NFL | No denying Birds GM's ability to get them back on attention perch

Gotta say, Roseman comes across almost diabolically brilliant. Every time the Birds seem ready to disappear into the abyss, buried under an avalanche of given-up hopes and dreams, he pulls another move to put all eyes back on them.

by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

Pure luck. Sheer genius. Does it even matter?

Seriously, when it comes to redirecting the Eagles back to their rightful place in Philly fandom, that being atop all else when it comes to sports and the first thing on everyone’s mind in the morning, noon and night, reinvented GM Howie Roseman has a magic touch … and whether you like him or not, that’s good for the franchise, and, frankly, for a city seemingly forever intertwined with the fortunes of its NFL franchise – even when it doesn’t appear to care.

Honestly can’t think of a fall looming with so little interest about the Birds. Ever since the ouster of Chip Kelly as head coach prior to the final game of 2015’s regular season, it’s been an uphill battle for owner Jeffrey Lurie and Co. to keep their head above water, publicity and public perception wise. Heck, even the Phillies and Sixers stole hearts around here for several months while the Eagles languished in rebuild-or-reload uncertainty.

Reinstated to his pre-Kelly implosion post, Roseman has risen to the occasion time and again with getting Lurie’s team back in the headlines and airwaves. Re-signing Sam Bradford. Signing Chase Daniel. Wheeling and dealing his way up to the No. 2 pick in April’s draft and then selecting wildly ballyhooed and barely known Carson Wentz. Inking defensive stalwart Fletcher Cox, seen as a must among those who bleed midnight green, didn’t hurt, either.

But even with all that, things were, well, kinda flat entering summer camp. Especially with it being widely acknowledged that Wentz would be encased in bubble wrap once things got real in 2016 … and then even moreso when the rookie quarterback was sidelined for the rest of the preseason after suffering a rib injury in exhibition game No. 1.

That left a rather boring and listless immediate future for fans, with Bradford firmly entrenched to work his mediocrity into a mediocre campaign, steering the club away from the embarrassment of falling into the gutter but unable to get it into legit contention for anything.

Then lightning struck in Minnesota. Vikings starting QB went down with a season-ending injury … and lurking in the shadows was Roseman, holding in his hand a viable option worthy of quality compensation should the Vikes believe they really, truly were on the cusp of being NFC elite – if only they could find a suitable plug-in behind center.

Faster than you could say first-round and fourth-rounder, Bradford was shipped off … and, even more enticing to most, Wentz was named the starter here. Rib issue be damned.

Gotta say, Roseman comes across almost diabolically brilliant. Every time the Birds seem ready to disappear into the abyss, buried under an avalanche of given-up hopes and dreams, he pulls another move to put all eyes back on them.

Tuesday’s dealing of cornerback Eric Rowe may have been a bit overkill, and perhaps a bad decision for the long haul. Who knows, maybe they all will be.

But the interest is back in the Eagles, courtesy of Roseman. Dude is doing his job.

Be it through pure luck or sheer genius.

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