As the process continues, there’s been a lot of talk about a potential Chip Kelly-Michael Vick connection. But we need to clarify a few points about that discussion.
Let’s start with what Vick wants. Some have speculated that he yearns to play for Kelly and has anxiously been awaiting to find out where the Oregon coach lands. These reports surfaced a couple weeks ago, so Tim asked Vick about them.
The Eagles’ lunch with Chip Kelly lasted a bit longer than your usual meet and greet at Chipotle.
On Friday evening, the Browns and Kelly were said to be close to a deal, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. But as we’ve discussed in this space, “close” and “done” are two different things – especially when it comes to the hiring of coaches.
So Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman and Don Smolenski took their best shot at Kelly in Arizona on Saturday, in an effort to lure him in as the next head coach.
Jeffrey Lurie offered this opinion of his team at Monday’s press conference:
“I’m very confident that this is the most attractive place for a head coach to work in the National Football League.”
Right now, it’s at least fair to ask if this is even the most attractive destination out of the six teams that currently have a head coaching vacancy.
Some assumed Jeffrey Lurie was referring to Andy Reid when he talked about the mistakes made in the 2011 draft. But the better guess is that he was talking about Joe Banner.
Now, the two men are in a battle to find the next head coach of their respective franchises.
The Eagles interviewed Bill O’Brien, but the Penn State coach is staying in Happy Valley, according to multiple reports. Where does Jeffrey Lurie go from here?
Multiple reports Tuesday suggested that it was a near certainty that Andy Reid would end up in Arizona. Now Kansas City appears in play. Plus, news on the Eagles’ potential pursuit of Bill O’Brien and one name that just got scratched off the list.
Soon after the Eagles find their next head coach, the attention will turn to the quarterback position.
And while Andy Reid’s replacement is poised to make the call at QB, he’ll no doubt get input from others within the organization, including general manager Howie Roseman.
Roseman met with reporters earlier this week and was asked if he thinks the Eagles are in good shape at quarterback.
Jeffrey Lurie confessed at Monday’s press conference that the organization began getting away from some of its core philosophies over the last few years in an attempt to chase down the Lombardi Trophy that always seemed just out of their grasp. Part of their methodology that was abandoned to a certain extent was: “Don’t do necessarily what is popular, but do what’s right.”
That was how Lurie approached the head coaching search the last time around. He has no championships to show for it, but you would have to say that the Eagles owner got it right when he selected the unknown Andy Reid.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie had his sales pitch ready.
With six other teams – the Cardinals, Chargers, Bills, Bears, Chiefs and Browns – currently looking for head coaches, Lurie was asked what makes the Eagles’ job desirable.
“I’m very confident that this is the most attractive place for a head coach to work in the National Football League,” Lurie said without hesitation.
Jeffrey Lurie backed general manager Howie Roseman in a big way Monday, just hours after officially parting ways with Andy Reid. The Eagles owner made it known that he faults Roseman little for many of the bad personnel decisions made over the last several years.
“I keep voluminous notes on talent evaluation — not just who we draft, but who is valued in each draft by each person that is in the organization that’s working here,” said Lurie. “And I came to the conclusion that the person who was providing by far the best talent evaluation in the building was Howie Roseman. I decided to streamline the whole decision-making process for the 2012 draft and offseason, and that’s the first draft and offseason I hold Howie completely accountable for.
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Sheil Kapadia has been writing about the Eagles since 2008. His previous Philly.com blog, Moving the Chains, was named one of the best in the state by the Associated Press. Sheil's main joys in life are family, football and finding good parking spots.
Tim McManus is a bulldog reporter with a nose for news and story angles that will get people talking. He'll talk about it himself on 97.5 The Fanatic, where he serves as a host and Eagles beat reporter. Tim, an award-winning journalist, will be with the team around the clock.
