Getty ImagesWith the exception of owner Jeffrey Lurie explaining that, if he didn’t expect the team to be better in 2012, he would have made a coaching change, Eagles management has been conspicuously quiet in the early stages of the offseason. Eagles G.M. Howie Roseman has broken the silence. Not surprisingly, he says that the team will be better in 2012.
Roseman spoke with Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com on Tuesday, from the Senior Bowl. “We were 8-8, and we have work to do,” Roseman said. “We’ve got to look at everything we’re doing and make sure we evaluate it honestly and learn from our mistakes. We’ll study everything around the league, the way everybody else does things, and we’ll get better.
“I’m not going to sit here in a bubble and say, ‘We’re so great.’ When we look back, there are things we wish we had done better. I can get better, we all can get better.”
If Roseman were to say, “We’re so great,” the bubble in which he would be sitting would be one of delusion and/or drunkenness. Though the four-game winning streak to end the season is encouraging, the Eagles failed miserably in 2011, especially given the standards they not only established but embraced. On PFT Live, Eagles president Joe Banner declared that the line between success and failure wasn’t making the playoffs but winning the Super Bowl.
“Obviously, when we’re sitting here at the Senior Bowl and not the Super Bowl, it’s not where you want to be,” Roseman said. “So we have to get better, and we’ll look at every facet of the team and every avenue possible to improve and make sure next year is different.”
Roseman, like Lurie, believes that will happen. “It always starts with your head coach and quarterback, and we are so fortunate to have Andy Reid and Michael Vick in those spots, and we feel like that gives us a chance,” Roseman said. “We need to get better, but I do feel like we have good players, and in the next few months, we’ll have the opportunity to upgrade in all the areas we feel like we need to.
“There’s a lot of optimism here. Everybody in the building is very excited about where we are.”
Eagles fans understandably are more guarded. They all got excited last year, and they suffered a major letdown. If there’s another letdown in 2012, the excitement next year could come from a new head coach, and possibly a new G.M.
Dream Team 2012
Think I just read this in another post? Ooopps, that was the Dolphins.
“We are so fortuante to have a father whose children go to jail and a QB who has been in jail. Hell we had a jail in our old stadium” Philly likes Jail.
I hate the Eagles, but I’ll be very surprised if they’re not a contending team next year. They suffered from the lack of training camps last year, and it seemed like they were finally learning to play as a team towards the end of the year.
Then again, their hopes are still resting on a glass cannon at quarterback. Even if they gel, it could still all come crumbling down because of an ill-fated quarterback run…
You can’t get better when your QB is skill capped. Vick can’t compete with the NFC QB’s and in this era, defense will only get you so far. And let’s not forget Vick misses nearly half the season anyways so your backup QB has to be just as good if not better than Vick.
Until the Eagles find a true pocket QB, they will absolutely never compete in SB. Vick is not a starting caliber QB in this era of football. Hate the truth all you want it is what it is.
Did they hire a new DC? Keep dreaming…
Roseman can pack sand along with Reid after this year. Roseman’s first two drafts with Andy have been a complete disaster. Eagles are slowly turning into a dysfunctional organization, bunch of people with no football experience what so ever. It is impossible to root for the Eagles anymore with the three stooges (Banner, Reid and Roseman) running things, and an owner who cares more about the Red Sox and finding ways to sucker us Eagles fans into getting more $$$ out our pockets
Correct me if I am wrong, but a vow is a promise, I don’t see any of that in any of these quotes? This just seem like form quotes every non-playoff team gives out when asled about the up coming year.
I’ve been saying it for years… Andy Reid will NEVER win a Super Bowl as a head coach.
So we can expect them to be 9-7 then
Ummm, So will just about every team in the NFL pal!!!
It’s nice to see a team that doesn’t solve problems by cleaning house and expecting problems to suddenly vanish in the offseason.
He looks like a real leader of men. Go get ‘em Howie.
if the giants prove anything, its that you just have to play good at the right time, wait for it, for the second time they got hot at the right time.
