Eagles president Joe Banner announced on Monday that head coach Andy Reid has taken a leave of absence from his duties as the team's head coach/executive vice president of football operations to attend to personal matters involving his family.

Here is what the Eagles released in a brief statement:

"Reid will take a leave of absence from his duties as head coach/executive vice president of football operations in order to attend to personal matters involving his family. The leave of absence will last until approximately mid-March 2007.

At that point, Reid will return to his regular duties with the Eagles."

Banner elaborated on Reid's status in a press conference held shortly after the initial release.

"He's not going to come into the office," Banner explained. "But he will be available for calls and to collaborate and he will be here if we have free agents in for a visit.

"He will retain final say over whatever we do."

Reid, who is also the team's head of football operations, will miss the NFL scouting combine and the start of free agency. The combine is in Indianapolis from February 22-28. Free agency begins on March 2.

Teams may begin voluntary offseason workouts March 19.

As Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio noted this morning, speculation already has begun that the leave of absence is the first step in what could be Reid's resignation from the job -- although there's no hard evidence on which to base such a conclusion.

The rumor started Saturday, when Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Phil Sheridan suggested that Reid's commitment to family is strong enough for him to walk away from the game if need be.

But NFL Network insider Adam Schefter reported later Saturday that after talking this week to someone who knows Reid very well, it became very obvious: Reid will not be stepping down anytime soon, certainly not before this season.

Reid is committed to coaching the Eagles and helping out his sons.

That said, Florio points out that a leave of absence is rare for any NFL coach.

Indeed, then-Rams head coach Mike Martz, who missed part of the 2005 season with a bacterial infection in his heart, is the most notable in recent memory. Martz was fired after the season ended.

But the plan for Reid's return is already laid out.

According to Associated Press sports writer Rob Maaddi, Reid plans to attend the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona in late March, and will be back for the NFL draft April 28-29.

And free agency?

The Eagles have 11 unrestricted free agents, notably wide receiver Donte' Stallworth and backup quarterback Jeff Garcia.

"Before any of this happened, we had finalized our own plans on our free agents and we had put together our preliminary plans on players we would be interested in," Banner said today.

General manager Tom Heckert and the team's assistant coaches will handle the interviewing of players at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, though Reid might be able to meet with some players at another time.

Reid has led the Eagles to the playoffs six times, including four trips to the NFC championship game and one Super Bowl, in eight seasons as head coach. He's dealt with several challenges the past two seasons from the Terrell Owens' soap opera and a series of key injuries in 2005 to losing five-time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb in Week 11 this past season.

Despite McNabb's injury, the Eagles won their final five games behind Garcia, finished 10-6 to capture their fifth NFC East title in six years and reached the second round of the playoffs. As Maaddi suggested, many considered it Reid's best coaching job in Philadelphia.

Players credited his steady approach for helping them overcome a difficult midseason stretch and the injuries to McNabb and star defensive end Jevon Kearse.

"People deal with circumstances in life of all different kinds and still carry on their careers and professions, and that's the kind of guy Andy is," Banner said.

For those who have missed it, Garrett Reid, the 23-year-old son of Andy, tested positive for heroin after he caused a traffic accident last Tuesday, according to Plymouth Township Police.

That same day, Britt Reid, the 21-year-old son of Andy, was arraigned on drug and weapons charges stemming from an alleged road rage incident.

The police report stated that Garrett ran a red light in suburban Philadelphia, striking a car driven by a 55-year-old woman. A blood test conducted after the crash showed that Garrett was under the influence of heroin.

No charges have yet been filed, but Plymouth Township police chief Joseph Lawrence confirmed last Thursday that Garrett will likely be charged with a misdemeanor of driving under the influence of a controlled substance.

In Britt's case, authorities claimed he pointed a handgun at another driver following a dispute. He faces a felony charge of carrying a firearm without a license as well as misdemeanor charges of lying to authorities, simple assault and possession of a controlled substance. ESPN's Sal Paolantonio, meanwhile, is suggesting today's announcement was intended -- at least in part -- to send a much-needed message to the Philadelphia community that Reid is putting family first. It's an issue that's been widely discussed in the local media. That's especially trued of local talk radio, where fans have expressed considerable concern about Reid's priorities.

Stay tuned. ... I'll be watching the Eagles' progress closely in coming weeks and will report back if/when developments due to Reid's absence arise.