Banner: Eagles signings prove team is willing to spend
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Banner: Eagles signings prove team is willing to spend
Jonathan Tamari
If you really want to get under the skin of Eagles management, call them cheap.
Joe Banner and Jeffrey Lurie will admit they don’t always make the right calls on their transactions. Sometimes they might draft the wrong guy or sign a dud. But, they’ll argue, their shortcomings are not for a lack of trying. The one accusation that really bothers them is the perception among some that they are too tight-fisted or content to really spend and go big to try to win a Super Bowl.
After this summer's big spending, capped by signing Michael Vick to a massive deal, Banner said those criticisms should be finished.
“I hope that if there’s any question about our commitment to winning, which I think everybody knows we never thought was a fair question, that this kind of puts that to rest,” Banner told reporters Tuesday.
Banner also touched on the risk involving signing Vick – or any major player – to such a significant deal, the question of whether the Eagles have enough money left to hypothetically extend another Pro Bowler (cough, cough, DeSean Jackson) and the odd twists that led to making Vick the face of the team. More on that below. But Banner was most forceful when talking about the Eagles’ spending and intentions of winning.
“Whether we get it right or wrong, time will tell, but I hope that people are clear that this organization is trying to win a Super Bowl – Super Bowls, eventually – and that’s what drove all of these activities,” Banner said.
The team has given out contracts worth more than $200 million since free agency began at the end of July, including deals for Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins, Jason Babin, Vince Young and others, and picked up the contract of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie by trade.
As with most NFL deals, some of that money will never actually be paid out. The sixth year of Vick’s deal, for example, will almost certainly be voided to bring the contract down to five years, $80 million, not the six year, $100 million headline. But the Vick contract, and the other signings, were still major financial commitments to bring in star power – most of whom were available for other teams to try to grab as well. That they are all Eagles, Banner believes, should count for something.
Here's the team president on other key issues:
Banner would not be drawn into specifics about DeSean Jackson. He said any talks that are or are not happening would be best kept behind closed doors. But we asked him if, after singing all these players and Vick, the team had the flexibility to pay a contract extension for another Pro Bowl player.
“It is possible,” Banner said. “You’re asking me a mathematical question, I say yes.”
Banner had an interesting response when asked about the risk in signing Vick. Despite paying much more this time around, Banner said this deal carries less risk than the first one Vick signed in Philly, because now the team knows him better.
“At that point (when Vick first signed) there was a lot less we knew. There was some knowledge and some leap of faith, to be candid,” he said. “At this point we’ve lived with Michael everyday for a couple of years, we know what kind of person he is today, we know what kind of work ethic, we even have a better sense of his talent on the field … this is probably less risky than when we took the first signing.”
Banner said there is concern whenever a team makes such a large commitment to a player – not because of who Vick is, but because failure or random events can be so damaging.
“You don’t give out contracts this size and have no fear – there are too many things in life … (he mentioned a car accident, for example, as something that can go wrong). Banner continued, “There’s always fear when you give out contracts of this magnitude because the impact of being wrong are so huge. As far as Michael being who he is, I think we’re very confident.”
With Vick, there is particular concern because of his style of play.
“The nature of his play certainly does create an extra few holding of your breaths when he plays, but that’s both the best part of him and the scary part of him,” Banner said. “When we looked at the pluses and minuses for us, this was a clear person that we wanted to commit to that we feel comfortable as the leader of the team and the organization and feel this is someone who wants to be here too.”
When the Eagles first signed Vick, Banner said the team was just hoping to add another good player who could possibly help for a couple years.
“This, standing here today, and having Michael where he’s at as a person as a player, him being the face of the organization, that wasn’t what we were picturing at the time,” Banner said. “To be honest, not until Kevin (Kolb) got hurt and Michael went on the field and you saw what happened,” did the team see Vick as a potential franchise quarterback in Philadelphia.
“From a character perspective we were starting to see that, but from an actual taking charge and handling all the pressure and everything that comes with it and sustaining the performance at that level, I think he had to actually get on the field and handle all the things that come with that,” for the team to see the possibility, Banner said. “If Kevin hadn’t gotten hurt we might not be standing here today.”
The Eagles, Banner said, were “extremely nervous” when news first came out last summer about a shooting at Vick’s birthday party in Virginia, but the incident, and Vick’s handling of it, actually gave the team more faith in the quarterback.
“We fairly quickly were able to zero in on what really happened and actually I think we walked away feeling like Michael handled a very difficult situation well,” Banner said. “We actually walked away kind of re-affirming our sense of his growth and maturation. But when we first got the reports of the incident we were extremely concerned.”
