Gamble is Out

Posted: December 31st, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 281 Comments »

Here is your first big news of the offseason.

This is an awkward way to start things off. Gamble is a good personnel evaluator. The only reason you get rid of him (which is what happened) is if there was some personality conflict or a power struggle.

Tim McManus was the first to report the relationship between Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman had cooled. This is relevant because Tom Gamble was seen as a Kelly guy. Does this now mean instead of Kelly/Gamble vs Roseman it will now be Howie vs Chip when there is an issue? It doesn’t look good in terms of organizational harmony.

It is possible that Howie sold the idea to Jeff Lurie that he needed more control of the draft back.

We can see the greatness of the 2012 draft class (Cox, Kendricks, Curry, Boykin, Foles, etc). Howie ran that draft the way he wanted. The last 2 classes have shown the influence of Chip Kelly. We don’t know how those classes will pan out overall, but they don’t appear to be anywhere close to the 2012 group.

This is one possibility.

It could also be something nastier, where Howie felt threatened and went to Lurie to fight for more power. I would hate to think it would be something petty like that, but football executives are human beings and will do/say some strange things. Also, these are powerful people and they do have egos. Again, I’d hate to think egos got in the way of trying to win Super Bowls, but we’d be naive not to at least mention the possibility.

This shouldn’t affect the Eagles on a day-to-day basis. Howie is a veteran GM. He’s got plenty of veteran people around him and a full set of scouts out in the field. Gamble’s presence would be most important when putting together the draft board and making decisions during the actual draft. That’s where his experience and knowledge would be most beneficial.

The big fear would be if this strained the Roseman-Kelly relationship. While they may not be best friends, they have worked well together for the past 2 years. If this were to make things really awkward between them, that could set up a future showdown where it is Chip vs Howie for control of the organization. That’s when things would go from awkward to flat out ugly.

San Francisco had a major breakdown this year that led to Jim Harbaugh’s departure for Michigan. The strained relationship between GM Trent Baalke and Harbaugh was a problem for a couple of years. It finally came to a head this season and something had to give. I don’t think the Eagles situation is anywhere close to that contentious, but that’s more a guess than anything else.

It is also possible that the Eagles wanted a commitment from Gamble and he continued to look around for a GM job.

Whatever the reason, this sure doesn’t appear to be good news, but only time will give us a true answer.

* * * * *

Les Bowen offered his thoughts.

Here is a note from Jeff McLane.

* * * * *

The Raiders may interview Pat Shurmur for their head coaching vacancy. Shurmur is a good assistant and seems like a heckuva guy, but I don’t know why anyone would hire him to be the HC. That doesn’t make sense. He’s not a great schemer. He’s not a compelling leader. There’s nothing wrong with “only” being a good assistant coach.

Good luck to Shurmur, but I think Oakland would be crazy to hire him.

_


281 Comments on “Gamble is Out”

  1. 1 Nicodemus_09 said at 3:45 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Heck I think Shurmer would be crazy to want Oakland to hire HIM. The land where careers go to die.

  2. 2 GEAGLE said at 4:15 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Doubt he takes that job… He knows chip basically saved his career and will allow Shurmer to get one more head coaching chance. If Shurmur Fails at his next head coaching opportunity, he will NEVER be considered for another head oaching job…so if Shurm is going to accept a head coaching job, he better make sure it’s a good situation that he can succeed in

  3. 3 Ark87 said at 4:29 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Very good points. So the question is wtf is he doing. Possibly just a way to let people know he’s on the market and available?

  4. 4 EAGLES said at 12:02 AM on January 2nd, 2015:

    Never know, he would have Carr to work with and our scheme to use. Carr would be perfect in the offense.

  5. 5 Nailed it! said at 3:47 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    It is all crazy speculation up to this point. Maybe Gamble wanted out to be a GM somewhere. Maybe Chip realized he cant be a HC OC and scout with an NFL team. Some people like the taste of cucumbers better pickled too. Let’s see how this all plays out!

    Haha I see on other articles not on this site people are already saying Chip is jumping off this ship and going back to college. No effing way that happens.

  6. 6 GEAGLE said at 4:13 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    No…security escorted gamble out of novacare last night…if this was about gamble moving on to a new job, it would be a mutual split, this was a straight up FIRING

  7. 7 Greg Richards said at 4:48 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Where did you read that security escorted Gamble out?

  8. 8 Media Mike said at 8:18 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Les Bowen tweeted it.

  9. 9 Buge Halls said at 6:15 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Please link to that – first we’ve heard of it. Official word is “mutual parting”

  10. 10 Media Mike said at 8:18 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Lew Bowen tweeted it.

  11. 11 Cliff said at 9:01 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Don’t think that necessarily means anything. That happens at companies all the time. It’s stupid and insensitive, but it happens.

  12. 12 Daniel Norman Richwine said at 3:49 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    This is like military leadership. It’s the interdepartment rivalry that makes it tick

  13. 13 robspassky said at 1:49 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Can you elaborate on that? Are you saying that in the military power struggles in the leadership are beneficial?

  14. 14 Daniel Norman Richwine said at 1:53 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Beneficial? Hard to say. It can be good or bad, but that kind of rivalry is how it works, it’s part of the culture of the military. A wise commander understands and uses this. A poor one does not.

  15. 15 sflomenb said at 3:49 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    This is very concerning

  16. 16 Ark87 said at 3:50 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I think that if the whole harbaugh thing didn’t happen we would probably all be reasonably comfortable with all this and move on quickly. But the smoke-fire correlation in a situation very similar to this in SF, and the whole D Jacc thing here…hate rumors and speculation, simply not as easy to brush off as they used to be.

  17. 17 mksp said at 3:50 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    We can preach all the patience we want with draft picks, but you usually know the good ones are going to be good early on.

    Cox, Kendricks, Boykin all had immediate impacts.

    So did Johnson, Ertz + Logan.

    The biggest thing we did this year was get away from BPA. And I think it Lurie noticed. Also, remember he keeps ‘voluminous’ notes on who everyone in the scouting department likes.

    Would love to know what Howie’s draft would’ve looked like….

    (1) Deone Buchannon, (2) Jeremiah Attachou, (3) Trai Turner……

    FWIW I still like MS III, but its fun to speculate.

  18. 18 Greg Richards said at 4:00 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    There were ominous signs to me last offseason regarding Kelly and Roseman and their relationship. Kelly was going to countless pro days last offseason and while most saw that as a positive to me it showed a lack of confidence in his personnel staff. Also, Kelly is all about the here and now(i.e. this upcoming season) and seems to worry little about future cap planning. This year Celek and Casey were making way more money than they should have. Sure, Celek is a quality blocker and Casey is a good utility player/STs guy but you have to think ahead and try to renegotiate those salaries down, even if it takes cutting the guy and then trying to re-sign him, so you have the cap room in the future. Kelly seems to care little about that and I could see how that could cause friction. Another possible source of friction and also something I simply don’t like is how the Eagles seem to do little in-season pro scouting. I realize they probably view tape but I’ve noticed a steep decline in the number of players brought in for workouts during the season. Kelly’s logic seems to be that he found his guys in training camp and any attempt to improve the roster in-season is useless. The addition of Couplin was the one deviation.

  19. 19 TommyLawlor said at 4:24 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Kelly doesn’t have a family. I think he goes to Pro Days because that’s the only form of football available at that time. He went to college and pro teams while a college coach. He truly lives, eats and sleeps football.

    Interesting note about the lack of roster moves during the season. That’s worth considering.

  20. 20 Flyineagle45 said at 6:10 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Exactly that is why we should win bowls.

  21. 21 Knucklehead said at 5:39 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Why do we need to be concerned about the salary cap when we’re ONE OF THE TOP TEAMS UNDER IT EVERY GODAMAN ASS YEAR?!?!

  22. 22 Joe Minx said at 5:46 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Salary cap is life.

  23. 23 ICDogg said at 6:13 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    It’s sort of like having an 820 credit score when you have ten bucks to your name.

  24. 24 A_T_G said at 4:02 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    When we brought him in, we knew he was a Gamble.

  25. 25 robspassky said at 11:00 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    That’s what we get for hiring every Tom, Chip, and Howie who comes in off the streets claiming to know how to evaluate personnel.

  26. 26 GEAGLE said at 4:09 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I heard that one of the many issues was the DEsean decision. Remember howie was the one that believed in DEsean and signed him to a deal after he pouted for a season. Chip wanted DEsean gone, Howie was against it, Gamble took chips side…
    ..
    Since then to now, it has become clear that Gamble is chips guy, chip had gamble by his side during the cutdown days….. Monday chip was praising what a great personel Guy Gable was and talkes about how he leans on his for player evaluations chip didn’t mean anything by it, but he complimemter Howie on what a great job he does with the cap and the contracts. So basically those comments have been interpretted as Chip looking at hOwie as just a cap guy, and gamble was his player evaluatipn guy…
    ..
    A theory is chip and gamble have been over ruling howie in some decisions (remember Lurie talked about setting up a power share with checks and balances when chip was hired)… So howie even the odds and got rid of someone who was always siding with chip.
    ..
    Former scout Louis Riddick talks about Howies power play to phase him out years ago, Riddick is tweeting that hOwie is doing the same thing now.
    ..
    One thing is clear, HOwie has Lurie’s backing. At the exit interview our media ask LUrie about hOwie and he was in disbelief that they even had to ask him about hOwie, since hOwie had done such an awesome job, I guess in luries mind..

    I am pretty confident this has NOTHNG to do with the last draft. I’m pretty certain about it, tho howie has lost some power recently in the draft, and it looks like Hpwie is making his power plays to get some of that power back.
    ..
    Gamble was escorted out of the Novacare building last night by security. Some will view this as Gamble being the scapegoat for this year, but I don’t buy that because they really don’t need a scape goat for a new regimes second season..
    ..
    This is clearly a power move by Howie…keep in mind, to start off as an unpaid intern and move all the way up to general Manager of the Eagles, politically, you had to play every one of your hands perfect, make all the right moves to be able to ascend the way HOwie has…. So you can bet hOwie knows how to play this power game very well, amid if he felt the need to make this move now, going to be very interesting to see this upcoming offseason

    What sucks is chip Kelly isn’t required to speak to the media again Til march, so it sucks to not hear his thoughts about hOwie firing chips personel guy

  27. 27 Greg Richards said at 4:15 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Being escorted out by security isn’t really a big deal. NFL teams do it with any executive that leaves to make sure that proprietary information doesn’t leave with them.

    As far as Riddick goes, he’d be a lot more credible if hadn’t also been fired by the Redskins. Two teams have let him go. Maybe he’s just not that good at his job.

  28. 28 anon said at 4:18 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I hate listening to him on ESPN I just think he’s a terrible person and not surprised he’s on ESPN instead of the in NFL. I didn’t like his comments about djax, about ray rice (or anything related).

  29. 29 GEAGLE said at 4:20 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Riddick doesn’t need to be credible. What he is saying isn’t a secret.
    ..
    For Howie to rise from unpaid intern with no football experience to GM, means that he had to make all the right moves politically and play his hand perfectly.. What Riddick is saying about Howie is well documented.
    .,
    Howie came to the Eagles as Joe banners guy.
    ..
    Yet he knew when to jump ship and align himself with andy Reid, banner was fired, his protege Hpwie survived…
    ..
    Years later Howie knew when to jump off the andy train, and he started to make his grab for more power…
    ….
    Howie Rosemam is out lasting multiple regimes…

  30. 30 Greg Richards said at 4:27 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    You seem to want to assume that the reason he has outlasted others is because of power plays and maneuvering. Is it out of the realm of possibility that the reason he has Lurie’s confidence and kept his job while others have lost theirs is that he is better at his job than they are at theirs?

  31. 31 anon said at 4:34 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Usually GMs are tied to their coaching staffs. Do you get the feeling that if CK didn’t work out HR would get fired?

    What would Roseman have to do to get fired?

  32. 32 Greg Richards said at 9:41 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I think Roseman would get fired if Lurie didn’t think he was doing his job adequately or if he placed blame on him for personality conflicts that were working to the detriment of the organization.

    It’d be hard to tie a decision to whether he was fired or not to Kelly’s success level if Roseman didn’t solely choose Kelly as head coach. I know Roseman was a big part of that hire but it was ultimately Lurie’s call.

