Teacher Holmgren having more success than student Reid

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles went after Mike Holmgren seven years ago and ended up with Andy Reid.

Fans, of course, were disappointed and Reid was greeted on the day he was hired by a headline on the front page of a local newspaper that said "Andy Who?"

That was in 1999. The perception is much different now.

Reid has led the Eagles to the NFC championship game four straight years and the Super Bowl last season, while his mentor, Holmgren, hasn't won a playoff game in Seattle.

This year, however, the teacher is having more success than the student. Holmgren's Seahawks lead the NFC with a 9-2 record going into Monday night's game against Reid and the struggling Eagles (5-6).

Many of the problems in Philadelphia went beyond Reid's control. He has dealt with several injuries to star players — quarterback Donovan McNabb, tackle Tra Thomas and cornerback Lito Sheppard are out for the season — and there was the never-ending saga involving banished wideout Terrell Owens.

"He's handled it as good as any human being could," Holmgren said. "And, he's one of the quality coaches, and quality human beings. I'm honored to call him a friend of mine. I wouldn't wish that situation on anybody. But now I'm sure there's a little more bounce in his step, and he's going to be coaching like crazy. But it was a horrible thing to go through, I would think."

Reid learned a lot from Holmgren working as an assistant coach under him for seven years in Green Bay during the 1990s. The two coaches who bear a striking resemblance to one another still talk often, though they don't necessarily discuss strategy.

"When I worked for him, I had a hard time believing that anybody did it better than he did as a head coach in the NFL," Reid said. "Even when he was going through the tough times, he didn't change. He kept doing what he did in Green Bay up there and he has that thing turned around and heading in the right direction."

Holmgren led the Packers to consecutive Super Bowls following the 1996-97 seasons, including a victory over New England in their first trip. He spurned the Eagles and other offers to take over as the coach and executive vice president in Seattle in 1999.

Holmgren has led the Seahawks to three division titles, including this year, and three playoff appearances, but they're 0-3 in those games.

Reid rebuilt the Eagles from rock bottom, taking them from 3-13 the year before he came in to 11-5 in his second season in 2000. Philadelphia won at least 11 games and one playoff game in each of the last five seasons.

SEATTLE 9-2) AT PHILADELPHIA (5-6)

7 p.m., Ch. 4

The skinny: This would have been a good Monday night matchup if Philadelphia had not lost Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb and Lito Sheppard and Tra Thomas, four Pro Bowl players. Those are among the reasons the Eagles had lost four in a row before finally beating the Packers last week, 19-14. With the Eagles out of the way, Seattle has assumed the throne as the NFC's best team, certainly based on record. The Seahawks can make that claim after beating the Giants in overtime. But they are 0-2 whenever they travel east of the Mississippi.

Prediction: Eagles, 20-17