Eh, why not?
QuoteGonzo: Banner's silence would be golden
By John Gonzalez
Inquirer Columnist
This may surprise you, but I truly want Joe Banner and the Eagles' front office to succeed. When the Birds' brains excel, the team wins, and so do the fans.
That's why I'm offering Banner some free advice: Shut up. Please.
Step away from the microphone, Joe. Avoid all cameras and tape recorders. If you see someone coming at you with a pen and a notebook, cross the street and head in the other direction. It's for the best.
Every time the man opens his mouth, he invariably angers someone. Banner is the team's president and chief spokesman and, for reasons that defy logic, the face of the franchise. He's probably good at the first job, but he's particularly ill-suited for the last two. It's like asking a carnival midget to box out in a pickup basketball game.
Yesterday, Banner and Mayor Nutter appeared separately on the morning show of WIP-AM (610). Both addressed the ongoing legal tiff between the city and the team. Guess who sounded more sympathetic.
"My position is very direct, very simple, and very clear," the mayor said. "There's a judgment with regard to the sky box revenues that was determined to be at least $8 million. Pay that. Pay it now."
When Banner went on the air, he swore to the team's secret, undocumented side deal with former Mayor John F. Street - an agreement that supposedly would have allowed the Birds to settle their debt with the city for far less than $8 million. Even for a team owned by a billionaire, $8 million is a fair amount of money. But paying up has to be a better alternative than accruing all this negative publicity by linking the Eagles to Street.
Why would you admit to having an under-the-table deal with a shady administration that was tainted by a sweeping corruption scandal? And hinting that Street is a liar wins the Eagles no points. They still look dirty by association.
But here's where the Eagles continue to really go wrong: If you're dead set on fighting City Hall, you need to do so carefully. To successfully navigate through endless news cycles, you need a representative with credibility and aplomb. Someone who connects with the people. Someone with wit and charm and, above all, tact. Someone, in other words, who's the opposite of Banner.
When reminded yesterday that the city is broke and the Eagles aren't, Banner's response was obtuse.
"Listen, they are not broke," Banner said. "They are spending billions of dollars. They're just spending more than they have. Anyone can make that mistake. The city has got a massive, massive budget."
Sigh.
Google City of Philadelphia and budget deficit and see what you come up with. I'm no numbers cruncher and I've never been good with a calculator, but I'm fairly certain that when you owe $1.4 billion more than you have, that means you're pretty well tapped out.
Part of the reason Philadelphia still has a massive operating budget is that essential civil services need funding. Otherwise, things would get awfully ugly around here. If Banner wants to tell cops to stop policing the streets or teachers to stop educating kids or garbage men to stop picking up trash, he's welcome to do so. But some of us actually live in this city, and we'd prefer that it not resemble a wretched, post-apocalyptic Kevin Costner movie.
But Banner knows all that. He knows the city is hard up for cash. He's not dumb. He's just playing dumb in public to curry favor. And it's not working. It never does.
Unfortunately, the news coming out of the NovaCare Complex frequently has nothing to do with football and everything to do with the insensitive, boorish, greedy, out-of-touch knotheads who run the franchise the way Kennedy handled the Bay of Pigs operation - stupidly, and with no real understanding of why public perception matters or how quickly it can sink you.
This flap with the city is just one more badly bungled PR affair. Hoagiegate. Terrell Owens. Lito Sheppard. Brian Dawkins. Dan Leone, the stadium worker who criticized the team on Facebook because it let Dawkins walk. The inflammatory statement the Eagles released on Sheldon Brown. And those are just the fires I can remember. All those situations required expert spin and a deft touch, and all were botched in one way or another.
The Eagles aren't always to blame, and neither is Banner. But when you're the go-to spokesman for all major matters, your job is to solve the problem even if you didn't create it. Or if you can't solve it, you at least need to make it go away.
That's the issue with Banner. He's often dismissive and smug. It's hard for people to warm up to someone who snickers at them while explaining why the Eagles are right and everyone else is wrong. Put simply, he often makes things worse.
While I'm dispensing free advice, I have some for Jeffrey Lurie: You need to find a new face for your franchise, and you need to do it right now. It can't wait any longer. I'm not saying you should fire Banner. You just need to keep him out of the spotlight.
If you're wondering, I have no idea who should serve as the front man. But we all know who shouldn't.
That article was right on the money. I can't see Lurie being so out of touch with the situation that he doesn't know whats really going on. Makes me think he just cares about the bottom line.
thats what i dont get...lurie by all accounts seems like an intelligent thoughtful geniunely nice person...i understand they are childhood buddies but how can he have someone like banner as his point man
ps - all hail romey and gonzo
Did Lurie ever get around to paying the NFL the money he owes for buying the team in the first place?
Damn, good to see Gonzalez step away from the usual garbage that he writes and hit a homer with this one. Every single point was spot on.
And I agree with igy; why is Lurie allowing Joey to be the front man? One of the best things about Lurie is that he mostly stays in the shadows, like an owner should. But he cannot be blind to the damage that Banner's mouth causes, can he?
Unless Lurie has us fooled and he feels what Joe says, but he dispatches the bulldog to be his mouthpiece and take the negative PR while he tucks himself away and looks like the good guy.
What was Hoagiegate?
I think we all know who should be the front man should be - Dave Spadaro
Quote
FANS FUME OVER HOAGIE BAN
By DON RUSSELL
ON DAY TWO of Hoagiegate, the prosciutto hit the fan.
The Philadelphia Eagles angrily dug in their heels, saying they would "never" lift their ban on BYO food at the new Lincoln Financial Field.
Citywide, hoagie-makers, worried about lost sales, turned red as a cherry pepper.
And fans, accusing owner Jeffrey Lurie of price-gouging at the taxpayer-funded stadium, started talking about a boycott.
Meanwhile, the Daily News is starting a petition drive, formally asking the Eagles to drop the ban.
The furor centers on a team decision to prohibit fans from bringing outside food into the stadium, which opens next month. Team President Joe Banner contended the ban was a necessity brought about by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack at the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
Yesterday, Banner said the team instituted the ban following recommendations from numerous security consultants, including the state Office of Homeland Security.
In a testy press conference at the Eagles' South Philadelphia training facility, he accused critics of putting snack food ahead of fan safety.
"You're putting the fans' lives at danger," Banner said.
Asked whether other sports facilities, including Veterans Stadium, are jeopardizing fan safety by permitting BYO food, he said, "That's their decision...It would be foolish and irresponsible of us to ignore the experts."
Was he worried about terrorists smuggling a bomb inside an Italian hoagie?
and no thats not out of the onion....it really all went down...only in philly
Quote"You're putting the fans' lives at danger," Banner said.
From a farging hoagie...
That line cracked me up then, and it still does now.
that line is exactly why i mentioned the onion...cant you see an exact quote like that in a million of their stories over the years
except banner really said it
i think ive said this 100000 million times before but the only way to truly make a change is to stop the $ flow. like we love this team more than we despise banner but sometimes, for the greater good, you gotta suck it up.
ive never paid for any of the midnight green stuff...does that count for anything?
Quote from: MDS on April 24, 2009, 12:05:39 PM
i think ive said this 100000 million times before but the only way to truly make a change is to stop the $ flow. like we love this team more than we despise banner but sometimes, for the greater good, you gotta suck it up.
Already done.
ummm no not really.
this is 100 % impossible to do but eagles fans as a whole need to not go to the games or not renew season tickets. just flat out embarrass the organization. the problem is they are probably never going to be bad enough where people could get fired up to do something like that. so for the end of time, this is what we got.
not go to games....bwahahahahaha
you know that banner being an ahole and the team making money are mutually exclusive
there are teams that dont have condescending douchebags as team presidents that also cake off
yea but the only way to get rid of banner is to him them where it hurts.
phils fans did this ed wade. enough people said either fire him as gm or im not renewing my tix. so they axed him. people need to do this with banner.
just goes to show how much people can sometimes change. i remember when this happened it was shortly after 9/11 and i was very much a conservative at that point. hell, at that point in time i even bought into dubbya's fear mongoring tactics.
i remember actually having an argument with murp over this one though and i was totally convinced that the eagles were right because if they continued to let people bring hoagies into the stadium, someone would try and use it to smuggle weapons and explosives inside a freaking footlong.
so it ended up taking me about 26 or 27 years to finally shed my conservative roots and thoughts and start looking at things in a more realistic manner. but hey, better late than never, right?
btw. farg banner.
Quote from: MDS on April 24, 2009, 12:14:32 PM
yea but the only way to get rid of banner is to him them where it hurts.
phils fans did this ed wade. enough people said either fire him as gm or im not renewing my tix. so they axed him. people need to do this with banner.
what are you talking about...wade was gm for like 13 years...and 11 or 12 of them was spent in a barron vet stadium...he got fired while they were drawing 3 mil at the bank...he got fired because they finally started spending money at the bank and still were missing the playoffs...it had nothing to do with the fans
banner is not going anywhere if people give up their tickets...reid is
Quote from: ice grillin you on April 24, 2009, 12:18:44 PM
banner is not going anywhere if people give up their tickets...reid is
that's a start.
Blinding. Glimpse. Of. The. Obvious.
But good to see a reporter call out the team - more need to do so.
I guess Lurie figured what with Tose and Braman as precedents, the bar wasn't very high start, kinda like: "So whats the big deal - hasn't any one in this town ever seen a team run professionally?". Plus, as PG and IGY stated, ownership isn't local and doesn't seem to care much or even acknowledge that "local" is what Philly fandom is all about.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on April 24, 2009, 12:20:04 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on April 24, 2009, 12:18:44 PM
banner is not going anywhere if people give up their tickets...reid is
that's a start.
true but not worth me giving up tickets that i probably would never again see in my life
Quote from: JackStraw on April 24, 2009, 12:24:03 PM
Plus, as PG and IGY stated, ownership isn't local and doesn't seem to care much or even acknowledge that "local" is what Philly fandom is all about.
It's all about the Rocky montage before kickoff, baby! :crazy
Quote from: ice grillin you on April 24, 2009, 12:26:40 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on April 24, 2009, 12:20:04 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on April 24, 2009, 12:18:44 PM
banner is not going anywhere if people give up their tickets...reid is
that's a start.
true but not worth me giving up tickets that i probably would never again see in my life
just put your name on the season ticket waitin.......oh. right.
Quote from: JackStraw on April 24, 2009, 12:24:03 PM
I guess Lurie figured what with Tose and Braman as precedents, the bar wasn't very high start, kinda like: "So whats the big deal - hasn't any one in this town ever seen a team run professionally?".
the thing is the eagles have been very successful on the field...of course youll always have "the yeah but they havent won a superbowl" crowd but in general if lurie didnt have that moron banner running shtein this franchise would be unbelievably loved in the city (see the flyers)...the fact that he hasnt changed tells me he simply doesnt care...because even being an outsider i cant believe he could have been in this city for 15 years and still not "get it"
Whats so ironic and hard-to-fathom is that for an owner who styles "Obama", he lets a "Cheney" run it.
Not your average Jew (http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20090511_Eagles_prez_Banner__Not_your_average_Joe.html?cmpid=16339736)
Quote
Eagles prez Banner: Not your average Joe
By VALERIE RUSS
Philadelphia Daily News
russv@phillynews.com 215-854-5987
AS A BOY in Boston, Joe Banner had an experience that changed his life. His school took students into the city's rough Roxbury section to teach younger children how to read.
"I had some very powerful experiences there," the Philadelphia Eagles' president recalled in an interview last week. "I lived a middle-class life . . . and I was struck at how profoundly different my life was from the other children there . . .
"I became addicted to that feeling you get when you help other people."
The notion that one person can change the world may sound corny to some. But idealism is at the heart of City Year, an urban youth program that Banner - who served as a program volunteer for two years in Boston - is responsible for bringing to Philadelphia in 1997.
Having arrived in the city three years earlier, to work as the Eagles' chief operating officer, Banner took then-City Councilman Michael Nutter and a delegation to Boston to convince the national City Year office to open a chapter here.
Tomorrow night, about 900 people are expected at a sold-out dinner at the Crystal Tea Room, where Philadelphia's City Year chapter will honor Banner with its Lifetime of Idealism Award.
The award puts Banner in high-powered company: In 2006, City Year Chicago honored a then-U.S. senator from Illinois named Barack Obama. And later this month, City Year New York will honor former President Clinton.
'Extraordinary empathy'
By now, Philadelphians are used to seeing the young men and women in their red jackets and tan Timberland boots.
At least twice a week, they start their day early in the morning with exercise and a unity meeting near City Hall. Most of the 225 corps members then go off to work in the public schools as tutors and mentors for children and teens.
"Give a year. Change the world" is the program's slogan. With chapters in 18 U.S. cities and one in South Africa, it encourages young people ages 17 to 24 to take a year to serve others.
"He has the extraordinary empathy to feel what other people feel," Michael Brown, City Year CEO and founder, said of Banner. "He has an extreme sense of social justice."
Banner, 56, is co-chairman of the Philadelphia City Year board, a member of its national board and also is chair of its National Leadership Committee (composed of chairs of all 19 chapters).
Philly's City Year has grown from 73 members its first year to 225 this year, tying New York for the largest City Year program, said Rex Carney, deputy director of Philadelphia's chapter.
Banner is generally a quiet man who shuns the limelight, except when he is in the news for the Eagles.
"He's an incredible combination of extreme humility and the perseverance of steel," Brown said.
A life-altering experience
Banner has a long history of community service since growing up in a Boston suburb.
He told the Daily News that although his parents weren't wealthy, they sent him to a private school in Weston, Mass.
Then, in 1964, about 10 years before Boston would make international news because of furious anti-busing protests by whites opposed to desegregating the public schools, Banner said, he was part of a kind of "busing program" himself.
"[My school] had a program where one day a week, they'd load a group of us in a van and took us to Roxbury to help teach 6-, 7-, and 8-year-old kids how to read," Banner said.
He was only 11 or 12 years old.
But he noticed right away that the neighborhood, which was mostly black, was pretty rough.
"I'd never had school trauma, or home trauma, or the trauma of not knowing when I'd get my next meal," he said.
And by the time he was 15, Banner had started his own nonprofit group at high school called "CampE." The group raised money with car washes and raffles to send poor children from the city to summer camp.
"I'd loved summer camp myself so much that I wanted these kids from the city to experience that," he said.
The name "CampE" served two goals: The first was to send city children to camp, but the E stood for the education that Banner's more-privileged classmates would get from learning how other people lived.
Not long after attending Denison University, in Ohio - and a stint as a sports reporter at the former WCAU radio, 1210 AM, in Philly - Banner returned to Boston to try to buy the summer camp he'd attended as a child.
When those plans fell through, Banner accepted his father's suggestion that they go into the clothing business together.
Impact of busing
In the early 1990s, Banner got involved with City Year in Boston after selling the family clothing business.
He wanted an organization in which young people would learn the value of service. And he wanted to make sure that people of different backgrounds learned to work together.
He said that Boston's history of busing made an impact on him. That's why City Year's policy of having corps members work in diverse teams appealed to him.
"It was on the news every day," Banner said. "People who grew up in that time in Boston couldn't help being motivated to do something to change things," he said.
He said that City Year founder Brown also grew up in Boston about the same time as the busing fights.
But the City Year programs aren't just about black and white. The teams include male and female members, from cities and suburbs, some who are well-educated and others high-school dropouts.
Banner said that when the teams start working together, oftentimes the Ivy League-educated corps members are the ones who learn from the dropouts.
In the process of planning the nonprofit, Banner made the rounds of schools and community centers in Boston.
Everywhere he went, he said, people told him: "That sounds like City Year. You need to talk to those guys."
Banner then met with Brown and Alan Khazei, who had come up with the idea while classmates at Harvard Law.
It wasn't long before Banner decided to help City Year, rather than duplicate their efforts.
"I was so impressed," he said. "I thought it was an incredible idea for corps members and their families."
Soon, he was volunteering with City Year for four days a week. He started out by helping the group find new office space, Brown said.
'A quiet volunteer'
"Joe Banner spent months and months and looked at a hundred places, all as a volunteer, all for free," Brown said during a recent visit to Philadelphia. "He helped us find our new home.
"He was a quiet volunteer."
Then, a couple of years later, Banner told Brown and Khazei that a pal he'd known since he was 15, Jeffrey Lurie, had bought the Eagles and that he'd be moving. He knew then, he said, that he wanted to bring City Year here.
City Year's Web site has stories and quotes from social activists that include Mahatma Gandhi, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.
Banner said that others used to groan or roll their eyes when City Year people would use the famous Gandhi quote: "You must be the change you want to see in the world."
But Banner said that attitudes in this country are changing toward idealism and volunteering. Last month, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which will more than triple the size of AmeriCorps, from 75,000 to 250,000.
"One of the indicators that we've made a lot of progress is that when you start talking in an idealist and optimistic way, the funny looks are declining," Banner said.
He said that the grand-scale references to Gandhi and Mandela are there for a reason.
"You can't stand up with a small goal and expect people to follow you," Banner said. "You have to be able to risk talking large to attract volunteers and corporate partners.
"Nobody is going to follow you if you're not leading with passion." *
fantastic Im proud of him
any chance he can continue to be a quiet volunteer for the eagles?
Didn't read.
farg Banner.
the women who wrote this was on wip last week and got eaten alive by the morning team for having no real facts on anything...it also came out last week that shes a personal friend of banner and she claimed she wasnt even aware of the cripple banner fired
awe Mike Miss absolutely crushed her on 950..loved it
it was disgusting and quite embarrassing on how she kept telling people to look how much Banner has given back, what he has done, theres so much more on the inside of a human being...etc...etc...farg outta here
Quote from: reese125 on May 11, 2009, 10:41:07 AM
awe Mike Miss absolutely crushed her on 950..loved it
it was disgusting and quite embarrassing on how she kept telling people to look how much Banner has given back, what he has done, theres so much more on the inside of a human being...etc...etc...farg outta here
Mike Miss is why I actually read the article instead of just skipping over it. It's easy for the press to crush or put a positive spin on anyone. You could take Hilter's life and find some shred of decency he did and make him look like a saint.
I doubt that.
Why don't you give it a try?
it's not the same person...the person who was on 950 last week was Dava Guerin
she wrote this one...
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20090507_Negadelphia_vs__the_Birds.html
who reads the daily snooze lol jk
damn Joes getting some pusy
Quote from: PhillyGirl on May 11, 2009, 09:01:30 AM
Didn't read.
farg Banner.
Same. I actually gave it a shot until I got here:
Quote"I became addicted to that feeling you get when you help other people."
Yeah farging right!
Quote from: SunMo on May 11, 2009, 11:11:02 AM
it's not the same person...the person who was on 950 last week was Dava Guerin
she wrote this one...
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20090507_Negadelphia_vs__the_Birds.html
That's right, now I wish I wouldn't have wasted my time with the other fluff piece.
Quote from: Diomedes on May 11, 2009, 11:01:22 AM
I doubt that.
Why don't you give it a try?
I don't feel like putting it in essay form but it wouldn't be hard to write a fluff piece around this:
QuoteAt the time Hitler took over the reigns of Germany, it was a war ravaged and heavily indebted country with the economy in absolute mess. He was instrumental in turning around his country and converting it into a world power of his times.
He was instrumental in putting in place most of the infrastructure in Germany, much of it in use till today:
1. he built the autobahn
2. he built the vw beetle.
3. he built the berlin olympic stadium
4. he invested heavily in german infrastructure
5. he made the 1st practical rockets and cruise missiles.
6. made the 1st jet plane.
7. Great Advances in trauma therapy were made.
Kind things:
8. cancelled 'operation sea lion', the expedition to England- as it would result in huge loss of civilian lives
9. Let the Battle hardened Allied troops(about 1million) escape Dunkirk on humanitarian considerations-could have crushed them all
10. The nuclear bomb technology was developed by German scientists in his regime(mostly same people migrated to USA and created the Bombs that USA used on Hiroshima & Nagasaki- AFTER the war was OVER!!)- but could not bring himself to use them on humanitarian considerations. (And he is blamed by American and English media of atrocities on humanity!!)
11. A great fall out of WW II brought about by him- England/Britain, France, etc had to cede/liberate most colonies in Asia, Africa, etal.
Thus bringing to an end the severe oppression and violation of human rights by the occupiers in these countries.
Found this on yahoo answers, I'll just assume it's partially correct.
that dumb bitch actually tried to pass his cocky little snickers off as nervous laughs....lollerskates.
I could see after his 14th appearance on WIP where he would still be nervous
Yea all that stuff about hitler except the part about autobahn and Olympic stadium is wrong.
Quote from: Diomedes on May 11, 2009, 11:01:22 AM
I doubt that.
Why don't you give it a try?
He was a snappy dresser and he killed several million Jews.
When Hitler got married and vowed "'til death do us part," he meant it.
Hitler built the first jet plane the way Al Gore invented the internet.
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/multimedia/index.asp?mm_file_id=7192&play_clip=y
wow...did anyone else tear up like I just did?
great speech Joe...thank you for all you've done for the city
Poor guy, he looked so uncomfortable up there with all those poor people.
Quote from: reese125 on May 19, 2009, 08:52:42 AM
wow...did anyone else tear up like I just did?
great speech Joe...thank you for all you've done for the city
really? did that actually make you tear up? it was a decent speech but i can't say it moved me in the least.
and if joe really wants to do something for the city, then he should try doing his part to help the eagles actually win a superbowl.
Broken sarcasm meters are apparently contagious.
its an epidemic in here for some I guess
Judge Rules in Favor of City in Case vs. Eagles
Monday, June 8, 2009
A Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge has ruled the Eagles must pay the city $8 million dollars related to the construction of luxury skyboxes at Veterans Stadium.
The amount had been in dispute because of a so-called gentleman's agreement between former Mayor John Street and the team, which greatly reduced the amount of money owed. If such a deal existed, current mayor Michael Nutter refused to honor it.
