NFC title games and a Super Bowl. The Eagles have only had two losing seasons in Reid's tenure and the most recent was 2005. Reid's Eagles have not made the playoffs three times before this season, but in each of those previous instances the Eagles rebounded with double-digit win seasons (2000, 2006 and 2008) and won at least one playoff game.

"That's what you're looking at in terms of what you would hope would continue in terms of this year missing the playoffs when you look at Andy Reid's track record," Lurie said.

For Lurie, it was easy to come to the conclusion that based on overall track record Reid should remain as the head coach.

2. Short-Term Track Record

Lurie does not want to reward Reid for accomplishments that happened years and years ago. He analyzed what Reid has done in the last three to five years. Since 2008, the Baltimore Ravens are the only team in the NFL with more playoff appearances than the Eagles. No team in the NFC has more playoff appearances in that same timeframe than the Eagles.

Fully aware that Eagles fans want a championship, not just postseason appearances, Lurie emphasized how teams must reach the playoffs in order to have a shot at the Super Bowl.

"You've got to be in the tournament to be able to win the Super Bowl, that's the singular goal," Lurie said. "This coach and his staff have a superb track record of getting to the tournament."

3. Intangibles

While Lurie is proud that the Eagles rallied to win their final four games of 2011, he knows that Miami, the New York Jets, Dallas and Washington do not provide the same litmus test that the league's playoff teams do. However, Lurie thought that the 2011 Eagles, contrary to their .500 record, were "one of the best groups in terms of motivation and energy at practice" that he had ever seen.

Over the past few weeks, Lurie spent time talking to people all over the NFL about Reid. Lurie realized what tremendous respect Reid has around the league. That reinforced what he saw during the prosperous free agent period from last summer when the Eagles had their choice of the elite players available because, in large part, of Reid's success.

"The main reason was the coach had a reputation around the league for almost always getting his team into the tournament, having a shot to get to the Super Bowl and a coach that respects the players in a hard way," Lurie said.

Lurie wants the football team coached by someone who will be hard on his players and have the desire to not settle for anything but the absolute best.

"Does he have the fire in his belly? Does he have what it takes to take a team far into the playoffs and have a shot at the Super Bowl? Andy Reid to me not only has the love of his players and their respect, but he also has the fire in his belly to be the best," Lurie said.

After battling the anger and frustration of the 2011 season, Lurie thinks that he has a special group in place. Unfortunately, the Eagles have to wait nine months to kick off the 2012 campaign. But when it does get underway, Lurie has the man at the helm that he wants to guide this team in Andy Reid.

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