Some Eagles Fans Are Understandably Frustrated
Some Eagles fans are frustrated by a disconnect or distrust between the team and the fans. The coaches and front office haven’t always been upfront with the fans. This coaching situation is a shining example.
Jeffrey Lurie’s was asked at the post Chip Kelly press conference [regarding timing of Kelly’s release]: “A Tuesday night before week 17? Why then? Why the timing last night?”
Mr. Lurie’s response:
“Three reasons for the earlyish timing, I suppose you could say. One, I wanted to get a jumpstart on our head coaching search and I knew already what we were going to do and I thought having six extra days was pretty important because, as you know, it’s a chaotic rushed schedule when you’re looking for a head coach.”
This statement clearly infers that the Eagles were going to be aggressive in going after candidates that would be popular and that there would be competition for. Why else would you need a six-day headstart? Obviously, fans would think the Eagles would land a Gase, McAdoo, or maybe even a Gruden. A jumpstart on the race for Doug Pederson? There is no need for a “jumpstart” when you’re interviewing candidates that nobody else wants. This statement was misleading for fans. It created an expectation that a name from the 2016 coaching hotlist would be named Head Coach of the Eagles.
Paul Domowitch of the Daily News later asked in the same press conference, “You’ve had a bias towards offensive coaches in the past, do you still want to go that direction?”
Mr. Lurie answered:
“No, we’re looking for the best leader. You know I’ve looked carefully at coaches around the league and where they came from and I don’t think there’s any clear evidence of offense over defense, defense over offense. It comes down to the leadership ability with today’s athletes in today’s world. It’s different than it was a long time ago, but I don’t treat offense or defense differently.”
They did not interview one defensive coach. How is that possible? They had zero interest in talking with any of the defensive coordinators in the playoffs? They were rumored to speak with Paul Guenther of the Bengals, but that didn’t happen. Sean McDermott, a fan favorite and Jim Johnson disciple, wasn’t brought in. Things would’ve been way easier to digest if we were told upfront that they preferred offense. That’s what some fans believe and that’s happened. At least talk to the guy.
Two clear examples of how one thing was said to the fans, via journalists at the press conference, and the opposite happened.
Nobody could blame some fans for feeling disconnected or disrespected. Just be straight with them. They deserve that. There isn’t a more impassioned Super Bowl-less fan base in the country.
The entire press conference is below: