Jason Babin's odd reaction to being cut by Andy Reid

Chris Chase, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

Jason Babin reacted to Andy Reid's cutting the same way most people react to Andy Reid's coaching.

He laughed.

Babin, the Philadelphia Eagles' leader in sacks over the past two seasons, was surprised when Reid called him Tuesday to give him the news and didn't know how to react. Babin told ESPN Radio's Jonathan Coachman:

"One, any time you see Andy Reid come across your caller ID, you know (laughs) it's probably not a good thing. "But two, all I could do was -- almost -- I laughed. I was like, 'Alright, coach. if that's what you gotta do.' It just, I don't know, caught me off guard."

The way Babin tells the story, his laughter sounds less like a physical response to a positive emotional state and more like a condescending dismissal of Reid's management skills. As someone who just had the last $16.2 million of his contract terminated, Babin made a fair assessment. (Also, Andy Reid called to cut him? That's pretty low.)

If I saw Andy Reid's name on my caller ID, I would assume it was because of an accidental butt-dial. And then I'd imagine his mustache rubbing up against the headset and rendering him inaudible. And then I'd figure when the call timer got to two minutes, Reid would panic and throw a challenge flag.

So, yeah, I can see how it's a funny thing when Andy Reid calls, even if it's with bad news.