  33. 33 robspassky said at 1:52 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Do you think that Banner, Heckert, Licht, et. al., were also escorted out by security? I don’t remember that observation being brought up, although the media wasn’t as twitter-fluent at the time.

  34. 34 Nailed it! said at 4:22 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Eh, from what I have heard Chip would have had the clout to stop this if he really wanted too. But it still happened. Seems it could have been a case where Chip saw first hand his talent evaluations, didn’t like them and agreed with Howie to go another way. And Chip is not going to bad mouth someone if he knows there on their way out.

  35. 35 robspassky said at 10:58 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    This is the first I’ve heard this point of view, and I agree with it. Why must there be some Machiavellian power play? Why assume that Chip didn’t already know this move was in the works when he was interviewed? In my personal experience a significant shake-up like this would not entirely come out of the blue.

  36. 36 Buge Halls said at 6:19 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    2nd time you’ve posted about him being escorted out with no evidence of it. A link? A picture?

  37. 37 Media Mike said at 8:17 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Les Bowen tweeted it.

  38. 38 GEAGLE said at 8:47 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I don’t read what that worthless ignorant “ball sweat” loser writes. Typically I like to just minimize his comments and give him zero attention…
    ,,
    Don’t answer the worthless trashy groupie when he posts under my comments. Thanks bud. Happy new year

  39. 39 Media Mike said at 8:51 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Ha ha ha, I don’t let beef with individuals get in the way of the information exchange, but I can see why that dude could be irksome. In either case, I was happy to verify the voracity of your story.

  40. 40 Weapon Y said at 4:14 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Howie is ruthless. He’s outlasted Banner, Reid, and now Gamble. Lurie trusts him first and foremost, even more than Chip.

  41. 41 anon said at 4:17 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    all very true

  42. 42 Nailed it! said at 4:26 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    How can you outlast someone that is under you as is the case with Gamble? Weird, I know if my boss fired me tomorrow he would not say he outlasted me haha. And I do not believe Lurie trusts Howie more that Chip. Lurie said he wanted checks and balances in his organization, not one guy over ruling the other. Could this just be both Howie and Chip did not liking the job Gamble was doing?

  43. 43 Weapon Y said at 4:29 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Gamble was Chip’s ally. Howie could have sensed that he was outnumbered and persuaded Lurie to dispose of Gamble.

  44. 44 Nailed it! said at 4:31 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    So he liked Chip, that does not mean Chip liked how he was conducting scouting etc. All pure speculation. I mean I’m speculating and playing devils advocate but as you can see you can make a pretty good argument either way.

  45. 45 Weapon Y said at 4:34 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Chip went out of his way to say he approved of Gamble as a “football guy.” He called Roseman a cap guy. Pretty convincing evidence to me.

  46. 46 Nailed it! said at 4:36 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Again, he has said Desean is a helluva football player as well, both before and after he was released. So you can’t read into that. What did he have to gain by bad mouthing Gamble if Chip already knew he was on the way out.

  47. 47 Weapon Y said at 4:37 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Maybe not. But how do you explain the difference between his comments on Gamble and Howie?

  48. 48 Nailed it! said at 4:41 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Because, Howie is a good cap guy? Can anyone say he isn’t?

  49. 49 Weapon Y said at 8:10 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    He is. But that came across as a slight, considering Howie has had true influence in selecting players.

  50. 50 Greg Richards said at 4:38 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I’ve always thought that was a stupid characterization. Caps and contracts are a fundamental part of professional football. An executive who specializes in that area is just as much of a “football guy” as someone who’s specialty/background is in talent evaluation.

  51. 51 Nicodemus_09 said at 4:21 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Roseman is red, Chip Kelly is blue, best not cross Howie, Or your ass is gone too.lol Sorry guys

  52. 52 holeplug said at 4:22 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    So I guess now we know who pushed to draft Marcus Smith

  53. 53 anon said at 4:24 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I was sort of thinking that too, oh well. I guess that’s why it pays to be a national guy….

  54. 54 GEAGLE said at 4:42 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    No… It has nothing to do with this draft. Trust me, Jeffrey Lurie is a smart man and a week ago he WOULDNT even speculate on this last draft class because he said it’s pointless trying to judge it this soon, but offered up that we could talk about 2011 and 2012., Lurie DOESNT make rash decisions, he would NEVER break up stability he believes in to over react and fire second in command over a draft that is too soon to judge… There would have to be so much more than not being pleased with absurd rookie production. Only stupid people cry about rookie production… LUrie is far from stupid

  55. 55 anon said at 4:48 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    so if not the draft, then what do you think?

  56. 56 GEAGLE said at 5:00 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Power… Howie wants his power back, LUrie talked about the system of checks and balances he set up when Chip was hired andnow they would all share power…. I’m not sure who had what power in the 2013 draft, but I know for a fact that this last draft was chips.

    I have a feeling that it’s a player personel power struggle. It’s not about the draft, it’s everything. Trades, decisions to cut players…my understanding is it has become chip and Gamble vs. Howie… Heck, right from the beginning Gamble supported chip with Dion Jordan. Howie signed DESEAN, chip wanted to get rid of DESEAN, Howie didnt, gamble sided with chip…
    ..
    Gamble was pretty high up in a power structure that we know Ws a power sharing situation with some sort of checks and baLances. If the rumblings of the rift between Howie and Chip is true, tnose rifts start from player disputes, if howie got sick of gamble always siding with Chip, and Howie was getting over ruled a lot, makes sense he wants to piss on novacare and mark his territory lol

    I heard conflicting reports about who was in charge of the 2013 draft, but I do know 100% that this last draft was on Chip….. I’m sure it’s not one thing, chip and Gamble were extremely close, and if they were always siding together and Hpwie got over ruled a few times, WOULDNT be surprised to see howie flex his muscles.
    … Howie has the.complete backing of LUrie right now. Howie is his guy

  57. 57 anon said at 5:36 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I can agree with this. And i think it’s fair regarding Djax, the draft, the FAs, etc.

    Do you think this changes the FA approach? Will we see drastically different types of players brought in?

  58. 58 GEAGLE said at 7:50 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I think Howie always had significant free agent power, because so much of it is a money issue and Howies expertise is needed in free agency.l although we know that Malcolm Jenkins is the safety chip and Billy wanted, howie went out and made it happen, but we clearly can’t credit Howie with scouting Malcolm Jenkins.

    We know chip had the decision to trade for Sproles, ch even went back to talk to otg Turner about his time witjout sroles back in the charger days..

    Basically i think that Tom Gamble was supposed to be a neutral respected opinion, who would break the ties in player evaluations when Howie and Chip disagreed, but it ended up being Gable always siding with his buddy chip, and Howie found himself powerless, always getting over ruled. Because his second in command was loyal to chip Kelly.

    Chip was hired,and Gamble was hired later. That was chipshnd picked personel guy….I know of two powers chip had for certain since he go here:
    1) Chip fought for, and Wasnt willing to compromise on him having final say with the 53 man roster… So it shouldne interesting to see what happens when chip wants too cut a Guy that Howie brought in who chip didn’t agree with lol…
    2) Chip had the Power to put his hand picked personel guy. Tom Gamble, into the second in commnd to Howie seat… So Howie was ultimately chosing between all the guys gamble was passing thru to Howie.

    What I think happened was, chip and Gambles relationship made is so Howie had less power than he was intended to have when LUrie put this chip reports to LUrie, and Howie reports to LUrie structure in place, Howie probably argued that gamble was just acting as a chip yes man…

  59. 59 Greg Richards said at 9:00 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I’m not disputing what you’re saying per se, but it’s worth noting that Roseman pursued Gamble a year before Kelly was hired and the Eagles tried to sign Sproles when he was a FA before the Saints signed him. So while Kelly may haves strongly supported those moves and the Eagles getting Gamble may have been a precondition for him becoming the head coach, it would be wrong to label those purely Chip Kelly moves.

  60. 60 unhinged said at 8:37 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Howie was on the record as stating that Eagles WR’s were chewing up too much of team’s total revenue. Also, AR was believed, by many at the time, to be behind DeSean’s big payday. If Lurie is signing off on Howie holding onto his turf, I would bet it is because he remembers vividly what happened when Reid got Banner’s hire canned, got his friend Heckert put in, and later took over Heckert’s duties. For all of that Eagles got a long list of draft misses. My concern is Chip isn’t Andy, and appears to be better talent evaluator. I like Howie, but I would expect any GM to be highly sensitive to a HC’s expressed preferences re: specific players.

  61. 61 Nailed it! said at 4:29 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Also, this off topic but I do not like seeing the Fiesta Bowl without Tostitos 🙁 Vizio just does not do it for me! How am I supposed to Fiesta baby?

  62. 62 Media Mike said at 7:51 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Back when I started watching bowl games, you didn’t need a %#($^#^$ sponsor to ruin the name of the game.

  63. 63 Greg Richards said at 4:29 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    There’s no way of knowing this or not but perhaps Gamble made the decision to leave and the Eagles are saving face by framing it as being a “mutual” decision.

  64. 64 anon said at 4:33 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    would have come out very differently. “we’re sad to see him go, he had some personal issues, etc.” could have been a joint statement, etc. etc.

  65. 65 GEAGLE said at 4:37 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    No… Eagles fired gamble, and are saving face and being classy by saying they mutually parted ways, but this is a 100% known firing

  66. 66 mksp said at 4:40 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Chris Mortensen says unequivocally that this is a firing. “It is what it is.”

  67. 67 Greg Richards said at 4:41 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Not saying he’s wrong, but Mortensen is a little long in the tooth. Not the scoop breaker he once was.

  68. 68 mksp said at 4:46 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Just the type of guy that would have good sources with a dude like Gamble…

  69. 69 James Adair said at 5:16 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    “Firing” makes a better headline

  70. 70 GEAGLE said at 4:36 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    To all those silly fans who think Marcus Smith is a bust, I’d be willing to bet that the majority of those people have Jeremiah Trotter as one of their favorite Eagles of all time.., these days, Trotter does plenty of radio shows were as fans you can wait on hold for 20minutes and then you can talk to trott and ask him anything you want… Those that show their ignorance calling Marcus smith a bust, I encourage you to check out one of trotters shows, call him up and ask him his thoughts of marcus smith….

    Not only will you hear how high trotter is on young Marcus, but Trottet will also tell you how he was worthless as a rookie. Trotter was so confused his rookie year, he was completely lost, which is why he often will get into this and calm fans down about Marcus smith

    One of the most beloved Linebckers in this franchises history will gladly tell you how worthless he was as a rookie, how confused he was all year, and then how once things slowed down he could start showing what he can do, and go on to be the most beloved Linebacker of the andy Reid era..

    There is no such a thng as a rookie bust… It’s almost an Oxy moron.
    ..
    If Marcus smith is a bust, then half of the GMs should be fired after last years draft. Justin Gilbert….BUST, Clowney…BUST, Ebron….BUST……

    To all the people down on Marcus smith? jordan Poyer plays more for the Browns than Justin Gilbert who has barely played this year. Obviously that makes him a bust, so we would turn down a trade for justinGilbert right? Lol
    ….
    VINNY Curry….BUST
    BG….BUST
    Shady didn’t play much as a rookie lol…BUST!
    Brian Westbrook was a BUST!

    Lol… A rookie OLB didmt beat out Cole, BG, Barwin
    ..
    And on ST, he couldn’t beat out James Casey who is making like 4mil to be a special team beats, and he couldn’t bet out Bryan Braman lol who we signed as a free agent soley to be our ST beast… He couldn’t beat out Burton who probably could have had pro bowl consideration for his specil teams play this year, if he weren’t playng on a special team unit with a bunch of other players who were also blocking punts, scoring TDs and having a monster year

  71. 71 anon said at 4:55 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Trotter was a 3rd rd pick, so WTF are you talking about?

  72. 72 GEAGLE said at 5:26 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    My point? WTF is your point???

