Issues & answers with Eagles GM

MOBILE, Ala. - One thing Howie Roseman did not project yesterday was arrogance.

That's a word that critics of the Eagles' front office employ pretty often, and there have been times when it most certainly fit. But the general manager was pretty much the opposite of smug yesterday, in a 23-minute session with a reporter from the Daily News and a reporter from the Inquirer, between practice sessions at the Senior Bowl.

Roseman left the defensive-coordinator situation for head coach Andy Reid, but he agreed that some of the team's judgments last offseason were mistaken. Roseman talked about looking critically at how the Eagles evaluate and draft players, and he indicated he might wait until after the draft to hire a new personnel chief - because personnel people from other organizations won't be available until then. Though Roseman held open the possibility of promoting from within, the clear inference was that he is interested in filling the vacancy left by Ryan Grigson's departure to become GM of the Colts with someone steeped in a different culture, with a fresh perspective.

"Just like with players, if there was an opportunity to improve ourselves, we'd look at that," Roseman said. "We're going to try to look there at all the options and not make any rash decisions . . . We've brought in some people [over the past few years who are candidates] and we're looking at some people who can help us in the short term as well."

Former Browns and Ravens exec Phil Savage, who works with the Eagles more or less as a consultant, is in Mobile as part of the Eagles' party.

Asked to reflect on all the changes the Eagles made in last year's truncated offseason, Roseman said: "I think that when you're 8-8 and you're at the Senior Bowl [instead of the Super Bowl], you obviously look back and think that there are things you could have done a different way - draft picks you'd like to have back and some signings you'd like to have back. But when you step back and look at the core of the team, the blend of youth and experience and talent, we have an opportunity to be competitive and be competitive for a long time."

Other main points from the interview:

* Roseman is aware that Eagles fans have noticed how Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has developed into one of the league's top players, while Brandon Graham, the defensive end the Eagles drafted two slots ahead of Pierre-Paul in 2010, struggled this past season to come back from a torn ACL and microfracture surgery. Graham is well short of proving he can be an NFL starter, let alone a star.

"Obviously, we spent a lot of time with the defensive ends in that draft . . . We still think Brandon Graham's going to be a really good player. Brandon Graham had a very significant injury . . . We knew this year was going to be more of getting him back," Roseman said. "As our coaches have pointed out, we still have high hopes for him. Obviously, we couldn't have known where we are today - we don't have that information [on draft day]."

Roseman noted that Graham "played 4 years at Michigan, was a two-time captain, averaged 10 sacks a year . . . I think for us, it wasn't so much about the other players as it was the consistency he showed in college . . . You have these decisions . . . doubles vs. Dave Kingman, trying to go for the long ball. I'm not talking about a particular player here, but those are some of the tough decisions . . . because you have other factors involved."

Pierre-Paul was a junior college transfer who played 1 year at South Florida - in fact, academic concerns led to him playing at two junior colleges. There have been several juco-transfer pass rushers who were draft busts. Before the draft in 2010, evaluators talked vaguely about Pierre-Paul's "off-the-field issues" that included maturity. Roseman was leery of talking about another team's player yesterday, but it's clear that the Eagles thought Graham was a safer pick, even if they realized at the time Pierre-Paul had more star potential.

"There's a huge sense of urgency for Brandon Graham," Roseman said. "He knows that. We know that."

* Roseman was asked why the Eagles hate linebackers. Or, why they don't seem to value them as highly as they should, how they ended up with a young, smallish group last season that was a particularly bad fit with new defensive-line coach Jim Washburn's "Wide 9" front.

"We don't devalue that position," Roseman said. "Have there been opportunities that maybe haven't worked out, because maybe a player gets picked right before we picked, and we're in negotiation to sign someone and it doesn't work out? No doubt about that. That's something we'll look at, like we'll look at all areas of the team. We're not sitting here and saying that we don't want good players at all positions. Obviously, there are 22 spots, and you can't have superstars at every position . . . It's not a buffet. You can't have everything you want."

* In the two drafts since Roseman took the GM title after Tom Heckert went to Cleveland, the Eagles have gotten much more production from their late picks than from the early ones.

"That's something you have to look at," said Roseman, who said there was "no question" the Eagles are reassessing their methods. "First, we've kind of overhauled our scouting staff in the last couple of years, and we've changed how we grade players and how we look at players. That's a work in progress," he said. "We feel that we're making a lot of strides. We're never going to be perfect in that regard."

He acknowledged they might have drafted some players too high recently (such as safety Jaiquawn Jarrett, whom many observers were surprised to see go in the second round last year). Roseman said there are "times that you're pushing things up because there are [attributes] that you want" or positions where you have a need. "Those are the things that you've got to learn from and figure out," he said.

* Roseman wouldn't give much insight into the organization's plans for wideout DeSean Jackson, who will become an unrestricted free agent if the Birds don't franchise him, or defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins, who is owed a $7.5 million bonus when the league year begins in March.

Roseman said he would echo Reid and team chairman Jeffrey Lurie that Jackson "is a heckuva player and that we have a lot of affection for DeSean Jackson." He agreed that Jenkins was a key figure and leader for the 2011 defense.

* Roseman was asked whether the Giants' run to the Super Bowl holds any lessons for the Eagles. He said he doesn't think it's productive to ponder whether the 8-8 Birds could have done what the 9-7 Giants have done in the postseason, had they qualified.

"The Giants have been doing the same thing they've been doing for years, and they've had a lot of success with. Obviously, they've got a great pass rush, and they've gotten great quarterback play, and they're hitting on all cylinders at the right time," Roseman said. "That's why we always [say], if you give yourself an opportunity to get into the playoffs, anything can happen. They're a great example of that."