Stability Matters
Posted June 18th, 2019 | Comments Off on Stability Matters
Howie Roseman drafted Fletcher Cox and Carson Wentz. He also drafted Marcus Smith and Donnel Pumphrey. For better or worse, Roseman is the guy in charge. Yes, the Eagles do use a collaborative process, but Roseman is the key voice.
Things have not always been like that.
Harry Gamble, Bob Ackles, John Wooten, Dick Daniels, Mike Lombardi and Bryan Broaddus were the key personnel guys from 1992-1998. They did some good things and some bad things. One of the problems was a lack of vision. The Eagles were all over the place with who they drafted and signed.
Tom Modrak was hired as the GM in the summer of 1998 and things started to change. He only lasted a few years, but he focused on re-signing good players instead of chasing guys on other teams. Modrak brought stability and organization to the Eagles. Andy Reid was hired early in 1999 and things really changed after that.
Stability has played a key part in the Eagles success over the past 20 years. I wrote about the value of stability for PE.com.
Think about it…the Eagles have had three coaches in the past 20 years. The Arizona Cardinals have had three in the past three years. When you change coaches, you change philosophies. That leads to a lot of roster upheaval. The Eagles have been able to keep many of their key players.
I wrote a piece back in April about how the draft classes from 2010-2013 involved many of the key players from the Super Bowl season. The Eagles did a good job in drafting those players, but just as importantly, they kept them around. How on earth did the Saints ever let Malcolm Jenkins leave? They spent a first round pick on Jenkins and watched him develop into a good player. Then they fell in love with some free agent and let Jenkins walk. That’s the kind of thing the Eagles did in the 1990’s.
No more.
The Eagles sure aren’t perfect, but this is one of the best run organizations in professional sports. I think stability is a big part of that. Jeffrey Lurie is the owner, Roseaman the GM and Doug Pederson the coach. They have now worked together since 2016, and go back even farther when you factor in Pederson as an assistant from 2009-2012. Those men are comfortable with each other and they have defined roles. When the leaders of an organization are on the same page, it can make a big difference.
Not only is it easier to pick/sign players, but it helps in developing them. There are some teams where the owner, GM and coach all have very different schedules in their mind. If a first rounder is coming along slowly, that can lead someone to be disappointed in the player and create a potentially toxic situation. The Eagles have been patient with players and that has mostly paid off very well.
Roster turnover in the 90’s was insane. Just look at the DL over the course of several years.
1991 – Reggie White – Jerome Brown – Mike Pitts/Mike Golic – Clyde Simmons
1992 – Reggie White – Mike Pitts – Mike Golic – Clyde Simmons
1993 – Tim Harris – Andy Harmon – William Perry – Clyde Simmons
1994 – William Fuller – Andy Harmon – William Perry – Greg Townsend
1995 – William Fuller – Andy Harmon – Ronnie Dixon – Mike Mamula
1996 – William Fuller – Rhett Hall – Hollis Thomas – Mike Mamula
1997 – Greg Jefferson – Rhett Hall – Hollis Thomas – Mike Mamula
1998 – Greg Jefferson – Bill Johnson – Hollis Thomas – Hugh Douglas
That is kinda nuts. Injuries were a problem for some of those years, but that’s still way too much change.
Brandon Graham has been here since 2010. Fletcher Cox since 2012. Vinny Curry was here 2012-2017 and he’s back now.
Tim Jernigan is in his third year with the team. So is Derek Barnett. Josh Sweat and Shareef Miller are young guys trying to carve out a role. There is a plan. Players are brought in to develop and stay with the team.
The days of constant change are over and I think you can see the results on the field.
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