Eagles CB Nnamdi Asomugha had Detroit star WR Calvin Johnson under control for three quarters Sunday. Strategy changes allowed Johnson to go wild and the Lions rallied from a 10-point deficit to win in OT. Defensive coordinator Juan Castillo was fired Tuesday morning, Photo by Peter Wodarczyk.

Perhaps no coach has had his or her team be more relevant in their sport than Andy Reid has had the Eagles over the last 14 years.

The Eagles are almost always in the discussion when it comes to contenders, even after his 2011 campaign began the season 1-4. Observers at all levels would eventually comment, ‘watch out for the Eagles, if they ever get their act together.’

And indeed the Birds, were in the hunt for the NFC East title right up until week 15.

The team that edged them in Week 15, the Giants, went on to win a Super Bowl Trophy after posting a pedestrian 9-7 regular season record.

Why that scenario has never happened to Reid or his team is just one of many frustrating elements of his coaching tenure in Philadelphia.

Always good, never golden.

Here we are again, with another talented group of players, all with their heads screwed on straight for the most part, and we continue to endure the same frustrations.

Reid’s teams have agonizingly produced over his tenure.

Sunday’s collapse against the Detroit Lions, resulting in the firing of defensive coordinator Juan Castillo may have been the lowest point of Reid’s tenure. He has lost back-to-back games because of fumbles, poor coaching and his defense’s inability to get a stop at the end of a game when had to.

The Eagles are last in the league in offense and have not registered a single sack in three games.

Those numbers get people fired.

“The last two drives offensively were pathetic,” Reid said Monday. “They were pathetic from a coaching standpoint and they were pathetic from a players’ standpoint. When you’re in a tight game and have an opportunity to score, you go down and you put it together. When it’s needed, when your back’s to the wall, and when it’s the fourth quarter or overtime, you put that together and you go take care of business. Both sides of the ball, we failed in that area.”

He has all the pieces to the puzzle, but has yet to get them all together at the same time.

Right now, it is Mike Vick’s penchant for turnovers.

I thought Kevin Kolb had some spectacular turnovers during his brief tenure under center here, but Vick has started to take it to another level.

And even after five lost fumbles and six interceptions through six games, he continues to say it is not that big a deal.

“I mean, it’s football. Things happen,” Vick said after the Birds’ 16-14 loss to the Steelers.

“I wish I could take back the fumble on the goal line, but I can’t.

“That’s how it goes in the NFL. You wish you could have some things back, and there are plenty of things I wish I could have back through the course of this season, but you can’t get them,” Vick continues.

This is where Reid must step in. If we take a look at Vick’s stats over the years, he has had times where he fumbles quite a bit, and times like 2010 in Philly, his best year as a pro, where he was fine.

 Going into the 2012 season, Vick has 73 career fumbles, and lost 32 of them.

Vick must make adjustments to his technique to be consistent with his ball security.

Players have cured this problem in the past. Giants’ running back Tiki Barber almost got run out of town after he fumbled 35 times between 2000 and 2003, prompting head coach Tom Coughlin, and running backs coach Jerald Ingram to make a familiar promise: If Barber didn’t change his ways, he was not going to play. As good as he was, Barber was hurting his team.

“It completely gets in your head,” Barber said recently. “It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in a way.”

Barber cured his problem because he admitted he had a problem and turned his fumbling ways over to his coaches, solved the problem and went on to have a productive career with Big Blue.

Vick is still – now in his tenth season – not convinced he has a problem.

“I never had a problem with fumbling before,” Vick said. “It was one of those things. Everything happens for a reason and if it was meant to be, I wouldn’t have fumbled the ball at the goal line. But I have no explanation for it.”

Vick was virtually untouched on his goal line fumble, and surly cost the Eagles at least three points.

They lost by two.

“I will do a better job of protecting the football,” Vick said.

How?

Until he stops the flood gates, teams will use the same strategy to get Vick to put the rock on the ground.

“You want to put pressure on him, but it’s not necessarily about sacks,” Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison said.

After the loss to the Steelers, Reid was asked to speak about Vick’s comments regarding his fumbles and everything “happening for a reason.” Reid would also be asked about whether he agrees with that mentality.

Reid almost went to the ‘it’s the media’s fault’ excuse, but he held back.

“Well, I would imagine, because I know you guys pretty well, that probably wasn’t the first time he was asked about the fumbles in that press conference,” Reid said. “I’d tell you that, listen, there’s nobody more competitive than this guy and he knows that he can’t fumble. Understand that. He knows that he can’t have turnovers and he can’t fumble. Nobody knows it better than the player and he doesn’t want to go out there and do those things. But we’ve got to go back and we’ve got to work on ball security. He understands that and we’ll do that and we’ll get that right. He’s going to get it right, just like he did the interceptions and we’re going to get it fixed. It won’t be the last time he carries the football. He’s going to continue to carry the football and he’s just got to secure it away, keep it high and tight and, when he’s in traffic, get that thing covered up with the off hand.”

Reid said he was going to address the turnovers, admitting they cannot continue.

“You emphasize it,” Reid said.  “As a coach, you emphasize it. You continue to emphasize it in practice. That’s what you do. And as a player you make it happen. You have to make sure you keep the ball high and tight and that you cover it in traffic. When things are live and they are going fast in the game you make sure you go back to those fundamentals to get it taken care of.”

Reid has referred to Vick as a “great player,” but I think “gifted player” is more accurate. Great players have accomplishments, as in titles. Vick has five career playoff starts, two wins, and zero Super Bowl appearances in his first nine seasons.

Not exactly a Canton resume.

People have suggested calling plays to keep Vick out of harm’s way to prevent sacks and turnovers. Players, to a man, will tell you it is their job, as a pro, to execute the play called regardless of stats or the situation.

I agree with that as a rule.

Reid knows how to win a Super Bowl. He had a key coaching position with the Green Bay Packers when Mike Holmgren and quarterback Brett Favre hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XXXI.

Reid was the quarterbacks coach. It was Favre’s only title in a Hall of Fame career.

How many more times Reid will get a shot to win one as the head coach of the Eagles will ultimately depend on the hands of his quarterback, and his ability to hold on to the ball.

Frustrating…isn’t it?