Roseman and Pederson Attempt To Replicate Andy Reid’s Success
By Tom Ignudo
Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson are trying to recapture the magic of the Andy Reid era.
In the 1999 NFL Draft, the Eagles selected Donovan McNabb with the No. 2 overall pick out of Syracuse University.
With McNabb under center, he lead the Birds to the playoffs eight times, played in five NFC Conference Championship games, one Super Bowl in 2004 and became the most winning quarterback in franchise history.
It was one pick 17 years ago that changed the franchise. And Howie Roseman, executive vice president of football operations, believes they can replicate that success with Carson Wentz.
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“One player can change your team,” Roseman told reporters shortly after making the Wentz pick official. “And for us, we know how important that is, that position. So investing in that position was a no brainer when we looked at it.”
Roseman is right. Investing in the quarterback position is how good teams in the NFL turn into great teams.
But every team in the league does it. In the past 10 years, the Browns have selected a quarterback in the first round three times. Johnny Manziel is now facing domestic abuse charges. While Brandon Weeden is on his third team in four years and Brady Quinn is out of the league.
Lets take a look back at some of the quarterbacks who started for the Eagles before they selected McNabb in 1999. Which would be the likes of Rodney Peete, Ty Detmer, Bobby Hoying, Koy Detmer and Doug Pederson, now the head coach of the team.
If not for selecting McNabb instead of the fan favorite Ricky Williams in the 1999 draft, the Andy Reid era may have not come to fruition. Whether you dislike McNabb on a personal level or not, it’s ignorant to suggest he had little do with their success in the 2000s.
McNabb won the most games out of any quarterback in franchise history with 92 wins. Ron Jaworski and Randall Cunningham are the next two closest players with 69 and 63 wins. He also went on to become the team’s all-time leader in passing yards with 32,873-yards.
Before acquiring Terrell Owens, McNabb dealt with mediocre talents like James Thrash and Todd Pinkston on the outside. And the Eagles were still able reach the playoffs for four consecutive seasons prior to Owens becoming an Eagle.
Jim Johnson’s defenses were good, but not good enough to carry a team with either Detmers, Hoying or Pederson as the starting quarterbacks.
Since McNabb was traded to the Redskins in 2010, the Eagles have started six different quarterbacks and have also invested tons of cash in the process.
“For the last six years since 2010 this team Michael, has now invested, when you add in the new deals from Bradford and Chase Daniel $119 million in the quarterback position without a single playoff win,” Sal Paolantonio of ESPN said on The Mike Missanelli Show on 97.5 The Fanatic on April 26.
Did the Eagles give up too much in order to acquire Wentz? Time will only tell. But for Roseman’s sake, he better hope his shuffling of the deck results is a greater return than the Reid era or he will see his office moved from Nova Care, again.