Philadelphia Eagles Jeffrey Lurie approval poll: September 2016

Today we begin a series of approval polls to mark this moment in Eagles franchise history, September 2016, when franchise confidence may be at its highest mark in years. Who knows if it’s misguided? Only the future, for certain. But it feels right to start these polls, and to mark this moment, with an assessment of CEO and Chairman Jeffrey Lurie. The last time we polled Lurie’s approval rating was in May.

We questioned Lurie when he hired Doug Pederson, and to be fair, it felt like a reasonable thing to question. Plenty of new head coaches have never been in charge of an NFL team before, but Pederson had never even been in charge of his own offense when in Kansas City. Andy Reid still ostensibly ran the show. And Lurie, and the rest of the organization, made a point to emphasize the connection between Pederson, the franchise, and the Reid years. It felt, at the time, like a forced hiring, harkening back to better times and hoping to strike success once again.

Fast forward through the first three weeks of the season, and things could not be going better for Pederson. He’s won the first three games of his career as a head coach, and he’s looked good doing it. His offense has shown variety and creativity in truck loads. He’s game planned well for very different defenses. And, perhaps most important of all to Lurie, Pederson has shown he connects with his players on an emotional level, something Chip Kelly failed to do in his three years at the helm.

As far as his decision to put Howie Roseman back in charge as the team’s general manager is concerned, that, too was met with skepticism at the time. Roseman had been ousted for a reason, right? Chip Kelly’s argument couldn’t have been successful if Lurie hadn’t had doubts about Roseman.

But his moves this offseason, locking down key franchise cornerstones and making the move for Carson Wentz, are panning out in droves so far. He’ll have more big decisions on his plate after this season, but for now, it seems Roseman’s first year back on top will go down as a success.

Which means Lurie’s two biggest gambles, bringing back Roseman and bringing on Pederson, are looking very handsome as we enter the bye week. There’s no telling what the final 13 games hold. The first three, though, came up all Lurie.

Are you confident in Jeffrey Lurie as owner of the Philadelphia Eagles? Vote now in the poll below and leave your thoughts in the comments.

Lurie Approval Polls:

• May 2016: 58% approval
• July 2015: 91% approval
• April 2015: 83% approval
• February 2015: 73% approval
• January 2015: 76% approval
• December 2014: 95% approval
• November 2014: 95% approval
• October 2014: 94% approval
• July 2014: 96% approval