Lurie's "State of the Team" Address 2006

[Diomedes]

Brookover gives the speech the proper amount of attention (see second post below), but my friend igy really, REALLY wants a whole thread to talk about this annual PR stunt, so here you go buddy.Jeff Offord / PhillyBurbs.com

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Pressed as to why his team's first-round draft pick is still unsigned, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie couldn't come up with an answer.

"I have no idea,'' Lurie said. "He should be here."

Lurie gave his annual state of the team address yesterday at Lehigh University and seemed miffed that first rounder Brodrick Bunkley remained one of the few No.1's from last April's draft to still be without a contract.

If it was strictly up to the Eagles, Bunkley would have been in training camp from Day One. But Lurie said yesterday that Bunkley's agent, Gary Wichard, is making unreasonable demands.

"Just because most of the first-round picks are already signed and we always just give fair value of where the pick lies,'' Lurie said. "As I've said before, it's not rocket science. You just be very fair and that's always been the case. That's the way it will always be as long as I own the team."

Lurie said that the number of years Bunkley is looking to sign for is not holding up the contract. That leaves only one other possible reason: money.

Only three other NFL first-round picks remain unsigned: Donte Whitner (8th), Matt Leinart (10th) and Jason Allen (16th).

Bunkley has missed the first 14 days of training camp and even if the former Florida State defensive tackle signs today, he will certainly not play in the Eagles' preseason opener against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

"We've always been very fair with all of our first-round draft contracts, that there's no excuse for an agent not coming to terms at this point,'' Lurie said. "It's the responsibility of the player eventually to recognize what's fair and make a decision.

"He's a good guy, I hope Brodrick will get in here very soon."
<snip>

Kevin Roberts / Courier Post Online

Thursday, August 3, 2006

Owner learns from mistakes

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- It was in a driving rain, an absolute deluge, when Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie gave his State of the Team address last year. First sign this is a different year: Eagles training camp Wednesday was held about a mile from the sun.

And sitting in the staggering heat, Lurie said: "That downpour kind of foreshadowed the season. So we'll take the hottest day of the summer every time."

Ah, yes -- let's get right to it. Lurie called last year "a disaster," and he blames a good portion of it on that rotten Terrell Owens -- so much so that he wishes he'd never signed the star wide receiver.

"I would not do it again, no," Lurie said. "You look back on it and say, "One year, great. Second year, a disaster.' And nobody should be able to be as disruptive and really cut the energy of a team down like what happened this past year. So, I think we all learn from that."

But, really, that one year was pretty darn great; four points short of being really great. Was any of it worth it? Does the end result justify anything? Put it this way -- if the Eagles had beaten New England and won the Super Bowl, and then Owens went crazy (which he almost certainly would have), would Lurie still regret it?

Lurie smiled and said: "That's a very good question," and then answered it this way:

"Like everything in life, the process is very important. Whether it's a relationship with somebody, a sport you're rooting for -- it's the process. It's not just the climax, it's not just the end. It's the process. We go through life, many years. It's not just that you hit your 85th year. It's whether the life was fulfilling and enjoyable. I'd have to say that we regret the decision we made there, but it was done with great intentions."

OK, then.

That "it's not the climax" bit is an interesting subject of debate. Because if you're an Eagles fan -- it's the climax. Or, so that we can stop using the word "climax," the end result matters a lot. Eagles fans don't necessarily care about a pleasant journey in a tranquil locker room with a manageable salary cap.

They want to win. They want a championship. And one argument that emerged amid the wreckage of last year was this -- do the Eagles want that title as much as the fans? The team is obviously run efficiently. But how does the desire to win balance with running an efficient business? Does it factor in there, somewhere?

"You always have to balance that," Lurie said. "But understand that in the NFL, we're just the distribution mechanism of the salary cap for the entire team. We can't compete on the amount of salary. We can only compete on how we distribute it, and to who."

"So what we try to do to is gain an advantage -- and we've been very successful at that -- to try to have the most money going to the players that are performing for you every single year. When we line up against a team that has $10-12 million of dead money, and we might average $1-2 million, that's one of the strategic advantages you can have. Financially, that's the advantage. You can't outspend on the salary cap. You can only distribute smartly."