    PLEASE out of all those words I typed, please point out where I said Trotter was a 1st round pick of where i said trotter wasn’t a 3rd round pick? And please dont be THAT guy who acts lke 3rd round picks are chopped Liver….I expect prospects that can be developed into quality starters out of every pick we spend in the top 100
    …..
    Like Marcus, You would have to call Trotter a BUST if you judged him after his rookie year. trotter admits to being so clueless as a rookie, no way he could have helped the team…if Marcus smith is a bust now, than Trotter was a bust after hs rookie year, yet he went on to be the best LB in the Andy Reid era

    Rookie production just shows who made an easier transition to the NFL… Even the rookies who have looked great this year, they could still easily go on to become a draft bust, and the draft picks lke Marcus, Justin Gilbert, Dee Ford, Ebron who didn’t provide much as rookies could Still easily go on to grow into QBs….to view Marcus as a bust is absurd

  73. 73 anon said at 5:30 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    No one would call a 3rd round pick a bust b/c they don’t play at all. People do call first round picks a bust when they don’t play.

    I don’t think MS is a bust.

    But you can’t compare the first year of a 3rd rounder with a first year of a 1st rounder and say “see this guy took a while to blossom”. If they’re going to take time don’t draft them in the first round unless there’s something about that guy that says he could be all pro.

    What about what Marcus has done on the field (or his measurables) leads you to believe that he could be an ALL Pro?

  74. 74 GEAGLE said at 6:44 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    If you remember I belived he could be an all pro before we ever drafted him…you went into the draft thinking Marcus was a 2nd round pick, I spent MY DRAFT NIGHT worried sick that the 4-3 Cowboys would draft Marcus in the top 20, because I KNEW there was a discrepancy with how the media was evaluating marcus, and what GMs and scouts would see in the kid.
    ..
    When every day of the offseasn I wrote about how we had to draft Marcus Smith and how he would be a GREAT PICK for us I ALWAYS made sure to include that he was Raw, he wouldn’t provide much his rookie year, and that draftng him is good, because by year two he will be ready to make an impact. I wanted to draft him because he would be ready by 2015 for when we lost COle or BG.

    If you know for a fact that I spent the entire Predraft process pumping this kid up, while I also said he wouldn’t be ready to play much of a role as a rookie, how could you expect me to be down on the kid? he hasn’t fallen behind schedule, Nothing happened for us to be down on Marcus… If I knew Marcus had potential to grow into a quality OLB, but he wouldn’t be ready until his second year, I can assure you our front Office drafted him already knowing he wouldn’t be ready to produce as a rookie…… And this was all before we knew Trent Cole and BG would play better than any of us expected. If I thought marcus was an awesome pick when I knew at the very best case scenario he could maybe play a small role on 3rd down, how can I be down on him, when I expected this, and when COle and BG played at a higher level than I was expecting.

    Marcus hasn’t fallen behind schedule yet….Dion Jordan, is behind schedule now for whatever reason…Marcus hasn’t fallen Behnd yet, there is no reason to be down on him. I promise you the front office picked him knowing he was raw and that he wouldn’t be able to produce as a rookie.

  75. 75 MagsMightyMutt said at 1:42 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Bradshaw was the first pick overall yet didn’t start a single game his first season. Of course, now you can go see his “bust” in Canton.

  76. 76 Media Mike said at 7:53 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Trotter should have a stat named after him. To “Trotter” is to guess incorrectly on the flow of a running play, run 100 mph to the wrong spot, and allow the running back to burn you for a long gainer due to leaving the cut back lane open.

    Jamar Chaney was quite good at picking up a ton of “Trotters” while playing. DeMeco never “Trotters” a play, Kendricks does a bit too often, and Casey Matthews has “Trottered” on a few too many occasions.

  77. 77 fran35 said at 8:16 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    If all the players you listed, only BG was a first rounder. And he contributed. All of the others were not first rounders. MS was a first round pick on a team with a poor defense. And he couldn’t make the field. Not only that, he changes positions twice. And even the coaches don’t even know exactly where he will play. So, when you are a team that lacks defensive talent and MS is drafted in the first round but can’t see the field at 2 positions, that is poor drafting.

  78. 78 GEAGLE said at 8:44 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Nevermind.. OK BUDDY

  79. 79 MagsMightyMutt said at 1:40 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Please.

  80. 80 fran35 said at 2:09 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Please what? Please educate the front office on the value of a first round pick and to not overreach? Please have realistic expectations for a 1st round rookie taken by a team that was severely under talented defensively? But please, most of all, tell me or show me how MS flashed and gives great hope moving. Because from where I sit, he has done shit.

  81. 81 GEAGLE said at 10:47 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Just stop it…. You think there is a perfect number of players with first round grades enough for each team to get one in every single draft? Nevermind… Fuck my mission to civilize, people want to be stupid, then learn the fucking hard way… Have fun talking trash about a promising young player, until he makes you look foolish

  82. 82 pattayaguy said at 12:24 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    “my mission to civilize”……self absorbed much?

    Keep us posted on Marcus Smith’s ascent to stardom….you are a dumb%$^ and a liar.

  83. 83 Insomniac said at 4:45 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Gamble probably asked why we’re so biased towards guys from Oregon and Chip didn’t want none of that.

  84. 84 GEAGLE said at 4:50 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    No.. Gamble and chip are togetjet vs. Howie.

    It’s gone on since the beginning when Tom Gamble gave his public stamp of approval on chips boy Dion Jordan right from the beginning…. Gamble also sided with chip against Howie in the gettimg rid of DEsean debate …

  85. 85 GEAGLE said at 4:48 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    What really really sucks is that this is a BIG DEAL, can’t help but to talk about this and speculate… So what we have is a topic THATS very important, yet we aren’t going to find out ANYTHING about it. Chip Kely ismt required to speak again til like march.

    We have this Big Deal, where we wont be able to not speculate, yet we aren’t going to get any type of real Intel about it at all!.. Frustrating and who knows where the speculation will take us,what crazy conspiracy theories come up

  86. 86 Nailed it! said at 4:54 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I think it should only end in a Highlanderesque theory where Chip emerges from the ashes yeling “There can be only one true Highlander! ”

    And I’m out.

  87. 87 Joe Minx said at 5:54 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    It’s like a season ending cliffhanger!

  88. 88 GEAGLE said at 6:32 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Lol EXACTLY!!! That’s exactly what it’s like…. Friggin sucks

  89. 89 shah8 said at 4:49 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    My guess is that others have noted the too-tight comparison to Josh McDaniels and have decided to nip that in the bud.

  90. 90 Greg Richards said at 4:51 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I understand your logic that Kelly and Gamble developing too close a personal friendship could become a detriment to making unbiased personnel decisions, but I don’t get the McDaniels comparison. Could you explain?

  91. 91 shah8 said at 4:56 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    There’s a timeline for Josh McDaniel’s reign in Denver out there in the internets. Check it out and compare with what happened with Chip.

  92. 92 robspassky said at 11:23 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Fascinating reading. The main takeaway I had was that I feel terrible Brian Dawkins played out the rest of his career in such a toxic environment.

    However, I didn’t see any prominent parallels. Maybe I’m missing something. For instance, McDaniels convinced Bowlen to drop the veteran GM and promote a young GM. Same happened for the Eagles, but Chip had nothing to do with it. Happened before he got here. And Lurie has always been vocal about checks-and-balances, whereas no one in Denver had the power to check McDaniels.

    fyi, http://www.joshmcdanielssucks.com/timeline/

  93. 93 holeplug said at 5:02 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Denver gave him unchecked power and he proceeded to run the team into the ground in just a couple years

  94. 94 unhinged said at 8:13 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Kinda what Reid did here over 5 yeas?

  95. 95 anon said at 5:07 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Another offseason another offseason headline for the Eagles.

  96. 96 Sean Stott said at 5:14 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I love Chip but Howie is just as good of a GM as Chip is as a head coach, and he’s been doing it longer at the pro level. This team has by far one of the best cap situations out there. No player on this team has an unmanageable salary, and all of the debatable contracts can be easily gotten out of, including Riley Cooper’s.

  97. 97 anon said at 5:24 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Riley’s is the worst, wonder if that was a Gamble / CK move — that’s a wasted $5m/yr. Erik Decker is getting like 6 and change or 7, Djax is getting 7 and you’re paying Riley Cooper 5? For what?

  98. 98 Mitchell said at 9:17 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Blocking……..

  99. 99 MagsMightyMutt said at 1:38 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    “and all of the debatable contracts can be easily gotten out of, including Riley Cooper’s.” You missed that sentence.

  100. 100 370HSSV 0773H said at 5:28 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    All of a sudden last year seems so far away. Ugh.

  101. 101 370HSSV 0773H said at 5:37 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I think this is all about player personnel decisions. This is about Jackson being released and the last draft where they reached on a few picks. Firing Gamble looks like Howie is taking control back.

  102. 102 anon said at 5:38 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    IF that’s the case then good, be interesting to see what 2015 draft and FA looks like.

    DREAM TEAM 2!

  103. 103 GEAGLE said at 6:17 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Yeah it’s all about player personel decisions. marynowitz, Mueller, those guys with high front office positions are said to be loyal to gamble, who was Chip Kelly’s hand picked personel guy… marynowitz and Howie have already bumped heads in the past… Be very curious to see if Howie promotes from within, which would kind of surprise me, or bring in his own Guy to replace gamble

    My impression is chip and Gamble over ruled Howie on too many personel decisions, and Howie wants his power back

  104. 104 unhinged said at 8:10 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Howie’s been around for some hellaciously big FA signings, not saying he was the decider – T.O., dream team, and of course, Namdi et.al. He may have seen Joe Banner’s attempts to make the big fix as the role of the GM. I’d love to know if there is tension between Chip and Howie, was it a case of Howie wanting a splashy signing and Chip not concurring.

  105. 105 GEAGLE said at 8:43 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Well thre have been rumors for a couple months about a rift between Howie and chip… I take this as the first confirmations of those rumors. Heck Monday chip was gushing going on and on about what a great personel guy gamble is…when it was time to talk about Howie, all chip talked about was what a great cap Guy Howie was. Howie is the general Manager, yet chip only sees him as a cap Guy. I assume that’s a microcosm of their strained relationship..
    ..
    Chip is a life long football guy/football junkie. Howie is a cap guy…. We know chip has sp,e cockiness and confidence to him…..once the honey moon period ended and they started to have differences about certain players, I could see chip looking at it like “listen number cruncher, let me worry bout building the football team, you worry about the contracts…where as Howie has made progress as a personel guy, Howie goes on recruting trips all year, I’m sure Howie takes pride In his talent evaluation ability, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Chip didn’t respect him as a football talent evaluator…
    Monday indirectly chip was calling Howe just a cap numbers guy to the media, but was raving about Gambles player evaluatipn skills…. Two days later, Howie says “I’ll show you who is just a cap guy LOL”… No vindictive Howie flexed his muscle

  106. 106 MagsMightyMutt said at 1:36 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    The TO signing was 10 years ago! Wasn’t Roseman still articling in some law firm back then?

  107. 107 Baloophi said at 5:41 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Just to throw out another possibility – because why not? – it could be that Gamble did not effectively lead, organize, or communicate with Rick Mueller, Ed Marynowitz, Anothony Patch and others in the personnel / scouting department.

    I have no evidence that this is the case, but just wanted to offer a more “bottom-up” theory versus the “power-struggle” angle.

  108. 108 anon said at 5:42 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Sure, it’s all speculation. It’ll be interesting to be a fly on the wall in these GM interviews. Also interesting you haven’t heard Gamble’s name at all in relation to such interviews.

  109. 109 370HSSV 0773H said at 5:45 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Could also be something as simple as Gamble not showing Roseman any respect around the other employees.

  110. 110 mksp said at 6:00 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Just seems to be enough smoke on the power struggle front to indicate that is closer to the truth.

    But we will most likely not know for a while, if ever.

    If in fact, this does simply resolve itself with Howie taking more control over the draft, then I’m happy. Assuming Chip can at least be professional about it.

  111. 111 anon said at 6:05 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    We’ll know as much as we know about djacc being gone.

  112. 112 GEAGLE said at 6:31 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Actually the problem is Mueller, Marynowitz were all very loyal to gamble, Howie has butted heads with Marynowitz too… Not sure about Patch tho..

  113. 113 Baloophi said at 6:52 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Well, I’d certainly hope that all of those personnel people butt heads — that seems to be the nature of the job. Don’t want “yes men” in those spots. That said, the loyalty issue (to your point) could be a factor.