Howie Roseman continues to show what happens when you take a “bean counter” for Joe Banner and make him you top player personel guy in the organization.The Giants are in the super bowl because they have drafted much better than we do.Until the Eagles learn that a guy who should be doing my taxes can’t make draft day decisions season ticket holders like me will continue watch a better organization like the Giants win playoff games .
same thing,year after year,the eagles say they are gonna be so much better,yet they always choke and fall on their faces!most of the time it’s because the players have as much class as the fans which ain’t very much!
How can they be better in 2012? they are already the dream team. I remember that parade everyone threw for them for winning the lombardi.
Guarded? The only thing worse than our team never winning a Super Bowl is constantly having media types telling us how we feel or should feel. We can’t control what the team does or how it plays, but how we feel is our business and “guarded” hardly qualifies right now.
Wow, Roseman, you’re making the bold prediction that the Eagles will be better than 8-8? I’m sure Scumbird fans coast-to-coast will be thrilled with your optimism!
Wow, that is a relief. I thought they may stand pat. I feel better already. I guess I can make plans for next years Super Bowl now.
Aside from Reid’s fatal decision to promote an OL coach to DC and his corny ad-hoc offensive game plans, the Eagles front office used the Redskins/Synder model of building a team and it bit them in the A##. Look in the mirror Banner and Roseman. Most of it is your fault.
I’m surprised they won eight games. How large a check will he have to write to acquire ‘team spirit’?
howie roseman shot himself in the foot 2 years ago when he drafted brandon graham aka jerome mcdougal over earl thomas and JPP, who are now studs that could have helped this defense dramatically. i really don’t care what he has to say
Why is their GM twelve years old?
Get excited Philly…every time Vick gets tackled, he gets injured….Frail littledogchild
This team will never let Andy Reid go and as a result, they will never win or go to another Superbowl.
Well, it can’t get much worse.
We better damn well be. Im sure Big Red knows that this is his most important offseason thus far. Finally some heat on his @ss. As much as it hurts Im a fan for life. Get us our damn superbowl!
Get some LBs and safeties that can actually play. Stop turning the ball over and guess what? They’ll actually be good then.
Oh and get rid of djax and get Colton or vjax someone with a better presence in the red zone.
They could start by not drafting first rounders from the Senior Bowl. The best players come out before they are seniors or are seniors who do not need to play in it. Senior Bowl also does not fit into my draft strategy of best Bama player available.
Andy Reid said we have to work harder to get better..
“It always starts with your head coach and quarterback, and we are so fortunate to have Andy Reid and Michael Vick in those spots, and we feel like that gives us a chance,” Roseman said.
***************
Wrong and wrong!
Reid’s time has passed, and it never WAS time for Bad Newz Vick.
So, 9 & 7 is “better” than 8 & 8.
No playoffs for us again..
Dream Team, part Deaux.
Frail?
Glass Cannon?
Skill-capped?
You guys watch Mike Vick play?
They guy is 5-10, 200 lbs…gets hit constantly, his own fault usually…and gets back up 90% of the time…
Skill-capped? C’mon dude….the guy has more “skills” than anyone…at 31 he’s still learning to play from the pocket, but “skills” aren’t an issue…
Toughness and skill are 2 things Vick has an abundance of…go back to berating his character, you guys are better at that.
Not a big fan of Vick…he’s just too short, and stubborn.
Go Eagles.
The fact that they think Vick puts them in a good spot is proof enough to me that they dn’t know what they are doing where it matter most
What I’d rather see:
Media vows not to crown an average team and give them a ridiculous title before the season starts
What? Someone in the media acknowledges that Andy Reid is not the GM? What’s your source on this? Everybody else claims that Andy Reid’s team President, general manager, head coach and defensive coordinator, didn’t you know?
“Dream team” is an understandable dig at Philly, you Haters, however most of your jokes are typical, predictable, outdated, and lame at this point. Try to get some new material, guys, because it’s just pathetic at this point. Seriously… When you’re trying to give somebody else a hard time the other person has to get upset. When the other person just simply looks at you and rolls their eyes and thinks you’re an idiot and a loser, it doesn’t really have the effect you are intending… unless you are intending to paint yourself as an idiot and a loser.
cant get much worse
Turn-overs…
The Eagles led the league in turn-overs, only reason they sat out the post-season.
