Lurie Speaks

“As Lurie described what he wants in a coach (leadership, self-confidence, someone who studies the game/trends, aggressive style, risk taker), I couldn’t help but think of Chip Kelly.”

I also thought of Chip Kelly… but then again, Greg Roman fits the description, too (based upon what I’ve read about him). I suppose Jon Gruden would sit in the center of that Venn Diagram as well, though it sounds like he’s leaning toward ESPN… which is just as well, seeing as everyone here is convinced he’d stock the team with the cast of Cocoon and spectral Jedi knights.

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RE: Bill O’Brien

For someone who doesn’t reside in the greater Penn State sphere, what about B.O.B. makes him such an attractive HC candidate? I understand Penn State performed much better than expected in a year of unthinkable challenges, but what else does he bring to the table? Via the Internet, I’ve ascertained that he was an offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech and Duke, then a QB coach with the Pats and OC for one year there (kinda hard to fail there, huh?). Anyway, I’m admittedly 100% ignorant about O’Brien given my geography and fearful of hiring someone based upon a “feel good” year. Please assuage this simple-minded Angelino…

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RE: Mike Nolan

I’m eagerly anticipating your write-up on him, Tommy. I must admit, it’s going to be hard to shake my impression of him as a bewildered looking man in an incongruous business suit and wispy goatee, stalking the sidelines like a drunken faun while his Niners drop 8 in a row. Didn’t he also have GM responsibility there and chose Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers? Oof. I know, hindsight is 20/20 (and he did select Frank Gore later), but I do find it interesting that Nolan is getting re-tread consideration while old friend Spagnuolo has to sit at home alone and stare longingly at his Swatch phone.

How fast will these sell out if we hire Chip Kelly?

Lurie made it clear that he had reviewed the player evaluations of everyone involved in the player selection process, not just the guys they picked, but all evaluations. That tells me a number of things:

1) Lurie is not a hands-on owner, but he’s not a passive patsy, buying the crap his HC tries to feed him. He’s acting like the COB, allowing his CEO to run the operation, but actively reviewing his CEO’s actions.

2) Lurie made it clear that Howie had the best evaluations of anyone in the group, not sure that includes scouts, but I’m pretty sure that includes Andy and his assistant coaches, Banner and maybe Grigson before he departed.

3) Lurie talked about a streamlined process, it seems that Andy and his coaches had too much input. Remember when Howie forbid his scouts from talking to coaches, people thought that was just another example of the “control freak, paranoid organization,” but it made perfect sense – when coaches have too much influence on personnel, they’re tempted to hustle scouts into giving better evaluations to players they want, and Howie wanted to be sure his scouts were providing him objective information.

4) Andy and Banner were still fighting over control in 2010, and Howie was too new to be able to assert authority. The fact that Lurie gave Howie that authority in 2012 suggests that most of the mistakes were made by other people, Lurie watched them being made, and decided that something had to be done. This is reminiscent of what he did in 1998 when he removed personnel authority from Ray Rhodes and gave it to Broudhuss, who then delivered the best draft of the Rhodes era.

5. People focus too much on Howie not being a football guy, Ron Wolf wasn’t a football guy, Matt Millen was certainly a football guy. Note that football guys Modrak and Heckert are on the street after failing elsewhere. What’s more important than being a football guy is how sharp and organized Howie is, both as a player evaluator, but more importantly, as an administrator. Keeping track of 1800 NFL players, another 300-500 guys on the street, and 1000 potential draft picks requires a high degree of organization. Marshaling resources to leave no stone unturned (how do teams make mistakes, by not paying for a scout to spend a couple days hanging out at the college bar and other hot spots gathering gossip about players’ off field activities, how they interact with teammates, etc., those pesky character questions). Evaluating your scouts (retrospective review is key, forget “he’s a brilliant football guy,” what you want is the scout’s past evaluations so you can compare him with other scouts and keep raising the standard. Finally, working with everyone to build your board, understanding the schemes your coaches currently run, how they might morph with new coaches (assistants come and go) and getting the BPA for both what you’re doing now and what you might be doing 2 years from now. Example, Howie knew that Mudd was not a long-term hire, but if he build a line for Mudd, the next coach would probably go to a zone blocking system – but there are few players who could transition from Mudd to a man system.

6. Lurie has the right idea, both the HC and the GM report to him, and they have to work together. Most conflicts in organizations come when the HC reports to the GM, and they don’t respect each other, or when the HC tries to undercut the GM or visa versa. A HC will not have final say, nor with Howie, because it shouldn’t be about power, it should be about discussing issues until you’re on the same page and resolving conflicts. By making it clear he’ll be hands on (“I’m watching you”) but not meddling, Lurie resolves the power issue. HE’s the guy with the final say – the COB, but if he has to use it on a regular basis, time for a change. I wouldn’t hire a HC who doesn’t accept this, because megalomaniacs are rarely good leaders.

Hey Tommy, it was reported earlier this year of a conflict between Reid and Howie. This was in 2010, Reid had wanted JPP and Howie drafted Brandon Graham. There was multiple reports that had reported this. Also since Howie got more power, we’ve tried to make a big splash unlike previous years in going for Aso and etc. Reid has fault in the last two disappointing years and I know he has final say but Howie doesnt seem like the right choice as he seem more like a cap specialist ala Tannebeaum than a football guy. and regarding the 2012 draft i feel it wasnt all Howie has we know Andy love lineman thats why we took Cox and Curry and it was pretty obvious we need help at linebacker… What is your thoughts on Howie?

Re: Where’s Mike McCoy, Why Mike “Retread” Nolan, and Execution

I’m surprised McCoy’s not on the Eagles’ list, as reported by the media.

But I’m guessing McCoy is on the list . . . and he’s been sworn to super-secret probation — which is how the Eagles have done things in the past. If that’s true, I’d say McCoy’s a top-of-the-list guy.

As for Nolan, I think the Green Brass wants to pick his brain about the offenses out there as well as possible upcoming d-coordinators . . . all under the guise of “what do you see as the biggest challenge defensively, etc.”

As for Lurie’s desire for an innovative coach who’s ahead of the curve . . . I’d be happy with a coach who can get the Eagles to execute a handful of plays to perfection. [austinfan wrote about this a few days back.]

All season long, the Eagles offense did get guys open deep in the passing game — the same scheme Reid’s been running for a while. Vick was either getting sacked or running but not looking downfield. Foles . . . I don’t know. But he wasn’t hitting long plays.

So get me someone who’ll get the offense to execute.

And who’ll insist on a BIG wide receiver with better ball-tracking skills than Riley Cooper.

I like that Lurie defended Roseman without hesitation, and gave reasons whether they were 100% real/truthful or not. How do we know what Howie said vs Reid or other scouts? Maybe Howie wanted JPP over Graham. Maybe Howie wanted to solve RG later in the draft than round 1. Maybe all of those decisions are Howie’s alone and Lurie simply likes that Roseman appears to have learned from his mistakes and righted the ship in 2012.

I do believe Lurie wants the Eagles to win a SB. I also happen to believe that he has reasons for keeping Roseman as his GM. Lurie seems to be driven by performance, and I trust that he will dump Roseman when he (Lurie) deems it time to go in another direction.

I’ve always been a fan of Lurie, but I think it’s hilarious that after years and years of fans saying he didn’t care about winning… the man gives a press conference where he lists generic “traits” he wants in another coach and everyone is now convinced he wants to win.

Listen to what he said. He wants a smart coach who is a leader and knows football. Go figure!