  114. 114 GEAGLE said at 7:36 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Jeffry LUrie said in those exact words. That he didn’t want YES MEN in the front office and that he wanted checks n balances in place so no one had to much power. LUrie also said both men will report to him, and he will keep detailed notes on who made what decision and how the decision ended up panning out….
    ..,
    What’s really interesting is Chip was hired first. Later Gamble was hired, chip is very close with Gamble and has been since his new has hire days.. It’s interesting that Gamble was Chips hand picked personel guy, and chip had enough clout to put who he wanted in the personel office, second in command to Howie…so what’s really interesting is to see who replaces Gamble…. Does chip stil have the power to decide who will be second in command to Howie, in which case I assume Marynowitz will be promoted if he does t take the Jets GM job, and !Marynowitz is NOT a Howie guy….OR has winning this power struggle going to mean that Howie gets to choose his second in command which will mean that Howie now will control the entire personel department…..l ATleast before, chip had his Guy Gamble, funneling Chip and Gamble approved players for Howie to choose from…..
    ..
    If Howie gets to decide who replaces Gamble, I think it would be a pretty big significant power play win for Howie…but Chip fought for control of the 53 man roster, he won’t give that up. So it’s going to be interestnf to see what happens when chip wants to cut someone howie brought in whp he really believes in, or make Howies player inactive on Gameday?
    ..
    Chip controlled this last draft. Howie just told him when he could wait Til the next round to draft the guy he wanted. No Idea who controlled what in the 2013 draft……but in free agency, the money has to fit, so I would think, Howie always had a lot of free agent power…then again, it’s clear that chip Kelly and Billy Davis wanted Malcolm Jenkins, clearly it was t a case of a GM going out and chosing the safety he wanted…malcolm was a chip signing….

    My best guess is 2013 was more of a 50-50 Share of power, but after 2013, chip started to have more power, and you see a blatant heavy chip Kelly influence in the free agent signings of MaLcolm jenkins and a bunch of special team players. You see chips influence in the sproles trade, having gone back and talked to Norv Turner about Sproles days with the Chargers, and chips influence in the draft was obvious……..not sure if ch gained more power after a great first year, or if Gable was one of the tie breakers between chip and Howie when they disagreed on a player and Gamble was always signing with Chip, so Howie didn’t really have his fair share of the power, because his second in command was always siding with the coach instead of him…. Another factor is maybe the first year, they weren’t having the disagreements in players that started to have this year, and instead of gamble becoming the fair tie breaker, acting as the checks and balances, Gamble always sided with his guy chip, so Howie found himself always getting over ruled which wasn’t expected when LUrie set up thrower sharing structure with checks and balances

  115. 115 Baloophi said at 7:51 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    What’s interesting to me is that it was Roseman who really pursued Gamble:

    “‘We talk all the time about getting good people and good evaluators, and
    Tom is that,’ said Roseman, who wanted to hire Gamble last year, but
    couldn’t because Gamble wasn’t ready to move his family.”

    http://articles.mcall.com/2013-02-13/sports/mc-eagles-gamble-0213-20130213_1_eagles-personnel-department-tom-gamble-howie-roseman

  116. 116 Media Mike said at 7:56 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Like pursuing a really hot chick, but turns out she’s a dead lay.

  117. 117 Greg Richards said at 9:03 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    There might be friction between Roseman and Marynowitz now but Roseman specifically recruited Marynowitz to leave Alabama and be hired here.

  118. 118 ICDogg said at 6:04 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Not gonna lie… this news is disconcerting.

  119. 119 GEAGLE said at 6:30 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Oh this certainly isn’t pleasant news by any stretch of the imagination,..
    ,,
    Issue between HC and GM are NEVER good…
    .,
    Plus reading chip has become pretty easy, when you ask him about someone he doesn’t have a good relationship with or if you ask him about a player that wasmt playng well, chips “Tell” for when he wants to lie to us instead of throwing a coach or player under the bus, he will answer with a really short answer, something like… “I thought he did Good”( and he says it with a high pitch tone”
    ,.
    Chip what’s ypur relationship with Gamble? Chip starts rantng and raving going on and on About how great he is.
    ..
    Chip what’s your relationship with Howie? “It’s Good(in hs high pitch voice that starts to squeek”
    ..
    Basically when he gives you the short answer with the high pitched “good” at the end, it’s basically his tell for when he is lyng and doesn’t want to publically throw someone Under the bus

  120. 120 ICDogg said at 6:09 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Ever work somewhere where there is a power struggle going on with people working above you and they’re pulling you in different directions?

    I learned the hard way. Don’t take the wrong side.

  121. 121 Baloophi said at 6:10 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    That’s why I side with everyone.

    “Another hole in one, boss!”

  122. 122 ICDogg said at 6:28 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I tried to, but there were only so many hours in a day to do the things they assigned me to do

  123. 123 P_P_K said at 6:41 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    What a crappy situation. Hope things ended ok for you in the long run.

  124. 124 ICDogg said at 8:33 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Yeah, it’s a situation where a company vice president who said they had my back just took off and left the company. Set me back for a little while, maybe a year and a half or so.

  125. 125 P_P_K said at 2:34 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    That’s one of the worst situations a man can be in. Sounds like you were able to bounce back. Could have been worse.

  126. 126 Greg Richards said at 6:18 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Does anyone know how long of a contract that Gamble initially signed in Jan
    2013? The contracts of most FO guys ends after the draft but SF let him out of his contract with him early and if he signed a 2 year contract it’s possible that Gamble’s contract with the Eagles was close to expiring and that contract negotiations were going on behind the scenes. If you’re old like me, you might remember that when Tom Modrak(what’s up with all the Toms we hire? Modrak, Heckert, Gamble) was fired one of the reasons was that he was pushing for an opt-out clause to be inserted into his contract so he was free to leave at any time. That was one of the reasons Lurie cited for releasing him(lack of commitment to team), even though it was probably just a power struggle between him and Reid. Regardless, my point is that it’s possible this is the result of some type of contract impasse. Not likely, but possible.

  127. 127 GEAGLE said at 6:23 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Wow… Nick Foles played half a season, and came in ranked 2nd in the NFL Behnd ONLY aaron Rogers in # of completions over 50 yards……
    ..
    OL issues, back up QB issues, amazing the offensive numbers chip always puts up… I laugh at the people who ripped chip at the end d the season, for his play calling, when if you go back and see the the entire field, it’s depressing how wide open chip was getting our Wide Recivers and Sanchez just wasn’t seeing them at the end of the year… FOles had issues with it two, both QBs left plays on the field…. But when you look at the skins loss, and the Cowboys game, it’s friggin depressing how wide open our wide Recievers were and if felt like If 3 wide recievers were wide open, sanchez always managed to throw to the one who was covered….coaches must be sick to their stomach at the blatantly wide open WRs sanchez was missing in those crucial games,,,

  128. 128 anon said at 6:30 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    It was really both players, i’m sure it is really frustrating for CK. Where’d you see that stat?

    Interesting djax had the most deep ball receptions but i guess he had 3 qbs throwing to him.

  129. 129 76mustang said at 11:18 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Still would like to see Chip add a power formation for the red zone and use his H Back as lead blocker for Polk.

    Amazing thing with Foles under Chip; of the 5 losses in games he started, one was due to injury (DAL), one was a total team let down (MIN) and the other 3 (NO, SF, ARI) went to the wire and were winnable. The kid is a competitor.

    Geags, you’ve been so right about Foles and his development. He is the real deal and more than capable of taking the Eagles to the promised land.

    In the draft, personally, I’d love to see the Eagles take another stud OL player early, Andrus Peat or La’el Collins for example and keep the OL group upper echelon. Just don’t see any sure thing CBs or Ss in this year’s draft – would rather spend big on FA defensive impact player (Justin Hunter? Ha!) if Howie could somehow make it happen, but the secondary is slim pickings in FA. Like your picks of Kendricks and Grassau (both good fits) and I expect to see Marcus progress nicely this next season.

    I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chip dial back some of the practice intensity during the season to keep players fresher (some current Oregon players cited Helferich doing this at Oregon as a reason for their ability to finish strong at the end of their season). And I think Chip will add to his running playbook. Also think Billy D adjusts his scheme philosophies, especially in coverage.

    Still believe the Eagles to be on track, though this will be an important off season…

  130. 130 GENETiC-FREAK said at 6:30 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    The thing that keeps sticking in my mind is Chip wanting to select Talyor Hart in the 3rd round but Roseman telling Chip you can get him in the 5th.. Hart was IA all year.. Not to mention Smith 1st round getting limited to no snaps.. They say Roseman is the cap guy n Chip/Gamble are the football guys.. Well if Roseman could see something like not reaching for Hart in the 3rd i say give the man more power then

  131. 131 ICDogg said at 6:39 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    It’s not so much that Roseman is a great football mind. He’s an executive. He has good football minds working for him. He wants to rely on their research and knowledge, and put it together to form a comprehensive plan. Having a competing “scouting department” within the same organization may well be more of a problem than a help.

  132. 132 Baloophi said at 6:32 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    OFF TOPIC

    It’s New Year’s Eve and since I can’t make it to Times Square to watch the ball drop I’ll just put on some Riley Cooper tape.

  133. 133 GermanEagle said at 6:34 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I’m gonna watch the ball drop at TS. Let’s see if a guy named Nate comes up with it.

  134. 134 anon said at 6:39 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I thought they’d just have Donovan throw it into the ground.

  135. 135 GermanEagle said at 6:40 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    He’s busy offering stupid opinions on TV.

  136. 136 GermanEagle said at 6:39 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Here my last crazy conspiracy theory before I’m off celebrating New Years evening in the middle of the big apple:
    Would DeDean still be an Eagle if Tom Gamble wasn’t there from scratch at all?!

  137. 137 ICDogg said at 6:41 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I kind of doubt it. I think that was all Chip.

  138. 138 GENETiC-FREAK said at 6:42 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Sounds like it was a Chip/Gamble decision to get rid of DJax against Howie wanting him to stay

  139. 139 anon said at 6:44 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I could see someone getting fired over that and MSII. Especially since he burned us twice last year and help keep us out of the playoffs. Thats a stake your reputation type move and they werent going to fire CK.

  140. 140 GENETiC-FREAK said at 6:46 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    But Eagles got to keep Cooper n his explosive blocking lol

  141. 141 anon said at 6:53 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    probably also part of it. Riley’s making as much as Sanders is making, $2m more a year than LaFell is making

  142. 142 MagsMightyMutt said at 1:31 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    The only people who kept the Eagles out of the playoffs were the Eagles. Win, you’re in. They played 14 games which did not involve Diccsean.

  143. 143 D3FB said at 11:04 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Djax didn’t keep us out of the playoffs.

  144. 144 unhinged said at 7:54 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Weeks or possibly months prior to Jackson being shown the door, some writer for Philly.com (I believe) conducted a fairly long interview with HR, about the demands and decisions of a NFL GM. In talking about the goal of trying to sign the right mix of players and stay under the cap, Howie specifically referenced the Eagles’ WR group. He stated that it ranked second in the league for revenue against total cap. When DJax was let go, I assumed that Howie was on the same page as Chip, because it was obvious that they felt they had signed a bad deal. So I don’t think Howie wanted to hang on to Jackson.

  145. 145 anon said at 6:40 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Doug Marrone opts out of Buffulo. At least that’s not us, yet?

  146. 146 Media Mike said at 7:58 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Thankfully we haven’t saddled our head coach with a clown QB taken in the first round who couldn’t figure out the maze on the paper place mat at a chain restaurant.

    EJ Manuel at QB is enough to make anybody quit.

  147. 147 teltschikfakeout88 said at 6:43 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    All this speculation is a lot of smoke and we all know where there is smoke there is fire. Gamble was back in his hometown and his father worked for the Eagles. I doubt this was a mutual decision considering that Gamble does not have another job in hand. Maybe word will trickle out that gamble has some interviews lined up or maybe not. Also if I remeber correctly gamble has been responsible for the pro personnel moves the last few years and there have been a lot of good moves the last two years (cue negative comments about Bradley Fletcher and sconces…LOL). In looking at that it maybe safe to say that gamble was not let go over performance issues. Looks more and more like this was done to sort out relationships that are necessary and those that were not working. I could see where veteran football guys like kelly and gamble could be dismissive of howies power as he is still a kid in this business. Thankfully for him Lurie believes in Howie and thus you have daddy coming in to make sure everyone can play well in the sand box. Interesting way to start the offseason. Hope the remaining guys on the chess board can move on from this and focus on putting a team together that can win the super bowl.

