Eagles Fired Tom Gamble

[hbionic]

Holy shtein who cares.

Just hope the guy picks good players and wins us a Super Bowl.

oooohhh....you said, "Us"!

[ice grillin you]

sports are important

SREAM

[PhillyPhreak54]

@EliotShorrParks: Per @AdamSchefter, the #Eagles have requested permission for GM interview with KC's Chris Ballard.

[Don Ho]

regarding marcus smith...based on the stories that came out about mathews and hart and how chip wanted them and howie talked him into waiting i have no doubt that chip wanted smith and howie couldn't tell him that he'd be there for their 2nd round pick so that's why they took him there.

[PhillyPhreak54]

@JasonLaCanfora: The Eagles have requested permission to interview recently promoted Green Bay exec Eliot Wolf for their personnel opening

[ice grillin you]

i know nothing of his knoweldge base but you just know that would not end up well and would be classic philly....get the second rate son but never have the father

disgregarding the karma part of it you would think interest in wolf would mean that chip probably isnt very high on maryowitz

[ice grillin you]

outstanding piece today by mosher...some really interesting stuff about how it seems like anyone thats ever worked with him has hated howie's guts...

Almost a week has passed since the hammer dropped at One NovaCare Way, setting off a major demolition of the Eagles' old front-office structure.

The Eagles fired vice president of player personnel Tom Gamble on Wednesday. On Friday, Jeffrey Lurie announced sweeping changes that included coach Chip Kelly seizing control of all personnel decisions, former general manager Howie Roseman reassigned to dealing exclusively with cap management and other non-personnel matters and Kelly empowered to replace Roseman with a handpicked personnel chief.

That's some serious change in less than one week. Here's my attempt to put as much as possible in perspective:

The structure is new, but is it better?

On the day Lurie announced his massive overhaul, I wrote a column earlier in the morning that criticized the owner for his unconventional front-office structure. Even after the change, it's still unconventional.

Lurie basically gave the head coach carte blanche in personnel decisions, which is dangerous unless the coach's name is Bill Belichick. It worked well for Pete Carroll, but at least Carroll had success in the NFL and a playoff win already under his belt.

Lurie's move screams of being reactive instead of proactive. He essentially allowed Kelly to strong-arm him into overhauling his front office on the fly and then tried to soften the blow for Roseman by padding his wallet.

I have no issue with Lurie's choosing Kelly over Roseman, but the process itself is flawed. It's debatable whether Kelly deserves this much power with such little on his NFL resume and it's also unclear if Roseman is completely out of the personnel picture.

Lurie didn't actually solve the front-office dysfunction problem; he just tried to hide it by moving Roseman into a different role but also changing Roseman's title to seemingly give his longtime executive more power.

The idea that Kelly and Roseman are out of each other's way now is absurd. They still have to work together when it comes to player retention, free-agent signings and other areas where money and personnel blend.

What happens when Kelly wants to keep a player Roseman believes is overvalued?

Howie wasn't the worst GM on Earth

Despite public perceptions, Roseman performed well in many areas that were central to the job.

I've spoken to nearly a half-dozen personnel men who have worked under, with or in conjunction with Roseman and many of them vouched for his acumen in performing very specific tasks, such as preparing for the draft and free agency, managing the cap and executing other personnel transactions.

Several of these personnel folks candidly admitted that they don't like him but still said Roseman brought value to his job.

By all accounts, Roseman's work ethic is top notch, his preparation is unmatched and his talent evaluation, for a guy with no football pedigree, isn't half bad. Nobody outworks him, nobody is more prepared.

"I'm better off for having worked with Howie," said one former Eagles personnel man who also admits he has no love lost for his former boss.

Preparation helped Roseman understand how to navigate the draft, know the best value for the round and helped him be savvy in the trade market. He acquired DeMeco Ryans and Darren Sproles without giving up anything substantive.

Those who worked with him knocked his heavy reliance on analytics, although you'd expect someone without a natural scouting background to focus on the stuff he can best comprehend – hard data.

Howie's downfall was ... Howie

One major reason the NovaCare Complex became a revolving door for talented executives, according to several people who have worked under Roseman, is because working with Roseman can be unbearable, especially in times of adversity.

In the NFL, there's always adversity. No team hits on every draft pick. No team gets every player it wants. Not every team is the first to uncover the hidden gem or trend, like former college basketball players who suddenly become star tight ends.

Scouting isn't an exact science. Even great franchises like the Patriots, Steelers and Packers have made plenty of bad first-round picks and bust free-agent signings, but sources said Roseman was so driven by fear of failure that he didn't stick to the process and quickly turned on his staff when problems arose.

Roseman was also distrustful of his staff, fearing that underlings would try to climb the ladder and snatch away his job the same way he did as he worked his way up the chain for 16 years.

His paranoia either drove other talented executives away or landed them pink slips. That's why guys like Jason Licht, Marc Ross, Tom Heckert, Louis Riddick, Tom Gamble and others had short careers with the Eagles as Roseman worked his way up.

"He's not a leader," one person who worked under Roseman said. "He's an authority figure."

