Philadelphia Eagles Coach Andy Reid

Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid signed a three-year contract extension, four days before a showdown with the New York Giants with a possible postseason spot on the line.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed in a news release from the Eagles, who are 8-4 and tied for first place in the National Football Conference East with the Dallas Cowboys.

The extension, which keeps Reid with the National Football League franchise through 2013, comes a season after his team reached the NFC championship game, eliminating the top-seeded Giants in the first round.

The previous season, Reid took a leave of absence to deal with family matters following the arrest of his two sons on drug and weapons charges.

Reid, 51, is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, the second- longest tenured coach in the league behind the Tennessee Titans’ Jeff Fisher and the longest-tenured coach in Eagles history. He has led the Eagles to five division titles, five conference championship games and the Super Bowl title game after the 2004 season. Philadelphia reached the postseason in seven of Reid’s first 10 years.

The Eagles play the Giants (7-5) on Dec. 13 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A loss would drop the Giants two games behind Philadelphia in the race for a playoff spot, while a win would lift New York back a tie with at least Philadelphia, three weeks before the regular season ends.

Local Rivalry

The rivalry of two clubs separated by about 100 miles has produced some memorable moments over the years. Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson, who played for the Giants from 1976 through 1988, calls it a respectful, “friendly rivalry,” saying the players often meet in the offseason or at charity events.

“You walk off the field, you pat each other on the rear end,” he said.

In January, the Eagles intercepted Giants quarterback Eli Manning twice and held New York without a touchdown on the way to eliminating the Giants from the postseason. New York became the first top-seeded defending Super Bowl champion to lose its first playoff game. New York coach Tom Coughlin called it “a disappointing end to our season.”

When the teams met in November, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabbthrew three first-half touchdown passes in a 40-17 victory, handing the Giants, who started the season 5-0, their third straight loss.

‘Miracle’

In a November 1978 game, Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik and running back Larry Csonka fumbled a handoff, leading to a last-second Eagles’ victory that became known as “The Miracle at the Meadowlands.”

In November 1960, Eagles Hall of Fame linebacker Chuck Bednarik hit Giants running back Frank Gifford in the chest so hard that Gifford didn’t play in the next 1½ seasons.

Reid, who also is the Eagles’ executive vice president of football operations, has a 12-12 record against the Giants, while Coughlin is 8-7 against Philadelphia.

By Aaron Kuriloff, Bloomberg

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