  148. 148 ICDogg said at 6:46 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Yeah, Gamble was here mainly because his father lived here as did some other family, and his father’s condition was deteriorating. Now that he passed, I figured it was very likely he would go somewhere else, but I did not expect him to be forced out.

    Sounds like a “it’s him or me” situation from either Roseman or Gamble.

  149. 149 Bert's Bells said at 6:54 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Where there’s smoke, there may also be a smoke machine.

  150. 150 teltschikfakeout88 said at 7:12 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Hope your right…..cause that will mean that the new paradigm will work out in the end…I just want to see the Eagles win the big one before releasing my “mortal coil”

  151. 151 MagsMightyMutt said at 1:28 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    WE have absolutely no idea whether or not Gamble has another job. Or what kind of conversations have taken place behind closed doors.

  152. 152 Baloophi said at 7:31 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Ironically, the key to being a good GM is to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, know when to run.

    The last point also applies to coaching…

  153. 153 Media Mike said at 8:00 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Let’s be honest; this move is only as good or bad as I judge this off-season’s free agent signings, draft picks, and next season’s results to be.

  154. 154 GEAGLE said at 8:07 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    There is NOTHING good about getting confirmatipn That the rumors of a rift between HC and GM are indeed true…

    Howie Roseman just fired chips close friend, and chips hand picked personel guy…
    ..
    I would rather get confirmation that chip and Howie are working really well together..

  155. 155 Media Mike said at 8:16 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    All of that aside, I can only judge based on the results they achieve in the next year. That all starts with signing the correct free agents and making the proper roster adjustments. That continues with drafting guys I like in the rounds in which I believe they should be drafted. That all finishes with their final record and playoff finish being ahead, even with, or behind my predictions.

    I’m not saying that your other points aren’t legit, but ultimately the only thing that matters is my assessment of their as a team.

  156. 156 GEAGLE said at 8:56 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    That’s fair…. To add, we have seen Coaches and GMs who didn’t get along personally. Still manage to work together and do a good job… Heck, andy and Banner managed to build a good team together and they were always at each other’s throat. Baalke and Harbaugh been beefing for years and they had a lot of success until it recently came to an end

    So while Im sure we would all prefer a drama free Front office. You are absolutely right, results are all that matters, and we have seen precedent for coaches and GMs who didn’t like each other, manage to build a quality team together and have some success.

    So at the end of the day, I don’t care if Chip starts calling Howie “Juanita” and they fist fight every other thursday, as long as they take us to the promised land….

  157. 157 GEAGLE said at 8:04 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I’m going to break this down in simple terms… When chip was hired, Lurie talked about both Howie and Chip having power, but that there would be check n balances in place so no one has too much power, and that LUrie keeps track of who made which decision. And how that decision panned out or blew up in our face…

    If both chip and Howie are disagreeing on a player, chip wants a kid, Howie wants another kid…who can we rationally expect to hold the tie breaker trump card? LUrie could come to mimd, but ITS NOT LURIE. What makes LUrie a great owner is he is smart enough to KNOW WHAT HE DOESNT KNOW and delegates to those with expertise in a certain area. SO WE WOULD NEVER SEE LURIE ACT AS A TIE BREAKER DECIDING IF WE GO WITH HOWIES PLAYER OR Chips player. Jeffrey would NEVER pretend thathe is qualified to rule on individual players…..so if it’s not the owner, who can we rationally assume has the most power in player personel after Howie and Chip Kelly?the obvious RATIONAL answer would be,that second in command to Howie in the plYer personel department is the next man in line with the power to be a tie breaker when chip and Howie disagree on a player….. And second in command to Howie in player personel was TOM GAMBLE…
    ,.
    I assume that Tom Gamble was always siding with Chip, when chip and Howie disagreed on a player, so it ended up working out that it was Gamble and Chip vs. Howie, and he was aLways getting over ruled, thushe didn’t actually have the power he was suppose to have when LUrie set the hierarchy up this way when chip Ws hired……. If Howie second in command is NEVER siding with Howie he clearly didn’t have as much power as he Was supposed to have.

    What’s interesting is chip fought for and will never give up control over the 53 man roster, so what’s going to happen when chip wants to cut a player Howie brought in and strongly believes in?

  158. 158 Henly125 said at 10:39 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    True that, man. That makes a lot of sense. Chips relationship with Gamble played a part in this.

    Just read something on the situation stating that Howie was “infuriated” with Chips comments earlier this week… Calling him a salary cap guy lol

  159. 159 GEAGLE said at 12:12 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    That wouldn’t surprise me at all..
    ..
    HOPEFULLY Howie does his weekly chickies n Peete Radio show.. You can bet I’ll be stopping by chickes on Monday

  160. 160 Cafone said at 8:22 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I like Chip Kelly, but if it comes down to Howie vs. Chip then Chip can go find another job in college.

    With Kelly’s emphasis on sports science, one would think he could appreciate a guy like Howie who understands the math. Maybe he needs to go back and read Moneyball if he wants to surround himself with “football guys” when it comes to talent evaluation and the draft.

  161. 161 76mustang said at 10:18 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Think there are plenty of NFL teams that would hire a coach that produced back to back 10-6 seasons his first 2 years in the league with no prior NFL experience. Buffalo, Chicago, Atlanta, possibly SF, would all be clamoring for Kelly if he was available.

    Your Moneyball reverence is misguided – if stats were all that mattered in NFL evaluation, Tim Tebow and all your Heisman and college award winners would be successful at the next level…they’re not.

  162. 162 Cafone said at 11:55 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    The reference is not perfect, but it fits. With Howie in charge we got the 2012 draft. With Chip taking more control we got 2014.

    Chip Kelly, as a head coach, doesn’t have the time to come close to Howie’s knowledge of the league. In this day and age, a head coach in charge of personnel is amateur hour. Let Howie do his job and Chip will have the team he needs to win.

  163. 163 jay ray said at 12:46 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    “if it comes down to Howie vs. Chip then Chip can go find another job in college.”

    LOL. Absolutely absurd.

  164. 164 MagsMightyMutt said at 9:26 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    A bit of conjecture. Last off season, several Eagles scouts were let go and several others hired. Why? Who chose which newcomers, etc.? Maybe there were sides picked that far back? If, in fact, there are any sides at all. None of us know the real story and the sports “writers” should get tired of presenting every organizational move as some sort of power play.

  165. 165 D3FB said at 11:00 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Scouting staffs typically have a decent amount of turnover. The low level scouts don’t make crap, so after a few years they either move up, move to a new org, or decide to do something else with their lives. There is always a constant churn, it’s a good thing, more ideas and perspectives.

  166. 166 MagsMightyMutt said at 1:26 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    I was thinking more the matter of WHO was let go or hired. Maybe Gamble brought in a few personal favorites and let go of Roseman’s personal favorites. Of course this is just wondering out loud and is as pointless as any other commenting as none of us knows what’s really going on.

  167. 167 Greg Richards said at 9:47 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    The only significant guy that left was Andy Speyer who left for a promotion opportunity with TB(regional scout to national scout). Speyer also had background with Tampa’s new GM at the time, Jason Licht. This is speculation but when reporters talk about divided loyalties, it seems as if it may be a pro personnel versus college scouting staff thing. Gamble’s main background is in pro personnel. While both Mueller and Marynowitz pre-date Gamble, that has been their primary specialty. Most of the head college scouting guys have a long background with Roseman. The quote on Director of College Scouting Anthony Patch’s bio page is somewhat telling: “Anthony is our longest-tenured scout in the building. His career is an example of what hard work and loyalty can lead to…”. Last offseason, Michael Bradway got promoted to assistant director of college scouting, a position the Eagles didn’t have previously. Again, speculation, but that seems like a countermove against the juice on the other camp, the pro personell guys. There were a few guys brought in last offseason that had past background with Gamble. Former 49ers WR Joe Hastings was added as a pro personnel assistant. Ryan Myers, who game with Gamble from SF and was a pro scout in 2013 was moved to NE area scout last year. It’s most likely that the Eagles were just filling the vacancy when Speyer left but it could also bee seen as a move to expand Gamble’s reach(I’m probably reaching there). Regardless, if you’re the college scouting guys, and you spend all year looking at players all over the country I can imagine it would tend to tick you off if the head coach discounted all your work in developing a draft board because he wanted to get his Oregon guy or the Pac-12 guy he was familiar with hell or high water.

  168. 168 Mitchell said at 9:28 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I guess I’m a bit nervous that, after not making the playoffs, we are now having trouble in the FO. I think Lurie is letting Chip know there will be no unbalanced power in his franchise. It’s the end of year 2, they are all still learning.

  169. 169 808EagleFan said at 9:48 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    I guess we’ll see how far “in chip we trust” goes. It is only 2 years and we can only conjecture like everyone else. 2 and 2 add up but I guess we REALLY don’t know if we are starting with 2 and 2…

  170. 170 76mustang said at 10:30 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Always a difficult adjustment for coaches coming from college working with a GM when it comes to talent acquisition…could you imagine Nick Saban or Urban Meyer having to rely on their AD to manage scouting and select and offer recruits?

  171. 171 Baloophi said at 10:30 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Per Jeff McLane, Roseman was inquiring about the Jets’ GM job?

    “…the 39-year-old GM had conversations about the New York Jets’ vacancy, according to two NFL sources. The Jets didn’t put in a formal interview request, but it is believed that Roseman or his agent, Bob LaMonte, had informal talks with either consultant Charlie Casserly or owner Woody Johnson.”

    http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20150101_Roseman_gains_edge_in_Eagles_power_struggle.html

  172. 172 GEAGLE said at 12:09 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I can’t even put into words how much I despise Jeff McLane these days

    Is Jeff McLne sure this is even recent? Lol… Does Jeff McLane Know that long before Howie ever worked for the Eagles, the Jets was actually the first NFL franchise Howie tried to break into?
    ..
    Marynowitz is talking to the Jets….

    Is McLane confused? Lol.. Howie has the full backing of one of the best owner in the NFL, why would he consider that moron woodyJohnson?

  173. 173 jshort said at 11:46 PM on December 31st, 2014:

    Disgruntled. From the fans all the way through the front office. Nice to know! Have a effin Happy New Year everyone.

  174. 174 teltschikfakeout88 said at 12:00 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Wow…..all the speculation in the media has been very interesting…..a rising star in marynowitz has reportedly butted heads with Roseman and Mueller is taking interviews (or at least being considered for the Jets GM spot). These are all accomplished men in the business. If those two leave instead of waiting for opportunities in the wake of gambles departure then we know something is up. They don’t see a future with roseman or are declining to work with him any further. Let’s jump to having to fill 3 positions in the personnel/scouting department. If Lurie really wants to make this work he will conduct the search himself and present both chip and howie with options to decide whom they both can work with and go from there. I hope that the upcoming changes are ones that kelly and howie can get behind becuase I think kelly is a special coach. I would hate for this to get blown up becuase of this. It seems that lurie has a high amount of trust in howie. If it does get blown up…. this could be the end of the eagles being a top organization…..

  175. 175 MagsMightyMutt said at 1:22 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Oh please.

  176. 176 teltschikfakeout88 said at 7:11 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Relax…the last comment was 100% dramatics…… However at some point this groups run will end……..and a new one will begin…….and that includes ownership…….

  177. 177 Seth Joyner said at 12:16 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    I think it’s pretty simple they couldn’t get a firm commitment from gamble and before they starting setting up their draft board and scouting free agents and players and self evaluation, they parted ways w gamble realizing he could be a gm for the enemy in a month … Rather not divulge offseason plan to the enemy …… Makes a lot more sense than power struggle nonsense … These a grown men not a soap opera.

  178. 178 A Roy said at 7:46 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    168 comments and yours may be the first one to discount palace intrigue. You must not be a real Philadelphia sports fan.

  179. 179 Jarock said at 8:55 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Seth Joyner isn’t a real Philly fan?!?!?

    Secret Arizona Cardinals fan I guess then 😛

  180. 180 A Roy said at 9:45 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I looked up Seth Joyner’s wiki to see how long he played for AZ…but he went from there to GB and Den. The surprising thing was that the Eagles initially cut him in training camp his first season.

  181. 181 ICDogg said at 10:16 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    It’s possible that contributed to the decision but it is also said that Roseman had considered bolting for the Jets.

