Eagles Training Camp: Jeff Lurie Delivers State Of The Team Address
by JasonB on Aug 4, 2010 1:20 PM EDT
in Philadelphia Eagles News
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PrintJeff Lurie met the media today to deliver his annual state of the team address. The owner talked about completing his first decade as owner, moving into a new decade overall, and reflected a bit on what had happened in the previous one. He said he felt that every goal had been completed except one. That is of course, winning a Superbowl.
The first question dealt with the possibility of expanding to an 18 game season, an idea which Lurie is clearly behind. He called it "embarrassing" that the league played as many preseason games as it does given how much fans dislike the long preseason. He echoed what Roger Goodell told us yesterday, that the #1 complaint he gets from fans is the long preseason. Honestly I wonder exactly how much fans worry about the length of the preseason, but one group that does complain about it quite a bit is season ticketholders who are forced to play full price for the sub par product.
The conversation quickly turned to Michael Vick... Lurie said he looked at three different questions to judge Vick's time as an Eagle. First, was he a good teammate? He's been "an extremely good teammate" Lurie said, adding that he'd spoken to many players over the last year who all held Vick in very high regard. Second, he asked whether Vick had been an agent for change in the community? Lurie said that Vick had been "the best" player in the community in their first year with the organization and talked about the countless times Vick had spoken with kids about his life and mistakes.
Finally, he said he needed to know if Vick was guilty of any "wrongdoing?" He explained that in his position he can only deal with facts. Four independent investigations were done on the birthday party incident(their own, the NFL, the Virginia police, & the probation office) and none found him guilty of any wrongdoing. Lurie admitted that Vick attending the party was "lapse in judgment" but in the absence of any "wrongdoing" it simply wouldn't be right to punish him. Lurie was quick to say that had even one of the investigations turned up any evidence of wrongdoing on Vick's part, there would have been zero tolerance and he would have been cut.
Reporters continued to ask question after question about Vick, but most were just variants of the same question and were met with variants of the same answer.
Moving on... he was asked about Donovan McNabb. He said that the team has always recognized the importance and value of the quarterback and it's always been their philosophy to develop young QBs even while they had a good QB in place. Whether those players turn into assets that can be traded(A.J. Feeley), become backups, or develop into starters there's value in having them. He said Andy felt the time was right to deal McNabb because the market value for McNabb was right and Kevin Kolb had matured to the point where he was ready to start. Lurie said they "got the value of a first round pick" for McNabb. He also said that he didn't see a dropoff between McNabb & Kolb.
He touched briefly on the CBA negotiations saying that he wasn't allowed tot discuss specifics, but that issues like rookie salaries, international investment, and funds for retired players were all topics that were being discussed. He also stressed the need for continued investment in technology and criticized soccer(he attended the world cup final BTW) for not using technology and letting down the fans by getting critical calls wrong.
He finished saying that his one remaining goal and sole obsession was to win a Superbowl.
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He called it “embarrassing” that the league played as many preseason games as it does given how much fans dislike the long preseason. He echoed what Roger Goodell told us yesterday, that the #1 complaint he gets from fans is the long preseason.
Man, because getting ready for the season is an embarrassing idea. And out of everything I hear from fans, it’s rookies ridicule salaries when getting draft that actually bitch the most about.
But then again, the NFL need an excuse to try to make more $ and hide it from the public.
He also said that he didn’t see a dropoff between McNabb & Kolb.
Man, when DeSean said that, he was acting like a diva! ESPN said so. But it’s only Jeff Lurie, he can say that without harm.
RIP Jim Johnson, best ever.
And you were expecting....
what, exactly?
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." - Bear Bryant
He should either bring something to the table or don’t say anything at all. I would have atleast accepted his personal opinion on questions asked instead of the usual textbook answer. His whole team address was like a postgame andy reid interview; it has to be done but you know your not gonna get anything out of it.
Why should he say anything?
