AUDIO: Howie Roseman Tells Eagles Head Coaching Candidates To "Call Andy Reid"
Howie Roseman agreed to a sit-down with Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com Wednesday. Some nuggets:
When asked what the feedback has been from head coaching candidates the Eagles have interviewed, Roseman, predictably, went salesman.
Less predictably, he went: "If You Don't Believe Me, Go Ask The Guy We Just Fired!"
Said Roseman (hit it here for audio):
"Well they know we have a great owner. We have a great owner, who's going to support and give as much resources as possible to make sure we succeed. They know we have just supported a coach for 14 years, so we're built that way. This whole organization is built to support a head coach. All they gotta do is call Andy Reid and know that that's how we do."
That raises an interesting conversation: Would a candidate considering taking the gig really dial up Reid? Really. Would you? Sure, he knows the organization better than, truthfully, anyone inside the organization save for Jeffrey Lurie (we'll get to the turnover in a minute). But can Reid be expected to be impartial here? Doesn't Roseman so confidently saying he could be undermine his pitch?
Then comes this (hit it here for audio):
"We've developed family here. People who have been here for a long time, they've grown together, they see that sort of relationship, and so it's been a positive experience. I'm not saying we're the perfect franchise by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a great tribute to Jeffrey (Lurie) and what he's building here."
Here's the cleaning-house that followed Joe Banner's ouster as team president (June 7):
Juan Castillo (Oct. 16), defensive coordinator
Rob Zeiger (Nov. 21), senior VP of communications
Tim McDermott (Nov. 26), senior VP and chief marketing officer
Jason Babin (Nov. 27), gimmicky defensive end
Jim Washburn (Dec. 3), defensive line coach/resident pariah
Kinda sounds like a weekend with my family, too.
Now, maybe that's not the mopping that followed Indianapolis before the 2012 Draft. But that's a pretty thorough dusting of the company portrait, no? It's kind of like Tabasco sauce making "So Much More Than Hot" its slogan, knowing full-well that it's the foremost knock on their product. (Because it's true.)
Questionable salesmanship there.
Roseman ends with this, when asked whether the process has gone as expected (hit it here for audio):
"Jeffrey's been very adamant with us, that the key is getting the right guy. The key isn't getting the right guy as quickly as possible. So that's what we're gonna do."
Fingers crossed.