Santoliquito: Eagles Fans Should Place More Trust In Jeff Lurie
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — He hasn't been wrong too often. His body of ownership proves he's been more right than wrong, and it's a fact that often gets lost in the constant quest for the missing bauble—a Super Bowl.
In 22 years owning the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeffrey Lurie has only witnessed six losing seasons. He's arguably the city's best pro owner over the past two decades and though the Eagles have not been to the playoffs since January 2013, Lurie's track record shows he knows how to win.
In Lurie's tenureship as owner, the Eagles have been to the playoffs a dozen times. They've been to five NFC championship games. The franchise has won more under Lurie than any previous owner.
Overall, the Eagles are 193-157-2 in the regular season during Lurie's reign, and 11-12 in the postseason. The longest the Eagles have gone without making the playoffs was a three-year gap from 1997-99, covering Ray Rhodes' last two years as Eagles head coach and Andy Reid's first season.
Since then, the Eagles have been to the playoffs 10 of the last 16 years. They continue to be a model organization attracting free-agents. The NovaCare Complex is one the NFL's state-of-the-art practice facilities.
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And think about this: have you ever heard a departed Eagle complain about how they were treated during their time in Philadelphia? It doesn't happen.
What all of this means is that fans should place a little more trust in Lurie. He knows what he's doing when it comes to building a winner, and in this case, it means undoing all of the harm Chip Kelly has done to this franchise over the last three years.
When Lurie and de facto general manager Howie Roseman said the Eagles' personnel decisions would be a collaborative effort, it appears as if they were telling the truth. New defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, former head coach of the Detroit Lions and former Buffalo Bills' DC, has undoubtedly been instrumental in the Eagles' signings of former Bills' Leodis McKelvin and Nigel Bradham.
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It wasn't that long ago that many Eagles' fans were scratching their heads and wondering what Lurie was doing, hiring this little known quarterback coach named Andy Reid. Under Reid, the Eagles had their most successful run in the Super Bowl era.
Even with the Kelly hire, the Eagles made a complete turnaround from 4-12 to 10-6 in 2013. The only error that Lurie committed in his time as Eagles' CEO was allowing Kelly to have complete power. It didn't take him long to begin reversing that decision.
It may take a few years to dig out from under the Kelly rubble, but Pederson could possibly break through the threshold so many Eagles' coaches before him couldn't and get the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Lurie's hands.
One thing seems certain: In the time Lurie has owned the Eagles, his .551 winning percentage should elicit some confidence that the Eagles are once again heading in a good direction.