The normally reticent once and current general manager of the Eagles opens up about what the last year of life under the Kelly regime was like, and what fans can look forward to from him in the future.
Moments before Doug Pederson was introduced as the new coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Howie Roseman quietly slipped into his seat in the front row. He remained there the entire length of the press conference, not uttering a word — which had been the case since a well documented fallout with Chip Kelly Jan. 2, 2015 resulted in Roseman relinquishing power as general manager and being “promoted” to an administrative position.
Having perfected his Marcel Marceau act for over a year, imagine the surprise to find him, 20 minutes after the formal press conference had ended, surrounded by cameras and microphones in the Eagles’ NovaCare headquarters hallway. Yes, Howie Roseman was talking!
The normally reticent Roseman, a longtime member of Har Zion Temple, was in a relatively talkative mood as he revealed that the biggest thing that happened to him since he’d been banished from the Eagles’ war room by Kelly was that he’d done a lot of soul searching — and he didn’t necessarily like what he saw when he looked in the mirror.
“I think that when this happened last year … that was something I took to heart,” said Roseman, whom owner Jeffrey Lurie has apparently reinstated to a comparable BCE — Before Chip Era position — though no one’s saying quite what that will be.
“I didn’t put my head in the sand and just say everyone’s wrong,” he continued. “I learned that relationships were really important to me and people were very important to me. I asked myself, ‘How can I build better relationships?’ ”
While deflecting questions about Kelly’s disregard of him as a “football guy” along with a common perception he’s been difficult to work with and has alienated people throughout the NFL, the 40-year-old Roseman did concede there were aspects of his personality he needed to change.
Having been reassigned last season to tasks many would consider far too menial for someone who’d been pushing the button on free agency, trades and draft picks only weeks before, turned out to have certain advantages. “I’ve been here for a long time and developed relationships with people I really cared about who were like family to me,” said Roseman, who joined the organization in 2000 as an unpaid intern with a law degree from Fordham, then systematically worked his way up. “Being able to spend time with those people and talk about things that were not just football-related, but family-related, was really something I enjoyed.
“I knew I enjoyed that, but to get some perspective — I thought that was important. I felt I had to look into myself and make people understand I cared about them and make time for those relationships. Sometimes when you’re in a busy job, you might overlook some things. For people not to know how you feel, whether it’s friends or family, that’s hurtful.”
Even more hurtful was the toll it took on his family, particularly his four young children. “This city is where my kids were born,” said Roseman, a transplanted New Yorker, who got his degree from the University of Florida. “It’s their hometown. This is much harder on your family than you. You signed up for this. So, no question, a big part of this year was spending time with them. That’s who you hurt the most for. We’re big boys and girls — we understand with responsibility comes accountability and comes criticism. But in this world, it’s hard to keep your kids away from it. It’s a hard thing to explain to them what’s going on.”
Roseman says he’s come out of everything the better for it, though. He believes he’s built a better foundation with the people in the organization — besides Lurie — and looks forward to what comes next. He’s willing to shoulder the blame for everything that happened under his watch as general manager — even the drafting of minimally productive 2014 No. 1 pick, Marcus Smith.
There’s no use looking back, he says. It won’t change anything. The key is moving ahead. “It doesn’t always go perfect in this world,” said Roseman, who would not reveal whether or not he’ll take part in the selection of the new player personnel chief Lurie talked about hiring now that he’s got his coach. “Some smart guy once said, ‘Everyone views success as a straight line, but it doesn’t always go that way. The reality is, it’s up and down.’ I think you have to look at the mistakes you made and understand why they were mistakes and understand the successes. I’m trying to learn from everything. That’s all you can do. It’s part of the growing process.”
Through it all, on the day he finally came out of exile, Howie Roseman said one thing has never changed. “First of all, I just care about this team, no matter what role I have,” he said. “I care about this city and these fans.
“I’m an Eagle. That’s all I know.”
Welcome back, Howie.
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