Ed Marynowitz is a "stud."

People who have worked with this guy absolutely love him. He's like a scouting god. Marynowitz was the architect of Nick Saban's championship teams at Alabama before Roseman got him to climb aboard in 2012 while Andy Reid was still head coach.

Marynowitz played quarterback and is known for having a good eye at that position, which is important right now for the Eagles. Makes sense that he's reportedly one of Kelly's candidates for the new "GM" job.

"I think Ed can be like Ozzie Newsome," said one person who has worked closely with Maynowitz.

Marynowitz is yet another talented Eagles personnel man who eventually crossed Roseman one too many times. Per several sources, a frost had developed between the two, and some believed Marynowitz would be next to go until last week's front-office overhaul took Roseman out of the scouting equation.

Marynowitz, just 32, doesn't have a ton of NFL front-office experience but he's spent a good deal of his past year on the road to become familiar with the scouting process at the NFL level. Sources say Marynowitz admired Gamble, so perhaps he leaned on Gamble to prepare himself for the opportunity.

Could Howie could still be an issue?

Don't laugh but several sources have wondered if Roseman's office will continue to be next to Kelly's upstairs at the NovaCare. It's an honest question.

If Roseman's office doesn't budge, some will interpret that as a sign that his power hasn't really diminished, which could impact Kelly's search for a new top personnel man.

Several personnel people have told me throughout the years that the key to sustained success is front-office harmony. Not everyone has to agree, but people must work with each other and avoid finger-pointing when bumps are in the road.

If Roseman's presence still looms large in the front office then the job may not be as attractive as it would seem.

"Who would step into that mess?" wondered a former team personnel man.

It's fair to wonder if Roseman's continued presence at the NovaCare, even in his "new" role, would influence Marynowitz to jump ship. With his league-wide reputation, Marynowitz wouldn't have a problem finding a new job.

Chip's under the gun

We've already seen indications that Kelly's personnel judgment is questionable, starting with the draft.

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report reported that Kelly wanted Jordan Matthews in the first round, but Roseman needed to convince him that Matthews would be there for the taking in the second round. Kelly admittedly wanted to use a third-round pick on Taylor Hart before Roseman explained that the former Oregon defensive linemen would be around in the fifth round.

No one single person makes a draft pick, but Kelly's fingerprints are all over the past two drafts. The team's picks are influenced by Kelly's scheme, culture and preference for specific measureables at certain positions.

Although the team's top three picks in 2013 look good – Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Bennie Logan – the decision to trade up for Matt Barkley in the fourth round looks like a mistake and fifth-round safety Earl Wolff has lost his luster. Obviously, the 2014 draft has been a disaster so far.

If the Eagles aren't going to lure big-time free agents anymore they'll need to be steady in the next few drafts for Kelly to succeed. If Kelly doesn't succeed, Lurie's decision to give him total power will set the franchise back another few years.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I am not surprised to hear he was an awful boss

[SD]

"I think Ed can be like Ozzie Newsome," said one person who has worked closely with Maynowitz.

The more I read about Maynowitz the more I think they're wasting their time interviewing other candidates

[ice grillin you]

i understand if they want a veteran presence who has more league connections and experience....but the fact that they are approaching ron wolf's kid who is the same age as mary doesnt bode well for him i wouldn think

[BigEd76]

i know nothing of his knoweldge base but you just know that would not end up well and would be classic philly....get the second rate son but never have the father

This Wolf guy is Chip Jr though. Nothing but football since 4th grade

Eliot's scouting career unofficially began at age 10, when he joined his father in film sessions at Lambeau Field.

He has also worked 22 consecutive Packers drafts (since 1993), and nine NFL scouting internships – five with the Packers, three with the Atlanta Falcons and one with the Seattle Seahawks. Wolf has attended 22 consecutive NFL scouting combines.

Those internships and prior "unofficial" experiences have provided significant knowledge. Wolf, for example, is familiar with the history of every NFL player, having prepared details for the Packers for every draft since 1993.

The 32-year-old Wolf filed his first report at age 14 for the Falcons, and has provided valuable information for the Packers' pro personnel department during previous internships.

Wolf owns a B.A. degree in creative writing from the University of Miami (Fla.), graduating in December 2003 after just 3½ years in order to begin his NFL career

C'mon he's a Hurricane that left school early for the NFL, so you know he's good

[PhillyPhreak54]

I think they're covering their bases and interviewing as many as they can even if they think Maryowitz is the guy

Igy should be IN on Ozzie Jr

[QB Eagles]

I assume that every anonymous "former team personnel man" quoted over the last week is Gamble.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Probably some Joey B thrown into the mix too

[ice grillin you]

I assume that every anonymous "former team personnel man" quoted over the last week is Gamble.

I've spoken to nearly a half-dozen personnel men who have worked under, with or in conjunction with Roseman


its what makes the article so good....its not a hit piece that references a high ranking eagle front office member (chip) or a former member of the personell dept (gamble)....it also doesnt just kill howie...it praises him as well....and it hits at chip too...i wish more of the hacks that covered the team put out stuff as good as this