Eagles General Manager Joe Banner was on 97.5 The Fanatic today, clarifying the statements which he made on 610-WIP radio where he argued that the performance of the Philadelphia Eagles was superior to that of the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Philadelphia SportsDaily,com.
“I did not say that, and more importantly I do not believe that,” Banner said. “It’s clear I said they were better. It’s also clear that I wasn’t comfortable making it sound as if we had no achievements that we had a right to feel good about.”
Banner was then questioned about Eagles fans feeling that the team is happy with being competitive and not really upset that they haven’t won a Super Bowl yet.
“I am very aware that people perceive that. I am painfully aware that they perceive that,” said Banner. “I’m not sure what more we can do to refute that than what we’ve tried to do in operating the team.”
Banner addressed his “insanity comments where he said doing the same thing and expecting different results) after the loss by the Eagles to the Arizona Cardinals in the 2009 NFC Championship game.
“Since I made that statement, there’s almost not a single thing other than the head coach that’s the same. We’ve got a different quarterback, we have almost a completely different roster, we’ve got a different training staff, we have a different weightlifting coach,
we have a dramatically different coaching staff other than the head coach. So, I feel like I made a statement that I honored, that I lived up to…I tipped people off that we were about to make a lot of changes.”
Banner talked about evaluating the head coaching position which could be taken as a open-ended question every year.
“When we sit down and discuss this internally, the question is: Do we believe that Andy Reid is capable of winning the Super Bowl? That’s the first part,” said Banner. “And do we believe that he is more capable of winning the Super Bowl than any other options that are available to us?
“If we thought the answer to that question was no, we would make a coaching change.”
I wonder if Andy Reid would like hearing this statement.
Wonder what Coach AR thinks about these Statements..
Watch him get asked by a reporter up at the Combine 10 different times..
This Organization is becoming so Dysfunctionable and Paranoid that it’s becoming humorous abnd sad at the same time..
Well, if people want the organization to answer honestly, I’d say that’s a pretty honest answer. Let’s face it, in any for profit enterprise, besides the owner, ultimately every single employee’s job is up for review. Andy Reid knows that is true.
I interpret his statement to mean that the organization has given Andy everything he’s asked for or needed to win the Superbowl, and if he doesn’t make that happen soon, he’s “outta here like last year.”
I’d agree with that DW. Reid no doubt has proven, first-rate coaches at every key position: April, Mudd, Washburn, Castillo will be fine with the D-guys around him. We need some studs on defense and at least one good new starting lineman on the right side. Assuming we draft well and pick up a top FA, Reid has no more excuses… win by end of your contract or bye-bye.
“Since I made that statement, there’s almost not a single thing other than the head coach that’s the same. We’ve got a different quarterback, we have almost a completely different roster, we’ve got a different training staff, we have a different weightlifting coach, we have a dramatically different coaching staff other than the head coach.”
read that quote again. Same stuff is still happening after everything has changes execept for ….. Andy is the problem.
“When we sit down and discuss this internally, the question is: Do we believe that Andy Reid is capable of winning the Super Bowl? That’s the first part,” said Banner. “And do we believe that he is more capable of winning the Super Bowl than any other options that are available to us?
“If we thought the answer to that question was no, we would make a coaching change.” ”
Thats just silly. There are plenty of coaches who have rings that are out there. We have one who in 12 years who cant. Gruden, Dungy, Coher all can, and have proven it.
No $#*( Dick Tracy
I was impressed with Banner’s interview (and I generally can’t stand the guy). My interpretation is that he feels that the Eagles have made enormous changes to the staff and the roster and that the only thing keeping Reid in place at this point is the fact that he consistently gets the team into the playoffs. I also get the impression that this “close but no cigar” thing isn’t going to go on for much longer. I think Reid will get 1 or 2 mores seasons tops to win the Super Bowl. I can live with that.
@E-money….I had a similar reaction when I heard the interview.
Ozz, there’s 0 proof that any of the 3 you just mentioned want to coach – if they do, wouldn’t they have jobs now? They are with current teams and not dead, so yeah, technically they are ‘available’, but that doesn’t mean they are viable options should the fire Reid. AND having a ring doesn’t make you more likely to get another one. It really doesn’t. Mike Holmgren has a ring, how has that helped him with Seatle and Cleveland? Tom Coughlin has one, how has that worked out since he got it? How is Shannahan looking now?
