PHILADELPHIA -- The process doesn’t matter if the result is good enough. That’s the takeaway from the Philadelphia Eagles' coaching search.
The Eagles’ coaching search was deeply flawed. Owner Jeff Lurie and his team succeeded in rushing the New York Giants’ hiring of Ben McAdoo and installing Tom Coughlin as an idealized figure that Doug Pederson will forever be competing with -- except Pederson will be coaching in reality while the imaginary Coughlin twirls his Super Bowl rings.
In that sense, the Eagles did what the Philadelphia Phillies did when they hired Charlie Manuel as their manager. They interviewed Jim Leyland for the same opening. For years, nothing Manuel actually did could compete with what critical fans imagined the idealized Leyland would have done.
Of course, Manuel put an end to that when he won a World Series title in 2008. Pederson’s best chance of hushing critics is to go out and win, and that’s where the same flawed dynamic that created this situation can help to resolve it.
There is every chance that some candidates were turned off by the structure of the Eagles’ organization. Lurie is a solid enough owner. His track record for spending money and giving his coaches what they need to succeed is very good.
The problems begin on the next rung down. Team president Don Smolenski is fine. He doesn’t really get involved in the day-to-day football operation. The third member of the search team, vice president and former general manager Howie Roseman, could be the problem. And that means he could also be the solution to the problem.
As a first time head coach, Pederson is going to have enough on his plate: building a coaching staff, implementing his offensive and defensive schemes, building relationships with players skittish after three years of Chip Kelly. Pederson is going to need someone else to make smart decisions on player personnel.
That someone is likely to be Roseman. There is a chance the Eagles hire another high-level personnel executive, but Lurie talked about Roseman, the new coach and others "collaborating" on personnel decisions. Roseman is in position to make the final call on draft picks and potential free agents.
It will be entirely up to Roseman, then, whether that is a good thing or an unmitigated disaster, whether Pederson is given the tools to be a successful head coach or is undermined by poor drafts and cap-strapping free-agent contracts.
Roseman is capable of both extremes. He was the GM for the notorious "Dream Team" free agent spree in 2011. He also ran the 2011 draft, which brought Danny Watkins, Jaiquawn Jarrett and Curtis Marsh in the first three rounds.
But Roseman also ran the 2012 draft, which brought Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, Vinny Curry, Nick Foles and Brandon Boykin. The 2013 offseason brought free agents Connor Barwin and Cary Williams and draft picks Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz and Bennie Logan.
Kelly ultimately became convinced that Roseman’s presence was holding the Eagles back. After the 2014 offseason -- Marcus Smith in the first round -- Kelly had a case to make. And he did, convincing Lurie to nudge Roseman aside.
Kelly’s victory led to his downfall. With Roseman ordering socks and towels for the equipment room, Kelly made the series of moves that destabilized the roster and led to the 7-9 regular season. Lurie, whose fondness for Roseman is well known, decided it was necessary to hold Kelly "accountable" for his hubris.
That leaves Roseman in position to vindicate himself. He had a hand in the Watkins and Smith draft decisions, but he also can claim Cox and Barwin and Brandon Graham and Malcolm Jenkins as acquisitions.
If Roseman has learned from the mistakes and can replicate the successes, he can be a huge asset as Pederson tries to restore the franchise to where it was a decade ago. The guy who might have scared some candidates away could wind up being a big part of any success achieved by the candidate who took the job.