Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie spoke with the media during the NFL Annual Meeting and shed a lot of light on some areas that were forgotten about amidst a very frantic offseason. Here’s everything you need to know from Lurie’s meeting with the media.
Accountability
We knew after the speech that preceded the hiring of Doug Pederson that Jeffery Lurie was going to be hot on responsibility after Chip Kelly’s power struggle. But just how much accountability is Jeffery Lurie placing on the shoulders of Howie Roseman? A lot..(quote from NJ.com)
“..he will be held responsible for how the player personnel does in the future. He will be held responsible for the quality of that department.”
Lurie appears to be much more certain as to where the power lies, but also very trusting in Roseman after how the Executive Vice President of Football Operations spent 2015.
Lurie on Howie in '15:"The whole plan was for Howie to spend the time studying state-of-the-art decision making around the globe in sports.”
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) March 22, 2016
Lurie also went on to say how impressed he was with Roseman’s work this offseason so the early signs are very promising..but the key point here is that someone is responsible for the direction of the team and would take accountability regardless of the outcome..something that didn’t appear to be present when Chip Kelly had the reigns.
The Eagles want to draft a Quarterback
This one shouldn’t really come as a surprise but Lurie alluded to wanting to draft a Quarterback. It’s an odd strategy, you very rarely see a team laying their cards on the table in the run up to the draft but perhaps they’re trying to upset the apple cart..who knows?
It’s common knowledge that Pederson wants to groom a Quarterback and with such a Quarterback friendly coaching core as well as two Quarterbacks who have been around various systems and Coaches, it’s no real surprise. The question now is..where are the Eagles looking to take one? With no second round pick, one would presume that drafting a Quarterback in the later rounds makes the most sense..but only time will tell..let the speculation resume!
Either way, he made it clear that Bradford is his number one and that he has confidence in both his starter and his backup.
Expectation
This was interesting. After such a big off-season, Lurie doesn’t appear to think his team will need time to gradually climb towards their end goal and instead hit the ground running.
Lurie said he expects the Eagles to compete for the NFC East title this year. Also thinks they're positioned to win mid-term and long-term.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) March 22, 2016
The mid and long term views are likely due to the very impressive extension work by Howie Roseman, ensuring the Eagles have some of their biggest playmakers on long term deals. The question is, just how soon can Doug Pederson rally what’s becoming a very well organized team into a competitive position?
Howie’s role explained
The Eagles were said to be looking for a “Head of Player personnel” before eventually calling off the search until May. The plan all along (revealed by Lurie today) was for Roseman to have control until then..but just how much control does Roseman have?
What did Lurie mean by saying Howie's job cannot be labeled as "general manager?" Here's the full answer: pic.twitter.com/yc6FvFxGZc
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) March 22, 2016
Well, that clears that up!
No regrets
As ferocious as the Chip Kelly storm was, Jeffery Lurie doesn’t seem to have any regrets.
Lurie said giving Chip full control was a necessary step and one he doesn't regret. The biggest cost was time — not the money spent.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) March 22, 2016
I’m inclined to agree. If Lurie hadn’t given Chip the power he wanted after turning a 4-12 team into a playoff contender, then we would have never known the true potential of his system and there’s nothing to say he won’t succeed in San Francisco. It’s evident the Eagles want to win..and win soon. That simply wasn’t an option under Kelly once the roster purge began to show signs of what can go wrong in such a controversial system.
It’s safe to say that Lurie is content, hopeful and realistic. He’s aware of the situation and who is responsible for every move the team have made. What has he learned from the Chip Kelly era? Enough to be confident that his team is moving in the right direction. His “hands-on approach” implies that he has more involvement than he lets on…and that’s not a bad thing.
Photo credit: Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images