Still to be determined is the amount of money the city owes the Eagles related to the cancellation of an Eagles and Baltimore Ravens preseason game because of poor turf at the Vet, which caused the team to issue refunds to ticket holders.
A CSN source says that part of the Eagles counterclaim might take a week or so for the court to determine.
Pamela Browner Crawley, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Eagles, released the following statement on the matter Monday evening:
"We are glad we were able to come to an agreement with the City on the amount of money that we owe for the 2002/2003 suite flip agreement. We are equally pleased that the judge has indicated that he has all the information he needs and that he will issue a ruling within the next week, as to what the City owes the Philadelphia Eagles, as it relates to the canceled game in August 2001. We have important civic, community and economic ties to the City of Philadelphia and the region and we look forward to that being the focus of our ongoing dialogue as we look to the future.
Eight million is chump change for those idiots. They've lost more in poor P.R. than whatever nickels and dimes they've pissed over with the city.
well done, jews
Mathieu Shapiro, an attorney for the Eagles, said he anticipates that Judge Sheppard will rule next week that the city owes the team somewhere between $5 million and $8 million for the missed pre-season game. Shapiro said of the negotiations: "A lot of hard work went into this on both sides." The Eagles have no plans to appeal, he added.
That echoed sentiment expressed by Mayor Nutter a few minutes ago. "I'm certainly very, very pleased that this particular part has been resolved," Nutter said of today's ruling.
"I appreciate all the efforts that anyone has made with regards to this matter. There's been a lot of back and forth. There's been a lot of time and effort spent dealing with this."
Quote"This is a very hard thing to explain to you guys - I know it is," Banner said. "Maybe it's the president's version of living inside that fence and not knowing what's going on in the rest of America, I don't know. But our experience of this is so much different than the way it's portrayed . . .
"It's so different. I'm not sure which is right or wrong. As I've said before, and gotten in trouble for, we do some research to try to at least have an educated opinion on this. But it's just a very, very different experience living this than the way it may seem to you guys."
Re: Joe Banner Continues To Be A Smug, Condescending Douchebag
He's worse than Kate Gosselin.
joe hitler
Quote from: Rome on June 11, 2009, 04:11:06 PM
Quote"This is a very hard thing to explain to you guys - I know it is," Banner said. "Maybe it's the president's version of living inside that fence and not knowing what's going on in the rest of America, I don't know. But our experience of this is so much different than the way it's portrayed . . .
"It's so different. I'm not sure which is right or wrong. As I've said before, and gotten in trouble for, we do some research to try to at least have an educated opinion on this. But it's just a very, very different experience living this than the way it may seem to you guys."
wtf? farg. you.
Here's the second part to the issue that everyone seems to forget about.
QuoteWednesday, June 17, 2009
CSNPhilly.com
The Eagles' counterclaim against the city has been resolved.
A Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge has ruled that the city owes the Eagles $5 million in compensation for the cancelled preseason game against the Ravens in 2001.
Because of faulty turf at the since-demolished Veterans Stadium, the game was cancelled, and the team had to issue refunds to ticket holders.
"We are glad that this issue is behind us," Eagles spokeswoman Pamela Browner Crawley said in a statement released by the team. "We have important civic, community and economic ties to the City of Philadelphia and the region and we look forward to that being the focus of our ongoing dialogue as we look to the future."
It appears as if the Eagles will now owe the city $3 million, because earlier this month, Judge Albert Sheppard Jr. ruled that the team owed city $8 million for the construction of luxury boxes at the Vet.
The amount had been in dispute because of a so-called gentleman's agreement between former Mayor John Street and the team, which greatly reduced the amount of money owed. If such a deal existed, current Mayor Michael Nutter refused to honor it.
Quote from: Beermonkey on June 17, 2009, 11:59:48 PM
Here's the second part to the issue that everyone seems to forget about.
QuoteWednesday, June 17, 2009
CSNPhilly.com
The Eagles' counterclaim against the city has been resolved.
A Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge has ruled that the city owes the Eagles $5 million in compensation for the cancelled preseason game against the Ravens in 2001.
Because of faulty turf at the since-demolished Veterans Stadium, the game was cancelled, and the team had to issue refunds to ticket holders.
"We are glad that this issue is behind us," Eagles spokeswoman Pamela Browner Crawley said in a statement released by the team. "We have important civic, community and economic ties to the City of Philadelphia and the region and we look forward to that being the focus of our ongoing dialogue as we look to the future."
It appears as if the Eagles will now owe the city $3 million, because earlier this month, Judge Albert Sheppard Jr. ruled that the team owed city $8 million for the construction of luxury boxes at the Vet.
The amount had been in dispute because of a so-called gentleman's agreement between former Mayor John Street and the team, which greatly reduced the amount of money owed. If such a deal existed, current Mayor Michael Nutter refused to honor it.
great spend that shtein on Hollis!
Quote from: phillymic2000 on June 18, 2009, 12:08:48 AM
Quote from: Beermonkey on June 17, 2009, 11:59:48 PM
Here's the second part to the issue that everyone seems to forget about.
QuoteWednesday, June 17, 2009
CSNPhilly.com
The Eagles' counterclaim against the city has been resolved.
A Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge has ruled that the city owes the Eagles $5 million in compensation for the cancelled preseason game against the Ravens in 2001.
Because of faulty turf at the since-demolished Veterans Stadium, the game was cancelled, and the team had to issue refunds to ticket holders.
"We are glad that this issue is behind us," Eagles spokeswoman Pamela Browner Crawley said in a statement released by the team. "We have important civic, community and economic ties to the City of Philadelphia and the region and we look forward to that being the focus of our ongoing dialogue as we look to the future."
It appears as if the Eagles will now owe the city $3 million, because earlier this month, Judge Albert Sheppard Jr. ruled that the team owed city $8 million for the construction of luxury boxes at the Vet.
The amount had been in dispute because of a so-called gentleman's agreement between former Mayor John Street and the team, which greatly reduced the amount of money owed. If such a deal existed, current Mayor Michael Nutter refused to honor it.
great spend that shtein on Hollis!
crap didnt read that they would still owe the city 3mill. farg it still get that grady jackson bastich in here
so really banner inc was bitching about two million dollars...because the supposed phantom street deal would have had the eagles paying 1 million to the city in the end
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 07:59:16 AM
so really banner inc was bitching about two million dollars...because the supposed phantom street deal would have had the eagles paying 1 million to the city in the end
No, Banner was bitching about the fact that the amount that the city owed the Eagles was not factored in and Nutter wanted him to "pay up" the full 8 million.
I don't care.
There was something shady goin on with the supposed $1 million deal with Street.
Quote from: Beermonkey on June 18, 2009, 09:59:47 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 07:59:16 AM
so really banner inc was bitching about two million dollars...because the supposed phantom street deal would have had the eagles paying 1 million to the city in the end
No, Banner was bitching about the fact that the amount that the city owed the Eagles was not factored in and Nutter wanted him to "pay up" the full 8 million.
no he wanted the shady underdeal with street to be the end of everything...banner inc pays the city one mil and everything goes bye bye
nutter wanted him to pay 8 mil because thats what they owed the city in that particular transaction...what the eagles owed the city had nothing to do with the pre season game...each issue was a seperate entity...it wasnt like nutter was saying pay the 8 mil and we still arent paying you for the preseason game...he wanted banner inc to pay the city what they owed and then let the courts decide the amount that the city owed the eagles for the cancelled game
banner on the other hand wanted the whole shabang settled for the one million street "supposedly" agreed to
Street would've pocketed that $1M too. "Nope, never saw it."
