Andy Reid feels a lot better about the Eagles' plan to attack free agency than he does about blending together all of his new players and coaches staff for the 2011 season.

And that's another reminder of the widening gulf between his coaching duties and his authority as executive vice president of football operations.

General manager Howie Roseman, through team president Joe Banner, is in charge of free agency according to a source. Reid, still playing the good soldier, says on this video (http://tinyurl.com/3vpjtsv) that the free agency plan is both his and Roseman's and that he likes it. But again, what was he going to say?

It's hard not to feel compassion for Reid, the preparation freak who in this lockout era is relagated to the ultimate day-to-day challenge of getting a young team together without coaching the players and without his new coaching staff getting used to their charges.

The pressure on Reid to produce has never been greater.