  182. 182 GEAGLE said at 10:39 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Roseman bolting for the jets? WTF…. Soooo not true

  183. 183 ICDogg said at 10:43 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    I’m not an insider, so I don’t know, but I’ve seen it three places since last night

  184. 184 GEAGLE said at 10:53 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Convenient how this rumor is with the Jets team, which is actually the organization Howie tried to break into first, before ever getting a job with the Eagles…
    ..If it’s true, it’s just Howie putting on a show, showing he has options.
    .
    I’d,bet my house Howie doesn’t leave the Eagles, ATleast not to go work for the jets Braindead owner. Why would he, when he has the complete backing of one of the best owners in the NFL? HOWIE ain’t leavng Lurie to go work for friggin Woody the moronic owner of the jets. Howie knows better than anyone the importance of having a good owner

    If howie was on the outs with LUrie Id be more worried, but Howie has the full backing of Jeffrey Lurie.
    ..
    Maybe if Howie wanted Gamble gone, but LUrie sided with chip to over rule the gamble firing, thete would be cause for concern, Howie clearly won’t this round Of the power struggle, why would he leave now?
    ..
    If there was a real chance Howie was leaving, I doubt we let hOwie Fire Chip Kelly’s guy, Tom gamble

  185. 185 ICDogg said at 12:41 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    this would have been prior to Gamble’s being let go. A “backup plan” for Howie, if you will.

  186. 186 MagsMightyMutt said at 1:47 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    All the gossip about power struggles between Roseman and Kelly is ridiculous. It is not the first time a GM and HC have butted heads!!! If this rumor is even true. Management types with strong opinions disagree all the time! Get over it.

  187. 187 Eagles News: The Philadelphia power struggle | nflfans247.net said at 7:12 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    […] Gamble is Out – Iggles BlitzThis shouldn’t affect the Eagles on a day-to-day basis. Howie is a veteran GM. He’s got plenty of veteran people around him and a full set of scouts out in the field. Gamble’s presence would be most important when putting together the draft board and making decisions during the actual draft. That’s where his experience and knowledge would be most beneficial. […]

  188. 188 Cliff said at 9:00 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    NFL front offices are really strange. You mentioned the Niners and Harbaugh already. Did anyone catch that Bears press conference after they fired their coach? It was so odd. The owner’s son (probably a part-owner too, not sure) went on and on about how “pissed” his 90-year-old mom was about how the Bears played and how “pissed” the children and grandchildren were about it too. Who cares? Is that supposed to make Bears fans feel warm and fuzzy because the front office that has failed to put together a winner for years now is “pissed” about it? OK… Then you have the crap-show going on in Washington, DC, which needs no further explanation.

    It’s just all really strange to me. These are billion-dollar organizations with what seem to be really dramatic, unstable people running them.

  189. 189 Michael Winter Cho said at 1:31 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    It often happens in life that people ascend to their level of incompetence, isn’t it?

  190. 190 BobSmith77 said at 9:02 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    So Roseman was the genius behind the ’12 draft but has little/no culpability for last year’s draft or the below average/terrible drafts during the last few years of Reid’s tenure?

    Which is it?

  191. 191 Jarock said at 9:14 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    I like Roseman and think he’s a good GM, but he sure does seem to be made of teflon.

  192. 192 ICDogg said at 9:17 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Neither. It was a situation where Lurie had to make a choice between keeping one executive or the other. I find the situation troubling but not sure I would like it any better had it been Roseman forced out and Gamble remaining.

  193. 193 GEAGLE said at 10:37 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    There is nothing wrong with this years draft besides moronic unrealistic expectations from fans and media in this dumb city

  194. 194 BobSmith77 said at 10:58 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    You saw the odds (6.5%) that AC Viking posted on Smith III’s chances of becoming a starter (3-4 years) after not starting a game this year. Very slim-to-none.

    Kelly/Gamble made a bold move by cutting Jackson, resigning Cooper, and then using 2 of their first 3 picks on WRs while potentially whiffing on one (Huff).

    Even the most ardent supporter would have to acknowledge this team bet large on improving through the draft this year as playing a key role in their next step ahead forward and it backfired on them.

  195. 195 GEAGLE said at 11:00 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Lol

  196. 196 quest4fire said at 9:03 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Reading tea leaves here but my guess it was the DJax situation, Chip/Gamble wanted him gone and Howie wanted to keep him (Djax signed an extension under him). Chip/Gamble assured that Eagles will be better without Djax this season. Lurie sided with Chip/Gamble and now Howie spits in Lurie eye saying that Djax cut was a huge mistake and would have made playoffs with him.

  197. 197 A_T_G said at 9:26 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    That should have been the title for the article: Reading T(om Gamble) Leaves.

  198. 198 Ark87 said at 9:44 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    I heard it was because of gang affiliations.

  199. 199 BobSmith77 said at 10:12 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Eliot Shorr Parks is sure to get the scoop too after he works his extensive contacts with the SF police & Gamble’s gang ties in the Bay Area.

  200. 200 ICDogg said at 10:19 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2015/01/would_chip_kelly_leave_the_eagles_because_of_bad_blood_with_howie_roseman.html

  201. 201 BobSmith77 said at 10:13 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Beginning of the end of Kelly’s tenure here

  202. 202 The_berger said at 10:27 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    First time commenter, but why does everyone believe Gamble was so great? If he was the true architect of a super bowl runner up in SF, why would they let him walk for a lateral move? He would have been a GM somewhere.

  203. 203 oreofestar said at 10:42 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Is not able Gamble himself is about the supposed conflict with Howie and Chip

  204. 204 OldDocMcPolk-A-Lot said at 11:04 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    At the time Gamble asked out of SF, in part so he could come to Philly and be nearer his father who wasn’t well. Would’ve been hard for them to stand in his way.

  205. 205 ICDogg said at 10:42 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Joe Banner says it shows a coach’s bias but there’s more truth to this than most would admit: (pic below, refresh if you don’t see it)

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6O0zZIIUAEBls_.jpg

  206. 206 GEAGLE said at 10:57 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    I almost forgot…happy new years people… We wouldn’t be eagle fans if we didn’t start the year off with some Drama…

  207. 207 oreofestar said at 11:00 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Yeah I guess I hope everything turns out OK, honestly I’m worried but Happy New year

  208. 208 GEAGLE said at 11:05 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Certainly not ideal..

    Funny how things work. Nick never gets hurt, we make the playoffs, Gamble WOULDNT get fired yesterday because we would be preparing for a wildcard game…..

    Some say, gamble is being the fall guy for the collapse, but i don’t really buy that, do you really even need a “fall guy” in chips second season, injury riddled seson we still managed to go 10-6 in? There really is no need for a fall guy…. If this happened in year 3-4 maybe you need a fall guy, but even then, if your have to play with 10 different offensive lineman and half a season with a backup QB, you should be throwing a parade for your coach, not looking for a fall guy lol

  209. 209 oreofestar said at 11:11 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Gamble leaving doesn’t bother me Chip leaving will and I just hope there isn’t serious tension in the FO that will make him run back to school

  210. 210 GEAGLE said at 11:20 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    I think chip is done with college football. I don’t expect to ever see him go back to college. Maybe he goes back after he wins a Super Bowl. But I don’t see him going back to college without winning a Super Bowl first,.. After he is done here, I assume he would take a little break, and then jump to the next NFL job.

    I just think chip is too much of a competition junkie, and a taste of the NFL game, where every single week is a competitive War, you can easily lose no matter how good your team opened up his competitive drive, and I just can’t see him givng up the elite weekly competition, to go back to college, when half the games are just frauds where you have no chance of losing. u aren’t even competing half the time in college ball, by half time you are thining about gettng the 3rd and 4th strng n the game…
    ..
    I think chip is a fierce competitor, competition junkie, and a taste of the ultimate challenge, weekly competition in the hunt for a Lombardi trophy, has ruined college football for chip kelly.
    ..
    Not to mention, a football junkie like him, LOVE living this game 24 hours a day like pro coaches do, not having to worry about playrs going to class. He gets to spend all day with his players in the pros, and since he has found pros so receptive to him, I have a feeling he is addicted to NFL football and it has ruined the college game for him….. This is the ultimate competition. The ultimate proving ground for a man that made this game his entire lIfe.. Now that he has had a taste of this, I can’t see him going back to coach college, when half your schedule, you have 0.0% Chamce of even losing the game…
    ..
    I have no concrete evidence to support this, but i have a feeling Chip is now a full Blown, NFL football addict

  211. 211 oreofestar said at 11:34 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Hope Chip stays for a long time

  212. 212 anon said at 12:29 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I dont know if we make it even if nick doesn’t get hurt. I don’t think we beat SEA or GB. I don’t even think we beat the cowboys necessarily. We probably beat the redskins but by then it doesn’t matter.

  213. 213 Andy124 turnovers per game said at 12:33 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I think we’d have beat the Redskins and quite possibly the Cowboys. People forget we came back and tied them before Sanchez went Sanchez in that game.

  214. 214 anon said at 12:44 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    celek fumble, defense playing terrible. nicky stixx didn’t win a game without a dst td.

  215. 215 robspassky said at 11:28 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Happy New Year! Best wishes for 2015 to you, us, and the Eagles!

  216. 216 GEAGLE said at 10:59 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Someone tell Louis Riddick to stop being a little bitch with his cryptic tweets… If he has some thing to say, MAN UP, and say what you got to Say, instead of acting like a bitch with his cryptic, subliminal messages…. You wanna bash Howie, be a man and say what you gotta say… Or STFU

  217. 217 GEAGLE said at 11:09 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Anyone have any idea on what the timeline should look like for when we see Gambles replacement announced?

  218. 218 ACViking said at 11:45 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    May be up to a year or more.

    Grigson left the Birds in early 2012 for the Colts.

    The team hired Gamble in early 2013, nominally to replace Grigson.

    But my guess is the “replacement” will be someone already:
    1. In house.
    2. Experienced.
    and
    3. Unquestionably a “Roseman Guy.”

  219. 219 GEAGLE said at 11:55 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Yeah I worried that it wouldn’t be a quick response, which sucks because that was the only piece on Intel we could hope for. Howie won’t say anything else about this, and chip won’t talk unless he is required to by the NFL, and he doesn’t have to talk TIL like March

  220. 220 Greg Richards said at 2:37 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    They didn’t hire a full-time guy to replace Grigson but they had other guys like Phil Savage as consultants.

    There’s still other guys around with experience in leadership roles. In addition to Patch and Mueller(assuming he stays), Michael Davis is an area scout for us but was formerly the assistant director of college scouting for the Jets and Louis Clark is a pro scout but was formerly Jacksonville’s director of pro scouting. Tom Donahoe is still around as a senior football advisor.