Congratz G-men and their fans, Eli is playing great…defense is much improved, JPP is a stud…
Go win the Superbowl…I hate Bill-a-cheat.
You ain’t nothing if you ain’t lucky.
After somewhat being appeased by Lurie’s post season state of the union address, the Philly natives are getting restless at the utter silence coming from the big man, Andy Reid.
Roseman’s interview was a typical insult to the fans, with his nonsensical responses, esp in regards to his horrendous drafts and disregard for drafting competant LBs.
Hrm…his quotes sound remotely familiar. Where have I heard these before?
Ahhh, right…every single Reid press conference since 1999.
“We failed again this year. We need to put our players in a better position. We are going to get that right”
Well guys, its 2012. Your 5 year plan obviously failed Reid. So did your 10 year plan. What do the Eagles as an organization need to see to understand that they arent getting it done? And its only going downhill.
Undersized, overprojected DE’s are passe. McDougle, Bryan Smith, Teo, Graham…they are all wasted draft picks. For the love of all of us who pay for season tickets to only be let down, get someone in that front office who knows what a mean, angry defensive player looks like. For crying out loud…
I am still trying to figure out how a coach like Tom Coughlin, who won a Super Bowl against all odds against an undefeated New England team, was still on the hot seat when the Giants were 7-7 this year. Yet Andy Reid, who hasn’t won Jack $hit, was not on the hot seat even though his team won 4 meaningless games to finish the season. And now Coughlin is in his second Super Bowl in 5 years while Andy Reid hasn’t won a playoff game since 2009. Yet Reid is so great and so irreplaceable. Funny how nobody knew who he was when he was hired in 1999. Funny how Harbaugh took his team from 6 wins to the NFC title game in his first year. Funny how good the Falcons got with Mike Smith. Or how the Steelers won a Super Bowl with new coach Mike Tomlin. Or how…or how…there are so many examples of this, yet the idiots who continue to back Andy Reid keep saying “Who else can do better?” Oh I don’t know…maybe 100 guys.
Haters can hate…. Its what they do….. Now for you angry Eagles fans who have so much hate for Reid, Roseman, and Lurie. Why do you even root for the team anymore?… I am not calling you a “non-fan” it just seems crazy to spew so much hate and veiled comments about “bean counters” or “not a pocket passer” etc… This team is NOT a public entity, Lurie owes us nothing!… If he wants to install Reid for life, he can…. So either let it go and accept that you have no say and shouldn’t and just try and root for the team…. If you can’t then quit, but spewing hate and anger on the internet says more about you than the team that frustrates us all…. That said, i hope the Birds come back strong next year and get back to the playoffs, the Giants showed all you have to do is get in….
Still not sure why the Reid supporters exist. Their argument is that
there’s no one else or that if we get a D coordinator everything will be alright.
If we have a full off season all will be well.
If Vick doesn’t throw picks we’d have won more games.
If Desean were a team player we’d be in the playoffs.
Reid was a no one when he got hired. The next person can come from the same pool of nobodies.
He hired McDermott and Castillo, Lurie said as much by saying that these were his calls.
If you can name 12 coaches better than Reid then you should realize we need a new and better coach. Why 12 because 12 teams make the playoffs and only 1 wins the super bowl.
Reid’s out of his league and you dumb asses that support his return need to save these comments for this time next year. As a reminder that you drank the kool-aid.
The Eagles still think they are the Dream Team. They do not realize all they were was a nightmare.
No matter
No Superbowl
Never
Nada
@jucam1…You’re right, I am officially jumping ship from the Eagles to the Giants, who already KNOW how to not only get into the playoffs, but get into a Super Bowl as well. It’s been 24 days since Reid has addressed the media as is customary with all NFL teams. Reid is a big baby who doesn’t like being asked questions about himself or the team, so he avoids the media. I wonder if he avoids his paycheck with same fervor he avoids the media. I want a head coach like Coughlin who is a real man and speaks honestly and knows what it takes to win a Lombardi.
1960. Nuff said. What part of town is the annual August “This is the year we win the Super Bowl” parade going to be in this year?
