Local Eagles fans intrigued by possibility of Andy Reid as Cardinals coach

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There’s a lot of talk that former Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid could become the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Eagles fans in the Valley are intrigued by the thought of having Reid as Cardinals’ coach.

The Blitz sports bar in downtown Scottsdale is a favorite hangout for Eagles fans. Bartender Leigh Rutledge said having Reid as the Cardinals coach “would be better than what the Cardinals have now.”

The Cardinals don’t have a head coach right now, which is the whole point of the coaching search, but point taken.

Meanwhile, Ed Billings of Phoenix said a good quarterback is what the team needs most.

“Like Denver proved this year (by signing Peyton Manning) I don’t think it’s so much the coach as it is a quarterback,” Billings said. “Without a quarterback, it don’t matter who the coach is. I guarantee that if Tom Brady wasn’t in New England, they’d be a .500 team.

“Look at what Andrew Luck has done in Indianapolis last year to this year. I think a lot of the coaches are pretty equal. Yes, there’s a few that are better than the others, but the quarterback is the main person.”

He doesn’t think the Cardinals will find a quarterback in the draft.

“There’s never good quarterbacks out of Southern Cal, so I sure hope they don’t take that Barkley guy,” Billings said, referring to University of Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley.

As for Reid, Rutledge said having Reid as the Cardinals’ head coach could force a lot of her patrons to change their allegiance.

“I don’t know, it could be a possibility. It might change it up a little bit. After all, the Cardinals do need a sports bar, so this could do it,” Rutledge said.