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 10:32:20 AM
Quote from: Beermonkey on June 18, 2009, 09:59:47 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 07:59:16 AM
so really banner inc was bitching about two million dollars...because the supposed phantom street deal would have had the eagles paying 1 million to the city in the end
No, Banner was bitching about the fact that the amount that the city owed the Eagles was not factored in and Nutter wanted him to "pay up" the full 8 million.
nutter wanted him to pay 8 mil because thats what they owed the city in that particular transaction...what the eagles owed the city had nothing to do with the pre season game...each issue was a seperate entity...it wasnt like nutter was saying pay the 8 mil and we still arent paying you for the preseason game...he wanted banner inc to pay the city what they owed and then let the courts decide the amount that the city owed the eagles for the cancelled game
not how it works...if the eagles paid what they owed, then they had no leverage with the city to try and work something out for the canceled game. you never pay a debt to somebody if you think they owe you something, it's stupid.
Quote from: SunMo on June 18, 2009, 10:48:57 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 10:32:20 AM
Quote from: Beermonkey on June 18, 2009, 09:59:47 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 07:59:16 AM
so really banner inc was bitching about two million dollars...because the supposed phantom street deal would have had the eagles paying 1 million to the city in the end
No, Banner was bitching about the fact that the amount that the city owed the Eagles was not factored in and Nutter wanted him to "pay up" the full 8 million.
nutter wanted him to pay 8 mil because thats what they owed the city in that particular transaction...what the eagles owed the city had nothing to do with the pre season game...each issue was a seperate entity...it wasnt like nutter was saying pay the 8 mil and we still arent paying you for the preseason game...he wanted banner inc to pay the city what they owed and then let the courts decide the amount that the city owed the eagles for the cancelled game
not how it works...if the eagles paid what they owed, then they had no leverage with the city to try and work something out for the canceled game. you never pay a debt to somebody if you think they owe you something, it's stupid.
nope they were two completely seperate transactions....one had nothing to do with the other
it would be like telling a restaurant on thursday night im not paying for my dinner that i ate on monday because i didnt get what i ordered tonight
and what banner inc tried to do was pay their busboy 10 bucks for both meals
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 10:32:20 AM
no he wanted the shady underdeal with street to be the end of everything...banner inc pays the city one mil and everything goes bye bye
nutter wanted him to pay 8 mil because thats what they owed the city in that particular transaction...what the eagles owed the city had nothing to do with the pre season game...each issue was a seperate entity...it wasnt like nutter was saying pay the 8 mil and we still arent paying you for the preseason game...he wanted banner inc to pay the city what they owed and then let the courts decide the amount that the city owed the eagles for the cancelled game
banner on the other hand wanted the whole shabang settled for the one million street "supposedly" agreed to
I understand they are 2 separate issues, though the final settlement of the amount owed in each case needed to be determined before the Eagles payment to the city was made. They did in court what was was supposedly done in direct negotiations with the city. It didn't make any sense to pay the city $8 million and then have them send a check back to the Eagles in a few weeks for $5 million.
Quote from: Beermonkey on June 18, 2009, 10:56:31 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 10:32:20 AM
no he wanted the shady underdeal with street to be the end of everything...banner inc pays the city one mil and everything goes bye bye
nutter wanted him to pay 8 mil because thats what they owed the city in that particular transaction...what the eagles owed the city had nothing to do with the pre season game...each issue was a seperate entity...it wasnt like nutter was saying pay the 8 mil and we still arent paying you for the preseason game...he wanted banner inc to pay the city what they owed and then let the courts decide the amount that the city owed the eagles for the cancelled game
banner on the other hand wanted the whole shabang settled for the one million street "supposedly" agreed to
I understand they are 2 separate issues, though the final settlement of the amount owed in each case needed to be determined before the Eagles payment to the city was made. They did in court what was was supposedly done in direct negotiations with the city. It didn't make any sense to pay the city $8 million and then have them send a check back to the Eagles in a few weeks for $5 million.
well the 8 mil was what it was...there was no debate over that (not counting the bullshtein street stuff banner inc tried to pull on the city)
the 5 mil had to be settled because it was an arbitrary fluid number that had to be determined by many factors involved in the cancellation of the game
the eagles owed 8 mil period end of story and they owed it a long time ago
sure it probably took to long to come to an agreement over the amopunt of the preseason game...but that wouldnt have happened had the eagles just paid what they owed from jump street and then let the courts decide what was owed for the preseason game
instead the eagles refused to pay their share and then came up with some shady deal saying all they owed was one million total
go joe! save money!
I'll rip Banner for almost anything but this situation. The Eagles clearly were in the right about the canceled game and the City was in the right about the penthouse suites. What they should have done is acted like responsible, mature adults and settled this years ago, but that's not how either side rolls.
then they should have had a fight in the sandbox like any irresponsible, immature kid would do.
lol that misses the whole point romey...no one is killing banner for not paying the 8 million...they are killing him for trying to settle the whole deal for 1 million via a hypothetical back alley deal with john street and literally thinking that it was legit and that he could get away with it...
it would one of the fuinniest things ever if it wasnt so pathetic
So you're ripping him for trying to go through the back door to settle a debt?
ha...the back door....more like the sewer
and no im ripping him for actually going public on radio and tv with that "deal" and honestly believing all the team owed was one million
if he had crawled around in the mud with street trying to slither his way out of what he truly owed and it didnt work and he went home quietly that would be one thing...but he really thought in heart a hypothetical hand shake deal with one of the most corrupt politicians in city history (and thats a mouthful) would actually have legs and get him out of paying is the biggest most pathetic POS weak ass crock of shtein ive ever heard
this is all really about banners over the top smugness and the fact that he thinks hes above and beyond anyone or anything and that he cant be touched...sure there are people everyday who steal much more money than what banner was trying to get away with but who else on the planet would come up with that excuse to get out of paying AND think it would fly....i contend no one
Banner's a douche. No doubt.
I can't fault him for doing what I would do if I were in his place, though. My hypocrisy extends only so far, dookie.
Your hypocrisy knows no bounds.
how many more val kilmer quotes can we fit into this thread?
Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?
You're dangerous. Chomp.
the chomp threw me off, because that's not really the noise he makes, but that's hard to duplicate in text
i don't think he really makes any noise at all with it. he tosses some peanuts or something in his mouth, says his line and then does this over exaggerated chewing motion. without that chomp, the viewer would just think that he's a straight and narrow pilot who flies by the book. but with the chomp, you say "oh.....he's a fleshpop."
Quote from: SunMo on June 18, 2009, 10:48:57 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 10:32:20 AM
Quote from: Beermonkey on June 18, 2009, 09:59:47 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 07:59:16 AM
so really banner inc was bitching about two million dollars...because the supposed phantom street deal would have had the eagles paying 1 million to the city in the end
No, Banner was bitching about the fact that the amount that the city owed the Eagles was not factored in and Nutter wanted him to "pay up" the full 8 million.
nutter wanted him to pay 8 mil because thats what they owed the city in that particular transaction...what the eagles owed the city had nothing to do with the pre season game...each issue was a seperate entity...it wasnt like nutter was saying pay the 8 mil and we still arent paying you for the preseason game...he wanted banner inc to pay the city what they owed and then let the courts decide the amount that the city owed the eagles for the cancelled game
not how it works...if the eagles paid what they owed, then they had no leverage with the city to try and work something out for the canceled game. you never pay a debt to somebody if you think they owe you something, it's stupid.
