Ad Disclosure
Adding to the List Another Weird Howie Roseman and Jeff McLane Interaction
By Kyle Pagan
Published:
The cat and mouse game between Howie Roseman and Jeff McLane is one of my favorite bits from this Eagles Era. These two seem like they hate each other’s guts, but there’s also some sort of weird tension. We haven’t gotten a good back-and-forth like this in a while, but when we do I’m always here for it. The next chapter in this ongoing saga happened Tuesday after the trade deadline:
It seemed like Howie woke up and couldn’t wait to mess around with McLane. He made a splash at the deadline, the Eagles are the #1 seed in the NFC, so he checked his calendar, saw that it was wide open, and thought to himself, “I’ve got an appointment to fuck with Jeff McLane today.” It wasn’t as good as the fingerless gloves video – one of my favorite videos ever. That one, for people who forget, happened back in 2019 when McLane pulled up to a press conference like he was heating his hands over a trash barrel in FDR Park moments before and Howie let him hear it:
That’s just some good ribbing. Nothing wrong with talking a little shit. The only thing is McLane rarely gives it back. He’s a professional. He knows his strengths. It’s not battling Howie in the spoken word. His weapon of choice is a keyboard and a byline. That’s where he can hit Howie where it hurts. He can report about how Howie berated Lane Johnson moments before a game. That’s where he can say that the 2023 Eagles team was the most miserable 10-1 team ever. McLane is great at asking pointed questions in press conferences. He’s not afraid to get into sensitive topics like injuries and the coaching staff when he thinks the Eagles are being coy. When the Eagles are a dumpster fire it’s typically McLane who has the piece with the behind-the-scenes drama Eagles fans crave when the team sucks. But sometimes not even McLane is above an easy shot. He’s not just going to let Howie be the schoolyard bully all the time:
It’s even extended to players and coaches over the years:
I’ve missed these back-and-forths. We haven’t had a good one in years:
I’m happy to have these two back. I hope we get more the next time they meet in the dojo. Roseman is up on the scoreboard. He’s owned McLane over the years when they’ve come face-to-face or face to Zoom. But I know one thing. If Howie ever gets fired, Jeff McLane is showing up to that press conference in fingerless gloves. Book it.
Kyle writes blog posts and does Man on the Street-style videos all around Philadelphia. He graduated from Temple University (a basketball school) in 2015. contact: k.pagan@sportradar.com