As I joined the rest of Eagles Nation Sunday watching helplessly as the Redskins ran the final six minutes off the clock, with the Eagles defense reverting to their most unnerving habit, their inability to get off the field, I had the voice of Andy Reid running through my head.

I jokingly said to no one in particular, “I can hear Andy Reid now. “I’ve got to do a better job of putting players in position to make plays.”

It his standard response after every loss.

But I was fairly confident that after this most recent, galling loss, even Reid would not be so smug, so arrogant, as to trot out this same, tired old song.

Certainly he would have more respect for the fans who have stuck with this team through so many years, and so many cruel losses, as to not show such contempt for the public with his standard reply.

So you can imagine what was going through my head a few minutes later when Reid approached the microphones, read off the injuries, then went into the same trite line: ““I’ve got to do a better job of putting players in position to make plays.”

I thought my head was going to explode. It’s clear Andy Reid has little or no regard for the people who live and die with this team every week.

Last year the Eagles’ boss decided he knew better than everyone else and could enter an NFL season without a punt returner. After muffed punts cost him the game, Reid remained defiant.

He has consistently said his wide receivers are more than adequate and the team does not need an upgrade at that key position. Yesterday, after a few more balls clanged off the hands of his wideouts, we got more of the same. The Eagles’ one bright spot, rookie DeSean Jackson, actually bailed out his coach with another brilliant punt return for a TD, then disappeared from the play list. The one guy who could make a difference suddenly became a non-factor.

This year Reid decided he didn’t need a fullback. First he brought in Dan Klecko, who was a defensive lineman on several Super Bowl teams and dabbled at fullback in goal-line situations. Then Reid decided that wasn’t working out. He tossed Tony Hunt, a tailback at Penn State who has never played fullback in his life, into the breach.

He also apparently does not think he needs a tight end who can block. It cost him a touchdown last week at the goal line. Yesterday they got stuffed again. In the process, tight end L.J. Smith was involved in some kind of confusion that caused Donovan McNabb to audible out to another call. Brian Westbrook actually lost yardage on the play.

The Eagles for the first three weeks of the year have been hailed for their ability to stop the run. It helps when the other teams decide not to bother running the ball. Yesterday the Redskins were not nearly as accommodating. They decided to pin their ears back and go right at the Eagles defense.

One telling sign was a critical fourth-and-1 play late in the fourth quarter. Clinton Portis seemed to be stopped at the line of scrimmage. Then suddenly the entire pile of Redskins and Eagles started moving forward. When it stopped Portis had the first down and the Eagles were looking at being able to do little more than watch as the Redskins took a knee after each play and run out the block. That’s right, the Eagles had used all their timeouts.

We’ve seen this one before. And we’ve heard Reid’s tired words entirely too often.

Reid will address the media in a few hours. Let me save you the trouble.

He will take the blame, say it’s his responsibility and indicate he has to do a better job of putting his players in a position to make plays.

And he will say it again after the next galling loss.