A word, here, on the Eagles and their obsession with the salary cap. You can call this a million different things. But it's hard to argue that the Eagles come in under the cap for the money. Lurie doesn't need it. The Eagles are worth about a billion dollars. That's right, a billion. Forbes magazine last year valued the franchise at $952 million -- or more than $700 million more than Lurie spent when he bought the team in 1994.

Lurie's Eagles are printing money down there at Corporate Sponsor Naming Rights Field. Lurie could make V.I. Warshawski every month for the rest of his life and never spend all the money the Eagles make.

Still, consistent efficiency isn't much fun without a Super Bowl trophy.

"It's the only goal we have," Lurie said. "We always want to be a great franchise in the community, in terms of all the wonderful things you can do off the field. But that's our focus -- what can we do to maximize our chances to win championships?"

The cap, the marketing, the profits -- the Eagles have that stuff kicked. But fans care about championships. For them, that's the only bottom line.

[Diomedes]

Bob Brookover / Inquirer

Eagles Notes

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - For the second time in as many days, the Eagles took a rookie wide receiver off the physically-unable-to-perform list and sent him onto the practice field.

Jeremy Bloom's return, however, was a little different than Jason Avant's the day before. Avant, who had arthroscopic surgery in June to repair torn knee cartilage, participated in all drills and the team's live scrimmage during Monday's workouts at Lehigh University.

Bloom, meanwhile, returned from his strained hamstring in a more limited role yesterday. The fifth-round draft pick and former U.S. Olympic skier caught a few passes in individual drills, but he did not participate in the live scrimmage or the afternoon special-teams practice.

"We are just going to work him in slowly and see how he does," coach Andy Reid said after the Eagles' morning practice.

Bloom said he was instructed to say nothing, but he did speak a little after he caught passes from the JUGS machine following the special-teams practice.

"I was able to get out there," he said. "Being out there is a step further than where I was. I caught some balls. One step at a time."

When the conversation turned to how Bloom felt in his first workout, he said Reid instructed him not to answer questions on that subject. It is team policy to prevent players from speaking about the specifics of injuries.

Pinkston still not well

Wide receiver Todd Pinkston remained sidelined by swelling in both of his Achilles tendons. It was the third straight day he was unable to practice, increasing concern about when he will be able to return.

Elsewhere on the injury front, it was a bad day for running back Correll Buckhalter, who was not able to practice after being involved in a live scrimmage for the first time Monday.

"Buckhalter had a little tenderness in his knee, so we held him out," Reid said. "We know there are going to be ups and downs with it, and we just have to be smart with it. He got some great work in [Monday]."

Defensive end Darren Howard sat out for the second straight practice with swelling in his knee.

Running back Ryan Moats was sidelined for the fifth straight day with strained knee ligaments.

Rookie fullback Jason Davis underwent surgery yesterday on his broken hand. Reid said Davis had pins and screws inserted.

Also missing practice were receiver Derrick Fenner (strained hamstring) and cornerback Donald Strickland (sprained knee). Rookie linebacker Chris Gocong was held to limited contact after suffering a stinger earlier in the week.

Bunkley update

Reid indicated that the Eagles were talking to Brodrick Bunkley's agent, Gary Wichard, but the defensive tackle remained unsigned and missed his 21st and 22d practices of training camp.

Reid, who said he had not spoken to Bunkley, was asked if he was taking the defensive tackle's absence personally.

"There is a whole team here," he said. "There is a whole team that is trying to get better. It's not all about me, and it's not all about Brodrick right now. It's all about the football team. He needs to be here so he can get better and help the football team get better."

Extra points

Reid said incumbent Dhani Jones is ahead of Greg Richmond in the battle to be the starting strong-side linebacker... . Owner Jeffrey Lurie arrived at training camp yesterday and will give his annual "state of the Eagles" address at Lehigh today.

[Rome]

Lurie makes me sick sometimes.

Then I remember who owns the Sixers, Phillies & Flyers and then I feel better.  Much better.

[ice grillin you]

any place to get a transcript of the address

[Diomedes]

www.google.com

give a try big guy

[ice grillin you]

been there done that chief