- Actually, he did manage to misspell your initials, lol (JBL vs JLB)
— Mabus - I was thinking the same thing about Jack the Ripper, lol. Franky might actually be humorous if he wasn't such a sad, hate-filled person who can't spell psycho. Apparently, due to his life being so unfulfilled and his lack of parental guidance, he needs sports entertainers to be his role model. Pretty sad. I also root for the name on the front of the jersey. Go Eagles!!!— Mabus
mabus: Another mindless idiot, who doesn't care that his idol sick Vick killed helpless dogs by holding their head underwater while they kicked frantically until they died....but hey, you just fluff it all off, because Vick can run fast so all is okay, you just look away...how disgusting a person you really are.— frank105- How come people like this guy don't whine and cry the same about having rapists at QB? Pittsburgh has a QB that pins young girls into corners, but hurting a dog...now that's out of the question.lol Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge either player for their success. But let's be honest, "fans" like frank105 probably kiss their dogs in the mouth and keep peanut butter handy at all times. It's cool, we all get it.,, you "love" your dogs. — Joyner80
- frank you are a complete idiot because vick didnt do any of that.... he just paid guys to run that ship!!! i guess thats wrong but reading your rants is just getting to be pointless because you are acting like a 2 year old! we get it you dont like someone! so keep that to yourself! i love vick and i hope he brings this city a ring and maybe you a smile one day! now go get laid or something you pathetic loser!
— satcho27 
Looks like the Joe "Nickels" Banner thing worked. Banner got so ticked he spent every penny. Thanks you guys!!!- A fool and the fans' money.....— CiceroSpuriousDeodatus
- It is interesting that people will forgive anything if its an athlete who plays for their team. If Vick were a Cowboy you would all be ranting how they have no soul for signing him, how he is a dog killer and shouldn't be playing in the NFL. What does that say about YOUR life? Are you such a loser that you need "your" team to win to make you feel good about yourself? Claiming to root for the name on the front of the jersey just bears out how mindless you are. If the Eagles emptied Graterford of all the murderers and rapists and ran them out there every Sunday you would root for that? Sad and weak.— Scope33
- The righteous scope33. You and Frank love posting your pathetic opinions on the masses. Most fans who have accepted Vick do not and will not condone what he did ever. But he served his appointed penal punishment, is going to pay back his financial debts (which most who file bankruptcy do not), raised more awareness about dog fighting than anybody ever has, and will have to continue to live with it the rest of his life.
What you and frank spew does not make a difference to him or to most of us. What people like you and Frank do is condemn people and say people can’t change. Pathetic.
— SC Philly Fan - I like Vick because he runs fast. Judging by attendance and merchandise sales and ratings, so do millions more. Guess we'll all just have to cross our fingers on Judgment Day— stikolaboloni
- Hey Mabus, I mispelled it too! That's what I get for reading Frank's rants.
Personally I forgive anyone who has admitted his errors, paid his debt to society and is doing all he can to atone and lead by example. But then again I'm just an American Christian and you know how evil we all are. That view goes for athletes and anyone else including the intolerant. Vicks bad deeds are in the past, the haters' bad deeds are current.— tpizza - scope33: Great post, you are right if Vick was signed by the Cowboys instead of the Eagles, all these so called forgiving hypocrites would be outraged by Jerry Jones for signing the sick physcho Vick...they are a bunch of hypocrites.— frank105
- Frank, will you please give it a rest already? Have you led a perfect life? Do you have nothing in your past that could come up and bring shame to your name? If we send someone to dig hard enough, what would we find? I am no religious man, but I remember one lesson I learned back in CCD that always stuck with me, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." While I may not believe in Christianity, I still think those are good words to live by. So please, if you cannot find it in your heart to be a fan of our beloved Birds because Vick is out there trying to win games, then just be quiet and go away and stop reading about him until he is no longer an Eagle and let the rest of us imperfect Eagles fans to cheer for the man he has apparently become and hope he can finally give us the chance to see this team win a Super Bowl — eaglesphreak23
- it's funny, I don't like the Eagles and I don't like Mike Vick, but your persistent misspelling of the word "psycho" makes me dislike you even more.
I can only assume that it's intentional, as we have politely told you about it numerous times.
— ekw555 - Your right Frank. We would be outraged if Vick was with the Cowboys. Real Eagle fans dislike all Dallas Cowboy player/owners/fans. — SC Philly Fan