  221. 221 GEAGLE said at 11:53 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    This is the level of Eagles coverage im sittng here getting at this very moment:
    ..
    “First things first Eagles need to find their QB, it became painfully obvious when we faced GB and Seattle that we weren’t at that level”… And that’s worthless “analysis” came from one of the best this city has to offer, Ray Didinger
    ..
    I don’t even know where to begin with this half worthless, half obvious statement…. For starters, I don’t give a shit what rookie QB you draft, or what free agent QB you sign, you simply ARENT finding a QB that gives us a better chance to win next year, than Nick FOles Goimg into his 4th season, 3rd season in this offense…..even if a great rookie QB miraculously falls into our lap, he won’t give us a better chance to win next year than Nick, and that holds true no matter what you think of Nick and his future here…
    ..
    We played Seattle and GB with our backup QB……probably not an accurate indication of how we stack up compared to those elite teams. Going into Lambeau and home vs. The seahawks with a backup QB, the ONLY way you can step up and steal those games is if you get a great effort from the players around the QB. For us to win the GB and Seattle game, we needed the strength of our Offense, the OL and the Run game to have a BIG GAME, we needed ST to play to its elite level, and we Needd the Defense to have one of its better games. You don’t beat elite teams with a backup QB without a superb game from the players around the QB… And we didn’t get that on those two days.
    ..
    THE OL, was back in NAME, but fen Chip admitted they weren’t back to their normal elite level. KELCE came back from a bad surgery really fast, Mathis wasn’t up to last years play, and kelly praised Jason Peters for how banged up he was, and JP admitted on video the second to last week that he was playing thru like 3-4 injuries.

    no point in speculating on the runningbacks, when their OL wasn’t up to par. Could we upgrade the run game? Maybe, could our runningbacks have Played better? Maybe…. But no point in even worryng about the backs, until you get Right with your OL

    Sanchez clearly isn’t a starting caliber QB, and you ain’t beating the Elite teams in December with a backup, unless a BIG PERCENTAGE of your other players win their individual battles… We clearly didn’t get that down the stretch, Injury kept us from it in a few cases, but in others, we flat out weren’t good enough, and won’t be good enough until upgrades are made
    ..,
    As for the defense, everyone knows we are two, three players short and where those upgrades need to be made, but IN REALITY, we are way too down on the Defense, and while the secondary killed us, this defense made significant progress from last year, truth be told the Defense had a better year than the offense, and everyone knows the offense has the better players

    Who knows what next year will bring, whatever the outcome, good or bad, ALL I ASK FOR is a season not to be ravaged by injuries. If we are going to suck next year so be it, but ATleast let us suck with our players… Being bad is horribke, not making the playoffs is horrible, but there is nothing worse than missing the playoffs, and be so damn ravaged by injuries that it’s going to be hard to evaluate the good, and the bad….if we are going to be bad, let it be bad with our starters, so ATleast it’s plain as day that they aren’t good enough and need to be replaced…. I can’t take another injury mess like this, it makes everything so cloudy…
    ..
    Take Tobin for example, he had good games, and he had bad games.. How the hell do I judge his bad games? No matter how good he is, he can’t show you what he can do when he is on the left side one week with Jason Peters next to him, the next week he is on the left with Todd Heremans next to him, the next weeks we is still on the left with Lane next to him, only this time Kelce is back on his other side, instead of Molk who he had been playing next to…..As an OL, you don’t stand a chance in a situatipn like that.
    .
    I can handle losing…. Just let us lose on the field, with our players…I can’t take another injury year like this, not after what we went thru in 2012

  222. 222 anon said at 12:26 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    yeah unclear to me why sanchez gets so much flack, half the team didn’t play well this year.

  223. 223 Andy124 turnovers per game said at 12:35 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I think the fact that those turnovers are the norm for him makes it more frustrating. And it really seems like the timing of them is the worst you’ve seen since Rovember.

  224. 224 anon said at 12:45 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    yeah the timing was bad.

  225. 225 GEAGLE said at 12:57 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    starting QBs get it together late in the game no matter how bad they played, like Nick FOles in San Fran. We couldn’t cross the 50yard line on offense all day, last drive he takes us 85 yards down field with ease in crunch time..A yard short for another EPIC FOles moment in his short, but DECORATED career.

    Backup QBs, tease you, they look good enough to get you down field, and then they show why they are a backup and Lose the game for the team with. Horrible mistake at the worst possible moment..
    ..
    We saw example Of both this year…

    How many times can we,say Eagles should have won, but Nick FOles cost us that game? How many times has Nick made a crucial mistake in crunch time of a game where the outcome hung in the balance?.. Games,where you can say we played good enough to win, but Nick Foles cost us that,game?
    ..
    Chip and young FOles who isn’t even fully developed yet are 14-4… 14-4!!! And in almost every loss, Nick played well enough to give us a chance to win it at the very end….
    ….
    Yet, I have to embrace for an offseason of talk about how we need to get a starting QB lol..
    Only In philly…..smh

  226. 226 Andy124 turnovers per game said at 1:03 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    To answer your question, 1 that I’ve seen. I unfortunately missed the SF game, so am unfit to comment on it.

  227. 227 ACViking said at 11:55 AM on January 1st, 2015:

    Seems clear Roseman controls the framing of the draft — picks, trades, arraying the board.

    Probably did the past 2 years.

    The bigger question will be WHO pulls the trigger on the picks and free agents

    Because Kelly — as he’s emphasized many times — has final say on the 53-man roster.

    So obviously, if Kelly does NOT like someone, there’s really no point in Roseman adding him to the roster (draft, FA, trade).

    In setting the draft board, Roseman will still have to use Kelly’s criteria.

    Same with looking at Free Agents and trades.

    But if Roseman likes Player-A more than Kelly — and Roseman’s position is that Player-A fits the Kelly criteria — I think Kelly’s gonna have to live with the decision.

    Maybe that’s how it was last year. Maybe not.

    But Roseman’s gonna be calling the shots this year.

    And if Kelly’s not happy with what he does, then next off-season could be mighty interesting . . .

    Because Kelly, very clearly, does NOT regard Roseman as a personnel guy.

  228. 228 anon said at 12:18 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    maybe theyre going to brig in another guy?

  229. 229 GEAGLE said at 12:05 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Tim McManus is absolutely right when he says, the key to this draft class will be the development of josh huff…. IN a Stacked WR class, you can’t bust oh your 3rd WR, especially when so many other teams improved at that position from this draft….. Huff has to pan out for this to be a good draft.
    ..
    I know most DONT get it, but I don’t worry about Marcus. Confident in my opinion of him. before he was ever an Eagle I knew that he was a player that wouldn’t be ready to produce as a rookie. Whoever was going to draft that kid was doing so expecting him to be ready in 2015.. That’s REALITY!!! So Marcus hasn’t even fallen behind schedule yet, no reason to be down on him.
    ..
    Pope Jordan is going to pan out. he is going to be a stud, the only question will be HOW GOOD can he become? No doubt he will pay off for us
    ..
    jaylen watkins a stud. Any rookie that learned 3 different positions to the point where in every practice he taking reps at outside corner, Nickel, and Safety is an extremely smart player who will pan out in some capacity. How good will he be, and in what role will he settle down, I dont Know… But you can bet that kid will find his Niche and contribute to this teams success.

    I was high on Hart, I expcted him to become an Eagle…. I have no reason to be down on him yet. This kid comig to the NFL with more 4tec 2gapping experiwnce than most players like fletch ame Ced who learned how to two ago when he got to the Eagles.
    ..
    Beau Allen and Bennie Logan are the future anchors Of this defense. We are SET at NT for years to come

  230. 230 oreofestar said at 12:16 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Goodley, Petty, Oakman, Drummond, Waynes, Cook, Langford, Calhoun lots of talent on display in Baylor versus Michigan State

  231. 231 GEAGLE said at 12:24 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Wayne’s gets connected to the Eagles alot….. But for me, LSU Jalen Collins is my favorite corner prospect since Desmond Trufant
    ..
    Like alex Carter too, but a stanford corner would be worthless as a rookie, and I don’t feel lke hearing this dumb ignorant fanbase bitch when they have to wait a year for him to be ready to produce

    Give me Erik Kendrick ILB
    jalen Collins CB
    Harris Virginia Safety
    TY Montgomery Stanford WR
    And im happy

  232. 232 oreofestar said at 12:40 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Wish Peters wasnt a dumbass I liked him, still like Carter I kind of like Wayne but the way everyone is mocking him to us reminds me of Pryor mocks last year

  233. 233 GEAGLE said at 12:46 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Peters is friggin awesome. Heck hopefully some good comes from this power struggle and Howie decides that if he can take fliers on elite talents for cheap, screw chip and his choir boys lol
    ,..
    If the best corner in the draft who had BIG TIME PERFORMAMCES against WR I love like TY Monthomery and Jalen strong falls to round 3, we have a strong enough locker room that I would take a flier on him
    ..
    If you can get one of the top 3 WR in the NFL for a 5th round pick, josh gordon, I’d take a flier on him.
    .
    Get lucky and hit on 1 long shot and it would be a HGE boost… Two years of building locker room culture, we can afford to bring jn a LONGSHOT or two

  234. 234 oreofestar said at 1:42 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Oak falls too much though

  235. 235 GEAGLE said at 12:23 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I do NOT SUPPORT this methodology AT ALL, and I’m not sure if they will ever publically admit to this, especially since LUrie likes to keep the front office lines blurred so we never really know who is in charge for what decisions,…
    ..
    I do t know how the 2013 draft worked, but I know 2014 was chips draft, and Howie was consulting him with the board, telling chip when he could wait Til the next round and still get the player chips wanted…..But after this recent power struggle, I assume this next draft, will be a SHARED DRAFT like the old days… There were times when Andy had power to make like 3 picks, Joe banner had power to make a pick, someone else made a pick, and the draft was a collective effort, different guys in the front office being in charge of making different picks…
    ..
    No idea what the breakdown will be, but I assume LUrie will give chip a few picks, Howie will get a few picks… They will consult on everything, but ultimately each will have the final say for a few picks…
    ..
    Might be the easiest compromise, but I’m not too crazy about different guys in the front office having allegiances to the guys they drated, wanting to see the guys they drafted succeed and make them look good…it creates Bias, resentment when chip wants to cut one of Howies picks, or when chip makes Howies rookie inactive oh game day…
    ,,
    This is a delicate time, hopefully LUrie can keep everything together and Howie and chip can find a way to work together and be successful

  236. 236 xeynon said at 12:29 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I tend to be skeptical of palace intrigue stories, because the media has an incentive play up that angle regardless of whether or not there’s any truth to it. I think it’s at least as likely that the Eagles made this move because Gamble wouldn’t commit long term or because he wants to look for another job with more responsibility elsewhere as it is that this is Roseman clawing power back from Kelly.

    That said, if this does result in Roseman having more say over personnel, I’m okay with it. Given what’s been reported about the respective personnel acumen of him and Kelly (he was the architect of the 2012 and 2013 drafts, two of the best in recent team history, Kelly had more say in 2014 and wanted to draft Taylor Hart in the 3rd round and had to be convinced he could be had in the 5th, etc.), Roseman would seem to be a better choice to pick the players.

  237. 237 GEAGLE said at 12:34 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    You know I hate our media….but it it was really just n issue of him not committing to us, it would have been an amicable split… No way would Howie have FIRED him…. And the firing is true, along with him being escorted out of novacare the night before, when two days earlier chip was publically gushing over what a great talent evaluator Gamble is, and how Howies “strength is he is great with the Cap” lol… I’m sure every GM would like to think he knows a thing or two about talemt evaluation lol

  238. 238 xeynon said at 12:55 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Kelly gushing over Gamble’s abilities as a talent evaluator is meaningless. He said that DeSean Jackson was “a hell of a football player” or something to that effect before cutting him from the team as well.

    We don’t really know what went down with Gamble leaving the Novacare complex – it’s possible those guys were just helping him take some stuff out to his car. Even if he were forcibly removed, it could have been because he provoked a confrontation rather than because Roseman wanted to flex his muscles.

    I’ve dealt with the media before – not the sports media, but the national news media – and trust me, you CANNOT take anything they say uncritically. Embellishing, insinuating, and taking things out of context to create the most sensationalistic spin possible on a story is what they do.

  239. 239 Ernie McCracken said at 1:11 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Maybe they wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to get a tire iron out of his trunk

  240. 240 GEAGLE said at 1:26 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    No…thre is a big difference when you ask kelly about someone and he says something nice….and when kelly starts gushing and gushing over how great someone is..
    ..
    Chip has plenty of obvious “TELLS” thT give away his true feelings when dealing with the medial..

    For example… When you asking him how a player is doing, or how his relationship is with someone, and the truth is NOT GOOD, chips “Tell” is he will give you the one word answer “Good” with his,voice turning to a high pitch almost shriek

    Gamble is,chips guy… No doubt that,chip didn’t agree with this move. I don’t even,think that part of it is debateable

  241. 241 xeynon said at 1:43 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I’ve heard this theory. I’ve seen no evidence that it’s anything more than groundless armchair psychoanalysis.

    Kelly spoke much more extensively than that about DeSean Jackson. Jackson was cut. He’s given one-word answers that someone/something was good when he thought it was self evident and it was stupid of reporters to even ask the question.

    I don’t think this supposed “tell” is even well-substantiated, much less that it’s worth basing entire theories about power plays in the Eagles’ FO on.

  242. 242 oreofestar said at 12:43 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Geagle you’re watching MSU/Baylor and FSU/Oregon?

  243. 243 Andy124 turnovers per game said at 12:46 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    You know Geag is trying to scout for FOles’ replacement in those games. 😉

  244. 244 GEAGLE said at 12:48 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Nixk FOles is our QB the next 6 years. And.i know that you know its true 😉

  245. 245 Andy124 turnovers per game said at 12:50 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    You’re about 992 years off, buddy.

    I don’t mind admitting, I am worried about his ability to stay healthy. But the growing pains he went through this year don’t worry me too much.

