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Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie woke up this morning and decided he should have a press conference since he hasn’t spoken to the media since March. I’m not kidding, by the way, that’s really how he explained his impromptu press conference to reporters on Thursday afternoon.
Here are some highlights from what Lurie had to say just a few days before the first game of the Eagles’ 2017 season.
Lurie is still interested in bringing Kelly Green back as an alternate jersey
Back in the spring, the Eagles proposed a resolution change to allow teams to wear alternate helmets. They ultimately withdrew it, though, due to a lack of support.
Lurie admitted that the change was proposed with Kelly Green alternates in mind. Lurie said he’s still working on the proposal.
J. Lurie reiterated he hopes the Eagles can wear kelly green as an alternate next season. Key is to allow for alternate helmets
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) September 7, 2017
Lurie is very satisfied with Howie Roseman (and Joe Douglas)
We recently ran a Howie Roseman approval poll here at Bleeding Green Nation. Roseman earned an 84% rating from the fans.
Roseman seems to have 100% approval from Lurie, though, despite the reality the Eagles are 56-56 and 0-2 in the playoffs (both first round exits) since Roseman was promoted to general manager in 2010. There’s obviously debate about what Roseman has/hasn’t been responsible for in the past. Still, Roseman can only last so much longer without a single playoff win.
Lurie seems confident the Eagles will win a playoff game(s) in the near future now that Roseman has acquired Carson Wentz.
Lurie: I think Howie Roseman has done a tremendous job. #Eagles
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie says he’s been incredibly impressed with the team of Roseman and Joe Douglas. #Eagles
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Jeffrey Lurie strongly endorses job that Howie Roseman has done "without tanking" in turning #Eagles franchise over.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) September 7, 2017
Lurie set the expectation for the Eagles to improve in 2017
Lurie made it clear that he expects to see improvement this year. The Eagles went 7-9 last season (and the year before that) so it sounds like another similar season wouldn’t cut it by his standards.
Lurie: Expectation for this year is that the Eagles improve.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie says the Eagles can “compete strongly now.” He expects the team to do that.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie says the Eagles don’t expect to be drafting in the top 10 picks “in a decade or more.”
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie declines to say if the Eagles are a playoff team or not.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie expects to see improvement from Carson Wentz
Lurie said he expects Wentz to be significantly better than last year. He also expects him to continue on that path in future seasons.
Lurie says he expects Carson Wentz to be significantly better after each year of his career (listed up to Year 4). #Eagles
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie defended Eagles head coach Doug Pederson
Lurie qualified Mike Lombardi’s comments about Pederson as “clickbait” and “hot takes.” Lurie also pointed to three key areas while praising Pederson: “quarterback analysis, locker room chemistry, and the ability to put together a top notch coaching staff.”
Lurie says Doug is a friendly person who is easy to talk to. #
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) September 7, 2017
Lurie explained Pederson’s aggression on fourth down isn’t just by the head coach’s choice
The math shows that Pederson is usually right to go for it. This is an overblown criticism of the Eagles head coach.
Unprompted, Jeffrey Lurie wanted to make it clear that the Eagles use analytics over instincts when it comes to fourth-down decisions. pic.twitter.com/0O9mu5zRd8
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) September 7, 2017
Lurie expressed his feelings on social justice demonstrations
It's a big problem in America, social injustice. It's a big problem around the globe. Anybody who wants to do proactive things, to try to reverse social injustice, I'm all in favor of. It has to be respectful. It certainly has to respect the military and the people that serve, the women and men that serve our country, emergency responders, whoever that is. You've got to, I think, do it in a respectful way.
But I applaud anybody that can find respectful ways of trying to use their platform in some way to discuss social injustice. We all need to discuss it. We've all seen it around us. We live in a city that has a lot of it. There are multiple issues. They're not simply racial issues. There are a lot of economic issues.
Players have grit and determination. There's no boundary on how that grit and determination gets expressed. I'm not talking about Colin here. I'm just talking about the concept of social injustice in America and elsewhere.
Sports is an opportunity to bring people together. I see it as an opportunity. I applaud when players can bring communities together. We see it all the time, and I think it's great.
Lurie is unsure if the Eagles would sign Colin Kaepernick
There was some thought the Eagles might need Kaepernick if Foles couldn’t get healthy.
Lurie says he has “no idea” if the Eagles would sign Colin Kaepernick. Said the Eagles are happy with their QB situation.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie has a close relationship with certain players
After Jason Peters signed a contract extension with this Eagles earlier this year, he mentioned how he’s best friends with Lurie. Lurie was asked about that.
Lurie: I have unbelievable respect for Jason Peters. We’ve had a close relationship for a long time. #Eagles
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie said trading Jon Dorenbos was really hard. He said Dorenbos was like a family member. #Eagles
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie wants Philadelphia to host the NFL Draft again in the future
The 2017 NFL Draft in Philly was a huge success but there’s speculation it could be held in Dallas in 2018.
Lurie calls the 2017 NFL Draft “one huge Philly success.” He’d really like to have the draft hosted here again. #Eagles
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie wasn’t optimistic about Philadelphia’s chances of hosting a Super Bowl
Lurie has expressed interest in hosting a Super Bowl at Lincoln Financial Field but made it seem like the NFL doesn’t have much interest in outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowls.
Lurie thinks the Linc would have hosted a Super Bowl now if it was a stadium with a retractable roof.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 7, 2017
Lurie has no plans to sell the team
Lurie is here to stay.
Would J. Lurie ever consider selling the Eagles?" "Oh my God, no. Not a chance on the planet. No. You can tell Wall Street forget about it."
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) September 7, 2017
Lurie shared a funny story about Andy Reid
Here is the quote from Lurie on his dinner with Andy Reid when he first got #Eagles job. #FootballGuy pic.twitter.com/3PbwtJ3jpv
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) September 7, 2017