Shill you also said there is 0 proof that we were going to trade mcnabb when those rumors started. Why dont you make a comment about an article instead of just trolling through ours and pissing on them because you are in love or paid by the Eagles FO. A matter of fact, why don you be the first to put YOUR opinion on an article. Either that or go away and stare at your Howie Rosman Fat Head on your wall.
I think Andy Reid will get until his contract expires – unless the Eagles have a losing season next year. If we have a losing season, or if Michael Vick sucks for some reason, then Reid will be gone.
Joe Banner also scoffed at the idea that Reid has been stripped of any of his football operations authority. And in an interview with Reuben Frank yesterday Andy Reid said it’s the trust and support he gets from owner Jeff Lurie and team president Joe Banner that allows him to make unpopular, difficult and risky moves. Without that trust, he’d never be able to move a lifetime offensive line coach to defensive coordinator – a move the jury is still out on.
I think we can dismiss the idea that Reid is being told what to do with regard to personnel and coaching moves. Reid is calling the shots… So if we don’t win it’s all on Reid – there is no shared power or responsibility.
Dungy will not Coach again, Cowher only wants to Coach a few selected teams
(Giants,Cowboys & Dolphins) and Gruden would love to Coach in Philly, but only when AR is out of the Picture and is happy being a TV Analyst right now
No coach ever won a SB with two different teams. I’m not an odds-maker but I think Reid might have better odds of winning one than any of the out-of-work SB winning coaches. A young guy who never coached might have the best odds of winning.
I think Andy is capable of winning one given the right players like any other coach. Andy’s problem is this team right now, isn’t built in philosophy or personnel to win it all. We’d have to hope for Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Matt Ryan to all have season ending injuries and we stay completely healthy just to get through the NFC. Andy is a very good coach. But I’m tired of the way he builds this team, his offensive philosophy and defensive drafting. Sure any coach is capable when they have the right players. But we don’t have the right players so I think it’s unlikely that Andy wins one within the next couple seasons. A lot of things have to happen for that. So we will have to see if it does.
ozz, I agree with you. But I much rather Joe say they believe Andy can win a Super Bowl than for them to say “there’s no one better to replace him with”. That’s what some of the jokers on here try to rationalize why the Eagles still go with Reid. They think he’s still here because Lurie and Banner don’t think there’s anyone better to replace him. And that’s simply not the case. They believe he can win which is why he’s still the coach. And I much rather hear him say that than go with the “fear of uncertainty” rational that idiots use.
Irish, by that same token only 1 coach has gone longer than 5 years without winning a Super Bowl and eventually winning it with the same team. Cowher. Other than him, every other coach in history won within their first 5 years, didn’t win at all or won with a different team.
@ scorp…if you heard the interview he kind of used your “fear of uncertainty” argument….he was saying that if you look at the coaches that have been hired in the league since Reid was hired, there are relatively few that he would have hired instead of AR…
Funny thing is, that Lurie / Banner have hred (2) head coaches in their time here…Rhoads & Reid….Reid was a position coach, never even a coordinator….there was a time when these guys were not afraid to make a bold move and give responsibility to a relative unknown….I believe that Reids early success and power grab has made his employers more hesitant to make a move, relatively satified with the status quo in fear of making a wrong choice.
green, yeah I know but I’d expect him to also deflect by using that as well. Just like when talking about our success he also has to bring up other teams. So I’d definitely expect that in some way. But I rather him also say “we think Andy can win” than only saying “there’s no one better”. To me the latter statement is from a coward scared to make a change and rather be comfortable than actually dealing with the problem.
I would say that with several of the coaches that have one in the last decade, there aren’t many we would take over Reid or we would consider better coaches but they find a way to win and they clearly have a philosophy that works. To me, Andy is looking more and more like a personnel/GM/President type guy than a head coach. Maybe he has too much on his plate. I don’t know. But either he’s messing up with personnel or messing up with coaching. I just think he needs 1 job, 1 role and that’s it. But he’s the coach and he’s picking all the players. So if the players you are picking aren’t working out and you’re not going to go out there on a weekly basis and outcoach the other team, I just think we’ll end up back here next year with the same result.
green, I agree. They had no problem going with an unknown so I don’t think they would have a problem and many people on this site would want us to believe. I think they actually believe Andy can get it done. Now whether they are right is a different story, but I think they really believe in him and are less afraid of the unknown than we think. That’s just my thoughts. I just don’t like when people try to use that “fear of uncertainty” on here as a reason to keep Andy. That’s coward talk.
agree scorp…what is so scarey anyway…this is football, not the national economy…now THAT’s sacrey!!