That's the smartest thing sunmo's ever said. imo, he's 100% right. But igy's hate for Banner and the Eagles FO in general gives him tunnel vision. Most all of us are the same to a lesser extent. Banner's a money grubbin' bitch, and business is business.. But...who here, if they were running a multi million dollar business wouldn't want someone like him running it?
Quote from: SunMo on June 18, 2009, 10:48:57 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 10:32:20 AM
Quote from: Beermonkey on June 18, 2009, 09:59:47 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 18, 2009, 07:59:16 AM
so really banner inc was bitching about two million dollars...because the supposed phantom street deal would have had the eagles paying 1 million to the city in the end
No, Banner was bitching about the fact that the amount that the city owed the Eagles was not factored in and Nutter wanted him to "pay up" the full 8 million.
nutter wanted him to pay 8 mil because thats what they owed the city in that particular transaction...what the eagles owed the city had nothing to do with the pre season game...each issue was a seperate entity...it wasnt like nutter was saying pay the 8 mil and we still arent paying you for the preseason game...he wanted banner inc to pay the city what they owed and then let the courts decide the amount that the city owed the eagles for the cancelled game
not how it works...if the eagles paid what they owed, then they had no leverage with the city to try and work something out for the canceled game. you never pay a debt to somebody if you think they owe you something, it's stupid.
That's the smartest thing sunmo's ever said. imo, he's 100% right. But igy's love for Eagles football and his hate for Banner and the Eagles FO in general gives him tunnel vision. Most all of us are the same to a lesser extent. Banner's a money grubbin' bitch, and business is business.. But...who here, if they were running a multi million dollar business wouldn't want someone like him running it?
*raises hand
Quote from: shorebird on June 19, 2009, 08:06:09 PM
That's the smartest thing sunmo's ever said. imo, he's 100% right. But igy's hate for Banner and the Eagles FO in general gives him tunnel vision. Most all of us are the same to a lesser extent. Banner's a money grubbin' bitch, and business is business.. But...who here, if they were running a multi million dollar business wouldn't want someone like him running it?
sun mo didnt say it...it was banners line while he was on his PR tour across philly radio stations and televison and its 100% wrong....but please by all means continue dropping jewels of wisdom on our domes...
and if this was IBM and i was a stock holder sure id want banner making me money...but im an eagle fan and i want a superbowl so honestly no id rather have someone else running my business
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 19, 2009, 09:16:29 PM
Quote from: shorebird on June 19, 2009, 08:06:09 PM
That's the smartest thing sunmo's ever said. imo, he's 100% right. But igy's hate for Banner and the Eagles FO in general gives him tunnel vision. Most all of us are the same to a lesser extent. Banner's a money grubbin' bitch, and business is business.. But...who here, if they were running a multi million dollar business wouldn't want someone like him running it?
if this was IBM and i was a stock holder sure id want banner making me money...but im an eagle fan and i want a superbowl so honestly no id rather have someone else running my business
You prove my point without even knowing you're doing it.
I'm not saying I agree with the way the Eagles are run, I think a sports team that is supported by a city has a certain obligation to said city to do whatever it can for a championship. Still, there is no guarantee that spending wild on free agents or whatever will work, like what happened with TO, or the way the taterskins are run. But you go ahead and keep pissing and moaning like a little bitchboy about crap you have no control over. Really, what does the way the Eagles and the city deal with each other have to do with what goes on during the season? The only reason you even bring it up is because it puts Banner in a bad light and you feel you have to jump on your soap box and shout it from the mountain tops how much of a money grubbin' bastich that Banner is. What about the city of Philly trying for years to pass off the dump that was the Vet as a viable football arena?? How many free agents do you think didn't sign with the Eagles because of that crap field?? That place was the worst in the league, and it's still coming back to haunt the team. But as is with all those like igy with the fanatical tunnel vision, any business conducted by the hated Eagles FO must be either rippin' someone off or not being done in a rightious manner.
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
Still, there is no guarantee that spending wild on free agents or whatever will work
who said anything about spending money....or free agents...or spending money on free agents?
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
Really, what does the way the Eagles and the city deal with each other have to do with what goes on during the season?
nothing...again who said it did
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
The only reason you even bring it up is because it puts Banner in a bad light and you feel you have to jump on your soap box and shout it from the mountain tops how much of a money grubbin' bastich that Banner is.
im pretty sure ive never in my life called banner a money grubber or cheap...but keep on keepin on with the wild fantasies
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
What about the city of Philly trying for years to pass off the dump that was the Vet as a viable football arena??
actually the city had been trying to get a new stadium for years but it just didnt come together for a variety of different reasons...to try and sound like they didnt want a new stadium or pretended the vet was a viable stadium is....and i know this is going to come as a shock.....wrong
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
That place was the worst in the league, and it's still coming back to haunt the team.
lolol are you insane
last three years in the vet three playoffs and two nfc championship games
six years since the vet four playoffs three nfc championship games and a superbowl
yeah the vet is still haunting them
there isnt a eagle coach or player or a visiting coach or player who hasnt said the vet gave the eagle a huge hoime field advantage
I wish I could give myself rickets for starting this stupid thread. Rickets!
But you can! Cut out vitamin D and Calcium entirely, and almost all food....give it a few months and you'll be just like half the population of your godforsaken southern state.
I can never tell when you're hitting on me. Is this one of those times?
That I'm hitting on you is a constant; it's the tactics which change.
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 20, 2009, 07:04:14 AM
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
Still, there is no guarantee that spending wild on free agents or whatever will work
who said anything about spending money....or free agents...or spending money on free agents?
You have, numerous times.
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 20, 2009, 07:04:14 AM
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
Really, what does the way the Eagles and the city deal with each other have to do with what goes on during the season?
nothing...again who said it did
No one, which is why it amazes me when you bitch about a subject that doesn't, just so you can get your two cents in about how you hate Banner.
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 20, 2009, 07:04:14 AM
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
The only reason you even bring it up is because it puts Banner in a bad light and you feel you have to jump on your soap box and shout it from the mountain tops how much of a money grubbin' bastich that Banner is.
im pretty sure ive never in my life called banner a money grubber or cheap...but keep on keepin on with the wild fantasies
It would be a wild fantasy to think you could ever feel otherwise.
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 20, 2009, 07:04:14 AM
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
What about the city of Philly trying for years to pass off the dump that was the Vet as a viable football arena??
actually the city had been trying to get a new stadium for years but it just didnt come together for a variety of different reasons...to try and sound like they didnt want a new stadium or pretended the vet was a viable stadium is....and i know this is going to come as a shock.....wrong
No, it isn't.
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 20, 2009, 07:04:14 AM
Quote from: shorebird on June 20, 2009, 05:52:55 AM
That place was the worst in the league, and it's still coming back to haunt the team.
lolol are you insane
last three years in the vet three playoffs and two nfc championship games
six years since the vet four playoffs three nfc championship games and a superbowl
yeah the vet is still haunting them
there isnt a eagle coach or player or a visiting coach or player who hasnt said the vet gave the eagle a huge hoime field advantage
The crowd gave the Eagles home field advantage, not the field. The field was a disadvantage to any player who played on it. And yes, having to put up millions of dollars for an exibition game that was never played because the field wasn't fit for a Pop Warner team is definatly coming back to haunt them.
We all know how Banner is and we've all said it, many times. It gets old.
so am i smart or no?
