Nick Piccone
When giving Chip Kelly total control of player personnel, Jeffrey Lurie made the same mistake he had made twice before. Under Ray Rhodes, Lurie gave him full control. He did the same thing with Andy Reid and Chip Kelly. The outlier here seems to be Reid, who took the Eagles on the best run they’ve ever had. But then, he wanted more power. And the team suffered because of that.
As we look back at this season, we could say the same thing about Chip Kelly. The season was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish, despite very few bright spots. Even those bright spots were dark. And it sounds like Lurie might not make that same mistake the fourth time.
Now, we’ve all looked at Lurie as a rock solid owner who everybody respects. What he did last year in giving Kelly total control of the team and shoving Howie Roseman to the corner was very unlike himself, if we’re to believe the reports from the time. Chip’s Chief of Staff, James Harris, was also let go. Is Lurie trying to regain control of his sinking ship? Or does he just not know what the hell to do next?
Make no mistake, this wasn’t about Chip wanting to leave. He was forced to leave.
Ray Rhodes never had full control. You based your premise on a vague headline but obviously didn’t read the whole article. Way to go.
Yep, you’re right. “After last season, Rhodes made it clear that he would make the decisions on personnel moves. If he was going to be accountable for the team’s record, then he wanted to pick his players.”
That might be what he wanted, but it’s not what he got. First, there was Dick Daniels. Then, there was Tom Modrak. Rhodes never had the power Reid had.