INDIANAPOLIS -- A play here, a play there. Just one or two darn breaks going their way. A bounce this way instead of that way.
If a drop had been a catch. If a missed tackle had been made. If a missed field goal had been good. If a penalty had been called.
What if Freddie Mitchell got better position on Aeneas Williams on that final drive in the 2001 NFC Championship Game in St. Louis or Ndukwe Kalu had blocked that John Baker punt he missed by an inch?
What if Mark Simoneau had managed to tackle Carolinas DeShaun Foster at the goal-line -- either time -- or Donovan McNabb hadnt fumbled with the Eagles in field goal range in the 2002 NFC Championship Game?
What if hobbled Blaine Bishop had admitted to his coaches he was hurt before Joe Jureviciuss 71-yard catch and run from Brad Johnson in the 2003 NFC Championship Game against Tampa?
What if McNabb wasnt picked off by Tedy Bruschi deep in Patriots territory or if Rod Hood didnt get dehydrated, forcing the Eagles to put untested Matt Ware on Deion Branch in the second half of the Super Bowl?
What if Hood four years later -- then with the Cards -- had been called for pass interference on that fourth-down McNabb pass when he grabbed Kevin Curtis's foot in the 2008 NFC Championship Game in Arizona or if Dawk had been able to tackle Tim Hightower on 4th-and-two?
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Heck, what if any one of those turnovers in any one of those five games this past season in which the Eagles blew a fourth-quarter lead never happened? The Eagles win the NFC East, the Giants don't make the playoffs, and who knows where the 2011 Lombardi Trophy is residing today.
The only thing worse than not winning a Super Bowl is getting so many chances and not taking advantage of them. Getting so close and blowing it.
The Eagles are the Dynasty that Never Was.
If they had been just a little bit better, just a little bit smarter, and, yeah, just a little bit luckier, they might have won a few Super Bowls between 2001 and 2008, and McNabb, Andy Reid and Jim Johnson would all be on their way to Canton. Its actually not that far-fetched.
Instead, nothing. Just a ton of regular-season wins, a ton of playoff wins and a ton of late January frustration and disappointment.
And it might drive everybody else crazy to get so close so many times and have it all fall to pieces.
Not Reid.
He just picks himself up each time and girds himself for another season, another run at that championship, another quest for the one achievement that continues to elude him and elude his team and elude his city.
It doesnt drive me crazy, Reid said sitting back in a comfy chair in the lobby of the Eagles headquarters hotel at the NFL Scouting Combine.
I think in this business, if you dwell on the past, youve got issues for the future, and so youve got to make sure that you stay motivated, you stay pure to the game, you dont get caught up in the fantasy world of the National Football League, being a head coach in the National Football League, and you stay focused on whats important.
And its the game itself and your players. And thats what I do, and thats where my energy goes.
Its now 13 seasons and counting, and as Reid prepares for Year No. 14 as head coach of the Eagles, he insists hes just as motivated, just as energized, just as confident as ever.
Maybe the last 13 years have drained a lot of Eagles fans. Maybe theyve beaten down a lot of Eagles fans.
Reid isnt beaten down or drained. In a long sit-down interview with CSNPhilly.com Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine, a relaxed, engaging Reid said hes focused only on the future and not the frustration and disappointment of past seasons.
Ive got a ton of energy, Reid said. Ive got a ton. Love it. Every day.
Reid is one of 31 men in history to coach more than 200 games but one of only 10 among that group not to win a championship.
Hes one of only 14 men to win 10 or more playoff games. But one of only four among that group not to win a championship.
Hes one of only 16 men to reach the postseason nine times but one of only four among that group not to win a championship.
Hes done everything there is to do as a pro football coach except win a Super Bowl. And the desire to win one for owner Jeff Lurie and for the fans in Philadelphia whove endured more than half a century without a championship consumes him.
You cant hide from it, you try to attack it and keep yourself out front and go and be real, he said. Im always in attack mode, thats how I operate. Im always positive about things, real about them.
I asked Reid this question Friday: After 13 seasons without a title, what makes him think hes still the best guy to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl?
I think we all have confidence in ourselves, said Reid,who also explained why he's encouraged by his team's strong finish (see story). I have confidence I can get the job done. I think thats where it starts. Youve got to be able to make people around you better as a head coach, as a position coach, as a player. And that strengthens your team.
Im not good at talking about myself. I think the end result is what counts. Winning games is what counts and winning championships is what counts and not what other people say about you. I have the energy to do it and I have the confidence that we can get that done.
This has already been a strange off-season, thanks to Luries unprecedented January press conference, in which he essentially announced that he mulled firing Reid after last years 8-8 disaster, a third consecutive season without a playoff win.
Lurie seemed to indicate that the Eagles have to turn things around immediately or Reid will be gone after the 2012 season.
But Reid said Luries remarks didnt change his approach or give him a heightened sense of urgency.
Does he feel like he has to win 12 games or reach the NFC Championship Game or go to the Super Bowl to save his job? He avoids the question by saying he goes into every season thinking he has to win the Super Bowl.
We were both disappointed with the way the season went, Reid said. I know he expressed that. Im right with him on that. I didn't like the way things turned out. The end of it was good, but it wasnt good enough. Wasnt good enough, bottom line. I need to do better with the five games we lost in the fourth quarter, obviously. We need to do better with the turnovers. And we needed to improve on defense, and we did that as the season went on.
I talked with (Lurie). He and I have good open communication. I knew where he stood. I knew it better than anyone. He and I talked. Listen, in this league, its a competitive league. I completely understand that. The objective is to win the Super Bowl. We havent done that yet. And so I understood the disappointment when you do that, and so I understood where hes coming from.
Thats the No. 1 thing that drives you. Thats whats hard to explain. I guess I can only speak for myself. As a coach, thats the way I feel. ... You shoot for the Super Bowl, and anything less than that, youre very disappointed. Thats my mentality, always. People say theres one team thats happy at the end of the year. Thats how you feel.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com