Understanding why Howie Roseman was born to be Eagles general manager
PHOENIX We all know Howie Roseman always wanted to be a GM. And this is what he was obsessed with growing up. And how he started sending out daily letters to all 32 NFL teams begging for a job despite having never played or coached football on any level. And that hes now built two Super Bowl teams in six years.
What Roseman has never explained is why.
Why would a kid from Central Jersey with no connection to football on any level be convinced he could build a championship NFL roster?
Rosemans rise from desperate GM wannabe to knocking on the door of the Hall of Fame is one of the most fascinating and improbable stories in Eagles history.
In a recent interview, he gave us a peek into whats behind that story.
Ever since I was little I had this direction, he said. I dont know why. I didnt really have anyone around me (pushing me that way), and obviously Ive been knocked down a bunch of times, so for me you had to be passionate and determined to get here and sometimes I wish I was able to take my foot off the gas a little bit, but as my wife reminds me, I am who I am.
There are very few people more suited to a specific job than Roseman is to be general manager of the Eagles.
It wasnt always this way. There were bad 1st-round picks, disappointing seasons and of course the 2015 demotion when Jeff Lurie gave Chip Kelly the GM title before handing it back to Roseman a year later.
But the current version of GM Howie Roseman has the Eagles in the playoffs for the fifth time in six years and one win from the franchises second championship in six years with a different coach and a different quarterback.
HowieBall.
I love this, he said. I love this. I really do.
I love having the opportunity to put teams together. I love working with people I care about. I love the competition of it. I dont know why. I love it and I dont take it for granted that I have this opportunity at all.
Every day I wake up and say, what can I do today to make sure our teams in a better place, that the people around me have an opportunity to be successful.
Roseman speaks to the media only a few times a year and its even rarer that he goes into depth about his process and his growth as a GM.
But he let his guard down a bit this time and spoke about how his failures early in his GM career and his demotion after the 2014 season have changed his approach and helped make him the person and general manager hes become.
Sometimes when you get these jobs you do worry a little bit about job security, he said. I think when you go back to 15 and basically, you know, youre kicked in the dirt and you already see, OK, this is what it feels like, well, Id rather and you have regret over some of the things you didnt do?
From my perspective, since Ive felt that feeling which is a terrible feeling the worst part of that is having regret about not doing stuff. And so if we do stuff and its aggressive and it doesnt work out I can live with that. If we dont do stuff because were worried about the repercussions of it, that would be hard.
I dont feel like Im on scholarship one bit. I feel like Ive got to constantly prove myself and I think theres some negatives that come with that, when youre that determined and that persistent and that passionate. But I am proud that Ive been doing this as long as I have and I still feel that way. When I lose that, Im probably in trouble.
The Eagles are here again because Roseman no longer plays it safe.
The current edition of Howie Roseman GM is bold, inventive, creative and unafraid to fail.
From drafting Jalen Hurts in the second round and unloading Carson Wentz despite a mammoth cap hit to bringing back Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox late in their careers to believing in unknown Nick Sirianni, hes no longer afraid to make moves that on the outside might seem questionable.
Safe moves might help general managers keep their jobs, but thats not how to build a championship team.
I care so much about the Eagles and the people that work here, he said. I would never do anything that I didnt think was in the best interest of this team for the short term and the long term.
I would never do that because of me. Because this team and this city has given me and my family too much. I would never ever do that. So everything Im doing is not based on my job security, its based on what is right for our ownership, our coaches, our players, staff. Now that doesnt mean Im right all the time. Im bleeping wrong a lot. As you know.
But I would never ever do anything that I thought was best for me. Never. Ever.
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