Norv Turner, Andy Reid Keep Jobs

San Diego Chargers head coach Norv Turner.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid.

The San Diego Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles have announced that Norv Turner and Andy Reid will respectively keep their jobs as head coach. Turner and Reid were both put on the hot seat after their respective teams failed to live up to expectations that were placed on them going into the season. Reid will continue to be the longest tenured head coach in the league, starting in 1999.

The Chargers were expected to win the AFC West this season after finishing 8-8 last season. The Chiefs surprised everyone by winning the division, while the Chargers were unable to fully recover from yet another slow start. This year, it was the complete opposite. The Chargers headed into their Week 7 matchup with the Jets at 4-1 and leading the division. It appeared as if they would run away with the division. However, the Chargers lost six straight and fell out of contention for the AFC West crown. It was widely expected that Turner would be fired for greatly underachieving with this team, but luckily for him, he was given another chance.

The Eagles came into this season after having the best offseason of any team in the league. They were able to sign Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Cullen Jenkins, and Vince Young. They also acquired Dominic Rodgers-Cromartie from the Cardinals via trade. While everything was looking great in the City of Brotherly Love, they got off to a 1-4 start after losing to the Bills. The "Dream Team" label that was started by Young was quickly pushed away by Michael Vick and the players. The Eagles had a chance to turn things around after their victory in Maryland against the Redskins.

The Eagles had three straight home games, against the Cowboys, Bears and Cardinals. Instead, after easily dominating the Cowboys, they lost to the Bears and Cardinals and it was widely believed that it was over at that point. Many fans began calling for Reid's head, and Juan Castillo was in trouble as well. The Eagles were still in it up until Christmas Eve, but were eliminated once the Giants beat the Jets.

When firing someone, the question becomes; who will become the new head coach and are they better than the previous one? I definitely believed Norv Turner was on his way out, and there are definitely better coaches out there to replace him with. As for Andy Reid, he's been the one constant in possibly the best stretch of Eagle football in franchise history. I am not sure they are able to replace him with a better coach. Andy Reid deserves to be the coach of the Eagles for as long as possible because he will keep the Eagles in playoff contention or close to it every year.

Expectations will be great again for the Chargers and the Eagles. If they don't deliver again, both coaches will be sure to be on their way out. This is Turner's second chance, while Reid has had plenty of close calls.