Roseman said his year away from the Eagles was one of the "best things to happen to me"GETTY IMAGES
The Eagles will vie for their first Super Bowl win on Sunday, and their appearance in the game comes after a "whirlwind of moves" from Exec VP/Football Operations Howie Roseman, who returned "from exile after losing a power struggle" to Chip Kelly in '15, according to Manish Mehta of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Roseman's "savvy, persistence and foresight turned him into the NFL Executive of the Year, but he didn’t need an award to affirm his genius." His "nearly perfect plan to re-shape" the Eagles' roster included a "bold move that forever changed this star-crossed franchise," when he traded up to take QB Carson Wentz in '16. He "triumphed when so many thought he would permanently fade into the background." Roseman made "more than 130 transactions" in the '17 calendar year. It is "impossible to ignore the Eagles architect with something so special on the horizon" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/2). In Philadelphia, Zach Berman wrote for anyone "adhering to the adage that there are no second acts in life," try explaining Roseman at the Super Bowl as the "architect of the Eagles." Roseman upon his return assumed "more power than before and helped the Eagles to more success than the most ardent Roseman supporters could have dreamed two years ago." Roseman deferred the "credit to owner Jeffrey Lurie, his staff, his coaches, and his players." And though the public humility "might have been strategic, it was also fitting." Because Roseman, who "called the year away 'probably one of the best things to happen to me,' returned a better version -- and as he explains it, with a better understanding of the value of the people around him." Eagles coach Doug Pederson said, "Howie has come a long way through the last couple of years, and to be in this position, to help this football team win and succeed on the football field is a credit to him and his staff" (PHILLY.com, 1/30).
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE: In Boston, Karen Guregian wrote the Patriots must "consider potential replacement plans" for both coach Bill Belichick and QB Tom Brady. Patriots Owner Robert Kraft "must also now plan to chart a path toward the next chapter of his franchise -- whenever that begins." Kraft said, "Continuity is hard. You go through some tough times." Kraft said his job is to "keep it together." There will "come a day when Belichick moves on and when Brady finally calls it a career" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/1). Kraft added, "We've been thinking about that for 10 years. That evolves. It's like running any business -- you know you're going to have change, and in the NFL, one play can change things." He said the "bulk" of the highly-cited ESPN report about the relationship between Brady, Belichick and himself "was fiction." Kraft: "I understand it. When you're doing well and you win well, you're a target. ... Everyone has different ideas how to do things, so I don't think so-called tension is bad" ("Squawk Box," CNBC, 2/2).
