Lurie: 'Every intention' to keep McNabb
Up to the minute Philadelphia sports news, Phillies, 76ers, Eagles, Flyers, college sports and more from Philly.com
Lurie: 'Every intention' to keep McNabb
Daily News staff
Eagles owner and Boston native Jeffrey Lurie was the subject of a story in today's Boston Globe.
In the piece, he addresses his theory of owning a sports team, his thoughts on the Eagles' personnel and the future of coach Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb.
On Donovan McNabb: "Donovan has had a very good year, but it also has had its ups and downs. You have to know, in this sport, especially at the quarterback position, you're going to have your ups and downs. Hopefully the ups are predominant, and he's proven with him at quarterback, you have a very good chance of winning and winning big." Lurie added that the Eagles have "every intention of having him back" and that "he's been great to work with."
McNabb is under contract through 2010, but has said he wants to talk about a new contract and described his play this season as "great."
On Andy Reid: "With Andy's leadership, we were in four straight NFC championship games and a Super Bowl. We haven't won a championship, but the quality of coaching and the quality of the performance of the team has been at a very high level. I think if you know you have really good coaching, you want to surround it the best possible way. That's more where we're at - try to keep improving the team, try to maximize all our resources, and think strategically. It's not about making the coach the target of frustration."
On his approach and comparing it to the legendary Celtics teams: "They always regarded themselves as reaching for the top and I think that certainly influenced how I would want to function owning a sports team. You want to try to be the best and do everything possible to put yourself in a position to get there. At the same time, you never feel satisfied until you're winning the championship each year."
On personnel: "What we've often had to do is make sort of an unemotional decision of when a player is starting to descend rapidly, and put our resources into more younger, ascending players. Those are unpopular and very difficult decisions, but we've had to do that with some of my favorite players, like Duce Staley and Jeremiah Trotter and Troy Vincent."
On becoming a more experienced owner: "I think you appreciate the difficulty of maintaining success. It's based on some factors that are out of your control, such as key injuries, things that happen in a game that decide it by a foot, a yard, a referee's decision. I know I take the losses even harder than ever after 14 years. Also, I think after 14 years, you realize that a lot of what you're thinking about is what is best for the NFL, what is best for the league and its players. You're not just homed in on your own franchise."
To read our earlier post previewing today's game with an Asante Samuel injury update, click here
Comment removed.
Jeff Lurie is a fraud. When the eagles couldnt get a first down, he was no where to be found. They luck into the playoffs and he is talking championships again and comparing his legacy to the celtics. Hey Jeff, the Celtics wond double digit titles, when you get 1, shut up. You are closer the the Clippers than you are to the celtics. Just shut up until you win something. Besides the salary cap bowl.— BK Eskin- Wire and Eskin, you guys are nuts! Lurie is a GREAT OWNER! He doesn't meddle, he supports his players and coaches and other personnel, he is passionate about the Eagles, he spends money, he has brought a consistent winner, and he handles himself great...who would you rather have as owner?!!!!— JBP
- Comment removed.
- JBP i totallly agree with you. laurie is an excellent owner, has been since day one. maybe the laurie haters perfer the great norman braman if so they can come down to palm beach county and buy one of his cars. braman is now holding up the building of the dome stadium for the florida marlins and complaining about loosing money with bernie madoff. what a gem.— JACK V
- Hey Dave, How are those WR's working out in Big D you dope? Owens is still crazy and Roy is a dog! No thanks. I'll take Lurie over Jerry Jones any day of the week, because he doesn't meddle. However, Jeff, Banner, and Reid are a lil too arrogant for my liking. This team is more of the "Bronze Standard" until we actually win the Bowl. Let's hope this is the year!! Go Birds!!— reggiedunlop
- When he says that they make tough decisions on rapidly descending players like Jeremiah Trotter, does he mean the first time when we let him go and he was our team's best linebacker?— david
- Dave, is that the J. Jones whose team got beat 44-6 with the playoffs on the line. Which WR do you like better, the one who was yappin on the sidelines, or the one who can't run a decent route (and got fired by the 0-16 Lions)? J. Jones is a idiot owner whose teams have not won a playoff game since 1996!— richardew
- Reggie, it's not the bronze standard, it's the "fold standard".— jman
- Hey Thought Police, where are my comments?— jman
- Comment removed.
- This entire team is a fraud. If Tampa had beaten Oakland like they should have we'd all be talking about firing Andy Reid and starting over at QB. They backed themselves into a playoff spot and now people are talking Super Bowl? This team went 3-4-1 on the road and now we expect them to win 3 road games in a row? Get a grip!— fiveforone
- The old Celtics won multiple championships - it's a bit ridiculous for Lurie to analogize them to his franchise, with its one meager appearance in a Super Bowl. These Eagles might be closer to the Utah Jazz that never won with Karl Malone, or to those Atlanta Braves teams that won the division every year, but only won one World Series.— tacitus
- Comment removed.
- Let's keep both McNabb & Reid so that the Eagles will never win a championship! Both are two time losers and lack the ability and raw talent to win at anything, period...— tyrone_loves_guns
