Eagles talk: Is Jim Schwartz too involved in roster and hiring decisions?
Ultimately, we all know that Doug Pederson has the final say on the roster decisions, but do some of the moves we’ve seen recently suggest Jim Schwartz is too involved in shaping this Eagles team?
It’s been an interesting few days. Silence from the 32 NFL franchises ended as there was news of leaguewide movement. Free agency had begun, but even though most of what we saw was unofficial at the time, the Philadelphia Eagles sat idly, frustrating quite a few fans. Then, they struck, and the reaction to every move was a mixed one. Malcolm Jenkins was gone. Rodney McLeod was moving to safety, and Philly gave $26 million guaranteed to a defensive tackle. It sounds crazy to say this. Then again, maybe it isn’t. Somewhere in there, people began to think about Jim Schwartz.
For the ITI staff, it started on Tuesday when we learned Philly wouldn’t retain Malcolm Jenkins. Then, Tuesday afternoon came, and on one of Philly’s sports radio stations, 94 WIP-FM, during Jon Marks and Ike Reese‘s show, Reese gave us a little insight into the NFL locker room.
He detailed a story that many of us heard before, one where Jenkins told Jim Schwartz that he needed to simplify the defensive playbook for some of the young guys. To his credit, Schwartz listened, and the results were above average. That was followed by stories on Wednesday and Thursday from Reese and other respected voices about how, during Reese’s playing days, Troy Vincent had a louder voice in the locker room than Andy Reid. It didn’t seem like much, but a lot of smart people were listening.
It’s always fun to hear from the guys that play the game, and though we all love social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat because they give us access, none of us are invited to every conversation. The side effect is sometimes our imaginations wander, and we draw our conclusions. Maybe the ITI staff has done that here. Maybe some of what we’re about to say makes no sense. Either way, we ask you as a reader to be the judge.
Hear us out for a second.