He feels, probably rightly, that he must say something, but why should he say something interesting? What does he have to gain by that? Look at the name of the address “State of the Team.” Have you listened to any “State of the State” or “State of the Union” addresses? 98% of them are totaly unnecessary in terms of telling anyone anything they didn’t already know. Why expect anything different?
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." - Bear Bryant
The problem was that all anyone wanted to talk about was VIck and there just isn’t much to say from Lurie’s perspective.
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Personally, I was thoroughly annoyed when I read your tweet that said…
“Goodell says fans been unanimous in favor of 18 game season,”
I think the 18 game season is a very, very bad idea, but I’ll save the laundry list of reasons why for another day. The most infuriating aspect of the whole debate, though, is the complete dishonesty of Roger Goodell. I don’t blame Goodell and the owners for pushing for it. These guys are businessmen, they want to maximize revenue, and I can certainly understand their desire to make the most out their investments. Like I said, I don’t agree, but I understand that it’s a business. What I take major offense at is the complete and utter bald faced lie that they want to make the change because it’s what the fans want.
Formerly Bye, Dawk :(
I agree with you.
I hate the idea.
Too many jobs are determined during those games. So some players will get assesed differently. Practice studs Like Na Brown will get a pass, but some hidden Game time warriors may go missed.
Those game are important for a guy on the bubble. That life and death for him.
If there are less preseason game, than the NFL will have to buy the UFL as an offiicial minor league. Players can be evaluated by their performance there. You should be allowed to demote and promote player like MLB. I don’t know how this would effect practice squad. I guess you just do away with practice squaders. As they would all be minor league talent.
In Kolb we trust
Goodell did talk about the possibility of a developmental league. I think that would be a better way of evaluating than preseason.
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I do to.
I just hope the leagues are similar to MLB, where you cand send down and bring up guys. I don’t like offseason football, too many games for some of those players, they can be burned out by the time the NFL season begins. I think the UFL and its current format is ideal.
In Kolb we trust
I'm with you
I think an 18 game season would be a terrible idea, unless teams expanded rosters and added salary (which I’m sure the owners wouldn’t want). Injuries already play too big a role in who makes it in the playoffs, and more games would just make that worse.
by zfg on Aug 4, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Quite the opposite
Lurie said today that an expanded roster would likely have to part of an 18 game season. Yesterday Goodell said that an 18 game season would bring added revenue for the league, so the rise in salary would be compensated for.
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I agree and I disagree
I agree inasmuch as few fans are clamoring for 2 more games and 2 fewer preseason games. Sure, lots are clamoring for 2 fewer preseasons, but few for more regular seasons.
However, if they offered 2 more regular season games, they would all sell out, proving there is a huge demand, so the market, which after all only represents what the people actually want, is saying pretty clearly that the fans want this. So, what do I know?
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog." - Bear Bryant
However, if they offered 2 more regular season games, they would all sell out, proving there is a huge demand, so the market, which after all only represents what the people actually want, is saying pretty clearly that the fans want this.
Hmmm… Interesting take, although I’ll disagree that “demand” is the right word. I’ll compare it to what they did with the draft:
The draft was freaking awesome when it was rounds 1-3 on Saturday, 4-7 on Sunday. 2 afternoons – all day.
In my opinion, they made it much less awesome when they changed it to three days – Round 1 on Thursday, rounds 2-3 on Friday, and rounds 4-7 on Saturday. Don’t get me wrong – The draft was awesome, because no matter what, the draft will always be awesome. Hell, I’ll watch it if it’s on Wednesday at 4:30am, and it’ll still be awesome. And the NFL got what it wanted – The overall viewership increased with the 3-day version and they made more money… but the quality of the product suffered.
Adding 2 games is the same concept. The NFL will be awesome no matter what. They could add a 20 foot diameter pond at the 50 yard line filled with alligators and sharks just as an obstacle, and I’d still watch it. They could make it a 40 game season and I’d watch them all. But the product would suffer. Ok, the shark idea might actually be good, but you get my point.
