Banner backlash boils over
This one has been simmering for a while. Credit Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com for getting Jeffrey Lurie to yank the lid off the pot.
Banner backlash boils over
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
This one has been simmering for a while. Credit Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com for getting Jeffrey Lurie to yank the lid off the pot.
Frank asked Eagles chairman Lurie about the perception that his childhood buddy, former Eagles president Joe Banner, has been the source of a lot of the negative press Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is getting. Roseman, once Banner's protege, usurped Banner last year, with Joe landing in Cleveland, where he has the organizational control he sought.
Lurie didn't outright accuse Banner of being the main "league source" arrayed against Roseman, but he definitely issued a warning.
"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 told Frank.
"And you know, if there are league sources that are really based in Cleveland, that's not right. We see through it all."
The final straw might have been a venomous Jan. 14 piece appearing on CBSSports.com, from reporter Jason LaCanfora, in which the Eagles' coaching search was described as "meandering and bizarre," and Roseman was said to be "drunk with power" and "woefully out of his depth."
Before that, in another media forum, there was the midseason "league-sourced" revelation that the Eagles had extended Roseman's contract back when Banner left -- leaked at a time when the Birds' personnel flaws were bringing scrutiny on Roseman -- and a "league sourced" report that somehow Roseman was responsible for the disastrous hiring of now-fired defensive line coach Jim Washburn. We don't know whether Banner had a role in either of those stories, but the Eagles' brass certainly believed he did.
Banner's response Friday, released through Browns spokesman Neal Gulkis, was as follows:
"It's always difficult to comment on a quote that may or may not be accurate or in context," Banner said. "In this case, from the comments 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 LaCanfora's story is completely false, outrageous and borders on being libelous.
"I had absolutely no conversation with Jason LaCanfora. Having demonstrated my character over the last 44 years to Jeffrey and the last 14 to Howie, it is beyond disappointing that they would suggest such a thing. As tempting as it is to go further, other than defending myself, I will continue to take the high road on all such matters as I have done since the day I left the Eagles."
Later Friday, Banner was asked about the situation at a news conference announcing Mike Lombardi as the Browns' new personnel guy. Banner declined comment.
While Lurie went a little overboard Thursday -- almost to "gold standard" level -- in describing how much the Eagles and Roseman are respected by what he called "iconic figures" in the league, he was right about criticism of the Eagles' search. Their journey to a new coach was neither longer nor less focused than anyone else's. Five of the eight NFL openings didn't get filled until this week, and the Birds ended up with the guy everybody in the league insisted was their top candidate going into the process. Every interview they undertook made sense.
There are some people in the media, even right here in Philadelphia, who might owe Roseman an apology.
Which is not to say the GM has proven he is great at his job, or is one of the best young minds in the league, or worthy of any of the superlatives Lurie likes to bestow. But it's a fact that the media biz today seems to be more and more about "look at me and my report!" rather than sifting through agendas, trying to figure out what's true and passing that on to readers/viewers.
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On a more pleasant note, maybe you heard Chip Kelly talk Thursday about the time Nick Foles, playing for Arizona, completed a pass lefthanded while Kelly's Oregon Ducks were trying to sack him. Here's the video.
Which u were running the Eagles Joe— PHILLY76- "While Lurie went a little overboard Thursday -- almost to "gold standard" level -- in describing how much the Eagles and Roseman are respected by what he called "iconic figures" in the league, he was right about criticism of the Eagles' search. Their journey to a new coach was neither longer nor less focused than anyone else's. Five of the eight NFL openings didn't get filled until this week, and the Birds ended up with the guy everybody in the league insisted was their top candidate going into the process. Every interview they undertook made sense."
the depths of jeff lurie's delusions are scary, to be honest. this is not an "iconic" franchise. the steelers are iconic. packers. 49ers. this. every other NFC east team has at least three super bowls, except for the eagles, who have none. this team has a lifetime .484 winning pct, 21st in the league. they are one of the league's bottom feeders, not one of its icons.
i hope chip kelly does well. but with a clown-suit wearing accounting nerd like howie evaluating the talent, kelly is doomed from the start— hannibal barca - Do you realize you were so desperate to knock Lurie, that you actually read your entire quote wrong, which makes you look silly?
He said "iconic figures", not "iconic franchise". Which, by the way, is true either way. The Eagles have been in the NFL long enough, and have enough history to be one of the icons of the NFL. Iconic really has nothing to do with winning. Many teams are iconic. Aren't batman AND robin iconic? Or is it just batman?
And the term "overboard" being used about Lurie...Well, it may be true or not true, but we don't know, including the author. We've seen time and time again how sports figures see the media as paparazzi light. They are obsessed with spoon feeding fans drama, and it's so out of hand that these writers actually feel they know the true feelings of "iconic figures", or at least, they just feel so overconfident they can assume as much.
Maybe I should have used more spacing, so your brain had more time to read. It must be pretty stressed with all that baaaaaaa rage.— MFPhils - are the detroit lions iconic? they've been around longer than the eagles
the pathetic thing is, lurie and his lemming fans actually think the past 18 years of his ownership have made the eagles the NFL's gold standard. at least in Lurie's case he's a billion dollars richer as eagles fans accept mediocrity and continue to sell out the Linc, while he sips Chablis and gnoshes on canapés in his gladwyne mansion— hannibal barca - Yep, in Detroit and to any outside fans. Do you think when people are asked to name some iconic teams from the NFL they will name the teams that comes to their mind first, or ask which team has the most rings? It's the first that defines something as iconic. — MFPhils
- as a phillies fan, if you asked me to name baseball's "iconic" franchises, i wouldn't say the 10,000 loss phillies with two rings since 1883. i'd say yankees, cardinals, dodgers — hannibal barca
- Agreed, don't think i'd say Cardinals though. But you are counting championships. Yankees are one of the biggest markets in the world, and most well known. If they had the smallest market, they wouldn't be as iconic. They wouldn't be talked about tv at all, have their own network, celebrity following, etc. The popularity of NY and their championships definitely help, but I think you can be iconic without all the wins.
Isn't iconic mainly a perception? Most people don't follow championships. For instance, the Phillies have a large market across the country. Many fans would be able to name the most popular teams, which kind of make those teams an icon of the sport. Phillies are definitely up there. Not the most iconic, but iconic to much of the country I bet.— MFPhils - Wow, MFPhils and hannibal, this is one of the more interesting exchanges I have read on these posts. Nice work guys. By the way, I agree with MFPhils 100%.
— John621 - Right on spot MF.But as with CG25 you can show hannibal barca the truest notarized facts and he will still say your wrong. point is with him, CG, or bp2 the birds could win a SB and they would still say "they put the trophy in the wrong spot in the case what idiots they would know decor or proper placement cause they are not interior decorators". Just negative bitter people that will never be happy. — eagle fan for life
- ...the Cardinals aren't iconic?...you must be one of these new baseball fans around these parts...get a clue...the Phillies are over...
- The fans gave Lurie the dough for his Gladwyne palace. And in return, we got loser Reid for 14 years. Right on target as usual hannibal. — BP2
- Yeah, but the last one was way before you were born, I'll bet. And several years prior to the 60's Eagles title. Birds have won three. Played for three more.
BP2, give Reid some credit for his first half dozen years, or didn't you cheer for the Birds in the SB?— mike l - You are kidding right? — Norm3
- I'm going get you Jeffrey!!!!!! Damn you and that punk Howie. Cleveland rocks!!!!!
