Philadelphia ? The Philadelphia Eagles went after Mike Holmgren seven years ago and ended up with Andy Reid.

Fans, of course, were disappointed and Reid was greeted on the day he was hired by a headline on the front page of a local newspaper that said “Andy Who?”

That was in 1999. The perception is much different now.

Reid has led the Eagles to the NFC championship game four straight years and the Super Bowl last season, while his mentor, Holmgren, hasn’t won a playoff game in Seattle.

This year, however, Holmgren’s Seahawks lead the NFC with a 9-2 record going into tonight’s game against Reid and the struggling Eagles (5-6).

Many of the problems in Philadelphia went beyond Reid’s control. He has dealt with several injuries to star players, and there was the never-ending saga involving banished wideout Terrell Owens.

“He’s handled it as good as any human being could,” Holmgren said. “And, he’s one of the quality coaches, and quality human beings.”

Reid workd under Holmgren for seven years in Green Bay during the 1990s. The two coaches who bear a striking resemblance to one another still talk often.

“When I worked for him, I had a hard time believing that anybody did it better than he did as a head coach in the NFL,” Reid said. “Even when he was going through the tough times, he didn’t change.”

Holmgren spurned the Eagles and other offers to take over as the coach and executive vice president in Seattle in 1999.

Holmgren has led the Seahawks to three division titles, including this year, and three playoff appearances.

Reid rebuilt the Eagles from rock bottom, taking them from 3-13 the year before he came in to 11-5 in his second season in 2000. Philadelphia won at least 11 games and one playoff game in each of the last five seasons.

Holmgren expects the Eagles to be contenders next year no matter how they finish up this season.

“The setup is good, and they should be good for a long time, in my opinion,” Holmgren said.