(Editor's Note: The Express-Times has acquired this exclusive (very much so) peek at ESPN analyst Jon Gruden's diary ...)

Dear Diary:

Here I am in Philadelphia where a lot of

fans think I'll be working next season.

They may be disappointed, Diary.

It sure would be convenient with my son

up at

and it would be exciting to coach a team in such a passionate city for football. I mean, I won a Super Bowl at

and hardly anybody seemed to notice. They didn't even build a statue of me or anything and I wasn't given a contract for life. They even fired me.

And no fair bringing up my 44-51 record in Tampa after the Supe season -- salary cap constraints, you know. Or the fact that no Super Bowl-winning coach in one city has ever done anything in another except back up a Brink's truck to the owner's bank and drive away with a gazoogle of cash.

Yeah, it'd be kind of fun taking over in Philadelphia and boy if you won a Super Bowl here the universe would notice. I'd get a whole museum for myself, not just a statue. And if Andy Reid could coach here for 14 years and not win a Super Bowl, I could win one and coach until it's time to retire.

But, Diary, you know, looking at this team I see here preparing for Monday night's Battle-for-Worst-in-the-NFC with the

at Lincoln Financial Field, I gotta yell ya, it might be a long time before this sorry bunch gets near a Super Bowl without a ticket.

Yeah,

is an elite talent and I'd sure use him a lot more than Andy does (screen passes anybody?).

can play for me if I don't run a 3-4. And there's some potential in the younger guys like linebacker

and cornerback

.

But, wow, I don't see much else to build on.

There are a bunch of veterans who talk a lot better game than they play, some overrated big names and some why-are-they-here mysteries. A confused and overmatched young quarterback who doesn't seem like a long-term answer. And didn't you used to be

?

(Don't expect me to say any of this on the air, Diary. Oh no. Lavish praise all around. You don't get hired by criticizing the merchandise.)

Leave a nice, warm, no-pressure broadcast booth for the cold, unforgiving sidelines? I dunno, Diary, doesn't sound too smart.

Take this game here. Normally in the Reid era a team like the 2-8 Panthers, who have lost seven of eight games, would come up to Philly, get intimidated by the crowd, give up some big plays to

and

, not be able to run the ball and walk away 37-17 losers. By the second half Tirico and I would be talking about where to get the best cheesesteaks.

But somehow the Eagles are such a sad story that Vegas likes the Panthers -- at 2-8!! -- as a road favorite. Remarkable. And by three points, too. Of course, Diary, Vegas, like everybody else, watched

in

last week and concluded this team shouldn't be favored over South Philadelphia High School.

So no

, no McCoy, and poor

stuck with an offensive line that looks a lot worse than I played behind at the

in the 1980s .... Does it matter that Carolina's defense is decidedly mid-league mediocre? Probably not. The Eagles won't score much unless Jackson or Maclin get loose somehow.

And Diary, after watching

dominate the Birds, you gotta think Cam Newton will have a field day as well, though Griffin already has a better command of the NFL through 11 games than Newton has in one and a half seasons. Still, that's good enough to beat the Eagles these days.

I dunno, Diary, if I wasn't paid to be there maybe I wouldn't even go. Cold, blustery night ... better to stay home and look at that Super Bowl trophy.

Oops, gotta go, Diary, Bud Adams on the line ...