Giants’ fan here who will try and give an unbiased and objective opinion.
1) Reid is not your problem. He has taken some pretty mediocre teams awfully far. It wasn’t his fault that he only had T.O. for one year and absolutely nothing for the others. As Giants’ fans, we’d actually applaud your drafts every year you failed to take a 1st Rd. WR. Continuity is hard to come by and this coming from a fan whose time gagged plenty down stretches of various seasons.
2) You need a QB. Vick is good but if he can only play 8 games a season, he is useless. His size and style are not conducive for a 16 game season. Go get Flynn, Peyton Manning or trade for a much improved Jason Campbell and make Vick your “slash”.
3) You need a “team leader” bad! When Dawkins left, Giants’ fans smiled. Now, there is absolutely nobody. After Stray/Pierce retired, we were in the same boat as you. Talented but rudderless. Rolle has stepped up and, despite what you may think of him, the team has bought in to him. Even though Dawkins is probably 50 years old now, Eags should bring him back to, if anything, train one of your studs how to lead (like Stray did to Tuck).
Does anyone else conveniently remember that Philly was 5-1 in division play? Turnovers were the issue plain and simple. If you take away some of the really, and I mean really, bad picks and fumbles from the SF, ATL, and BUF games then Philly riding strong into the playoffs.
Please get better linebackers and sure up the OL this year and work on minimizing the turnovers!!
GO EAGLES!!
Usually it is better to have an owner who doesn’t interfere too much and trusts his coach. In the Eagles case, Lurie goes WAY too far in his trust of Andy Reid to bring the Eagles a championship. It isn’t going to happen.
Howie set the bar at the same level as his height…
@jucam1
In case you don’t get it, we as fans pay Reids salary.
Here’s what you meant:
“You fools have the place sold out so Lurie DOESN’T CARE WHAT THE FANS THINK!!”
That’s the bottom line, tickets are sold so Lurie has no real worries which makes him ABLE to give a loser like REID passes over & over. Reid says the things Lurie wants him to say in press conferences, does what Lurie wants him to do. The Eagles do not care about winning. It’s about filling seats & the organization is doing that every year.
The whole haters rant of yours is ludicrous, people that pay their hard earned cash to go to games & support the team with their money have every right to say what they feel about the lack of a brain trust as far as the Eagles are concerned. When they win a championship the criticism with go away, until then 52 years is a LONG TIME to wait. Quit telling others what to say & how to feel. Do you know how it makes YOU look when YOU do that??
There you go Bill, i would rather have you leave the fan base behind and go root for Coughlin than have some of these people who moan and complain all the time about how AR owes you answers and how they know how to run a team better. I wanted Reid fired a couple of years ago, it didn’t happen, but i didn’t go on WIP or on a website to moan and spew hate…. It is what it is. I am hopeful for an SB, I am hopeful for a coaching change, but I will still be here rooting for them no matter who is the coach. I can’t bring myself to leave the fan base, i love the city and its teams. Like I said, i would rather have fans like you who can’t deal anymore to leave than have to hear the constant whining and hate and bit**ing that some in this fan base continue to do knowing no one cares about their opinion… The Eagles have all the money they could want between TV deals, season tickets, endorsements, and sponsorships…. We either deal with the reality of what it means to be a fan of this team, or like you, walk away. This strategy only works for sports fandom of course, I wouldn’t be where I am if I applied that attitude to my life, but in rooting for the Birds, its the best way to deal with them…
What some people lose sight of is the fact that other than the New England game and the debacle in Seattle, the Eagles had a good chance of winning every game this past season, if not for turnovers on offense and meltdowns on defense. If they would have won even half of those games that they blew late, they’d have skated into the playoffs and no one would be talking about the Giants right now. So let’s see if they can fix the problems and make a good run in 2012. If they don’t, at least the Andy Reid haters will finally get their wish.
“There’s a lot of optimism here. Everybody in the building is very excited about where we are.”
——————————————————–
Really????
Because where you are is not where you’re SUPPOSED to be ….. which is the SUPER BOWL.
Dream Team ….. right.