So I think “market demand” is the wrong phrasing, because I don’t see the masses “demanding” it. I’d say the accurate phrasing is more along the lines of “market capitalization.”
Formerly Bye, Dawk :(
I would say that people who own season tickets are demanding less preseason games considering they have to pay full price for those two games.
They’d be just as happy if they didn’t have to purchase them at all, but at least if you make the games worthwhile those people will be getting their money worth.
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Proof
Do you have proof that this is not what the fans want? The game was transformed from the 14 game season to a 16 game season with outstanding results. Most of the people I talk to, especially season ticket holders, have been bitching about having to pay for 4 pre-season games for years. They all have proposed the same solution in the conversations I have been a part of. Remove 2 preseason games and add two regular season games. I am not sure if it is the right thing to do. Point is, I don’t believe he is lying when he says this is what many of the fans have been asking for, especially those that pay the majority of the bills.
Do you have proof that this is not what the fans want?
What’s “proof” exactly? You want me to pull together dozens of comments on here from people saying they don’t want an 18 game schedule? Could easily be done.
At the very least, saying that “fans been unanimous in favor of 18 game season” is absurd.
Formerly Bye, Dawk :(
18 games is a horrible idea. these players take a beating enough. given what we are finding out about player brain injuries over a career, why would they want to subject them for more.
i just don’t think that the owners are thinking about what is right for the players.
personally, i would like the league to re-evaluate helmets. those things are weapons.
Eat what the monkey eats, then eat the monkey. -U.S. Navy survival guidance
So would the “sharp decline” at age 30 for RB’s drop to age 29? Assuming they come into the league at about 22, that means they’ll play 1 full EXTRA 16 game season before they’re to 30.
Shortening careers and increasing the chances of injury.
I would actually be more in favor of expanding the post-season, rather than the regular season. At least the extra game or 2 would be guaranteed to be meaningful. I think we’d see more “garbage games” (like in baseball) once a team was officially eliminated and still had 8 more games to play.
And extending 2 games, actually extends the season 3 more weeks. If i am not mistake, part of the proposal was to add a 2nd bye week.
If you dont like Big Red, then F#%@ You!
-Ricky Bobby
by GreenInBaltimore on Aug 4, 2010 2:18 PM EDT reply actions
I think that, for RBs, RB-by-committee is the way of things these days. And the RBs that usually flame out spectacularly (Larry Johnson, LaDainian Tomlinson, off the top of my head) usually end around age 30 because they get abused by their teams.
Expanding the post-season? Man, no way. The source of these playoff headaches was realignment – i.e., the NFC West and the AFC North. We should go back to 3 Divisions per conference. That’d help.
by Eagle Fly Free on Aug 4, 2010 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
I hear you. But i think there will also be a lot of headaches in scheduling 2 more regular season games. Who do you play? When will season start? When will the 2nd bye happen?
I think that in either direction, there will be a lot to figure out.
And as a sidenote….i am opposed to the change entirely. Just stated that i would prefer more post-season games rather than more regular season.
If you dont like Big Red, then F#%@ You!
-Ricky Bobby
by GreenInBaltimore on Aug 4, 2010 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions
If this was really about the fans
As opposed to a shameless money-grab, they’d just charge less for preseason games. They might even make more money because surely there are people who wouldn’t pay full price for a preseason ticket who would pay half price for a preseason ticket. As it stands now, the only people at those games are the season ticket holders who might as well go since they’ve already paid for it and anybody who can score a free ticket from a season ticket holder.
If the league wanted 18 games...
they’d have to give players 2 bye weeks, lenghtening the season again. In addition, they’d have to start training camp in the middle of July. In short, at the end of the day, they won’t go to 18 games. Too many problems. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they removed one preseason game, added a second bye week, and expanded the postseason. To be honest, you really only need 3 preseason games. Two to get the starters ready and one to determine “bubble players” or vice versa.
Not a bad point. I think it’s hard to deny that 4 is too many, but 2 might be too few.
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I think you misread my comment...
