Banner hoping to find a new team to turn around
When Joe Banner left the Eagles' NovaCare Complex offices last night, his last as team president, he said he paused to look back on a gleaming facility with first class offices, a welcoming locker room and cafeteria where players can eat comfortably and healthily.
Banner hoping to find a new team to turn around
Jonathan Tamari
When Joe Banner left the Eagles’ NovaCare Complex offices last night, his last as team president, he said he paused to look back on a gleaming facility with first class offices, a welcoming locker room and cafeteria where players can eat comfortably and healthily.
It was a lot different than his first day as president, when he walked into crumbling Veterans’ Stadium, when the Eagles were a bottom-dwelling franchise with facilities that were a punchline.
Banner hopes his next step helps him similarly turn around another NFL team.
“I want to stay in the NFL … I love football,” Banner said in an interview shortly before a scheduled Thursday afternoon press conference. “My hope is to become part of a group that’s going to buy a team.”
He specified that he hopes to walk into a “turnaround situation,” where Banner can try to find the people and the steps to take a struggling franchise and make it competitive.
Banner said he doesn’t have a specific team in mind, and there are several challenges – first and foremost finding people willing to put up the money to buy a team and ready to entrust him with control. That may appeal to some who don’t want to get involved in the day-to-day grind of running a franchise, but plenty of wealthy people who want to own sports teams also want to run them their own way.
Banner acknowledged these challenges but said he would delve into the issue “quickly and aggressively,” though it could be months and months before he can find the right situation, and even then buying a team presents challenges. Jeffrey Lurie, for example, was outbid trying to buy the Patriots before he eventually got the Eagles.
Banner disputed the notion that he was pushed out or punished for last season’s failures. He said that at 59 he knows he doesn’t have much time to pursue his idea so, he said, he began talking to Lurie about moving on before last season even began.
Asked about widespread criticism that Banner was too tough a negotiator – taking a win at all costs mentality to negotiations, sometimes to the detriment of relationships with players – Banner acknowledged sometimes overplaying his hand.
“Occasionally, maybe you got too tough,” he said.
But Banner said he wanted to be perceived as tough but fair and contended that he had good relationships with agents, pointing out that the Eagles have “a very good batting average” at bringing in free agents.
Got to run to the press conference -- we’ll have more later online and in tomorrow’s Inquirer.
Me too, Joe. I have a feeling you'll have as many opportunities as me to have full control over an NFL team (at least for you it will be "again").— TongueWagger
guys like banner and roseman always have a "napoleon complex." they have to show everyone how much tougher and smarter they are to hide their own inadequacies. cf. when roseman tried to outsmart everyone when he was trying to deal "5"— barry m goldwater- The owner of the Eagles is a fool to destroy the system that brought the team unprecedented success. You could see the Eagles system if moving veterans to keep a fresh supply of younger players start to fall apart the last two years. Now we look and act like the Washington Redskins....and with the same results. Andy Reid is a very good coach, but he is no Bill Parcells. First Michael Vick, then the Redskin like signings, now this. Too bad.— tomficara
- Success...very good coach...why would you destroy the dream-team...because I'm 63, don't think I'll make it to 125. — gogoruch
- YES Joe, the money guys will be more than happy to "give" you a major portion of a team.....Yeah, Right....Wake up and smell the roses, JB, if you were not a long time freind of Jeffery's you would still be doing income taxes for H&R Block....No Money People will put up with your arrogance or beligerance......Welcome to the real world,.....but then you milked enough out of the franchise and Jeffery that you probably won't need to work for years.,......Good Bye Little Man...— nuggett
- As a life-long Eagles fan, I'm so sick of this holier than thou ownership-not one championship due to the lame brain trio of Laurie, Banner and Reid-good riddance, Joe but seriously, who is taking Banner's place-another smart-aleck know it all in Roseman-so I'm afraid it's more of the same Eagles' fans!!!— jmmdk5
- Just got done seeing joe's exit presser.He needs a bigger challenge.What bigger challenge is there in football than WINNING a SB.WHICH YOU NEVER DID!!!!!!!!!!What a PILE of steaming manure that was.He got squeezed out by AR and HR and jeffy stabbed his LIFE LONG buddy in the back.This org is a joke.Good riddance.One down two to go.— sewell guy
- Sewell Guy, you made an excellent point.
If Banner needs a new challenge, he must feel that he's already accomplished his goal. Since we haven't won a SB, that couldn't be it.
Let see, before leaving, he "paused to look back on a gleaming facility with first class offices . . ."
Hmmmm. - How about the Phillies?— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- @nuggett, that is funny...H&R Block— barry m goldwater
- Hey Banner, face reality. You and Jeffie were playing fantasy football one day, and jeffie decided to buy a team. Now, jeffie ain't your buddy anymore. He tossed you out. He's a good friend. But let's think, without jeffie, you never get to the nfl. And other teams are looking at you and are saying ~ if this guy is so good, why did he have to be friends with a gazillionaire to get his start? So say hello to the un-narcissistic world of Joe-Who?— defiore14
- This has got to be the most negative bunch of jackholes I've ever seen.Be glad you guys ain't from Cleveland or somewhere. 8-8 is the worst we've been in years and we barely missed the playoffs and all you do is complain. We just locked up Shady and Desean, added a great MLB in Demeco and had a great draft according to all the pundits. This team is going to the top, but then I guess you guys will have to find something new cry and complain about. GO EAGLES!!— curtislow
- wrong. 6-10 — barry m goldwater
- yep, 6-10, 5-8, and 4-8 starts in the last 7 seasons not to mention 5-11 his first year. on top of .380 against winning teams and 0 playoff wins in three years now, and none since Jim Johnson was the DC. And they have as many Superbowl as Cleveland. Zero.
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