Roseman Shifts Gears on Jalen Hurts Pick
Howie Roseman is shifting gears a bit, admitting he's not the most tone-deaf man in Philadelphia.
In the immediate wake of setting the NFL world on fire and sending Eagles nation into a tizzy, the Eagles general manager downplayed his selection of Jalen Hurts, the high-profile and highly-successful dual-threat quarterback who succeeded at the two of the nation's top football factories - Alabama and Oklahoma.
Coach Doug Pederson even said "it wasn't the sexiest pick," intimating a ho-hum need selection would somehow have been more impactful on the Delaware Valley psyche than say squeezing the whole body of accelerant onto a smoldering flame.
Carson Wentz has seen the highs and lows in Philadelphia, playing at an MVP level in 2017 before tearing his ACL and getting the most guaranteed money in the history of the sport when his contract was extended last year. He's also failed to finish three consecutive playoff seasons due to various injuries, the latest a concussion that knocked him out very early in January's season-ending setback to Seattle.
Taking Hurts wasn't exactly a no-confidence vote for Wentz but it was a 'we need top-of-line insurance' acknowledgment.
And then there are the other lesser parts to the decision, things like the evolution of the game and the value of the position.
It was the second interview in two days for Roseman on 94WIP - the Eagles' radio flagship - indicating another type of evolution, the idea that the Eagles' messaging needed to be clearer and more realistic.
"Well, it's not comfortable," Roseman told Angelo Cataldi, the veteran morning-show host who asked about his discussion with Wentz on Tuesday morning. "... I get it."
That's the first time Roseman admitted the obvious and that there was an understanding that this pick wasn't regarded as business as usual even for an organization he dubbed a "quarterback factory."
"What helps the team the most at this moment?" Roseman asked rhetorically. "Probably a different player at a different position because we have a great player there, but my job is different. When we make these kinds of decisions I talk to people that I really trust and that I've always relied on that have won world championships and I say, 'This is my thought process. I've gotta do everything I can to make sure Carson Wentz is standing on that podium holding that trophy.
"And it's funny when I say that, I see it, man. I see it. I see him doing that. And I really believe that that's gonna happen."
One of Roseman's favorite go-to-lines, and one that is prominently displayed at the Novacare Complex, is "hope is not a strategy."
"I've gotta make sure that this organization is protected, that our fans are protected and that [Wentz's] teammates are protected," said the GM. "All of us have seen it and I've seen when you don't have protection at that position how miserable it could make us."
As for the controversy dividing the fan base, Roseman wants everyone to turn the page.
"I'm sick that our fans aren't as excited about our total roster, because they're focused on one thing."
The problem for Roseman is that everyone is at the beginning of the book and moving to page two is a long way away from the footnotes after Wentz and Hurts share the podium together with the Lombardi Trophy.
This isn't going away anytime soon.
Eagles legend Donovan McNabb has even intimated that Wentz is unhappy, more of a supposition that anything else.
"I don't know that Donovan and Carson are talking," Roseman said. "Maybe [Carson is[ thinking that, but at the end of the day we're gonna do whatever we can to protect the Philadelphia Eagles."
It's actually a common-sense supposition. John Elway wasn't happy when Denver drafted Tommy Maddox. Brett Favre was upset in Green Bay when Aaron Rodgers came along and now A-Rod is feeling the same about Jordan Love. Sam Bradford wasn't exactly happy to see Wentz himself.
The most stunning admission of all, though, was that Roseman essentially agreed with McNabb.
"We love Carson and we've shown him we love him, but we gotta do what's right for the team and that makes our job harder," he said. "When we drafted Dallas Goedert, I'm sure Zach Ertz wasn't happy."
John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every day on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, Every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio, and every weekday on ESPN 97.3 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
