Howie Talk

Posted: December 19th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 6 Comments »

When a team that had serious playoff aspirations starts the year 4-8-1, everything is on the table. Bench the quarterback. Fire the coach. Fire the GM. The quarterback did get benched. We’ll have to wait and see about the other two.

There is a compelling argument for firing GM Howie Roseman. There is an argument for keeping him and former Eagles executive Joe Banner thinks that is what will happen.

 It’s not like I’m speaking to people in the building who are sharing that kind of information with me. So I don’t have any inside information. But I know how Jeff thinks. I know how much confidence he has in Howie. I know, in his mind, he’ll view Howie’s 8-10-year record, including winning a Super Bowl rather than the last couple of years. I think he has tremendous trust in Howie. And I’d be very surprised if there was a move there. I don’t think there’s even a 10% chance of it happening. So obviously I’ll be very wrong if it does. But I don’t think I will be.

Wow.

Banner says there is less than a 10 percent chance of Howie getting fired. As he points out, that is based on his knowledge of Jeff Lurie, not any inside scoops. You might not like Banner or his opinion, but he was Lurie’s right hand man for more than 15 years. He knows how Lurie thinks. Banner’s opinion is absolutely worth listening to.

Jimmy Bama said in a recent podcast that he thinks Howie will be fired. Jimmy is closer to being Lurie’s plumber than his right-hand man, but Jimmy does have a good feel for the Eagles these days and is also worth listening to.

Now Paul Domowitch says this idea isn’t even on the table.

Sources close to owner Jeffrey Lurie said that while no decision has been reached on whether Pederson will be back for a sixth season, Roseman’s return never has been in doubt. In fact, it’s not even something Lurie has contemplated.

Go read the article to understand the thoughts behind why Lurie would stick by Roseman. This is a complicated situation. A big part of it is trust. Lurie likes to have someone he trusts in charge of the organization.

Joe Banner

Andy Reid

Howie Roseman

I don’t know that there is anyone who could step in and replace Roseman that would offer the kind of trust that Lurie prefers. If you’re going on the past 26 years, it makes sense for Lurie to stick with what he knows and likes.

I think it is important to realize the 2020 season is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Lurie needs to decide if reshaping the roster and rebuilding the team can be done by Roseman, the man he knows and trusts. Or is this the time to embrace the unknown and find someone else to fix the mess that Roseman has created?

Roseman is a survivor. He knows how to play the angles to put himself in a favorable situation.

Roseman can now tell Lurie that Dorsey could be brought in full time to help run the draft and rebuild the roster. Of course, Roseman would retain control of things. Dorsey is an excellent evaluator, but he’s been a GM twice. It isn’t likely he’ll get a third try. He could be open to getting a key role in Philly. He would be handsomely paid for his services.

I’m still of the belief that Roseman should be fired.

He built a Super Bowl roster and has made some terrific moves while GM of the Eagles. Unfortunately, most of that is in the distant past. Roseman has not had the golden touch since the team won Super Bowl LII.

Keeping Roseman would be the equivalent of bringing back Jason Peters, Darren Sproles, Vinny Curry, etc. You cannot live in the past. The NFL just doesn’t work like that. This league wants to know what you can do now and in the future, not the past. John Elway built the Broncos into a Super Bowl winner in 2015. He’s made some terrible moves since then.

If Lurie does in fact keep Roseman, adding someone like Dorsey would be a good idea. Dorsey has made his share of good picks over the years. The Eagles must draft better. The draft is the lifeblood of a team.

You can’t count on Roseman finding Chris Long, Patrick Robinson, LeGarrette Blount, Jay Ajayi and Tim Jernigan as cheap additions every offseason. This year Roseman added Nickell Robey-Coleman, Jatavis Brown, Will Parks, and Jamon Brown as bargain buys. Last year it was Richard Rodgers, Jordan Howard, Hassan Ridgeway, Zach Brown, L.J. Fort and Andrew Sendejo. You can’t consistently make up for draft misses with cheap free agents or low-level trades. What worked in 2017 was an anomaly, not a blueprint.

Whether Roseman returns or not, things have to change. The roster isn’t good enough, largely due to poor drafting. Lurie must figure out a way to fix this moving forward or you can forget about contending for Super Bowls as the new normal. You’d be more likely to be looking up at the rest of the NFC East and that’s not a new normal that anyone wants.

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6 Comments on “Howie Talk”

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  5. 5 Eagles News: John Dorsey has reportedly been assisting Philadelphia since before the 2020 NFL Draft – Bleeding Green Nation – Cinesarathi said at 11:13 AM on December 20th, 2020:

    […] Howie Talk – Iggles BlitzI’m still of the belief that Roseman should be fired. He built a Super Bowl roster and has made some terrific moves while GM of the Eagles. Unfortunately, most of that is in the distant past. Roseman has not had the golden touch since the team won Super Bowl LII. Keeping Roseman would be the equivalent of bringing back Jason Peters, Darren Sproles, Vinny Curry, etc. You cannot live in the past. The NFL just doesn’t work like that. This league wants to know what you can do now and in the future, not the past. John Elway built the Broncos into a Super Bowl winner in 2015. He’s made some terrible moves since then. […]

  6. 6 Eagles News: John Dorsey has reportedly been assisting Philadelphia since before the 2020 NFL Draft - Bleeding Green Nation | Sustainable Cities | SDG 11 said at 12:01 PM on December 20th, 2020:

    […] Howie Talk – Iggles BlitzI’m still of the belief that Roseman should be fired. He built a Super Bowl roster and has made some terrific moves while GM of the Eagles. Unfortunately, most of that is in the distant past. Roseman has not had the golden touch since the team won Super Bowl LII. Keeping Roseman would be the equivalent of bringing back Jason Peters, Darren Sproles, Vinny Curry, etc. You cannot live in the past. The NFL just doesn’t work like that. This league wants to know what you can do now and in the future, not the past. John Elway built the Broncos into a Super Bowl winner in 2015. He’s made some terrible moves since then. […]