Philly Phile | Roseman back in charge may not mean Eagles apocalypse

It has reached the “uh-huh, figured” level of acceptance now.

Once a fear that never had a chance to even bubble to the surface, instead exploding in the form of outrage and verbal venom as thoughts crystalized in the minds of Eagles fans and most Philly sports media as a possibility, if not likelihood.

With Chip Kelly gone, Howie Roseman is now back in charge.

Oh, the humanity …

Or something like that.

The Eagles’ announcement Tuesday that they have backed off their search for a primary player-personnel honcho was met with a resounding yawn by the emotionally charged masses probably because it was a foregone conclusion. You knew that was going to be the deal, regardless of whatever “collaborative” drivel owner Jeffrey Lurie opted to spew since he sent Kelly packing.

Was just a matter of time before it became official … you know, in typical Eagles’ mumbo-jumbo fashion, where it still remained unofficial. Whatever. It was inevitable, and everyone by this time was prepared for it.

Almost like an acceptance of doom.

​Not really sure why, though.

Not for nothing, but the dislike and disdain and distrust for Roseman always kinda escaped me. Tend to agree with late-night WIP sportsyakker/long-time comedian Big Daddy Graham in this regard: if the guy’s name was Rocco, none of this hullabaloo would exist.

Seriously.

Thing is, we can be that shallow, superficial and “simpleton” in this often insight-lacking, selfie-fueling society. If Roseman were a big dude with a buzz cut, manly voice and background of playing football at a high level, he could get away with running an NFL franchise – or talking about all of them on television as an analyst – while being named “Howie.”

But as a geeky-looking guy with a mousy voice and no evidence of athletic playing experience to speak of … nah, just can’t do it. Not here in Philly at least.

It’s silly. Basing your opinion of an individual’s GM-worthiness on how he looks or speaks, or the fact his academic track record shows that he has brainpower that dwarfs most of what looms in a room of “football men.”

But we do it. All the damn time.

Reality is, none of that stuff has anything to do with a person’s ability to judge talent or manage people or even just communicate with them.

Roseman’s previous tenure running the show in South Philly doesn’t give any credence to the panic attacks that overcame the city last month. The team went 42-38 on the field during his 2010-14 reign, making the playoffs twice and drafting the likes of Fletcher Cox, Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Jordan Matthews and Mychal Kendricks – all cornerstones, or potential cornerstones, to the team’s future as it moves forward. He also brought in Connor Barwin, who evolved into a Pro Bowl performer at linebacker and team leader, via free agency.

No doubt, he made some bad decisions. Drafting Baylor offensive lineman Danny Watkins with the Eagles’ first-round pick in 2011 was a major reach with the guy seeming just weeks away from receiving his AARP card and far more in love with firefighting than he was football playing. Signing a past-his-prime Nnamdi Asomugha the same year wasn’t the stuff of genius, either.

But an out-and-out disaster as GM? Roseman was hardly that.

So, not sure why the guy is perceived as the death knell for the entire organization if he’s placed in a position of power again.

Seems to me things collapsed AFTER Roseman had power taken away in the first place.

​- Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

JURY STILL OUT

The player who seems to be the end-all, be-all example of Howie Roseman’s futility as a GM by those who view Roseman as a futile GM is Marcus Smith. Selected by the Eagles with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft after they traded down, he immediately became the poster child for the ticked-off “what, he wasn’t rated that high” crowd. Not a player from a power-5 conference school in college, Smith wasn’t like tapping into can’t-miss talent that just oozes out of places such as the SEC or Big Ten. We never, of course, hear about those talents falling flat on their faces as they often do, but, you know, whatever …

Anyway, Smith, a former QB turned LB at Louisville, where he ranked second in the nation among FBS players with 14.5 sacks in 2013, came to town and was lauded as a loser pick from the moment he put the pads on. Couldn’t grasp the defense. Couldn’t do this. Couldn’t do that. Couldn’t get on the field. Just a lost cause.

Funny thing is, all the while a conflict between Roseman and then-coach Chip Kelly was apparent, yet no one seemed to put 2 and 2 together to the point of even suggesting that maybe, just maybe, Kelly refused to use a player Roseman had drafted … until the coach was no longer in town.

Think the sack Smith got in the season finale for the Kelly-less squad helped turn the lightbulb on there?

Hey, Smith may be a bust. Ultimately, he may. But at this point, we really don’t know. Not after the silly, and apparently petty, personnel decisions Kelly made during his three-year run in Philly.

Makes you wonder if the former coach also shuffled off LeSean McCoy to Buffalo since it was obvious the all-time Eagles RB great had a big advocate in Roseman, and large contract extension in hand to prove it.

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