  246. 246 GEAGLE said at 1:15 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I’m not the least bt concerned about him getting hurt…
    ..
    6’6 250lbs. Proven durability and serious tôughness behind some horrible offensive lines..

    I see the beating we let that kid take this season, and I hnestly would expect any QB to not have made it thru this season. Could we imagine what would have happened to the smaller Sandhez or Barkley if they had to take the Baer cheap and the repeated beating the skins gave him, his entire shoûlder was black and blue after that game, and he played 4 more games behind a patch work OL. There is no way, sanchez or Barkley could have withstood those beating and last Til the Texans game like FOles did….go back to the archives from the Texans game. I warned that “This is the type of team that will hurt your QB”… Clearly they smelled the blood in the water from our OL issues and piece of ahit Watt and that ado where he’ll beant on Knocking Nick out of that game… Maybe ben Rothlisberger,maybe Luck, maybe Cam Newton could have lasted a game or two earliers but it’s pretty simple, if you don’t protect your QB better than we did this year, you Have no shot of your QB getting to the playoffs healthy. … Heck the beating standed in the first quarter of the opening game vs. The Jags..took a beating on the first half, no surprise we were down…OL got it together at halftime and we came back.

    I don’t care who we play at QB, if we allow our QBs to get hit like they did this year, we won’t STAND a chance.

    Other injuries were a concussion from a hit in the pocket…. Pretty common. I doubt the next QBs head will be stronger and not get concussed if it goes crashing into the ground the way FOles did..
    ..
    And his other injury was probably the most comn QB injury there is…. Every QB will break his hand on a linemans helmet while throwing the ball at some point on his career…..

    Kid is tough as hell, and more durable than most…. I think the injury questions are completely misguided. Swap FOles out for any other QB in those same situations and the sqme injuries owuld occur

    11 animals on defense, who’s number 1 goal is to knock FOles out of the game. PROBABLY a good ideas o protect him better….. Hopefully we improve the OL, and never have such an unlucky injury year at OL again…I really doubt there are more then a handful of more durable QBs than Nick…. Unfortunately. Who would have thought that we would need two starting caliber Offensive lines this year to be able to protect our QBs

  247. 247 GEAGLE said at 12:47 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Def the Oregon game…some of abaylor,just to see Oakman

  248. 248 oreofestar said at 1:06 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Yes Ramsey has got me trying not to fall in love with him he is so far away,

  249. 249 GEAGLE said at 1:20 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Who jaylen Ramsey? I love that damn kid

  250. 250 oreofestar said at 1:24 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Oakman sighting 🙂 he makes me proud

  251. 251 GEAGLE said at 1:29 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Beast… Hoping both him and Armstead have a bad conbine or something and fall to round two, but I not hold my breath.

    Atlanta Falcons will,draft,Bud,Dupree,.. I’d,bet on that this early in the process if vEgas offered crazy odds on it…

  252. 252 oreofestar said at 1:30 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I like Ces but my Oak crush is strong I would live Oakman next to Bennie

  253. 253 GEAGLE said at 1:44 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    If they trade Vinny, and think Oak is a suitable pass rushing option on 3rd down, he would fit…
    ..
    Some will probably say he isn’t a scheme fit, but they said that about Fletchet Cox and half our roster. his Long arms, Height. 290lbs of power with serious athleticism im sure can be turned into a better scheme fit than Curry was….but whoever will replace Curry if we don’t extend him Longterm will have to be a quality interior pass rusher

    I worry about his effort tho…. Reminds me of what’s his name, the Falcons top rookie defender, what’s his name? Big Lasy DL but real talented?

  254. 254 oreofestar said at 1:48 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Can Oakman not play 3-4 end, I mean it’s possible right?

  255. 255 GermanEagle said at 12:56 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I am afraid that this off season will have more negative surprises. Starting off with Howie Roseman leaving to NY.

  256. 256 KAJomo said at 1:01 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I think the Gamble moge solidifies Howie staying here

  257. 257 GermanEagle said at 1:03 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    You do know that Howie has interviewed for the GM job at the Jets?! Him and Doug Marrone would give NY an instant upgrade.

  258. 258 xeynon said at 1:05 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Where do you get that information? The only thing I’ve seen reported is that the Jets were interested, and Roseman’s agent may have explored it, but there was no formal interview, nor even a request for one made to the Eagles (which would’ve been required).

  259. 259 GermanEagle said at 1:11 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    It’s unclear whether Roseman would have been driven to the point of leaving, but the 39-year-old GM had conversations about the New York Jets’ vacancy, according to two NFL sources.

    The Jets didn’t put in a formal interview request, but it is believed that Roseman or his agent, Bob LaMonte, had informal talks with either consultant Charlie Casserly or owner Woody Johnson. The Jets’ level of interest was unknown.

  260. 260 xeynon said at 1:33 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    This is exactly what I said. No interview, no request for an interview. So your statement that “Howie has interviewed for the GM job at the Jets” is incorrect.

    “Had conversations” and “had informal talks” is the sort of mealy-mouthed mediaspeak which in actuality signifies nothing, but is nevertheless frequently used by reporters to generate clicks/page views/ratings/etc. These conversations could have consisted of Woody Johnson calling Howie and saying “we have a vacancy for our GM position, got any thoughts on people we could hire”? The mere fact that Johnson placed a call would be enough report that he was “having conversations with Roseman about the Jets’ GM job”.

    You may not think that’s the case, but trust me, it is. I’ve seen reporters twist words, embellish, and blow things out of proportion in precisely this way on multiple occasions, firsthand.

  261. 261 GermanEagle said at 1:35 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Ok.

  262. 262 KAJomo said at 1:05 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I believe that was before Gamble was fired. I think howie did that as I have options if I dont get the power I feel I deserve

  263. 263 GEAGLE said at 1:31 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Are they sure that’s not from 10years ago?
    ..
    I find that hard to believe for so many different reasons that I won’t type again

  264. 264 ACViking said at 1:03 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Only if Kelly walked into Lurie’s office and said, “Roseman or me.”
    And Lurie picked Kelly — which, in the big scheme, I don’t Lurie would do.

  265. 265 GEAGLE said at 1:21 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    You are so nuts….. If it’s negative, you think it.
    ..
    I’m not addressing the NY BS again, you can scroll down,if you want

  266. 266 GermanEagle said at 1:27 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I did see horses throwing up before.

  267. 267 ACViking said at 12:57 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    RE: Palace Intrigue or Something Else?

    What’s a fair inference from a team firing a key personnel exec who’s close to the head coach, but not the GM, on New Year’s Eve?

    Well, it’s New Year’s Eve . . . which is bigger than a Friday — when bad news is usually dumped because sources are leaving for the weekend and become harder to reach. So it may be one of the best days to make a bold move with the purpose of limiting media reaction. (DJax cut on a Friday.)

    And it’s New Year’s Eve . . . which, next to Christmas Eve, has to be the worst day on which an employee gets fired — which supports the argument that the point of the firing is to say to the employee, and his supporters, “F– Off.”

    What if Gamble wouldn’t commit to an extension?

    Maybe . . . but why fire him on New Year’s eve?

    Why not wait a week or so for a less conspicuous day . . . unless you trying to make a very loud point?

    Or why not hold him to his contractual term, which likely is through the draft. Nothing required the Eagles to allow Gamble access to any drafting preparations. As long as he received his paycheck every two weeks, Gamble was stuck.

    This is “Big Boy” stuff freighted with implications about not only who’s in charge.

    But, arguably, Lurie has just told Chip Kelly, “here’s how it’s gonna be . . . you have 3 years left on your contract . . . so either deal with it . . . or quit . . . but don’t for a minute think the Eagles will ‘trade’ you or let you out of your deal.”
    NOTE: We don’t know the terms of Kelly’s contract insofar as his return to college football without consequence. I’d wager that Lurie and Roseman put a “Nick Saban – poison-pill” clause in the contract, which prevents Kelly from leaving the NFL to return to college . . . a move that otherwise would not be a breach that would justify a court stopping Kelly’s move. Two different competitive groups, basically.

  268. 268 xeynon said at 1:04 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Bottom line is we don’t know for sure, and any theories anyone wants to posit need to be acknowledged as what they are: groundless speculation.

  269. 269 ACViking said at 1:19 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Speculation is fact-less guessing.

    We have facts to work with here.

    With facts you get inferences. They may be wrong.

    But they’re not idle speculation.

  270. 270 xeynon said at 1:23 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Speculation can be factless guessing, or it can be unwarranted extrapolation based on known facts.

    The known facts in this case are pretty scant, and can be interpreted to support any number of theories, many of which contradict each other. Therefore, in my view calling favoring one such theory over another “speculation” is completely warranted.

  271. 271 GEAGLE said at 1:39 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I don’t really care about the theories, the why’s.. The only thing I care about, is what I know for certain, and that is that This is not making Chip happy…… Whatever that means, or whatever happens, your guess is as good as mine, but I would feel much more comfortable knowing our coach was happy going into year 3..
    ..
    Another FACT, is gamble was fired, this was not an amicable split…. Again, what THAT means, or why that happened, your guess is as good as mine,,,
    ….
    Unfortunately at some point we will have to move on, and stop wondering because Chip ISNT scheduled to speak til March…unless something crazy happens, we probably won’t hear another word about this til when chip talks again in match, and by then he will have gotten over it enough to give some bogus company response to keep issues in house

  272. 272 xeynon said at 1:51 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    How on Earth do you know “for certain” that “this is not making Chip happy”? Maybe Chip caught Gamble stealing his turkey sandwich from the Novacare cafeteria refrigerator and wanted Gamble fired for that. Maybe Gamble told Chip he was moving on to explore other opportunities and he wanted to cut ties as soon as possible. Maybe Chip’s as happy as can be that Gamble is gone.

    Chip has not stated that this makes him unhappy. It has not been reported that he has told anyone this makes him unhappy. In fact no evidence whatsoever has been offered that this makes him unhappy. All we have is reporters speculating – and that is what they’re doing, speculating – that because Gamble and Kelly are thought to have a personal close relationship, and because Kelly is thought to have had more say over the last offseason, and because it’s possible he and Gamble might have outvoted Roseman in deciding to drop DeSean Jackson, and because Roseman might be unhappy about that, this could be a sign of a feud between the two.

    That is the farthest thing from certainty. If this were a courtroom you would have heard “objection” about six times in response to the previous paragraph, because it is full of logical leaps and assumptions which could be quite dubious.

  273. 273 Greg Richards said at 3:00 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Rumor is Chip doesn’t like turkey sandwiches, he’s more of a ham and cheese guy.

  274. 274 ACViking said at 1:23 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Also . . . no one from Eagles management has stepped out to correct the stories of intrigue.

    Would be very easy for Lurie to say something in a single sentence to put this perception down.

    But he hasn’t.

  275. 275 Andy124 turnovers per game said at 1:25 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Yeah, but they didn’t say anything to shoot down the ridiculous Jaccson rumors either…

  276. 276 xeynon said at 1:26 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Again, as someone who’s dealt with the media, I have to disagree.

    In most cases, you gain little to nothing from trying to “correct the record”. All denials do is fuel further speculation, further insinuation, and further rounds of media coverage. If there’s no real story, you’re generally better off waiting until the media’s attention span is exhausted and they move on to something else. I completely understand why Lurie would not want to address this publicly.

  277. 277 Average__Joseph said at 2:01 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    You, sir, are the only logical person that has made any sense at all. (Probably because I agree with everything you have said).

    The only “facts” we have are: Gamble and Eagles are “parting ways” and this was announced on 12/31/14.

    Other than that, everything else is speculation!

    Just An Average Joseph

  278. 278 Greg Richards said at 2:57 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    Howie, being only a glorified accountant(paraphrasing Chip’s words), knows that firing Gamble on Dec 31st makes taxes easier for everyone.

  279. 279 ACViking said at 1:43 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    T-Law has a new post up about Bowl-game players.

  280. 280 oreofestar said at 1:45 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    I’m out

  281. 281 Greg Richards said at 3:02 PM on January 1st, 2015:

    This is being framed as a firing and it likely is but perhaps the reason they’re framing it as mutually parting ways is that the Eagles and Gamble(and his agent) came to some type of financial agreement prior to the firing. If so, one would think that might include an agreement that neither side makes any negative public comments about the other. In other words, I doubt we hear anything from Gamble’s side.