I think Banner made it pretty clear yesterday that they have faith in Andy, I agree with you. I think they really believe that he can get it done here.
green, yeah I know. Can’t remember who it was on here but he actually was saying that you have to keep Reid, not because you think he can win now, but because you don’t have a replacement for him. I just thought that was pure stupidity. If a team keeps a coach and not think he can win then what does that tell everyone? Point is they believe in Andy and I can respect that a lot more than saying “there’s no one out there to replace him with”. Sure there is.
They didn’t say that they don’t think there is a coach out there that can win a SB. They said “And do we believe that he is more capable of winning the Super Bowl than any other options that are available to us?”
Meaning that they don’t think there is a coach out there that gives is more capable and that is somewhat true, because you can’t predict what coaches are gonna win SBs, so in essence no coach out there gives us a better chance to win a SB than Reid, because there is no way of knowing. Unless you are one of the idiots that guarantee that Reid will never win a SB.
Ozzman, Shiller attacked your retarded statements because that is what they were, and he is right. You attacked him because you have nothing to come back with to prove your point. He comes on here and does what this site was intended for, talk/argue sports. You did something that this site isn’t intended for, attacking him. Maybe you are the one that should leave.
sportsbum, ozz comments logical, banner completely overhauled personnel, including the franchise qb, running back, key defensive players, and now coaches, but the one constant is Reid, so its logical to conclude that Reid is the reason for no championships, and therefore one can make a compelling argument that the eagles will never win a super bowl with reid, very simple, very understandable, very real
Thanks Sportsbum. My plan was to ignore that, but you have a good point, he just got bitter – many do and I understand. I’m not one to say ‘I love banner or hae him’ I’m more of a middle of the road guy myself so i don’t have loud opinions to post on here often. So Ozz does have a point there… though he did it in a childish way.
BUT, Ozz, I do have one very strong opinion, and that is that I hate negadelphia. Let me explain, I’m not saying nobody should every speak negatively about a player or coach or FO etc… but I hate negative lazy, flawed, bandwagon, unfair thinking – like ‘the Eagles are cheap’ – just for one example. There’s so much ‘hate’ that goes on toward Philly sports that is way outside of logic, fairness, reasonable thought and is often spread around without basis in fact or balance.
And as I’ve stated before, I think it weighs on the shoulders of Philly athelets often and has a negative effect on performance. I truly believe that.
Just think of all the reasons people said we didn’t win the superbowl this year so far – mostly the usual anti Reid ‘classics’ (pass run ratio/time outs/ personelle trends….etc)… and much more. BUT LAST TIME I CHEKED – Mike Vick threw a Pick and that was it. That’s what ended our season in my book.
There is 1 playmaker on the Eagles Defense and that’s CB Asante Samuel,
There needs to be at least 2-3 on a Defensive Unit and the Eagles do not have this.. You would like one as a Pass-Rusher and one amongst teh LB corp and 1
in the Secondary.. No playmakers on Defense means no playoff wins and no Super Bowl..
jake, with all due respect, that is very simple and understandable, very ‘real’ – as oppossed to fake? what does ‘real’ mean there at all?
BUT it ain’t logical. In fact, in strict rules of technical logic, that is NOT logical. Your ‘logic’ is – it hasn’t happened yet, so it won’t ever. Hey man, you didn’t get laid before your first time right? Still a virgin?
as for simple, understandable… uh, so was the statement that the world is flat – simple, understandable, WRONG
“There are plenty of coaches who have rings that are out there. We have one who in 12 years who cant. Gruden, Dungy, Coher all can, and have proven it.”
Gruden-prolly most overated coach in nfl history who won a ring with Dungys players and against his former team that he knew the complete ins and out of…once the team/organization was all on him the Bucs folded into misery
Cowher- I like his style but if you dont like Reid I dont get how you can like Cowher. It took him what 15 years to win a ring. It took Mike tomlin like what 2 years with that team..that should be all you need right there.
