Philadelphia Eagles: Owner Jeffrey Lurie being frustrated is good news
By David Esser
Jeffrey Lurie’s frustration with the Philadelphia Eagles current state could signal positive change down the road.
For the most part, Jeffrey Lurie embodies what a good sports owner should look like. He’s in touch with his fanbase, makes smart hires, stays out of the way the it comes to actual football decisions (unlike Jerry Jones for example), and ultimately only gets involved when need be. Considering the state of the Philadelphia Eagles at the moment, it’s increasingly looking like the time for Lurie to jump back into action is upon us.
Lurie has pulled the plug on two regimes in recent history, finally making the call to part ways with Andy Reid back in 2012, and sending Chip Kelly packing in the midst of the 2015 season. Lurie let both of those coaches run their course, but ultimately stepped in when it was clear things were no longer trending in the right direction.
Currently, it’s obvious something isn’t right at the NovaCare Center. The offense is a disaster, the defense is inconsistent, Howie Roseman’s draft picks and free agent signings don’t make sense, and the team’s franchise quarterback is constantly being talked about in a negative manner by national media pundits. Whatever the overarching issue is, it’s clear that Lurie has had enough.
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According to a report published by Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Lurie did not travel to the team’s road game against Cleveland last week. There’s a possibility that it was due to COVID-19 worry, but it’s still widely uncharacteristic of Lurie. He’s been at every road game for as long as I personally can remember, and he normally makes his presence known before and after games with players, coaches, media, etc.
On top of Lurie’s Cleveland absence, he’s also reportedly walked out of a few practices recently out of disgust. That’s a pretty alarming situation, and it reflects of a seriously flawed team at the moment, not one that’s close to contention anytime soon.
While this may all sound very worrying, ultimately speaking this is fantastic news for fans of the Philadelphia Eagles. At 3-6-1, and staring down a likely loss against Seattle on Monday, nobody is pleased with the on-field product at the moment. Invested fans want a change sooner rather than later, and clearly Lurie feels the same.
Last week I wrote about how Lurie is truly the only man who can fix the Eagles moving forward, and these recent reports reflect of an owner who knows (and understands) said reality. Lurie has long prioritized success and winning as owner of the Eagles, and his recent Super Bowl win has likely only intensified that desire.
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Whether it’s firing Doug Pederson, firing Howie Roseman, firing Jim Schwartz, or even axing all three, I fully expect change to commence this offseason. Lurie has committed too much time and money into this franchise (specifically over the last few seasons), and I don’t think he appreciates all the jokes that his team has been on the receiving end of recently.
*Important note: Lurie is notoriously a very large Carson Wentz supporter. I would be shocked if #11 wasn’t the Week 1 starter next season, regardless of his poor play this year.*