With Tom Heckert leaving town to take the Cleveland Browns general manager position, the Eagles are expected to promote current Vice President of Player Personnel Howie Roseman to succeed Heckert.
Can Roseman duplicate the success that Heckert had in finding players, especially in the draft as the Eagles have done the last few years?
That’s debatable, and we are — fortunately or unfortunately — about to find out.
Howie Roseman next Eagles GM.
From our standpoint, there are questions surrounding Roseman’s credentials as an evaluator of talent. And, now is not the time to take a chance on someone without a proven track record.
Roseman has been with the team for ten years, however, he’s been more on the business end of the team until recently. He started as a salary cap assistant to Joe Banner in 2000. Three years later he was elevated to director of football administration — whatever that is (it’s probably safe to assume he shuffled some papers or something). In 2006, he was promoted to vice president of football administration.
While he learned something about how to negotiate contracts in those positions, how much interaction he had with the scouting department and those who evaluate talent and structure the team’s roster is open to debate.
In any event, in May 2008 he was elevated to vice president of player personnel. According to the bio on the Eagles web site, Roseman currently “manages the college scouting staff, organizes and runs draft meetings, and scouts the top college prospects from throughout the country.” He also helped Heckert and Reid in free agency.
Can Howie Roseman find the next Brent Celek?
The bottom line is that while he helped Heckert, who knows what kind of ability he has to find the diamond in the rough. Scouting the best prospects is easy. Pay attention to the Heisman race and go see those players. However, you get graded on your ability to draft in rounds three through seven.
While Reid has final say, the fact is he is too busy throughout the season to watch NCAA football and relies on his GM and scouting department.
Roseman, who has a Jurist Doctorate degree from Fordham Law School, has gone from salary cap assistant to general manager in ten years. That’s quite a fast rise for a lawyer who joined the Eagles with no scouting experience and went straight to the front office. He’s never paid his dues as a low level scout.
For his part, Reid says the notion that Roseman isn’t a true “football guy” is hogwash.
“I have a tremendous personnel staff and Howie is one of those guys,” Reid told Les Bowen and other reporters today. “I have a bunch of guys that have really done a nice job there. I’m not with you on that comment. However, I will tell you, without slighting Howie at all, that he’s done a nice job.”
While it’s nice for Reid and Banner to promote their boy, they need to make sure the scouting department respects Howie and will support him. If not, morale will suffer and this is a critical point in the future of the team.
With offensive and defensive lines that need, a linebacking corps that regressed this year, an aging corner in Sheldon Brown, the need for a second back to compliment LeSean McCoy, and the possibility that the team will move on from McNabb, the next GM better be in a position to make plays and fill those holes. And, he better be ready to perform in a hurry.
For Reid and Banner’s sake, Roseman better be up to the challenge.