Dungy- i like him but when you have who when its all said and done to prolly be the best QB to ever play the game on your team and only win 1 ring you didn’t win enough in my opnion. How many times did they get bounced in the playoffs
Im not a Reid lover but I would take Reid over any of these guys and i said it before..if teams really were dying to have these coaches because they were so superior compared to what we got here, teams would of made them offers they couldnt refuse. If the Eagles replace Reid thats fine with me but it has to be with someone better.
OZZMAN..im not definate but im pretty sure your a huge Vick fan/supporter.
BUT based on your theory, “There are plenty of coaches who have rings that are out there. We have one who in 12 years who cant.”
You are saying you would take Trent Dilfer in his playing days over Mike Vick right now for our team. Because based on your logic, Trent Dilfer has 1 ring, Mike Vick who has had plety of years in the league to win one has 0. Thats make Trent Dilfer better…Same thing with Eli Manning who won a ring in like3-4 yrs but Vick still has zero. I dont think your logic is working…
jakedog, he overhauled it 2 years ago…… And things did change….. You could say they got worse, but if you are making a complete overhaul, you can’t expect things to get better before they get worse. You were expecting immediate changes?
What is more insane? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Or completely changing/overhauling your team and expecting immediate results?
His theory wasn’t logical. There is no exact science as to who will and will never win a SB. There are no guarantees. That is why even when the Pats were 18-0 in the SB against the Giants, the best odds anyone would give them to win the SB was still 2 to 1. And they lost. How come you people won’t get that through your head. You act like we can just go out and hire a coach that will definitely win the SB.
My question is, since you all hate Reid so bad, if we win the SB with him, you won’t be happy, right? Because Reid will still be here, so you shouldn’t be happy? You will still be calling for Reids head, right? Because after all, you are all probably the same morons that wanted Manuel head before we won the WS, then when we won, turned around and proclaim he a top coach in the league. You are frontrunner, bandwagon fans. You hate the team for not being championship winners, then are happy to proclaim your fandom when they do. You are a joke.
And I am with you Shiller, that is what I hate, Negladelphia. I don’t care if people criticize the team. Hell, I do it myself, because I can’t stand Andy Reid’s pass happy system, but that is all it seems like people do. This team has been the most successful the last decade than it ever has in franchise history and the “fans” have probably been the most negative during this time too. I understand a need for a championship, but I think they go way overboard with their opinions, negativity to express it.
bum, I can’t entirely agree with you that the negativity has INCREASED over the Reid era – of course it’s impossible to acurately quantify – I feel like negatdelphia was QUITE HEALTHY durning the ryan – rhodes eras’ and across all 4 sports…
But I would say that the internet, (see sites like this one and MANY more), has proliferated negadelphia far more than was ever possible before hand.
What amazes me is the old ‘kool-aid’ reference and concept. I understand why its used, but there’s a great irony there becuase many of the people who acuse me and others who sometimes support the team or take issue with unfair or unreasonable criticism, THEY DRINK THE MEDIA/TALK RADIO/NEGADELPHIA koolaid THEMSELVES – and to a greater degree than the fans who support the Eagles.
So telling.
Sports and schiller, I feel you. But so what? Let people be as negative as they want. No one here can do anything about it and trying to shut negative people up is definitely not going to do anything. I say if you don’t like it, then ignore it and move on. I don’t see the need in going out of your way to express your dislike for others opinion. It’s their opinion and that’s all it is. Most of the time you guys spend on here criticizing others opinion rather than actually discussing the article. And whether the fans are overly negative or overly positive, both sides have valid points. And yes BOTH SIDES go overboard at times at we lose the content and instead criticize and insult each other rather than respecting each others differences of opinion.
Everyone will not view everything the same way and we all should know that the line between a passionate fan and idiot can be very thin when talking about a Philadelphia sports fan. As much as some may resent the negativity, others resent just as much the people that go out their way to make excuses for glaring mistakes made by this organization. Some will always look at the glass half empty and others half full and that’s about football and other things in life. So look over the last 12 years and are content and look forward to more. And that’s quite understandable. Others look over the last 12 years and see years of shortcomings and want change. And that’s understandable too. Fans feel how they feel and they have valid reasons for that and ours jobs here is not to try to refute everyone’s opinion and make them “prove” their opinion. This is only a discussion of the teams we all love. Happy or not, it is what it is.
trent dilfer won because of a dominating defense. give andy credit he has tried to upgrade our d for a while . i kinda thought this was the year for a new approach , an outside view , but hiring juan castro tells me its more of same ole , same ole.
scorp, you definitely make good points about respecting different opinions. Its a point that is worthile, important and applicable to many things way beyond sports.