If it's any consolation, I'd say you're as smart as anyone else here on this board. ;D
damnation by faint praise says hi
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/multimedia/index.asp?mm_file_id=7344&play_clip=y
$50 to anyone that can actually sit all the way through that without vomiting all over their keyboard.
I couldn't.
remember when he said like 5 times back in the spring that theres no way even if they tried that they could spend all their money under the cap?
i love in the interview too how he says doesnt matter what the players association or the league says theyve spent its wrong because he has all these payments that only he knows about that have to be made
Quote from: ice grillin you on July 24, 2009, 10:52:46 AM
remember when he said like 5 times back in the spring that theres no way even if they tried that they could spend all their money under the cap?
Yeah, and now they've come "the closest they've
ever come to having insignificant or no cap room at all." Peters and Andrews are the only additions they've made that aren't here on 1 year deals for chump chnage. Come on, Joe.
Quote from: ice grillin you on July 24, 2009, 10:52:46 AM
i love in the interview too how he says doesnt matter what the players association or the league says theyve spent its wrong because he has all these payments that only he knows about that have to be made
Well, Banner
is smarter than the entire NFL so I don't doubt that at all...
Banner is why i've stopped loving the birds as much as i did around 2000. He's went from a guy who was really a cap genius to a complete and total douchbag doing the Ed Wade, "Fans are morons" schtick.
Quote from: Seabiscuit36 on July 24, 2009, 11:19:31 AM
Banner is why i've stopped loving the birds as much as i did around 2000.
this is so true....and so sad
theres a part of me that doesnt want the team to win because i dont want banner to hold a championship and tell us i told you so for the rest of his life
and it makes me so mad and sickened to feel like that
you almost root for a couple of real bad seasons in a row so the anger level can reach its top point. with that, maybe season tickets sales will be low enough that those who remain can pull a "either banner goes or we go" like the phillies ticket holders did with ed wade.
thats the only way.
yep, thats where i really am now, i dont have season tickets, still would love them, but i have no problem not going to games so i dont support this shtein anymore. I did the same thing with the Phils, it worked out in my mind, lets hope Lurie understands.
On the plus side, this Eagles team will never win a championship, so you don't have to worry about Banner doing a supermsug "told ya, bitches!"
If they win a championship I don't care what Banner says, it will be easy to ignore then.
Banner is a douche. A bona fide weasel.
But I could never let his attitude affect my fanaticism. Winning a SB and the ensuing parade would be enough to stifle the puke down when he gets smug about it.
This is shocking
Jew link (http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20090726_Bob_Ford__Banner__Birds__roster_best_in_NFL.html)
(http://media.philly.com/images/300*258/20090726_inq_bford26z-a.JPG)
QuoteBanner: Birds' roster best in NFL
By Bob Ford
Inquirer Sports Columnist
The NFL off-season is all about planning and preparation, the mental dress rehearsal for the long march that, for the Eagles, begins today when rookies report to training camp.
Joe Banner, the team president, the guy who is mainly responsible for directing the front office in assembling the roster the head coach wants, had a long, exhausting off-season. Two player trades, nearly two dozen contracts to negotiate and execute, some hard decisions on having to move past players, particularly Brian Dawkins, who had meant a lot to the franchise.
"All of it had both personal and professional connections and they were tough decisions, emotionally difficult, and, frankly, a little scary," Banner said.
He knows you probably don't care about his problems, or that it was a tough off-season. What you care about is winning.
In that case, Banner has some good news. He likes the way things came out.
"I feel this year we have the best roster in the league," Banner said. "That's assuming everyone is healthy and standing at the end. You can only make a statement like that on the first day of training camp. After that, anything can happen."
Football is a capricious game. Its most important players can disappear on any play, and its most important moments are not decided best-of-seven. The careful plans and preparations can be blown apart in an instant. But you already knew that.
Banner also said he thought the Eagles had the NFL's best roster in 2003 and 2004 and even last season - "as crazy as it sounds given the way the regular season went" - he said he thought the roster ranked among the top three in the league.
"You get humbled over the years, but since I've been working in the league I don't think the best team has won the Super Bowl any year," Banner said. "You get a ball bouncing the wrong way, a bad call from the ref, a windy day when you plan to throw a lot. You lose once. Even if you get to the playoffs, and it's a year where most people would say you did really good, you don't feel satisfied. There are just too many things out of your control."
In a way, the careful planning, the painstaking structuring of contracts and massaging of the salary cap that goes on in every NFL front office is exactly the opposite of the sometimes random events on the field. David Tyree did not plan to catch a football against his helmet. It just kind of happened.
If you are someone who likes to control outcomes - Joe Banner fits that description - it is a game that can be frustrating to the point of breaking. That hasn't happened yet, though, and owner Jeff Lurie, Banner and head coach Andy Reid enter their 11th season together.
"I'm extremely excited about this team, the most I've been in a long time," Banner said.
Of course, it might not work again. And if it doesn't, the Eagles will hear what they did wrong. If they had spent more money, if they had kept Dawkins, if they had been willing to dispense with their legendary frugality. Of all the criticisms, that argument is the only one that irks Banner. Well, the only one that really, really irks him.
"I work for an owner, and my job is to apply his philosophy. He says that making money as the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles means nothing, it doesn't change his life. But winning a championship would be a thrill that would change his life forever. Executing that philosophy is our focus," Banner said. "As for the rest, we're big boys. Getting criticized for how the team performs comes with the territory. But I don't like criticism of our character, our integrity and our commitment to winning. I can't tell you that doesn't bother me."
A lot of what Banner does is about the money side of things, though. There's no getting around that, and he tries to get the best deals for his employer. This off-season, much of the work has involved trying to foresee the future. If the league and the players union don't agree on a new collective-bargaining agreement by March, the 2010 season will operate without a salary cap.
No one really knows if that will happen or what it will mean if it does. The uncertainty has made this off-season unusual. When the Eagles signed Jason Peters, the contract was written so that some of the future money can be designated as either signing bonus or roster bonus or salary bonus, depending on how the rules are eventually written.
An uncapped year would also mean that players will need six years of service time rather than four in order to become free agents. The Eagles have several key players - including Chris Gocong, Max Jean-Gilles, Ellis Hobbs, Hank Baskett and Brodrick Bunkley - who could be caught when that window closes. It will be interesting to see how the organization approaches those contracts.
"The reality is that everybody's guessing what will happen," Banner said. "We're trying to give ourselves some flexibility down the road that may turn out to be worthless or it may have some value. We just don't know, but we're trying to be as prepared as possible."
The front-office preparation begins to give way to the preparation on the field today. The balance will shift completely in a month and then little matters but those bounces of the football and fickle shifts in the wind.
"It's so hard to win a championship," Banner said. "There's so much more to it than just having the best team."
That's a pretty good way to start, however, and Joe Banner said he thinks the Eagles have the best team. He has thought that before, too, and one of these days he expects it to finally matter in the end.
"It's so hard to win a championship," Banner said. "There's so much more to it than just having the best team."
lolol
Not being completely oblivious might help.
where is hitler when you need him
You're all full of shtein. If this team won the SB this year, not a single one of you would give a shtein who was running the squad. The "I root against the team because of Banner (or Reid, or McNabb, etc)" schtick is utterly ridiculous.
I went to the Super Bowl in Jacksonville to cheer against the Eagles.
There. I said it.
