The Philadelphia Eagles Set Chip Kelly Up To Fail

Giving full autonomy of personnel was akin to giving a ten year old the keys to the family car.  There can be only one answer: The Philadelphia Eagles Set Chip Kelly Up To Fail

It was an announcement that came as a shock to everyone. The Philadelphia Eagles had fired Vice President of Player Personnel Director Tom Gamble. At the time, it was thought to be another chapter of the ongoing saga to keep General Manager Howie Roseman in control of the team: a chapter that cost Gamble a job. At the time, there was a perception that this move was unsettling to head coach Chip Kelly.

To place a perspective on this, Tom Gamble was the genius behind resurrecting the San Francisco 49ers from the ashes of ineptitude to a powerhouse playoff contender. The Eagles had signed him in the 2013 off-season, in the hopes that he could bring football expertise that legal eagle Howie Roseman never obtained. If you note, after Gamble left, the San Francisco 49ers had eroded back into the ranks of struggling football teams. After his firing from the Eagles, our team has as well.

"“There have been persistent rumblings about shifting dynamics behind the scenes: Namely, that Kelly and Roseman’s relationship has cooled and that the collaborative process between coach and general manager is not where it once was (Kelly and [Tom] Gamble remain tight, per sources).”"

Who was responsible? Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie claimed it was his call. Bad call as it was.

"“It was completely unrelated,” Lurie said of the decision to let Gamble go. “Totally unrelated. We wish Tom all the best and hopefully he will thrive in San Francisco. We’ve moved on and he’s moved on. I have to look at what is best for the organization. The owner always has the final say. You have to decide who is going to be the best fit for the organization. It’s best that we all moved on in that one.”"

Yes, Tom Gamble has moved on. But the issues remained deep seated. More concerning to me is the fact that, if Tom Gamble was fired due to a dispute with Howie Roseman, Jeff Lurie settled that dispute by firing a highly respected football minded Tom Gamble.  History will repeat itself.  Geoff Moesher reported this at the time:

"“Multiple sources told CSNPhilly.com that tension has developed between Roseman and Kelly throughout Kelly’s two-year tenure, whereas the bond between Kelly and Gamble, two football guys who think along the same lines, was tightening. The same sources also said bad blood in Roseman’s scouting department has been brewing and Gamble’s departure could be just the first shoe to drop. Assistant director of player personnel Ed Marynowitz has also butted heads with Roseman, the sources said.”"

So what is the connection between Roseman and Lurie? Longevity. BleedPhilly.com had an excellent article about the topic a year ago.

"If Roseman had left, Gamble was the obvious choice to replace him. But it is unlikely that Lurie would have ever let it get to that point. Roseman has been with the organization for 15 years, and after Banner hired Roseman out of law school, Lurie became one of his biggest advocates. Roseman oversees player evaluation and the salary cap, but he is also Lurie’s go-to source on NFL issues, scouting, and coaching personnel and the league’s various backroom dealings."

But we need to understand two things now. We know that Jeff Lurie will fire those who disagree with Howie Roseman.  We also know that Lurie’s source of what’s going on in the NFL and the team is Howie Roseman.   But what we don’t know yet is who is winning in the NFL, and why aren’t the Eagles?

Next: Tom Gamble was no Gamble