At the same time, I don’t think that debating opinions is worthless, wrong, or out of place on this site. I really don’t.
And furthermore, I do think that there is something wrong with thinking that your opinion is (objectively) corret, generally accepted as fact by everyone else except for a few morons, and when their opinions take them to idiotic extremes.
I believe in the power of debate to enhance people’s perspectives and understanding of big contraversial issues, like our favorite football team and the other stuff we discuss on this site.
And for what its worth scorp, I consider you to be an independent thinker, balanced with reasonable support for your arguments for the most part. I do not include you in my personal conception of ‘the negadelphians’.
I dont think Trent Dilfer in his playing days, Eli, or hell even Jeff Hostetler is better than Vick..I was showing how stupid and hypocritical people can be when they make statements about why they dont like Reid and would say other guys like Gruden are better cuz they have 1 ring. Ive heard plenty of people on here say Reid sucks cuz he has had 12 years in a career as HC to win a superbowl and that we should go out and get a guy like Gruden or Cowher who won 1. But yet the same fans praise Vick like he he is the best evr to play when according to their logic Jeff Hostetler is better because he has a ring and Vick has never won one after years in the NFL.
schiller, it’s cool bro. I understand where you come from most of the times. I’m not saying you do it intentionally but looking from the sidelines (since many of you criticisms of negative fans are directly to others) it seems you spend a lot more time either trying to let people know that can’t prove anything (even when it’s only their opinion) and criticizing their comments rather than the actual article or topic. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s what it seems like at times. And Sportsbum spends more time insulting others rather than actually talking about the article and topic. Just my thoughts.
But like I said to you before I don’t think many on here attempt to pass of their opinion as fact. They don’t have to preface their statements to let everyone know it’s an opinion and nothing more. I don’t need that kind of qualification to know that they aren’t saying anything factual therefore it doesn’t get under my skin. But that’s just me I guess.
nev, I’m sorry but don’t tell me Andy has been trying to upgrade the D when he doesn’t take the LB position serious. That is the core of your defense. Sure you need a good line and secondary but the LB is the muscle of the team. It can be the difference between you having a good rushing defense and good passing defense. It’s no secret that teams that have great defenses have great LBs. Andy spends many picks on d lineman and try to convert them to LB. I do believe he address the position. But I don’t think he addresses certain ones with specific priority until it’s too late.
Banner stated openly that the eagles do not prioritize the linebacker position, think about that long and hard before you defend this organization in its efforts to win a championship
gotcha scorp – but I do respectfully disagree about many people on here – I think they do think their opinions are facts. I really do, but we should agree to disagree there.
In the meantime, I guess Ozz will have to deal with it…
schiller, you’re probably right about that. I try to think of it as the radio personalities. When they make their statements it always sounds like they think what they are saying if fact. But at the end of the day, it’s only opinion. And they know that but sometimes the people that listen to them think the host thinks their opinions are more than that.
For example, I don’t really like Eskin but every time he says something, it sounds like he think he is giving facts when he’s really just giving his strong opinion about something. And one day a caller called up to the show and said “Howard, you ain’t doing nothing different than what we do in the barbershop…. you’re just stating your opinion and I’m stating mine. Nothing you say is fact it is only what you think and what you think really doesn’t matter”. And after some awkward silence, Howard conceded and said “I never said what I say is anything more than fact unless I’m reporting something. Everything else I say is only my opinion and what I think”. And ever since that say a long time ago, I never really took anything serious what those guys says on the radio or other fans. Because I realized I used to get too caught up in other people’s opinions and got heated about how they feel because I thought they really thought what they were saying was the honest truth.
Having said that, some go overboard with their opinions but I only call people out on here when they are stating what they really claim to be facts but the information is wrong. Everything else I automatically assume it’s just opinion and that’s it. But I do know where you are coming from and I agree in part. I just rather spend more time stating my opinion than blasting others opinion. Just my thoughts.
well put scorp. Always respected your style, though it’s different from mine. I guess you can’t fault the whole crew here for not being diverse enough, we get some wide ranging opinions (word of the day) on here consitantly.