Quote from: Die-Hard on July 26, 2009, 02:04:34 PM
You're all full of shtein. If this team won the SB this year, not a single one of you would give a shtein who was running the squad. The "I root against the team because of Banner (or Reid, or McNabb, etc)" schtick is utterly ridiculous.
i absolutely do and would care...its not even a question that banner winning a title would have a souring effect for me...doesnt mean i wouldnt love for them to do....and id be at the parade...but it wouldnt be as enjoyable to me as the phillies winning last year
I'd be happy about the win, but I sure as hell wouldn't turn on the tv for a while.
Montgomery & Giles are both colossal iceholes. Just because both of them are douchebags that doesn't mean I love the Phillies any less. In fact, it's fairly miraculous that any of us continue to love our teams simply because most, if not all, of them are owned and/or run by complete dickheads.
Lurie, Banner, Father of the Year Reid, Montgomery, Giles, Amaro, Ed Snider, & the Roberts Comcast shteinbags... yep, great group of fellas.
bon jovi is really nice, that made the soul championship a lil bit sweeter
Giants fan = borderline pedophile.
lol @ boderline
Quote from: Rome on July 26, 2009, 02:32:32 PM
Montgomery & Giles are both colossal iceholes. Just because both of them are douchebags that doesn't mean I love the Phillies any less. In fact, it's fairly miraculous that any of us continue to love our teams simply because most, if not all, of them are owned and/or run by complete dickheads.
Lurie, Banner, Father of the Year Reid, Montgomery, Giles, Amaro, Ed Snider, & the Roberts Comcast shteinbags... yep, great group of fellas.
i actually dont mind lurie
dave montgomery literally might be the nicest person in sports
ed snider is the man
giles seems fine
dont really know the other guys
point being all the bad bones in their bodies put together would make a person 1/100th as bad as joe banner
Ed Snider has 1 championship in the last 70 seasons of ownership of his sports franchises. Plus he's about as much of a Philly guy as the asshat from Boston. Monty & Giles are clowns who presided over decades of ineptitude and complacency until they were forced to hire a real baseball man.
But I'll agree that all of them combined don't come close to the iceholeness of Banner.
yeah im not talking about competance...banner is good at his job...hes just so despisable
Quote from: Rome on July 26, 2009, 02:18:18 PM
I went to the Super Bowl in Jacksonville to verbally assault A-rab cab drivers.
Fixed.
Hahaha...
Quote from: Die-Hard on July 26, 2009, 02:04:34 PM
You're all full of shtein. If this team won the SB this year, not a single one of you would give a shtein who was running the squad. The "I root against the team because of Banner (or Reid, or McNabb, etc)" schtick is utterly ridiculous.
Pretty much.
Dude is a douche. But his attytood wil never cause me to hate or root against the Eagles. I hate Amaro, but I don't root against the Phils.
If the Eagles were to win the SB, there are roughly 739,635,922 absolutely orgasmic thoughts that would be running through my head before I got to how much I hate Joe Banner and his smug, condescending douchebagginess.
Anyone who lets the front office personalities impact their feelings about a championship needs to reevaluate their life.
word
cmon...the last person or people Im thinking about at the parade or the following year/s are Banner and company.
all Ill ever care about are the players that were on the field that won the trophy, not who was behind the scenes playing wanna-be owner, being a smug condescending douchebag. sure ill rip him for the hell of it...but to let it affect my emotions of a championship? ha.
thanks for the trophy..appreciate it
you do know its possible for it to be both...you can be happy for the title and hate that he won one
it will be great but it just wont compare to the phils last year
Quote from: ice grillin you on July 27, 2009, 10:13:39 AM
it will be great but it just wont compare to the phils last year
Maybe I dont get understand this point because I'm not a Phils fan, but I have a feeling you're in the heavy minority on this one.
beyond heavy
Quote from: Die-Hard on July 27, 2009, 10:22:28 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on July 27, 2009, 10:13:39 AM
it will be great but it just wont compare to the phils last year
Maybe I dont get understand this point because I'm not a Phils fan, but I have a feeling you're in the heavy minority on this one.
oh no doubt...cause there are more eagle fans than phillies..and of the fans that like both teams there are many more who like the eagles better
i happen to like all four teams equally...so things like likeability probably matters more to me than most people
an eagles parade wouldn't be the same as a phils parade only because the phils broke the drought in the city. an eagles parade would still be great, but last year was something incredible.
i heard.
Quote from: ice grillin you on July 27, 2009, 10:13:39 AM
you do know its possible for it to be both...you can be happy for the title and hate that he won one
it will be great but it just wont compare to the phils last year
if the eagles were to win a sb this year, the last person i'd be thinking about is joe banner. would it piss me off that a title would almost gaurantee a lifetime of job security for banner or reid? of course it would, but it would be the last thing on my mind during the celebration phase. and i certainly won't enjoy it any less because of their presence.
You wouldn't think about Banner until his little monkey face starts showing up everywhere, squinting smugly and wearing superbowl cap with a completely straight brim.
its not only about banner either...the phillies as a team have an incredibly high likeability factor...the eagles not so much...you have a douchebag qb and an annoying coach on top of banner inc.
with burrell now gone and myers essentially gone there isnt a single player on the phillies who you dont like...its just such an awesome locker room
and from the powerhouse offense to the comebacks to the walk offs they are simply put the best watch in all of pro sports since last fall
and off the field the phils record has been pretty much spotless since the opening of the bank
but especially since the ws...the parade...the ring ceremonies...the banner raising...the harry kalas tributes ect....were all amazingly well done and super fan friendly
by contrast the eagles have hoagiegate... tailgate gate.....the mess with the season ticket waiting list...razorgator...letting dawkins walk...ect...
theres just no contest for me as to which would be the more enjoyable championship
sun makes a valid point as well about the drought...but imo the eagles breaking a 50 year championship drought should be just as impressive as the city breaking a 25 year title drought...or at least no real discernable difference
Quote from: General_Failure on July 27, 2009, 11:01:34 AM
You wouldn't think about Banner until his little monkey face starts showing up everywhere, squinting smugly and wearing superbowl cap with a completely straight brim.
don't get me wrong, the banner aftershock would be unbearable as i'm sure he'd attempt to take all of the credit. but imo, it wouldn't change of affect the actual moment of winning a super bowl. when the clock hits 00:00 it's all about the players.
only yous guys living in/around philly have to worry about banner showing his mug everywhere. i doubt he'll be gracing the cover of the la times or get air time on local tv news out here.
I root for laundry. The only person who has ever negatively impacted my enjoyment of watching the Eagles win was TO and during the Superbowl while he was cranking out yardage and keeping them in the game I was ready to father his children.
Superbowl > highschool drama
I want McNabb to win a SB and give igy the finger.
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on July 27, 2009, 09:44:10 PM
I want McNabb to win a SB and give igy the finger.
i dont care about donovan...hes a douche as well but at least hes a player and not an accountant....and even tho hes been a bitch about it to the highest degree he still has taken his fair share of criticism in a city where its tough to be a qb...if he wants to say i told you so ill give him a pass
I'm just happy Donovan got a set of nuts, and hung out with pornstars in vegas
When the Eagles win the Super Bowl the celebration is going to make the Phillies WFC look like a farging tea party.
I'd set the o/u at 2 on deaths at the parade
5 for the entire scope of celebration including immediately after the game
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on July 27, 2009, 09:44:10 PM
I want McNabb to win a SB and give igy the finger.
Stinky Pinky?
Ozzy would not like this title.