Last week, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports published a column that was not kind to Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman. Citing anonymous sources, La Canfora blasted Roseman for his head coach search, as if Roseman were the reason for a disaster:
The rumblings about Roseman lacking nuance and foresight, about him turning people off with how drunk with power he's become, only grow louder as his coaching search grows stranger.
Part of La Canfora's argument for Roseman being incompetent? The Eagles "failed" pursuit of Chip Kelly:
Roseman isn't the general manager they should tie their wagon to. It's clear Chip Kelly wasn't leaving Oregon for anywhere unless he had a large measure of control over the organization, and owner Jeffrey Lurie has already entrusted that to Roseman. There has been trepidation by some candidates to go all-in given the questions about this existing power structure.
Chip Kelly's agreement with the Eagles and subsequent comments about being a football coach first and foremost, not a General Manager, made La Canfora seem silly. So what caused La Canfora to write this column? Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie thinks he knows: former right-hand man Joe Banner.
Reuben Frank of Comcast Sportsnet in Philadelphia passes along comments from Lurie:
“I’m very supportive of Howie, and if there’s any criticism coming from afar about Howie, it’s just off-base, and so I will support Howie completely, because that’s not right,” Lurie said.
“And, you know, if there are league sources that are really based in Cleveland, that’s not right. We see through it all.”
It's a clear reference to now-Cleveland Browns CEO Joe Banner. The Browns also pursued Chip Kelly, who ultimately chose to coach the Eagles. Banner had something to say about Lurie's comments, which did not explicity mention Banner. Frank had that as well:
“It is always difficult to comment on a quote that may or may not be accurate or in context. In this case, from the comments which Jeffrey made that were communicated to me, it is necessary for me to make this clear, unambiguous statement. Any implication that I had anything to do with Jason La Canfora’s story is completely false, outrageous and borders on being libelous."
Sounds like old friends have become foes. I wonder how Banner feels about Kelly never giving the Browns much consideration.