I said 3 preseason games. I also mentioned expanding the postseason, that would bring in alot of revenue. Another thing I came up with between 2:25 PM and now was toying with the scheduling format. E.g. say the Saints win the NFC South again this year. Instead of playing all the teams from say the AFC East, have them play all 4 1st place teams from the AFC. Would that possibly work because it would create more marquee TV matchups or would that be a bad thing?
by eaglemaniac814 on Aug 5, 2010 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions
What a fraud.
Mr. Lurie,
I thought of dedicating an entire fanpost to excoriating you from here all the way back to Bunker Hill, but this post already existed. You are a disingenuous scumbag, sir. I know you read this. I know your minions read this as well. Your prep-school education allowed you to casually drop words like “recidivism” into the conversation as nonchalantly as your servants swab the deck of your schooner. But Mr. Lurie, I do have a question about one of your phrases. Apparently, “zero tolerance” now means “complete free rein?” When did this start? Is this some fancy Boston coinage that we lowly proletariat are not expected to know? We’ve heard your bullshit before, but this takes the motherfucking cake.
Up yours, asshole.
...But if he pulls the rug on his quarterback, Reid must do it knowing that he let McNabb down more than McNabb ever let him down.
Phil Sheridan--Philadelphia Inquirer
Can you feel the love tonight?
RIP Jim Johnson, best ever.
by Imp on Aug 4, 2010 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Don't Understand
I have been a season ticket holder for years. I went to every game that was ever played at the vet – my first game I think I was five and I have no idea why my dad brought me to all of the games other than to make me an Eagles nut – but I digress.
I still have no idea why everyone hates Lurie and Banner and Reid. They have put the best team on the field, had the most success and reached the playoffs more consistently than at any time that I have watched the team. Yes, I want to win a superbowl – but what do you want – to be KC, Cinci, the Dolphins???? Yes, their faults are legion – but so are mine!! I just don’t get it.
Also I love the pre-season – how do you validate someone’s capability to play? How many times have we seen guys who are great on the practice field stink? How many times have we seen guys that just don’t seem to stand out in practice play fantastic? Yes, it bothers me as a season ticket holder to pay full price for what are essentially practice games – but I think that the final result is a better team and a better season. How many games are we going to add? How beat up are these guys going to be? The talent pool just isn’t that deep. So if a team gets 12 wins they are going to sit a QB for the last 6 games if they have the division won? I know that sounds nutty – but if my team has 12 wins and I am head coach, I am going to be much faster to hook my best players later on in the season if I have a game won or the game is meaningless.
Look, I am no expert, but the reality is that the season is perfect as it is and doesn’t need changing. But lets, face it the owners are going to do what is best for them in the long run and we shall see if the decision is validated or not by the popularity of the game.
Let me note one more thing that I think is reasonable to mention. When I went to games as a little kid, I was surrounded by beer drinking working guys and I loved it. These guys lived for the eagles and it didn’t matter what the weather was like or how bad the team was – they showed for the games and made the Vet legendary as a place you didn’t want to come play in if you were an opposing team. These days the people I sit next to are all lucky enough to be fairly affluent but the same passion isn’t there. They are “entertained” by the team and the games – but they don’t live and die for them. Perhaps my perception is incorrect, but that is how I feel. These guys in their hunger for dollars are pricing the NFL out of the average guy’s ability to hit a game and get near the field if he wants to bring his family or his kids. What is next? We shall see.
I dunno, they mostly still seem like beer drinking working guys to me…
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And further, I still say that the NFL is the best value going.
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Get out of Philly for a game
I do agree that there is a bit more to the “wine and cheese” crowd at The Linc than there was the The Vet. At the same time, hit a game in another city and you’ll really see a lack of hard working, beer drinking, passionate fans. I lived in both SF and Seattle for a while. Every game I went to was like going to a movie for those fans. The Linc is still “real” compared to most places. While your point about pricing may be valid, the fans in Philly are willing to pay for it, affluent or not.
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