So 9-7 then…
i hate philly..
“Eagles G.M. Howie Roseman has broken the silence. Not surprisingly, he says that the team will be better in 2012.”
Is he saying that because he’s going to quit or he’s going to be fired? That will definitely make them better.
Nope, Rob Lowe says they will again be 8-8.
2011 Gold Standard Paper champs T-Shirts on sale now…I feel totally reassured going into next year we still can’t even definitively say who the DC is…Thank God Madden is out soon so Roseman can play it with his kids and figure out a way to win with 7th round s and street free agent LBs again….Ahem
consigliere07 says:
Jan 25, 2012 9:32 AM
howie roseman shot himself in the foot 2 years ago when he drafted brandon graham aka jerome mcdougal over earl thomas and JPP, who are now studs that could have helped this defense dramatically. i really don’t care what he has to say
___________________________________
The difference?
Jerry Reese was a scout, who worked his way up from the bottom in the Giants organization, and can assess talent with the best of them.
The Eagles brain trust probably has a daily laugh at their supposed “fans” on sites like this one…
Been to the “Linc” once…
WORST CROWD EVER! They were cheering for the opposing team…
They would make noise when D-mac and the offense were on the field…and be quiet when the other team had the ball…
The city of Philadelphia, simply from judging what I have witnessed there, and read over the years from the towns “fans” on the inter-nets…has to be the dumbest place on the planet.
The Eagles owe you nothing…you don’t have to pay them anything…don’t go to the games…there are hundreds of thousands of people that will take your place, gladly.
If anything…the City owes the team some respect. As an out-of-town/state fan of the Eagles…
I wish they’d move the team, I really do.
Go Eagles.
To be fair…
Every team in the NFL has embarrasingly stupid fans that voice their opinion on sites like this one…
The Eagles just seem to have thousands more than any other team.
Reid does not know how to draft defensive players what so ever.I am going to say instead of having him as a HC he would be a great OC.
@ gnorules
does anyone else conveniently remember that philly went 1-3 against the worst division in the league (nfc west). and that they only had ONE win against a team with a winning record. and next season they play the saints, falcons, lions, bengals, ravens, and steelers…all playoff teams.
Eagles fans stop getting aggravated at Roseman and Luries moves. It will payoff next season.. the real issue is the health of Michael Vick if you think about it!
Then again..
We have a Pro Bowl Conerbacks Tandem, Pro Bowl Defensive Line Tandem..
Then we have UFL’s finest playing Linebacker and Safety
Am I the only one sees this Eagles Staff!
Andy Reid’s track record has earned him the chance to fix last year’s debacle. If 2012 is just as bad, then the lynch mob can have its wish. But don’t let one year of failure cloud your vision of his entire tenure.
Reid makes the playoffs almost every year, and most years we see an unheralded playoff team reach (or win) the Super Bowl. If this year’s Giants team (or the 2007 Giants, or the 1998 Falcons, or the 2002 Bucs, or the 2003 Panthers, or the 2005 Seahawks, or the 2006 Bears, or the 2010 Packers…) isn’t enough to show you that the important thing is just getting to the playoffs on a consistent basis, then I don’t know what to tell you.
I don’t believe there’s some magic quality that separates a Super Bowl team from a playoff team, and I believe the importance of both chance and matchups to playoff success are consistently underrated. If 2012 is another disaster, feel free to blow it up. But until Reid stops making the playoffs consistently, he deserves to stay.
Eagles will still suck large amounts of A$$ in 2012, and is this really the level of “journalism” we’re reduced too? Now … If the Eagles GM had come out and said he expects the team to be worse in 2012 … now that would make for an interesting read
Does any body who makes a decesion to start Casey Matthwes, and 2 -7th round picks as starters at linebacker is going to make the right decesions is going to take us to the Super Bowl? how about making castille DC, How about passing on Pierre Paul and moving up to take Brandon Grahm. How about taking arguably the 2 best corners in football and playing them in unfamiliar positions. How about drafting a 28 year mediocre at best guard. End of season found a third string half back running on us for well over 100 yards. Time to be honest with ourselves. Reid lacks the savy to get to the big dance.