(Phoenix) Philadelphia Eagles fans could be heard shouting “Howie! Howie! Howie! during the first day of Super Bowl week celebrations.
Not so long ago, Roseman would rather hear amateurs shouting nonsense at him.
Sent into a year-long exile for the benefit of Chip Kelly, Roseman returned to the Eagles and guided them to their only Super Bowl title before sinking back into NFL slump in 2020.
The Eagles (16-3) are now one win away from a second Super Bowl title in five years under Roseman. They will have to defeat their former coach Andy Reid and his Kansas City Chiefs (16-3) to lift the Lombardi Trophy again.
“You have a job to do. Whether I agree or disagree with what’s being said, that’s how it is,” Roseman said of the harsh criticism received in 2020. “It’s a league where anything can change quickly. We have had terrible times. And it’s a tough market. It’s like that. »
“We went through that. And it was my job to make sure the tide turned as quickly as possible. »
Roseman, who began his NFL career as an intern in 2000, became the youngest general manager in league history in 2010 at age 34. He lost control of personnel decisions during a power struggle with Kelly in 2015. Kelly was quickly fired, then Roseman returned to his role as general manager and vice president the following year.
After the Eagles triumphed over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl after the 2017 season, star center Jason Kelce paid tribute to Roseman at the parade.
“We put him in a section of the offices where I haven’t seen him for a year! Two years ago when they made the decision, he came back a changed man, Kelce had told the crowd. He came back like a man on a mission. »
Roseman’s honeymoon was not very long, although the team made the playoffs the following two seasons. He was criticized for selecting receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside over DK Metcalf in the second round in 2019. It was worse when the Eagles went for receiver Jalen Reagor one tier ahead of Justin Jefferson in the first round in 2020. Roseman doesn’t didn’t receive credit for selecting Jalen Hurts in the second round that year since the team still relied on Carson Wentz and fans believed the team had more pressing needs than a reserve quarterback.
When the Eagles went 4-11-1 in 2020, Roseman became the target of criticism in Philadelphia. Coach Doug Pederson was fired just three years after guiding the team to the Super Bowl, Wentz was traded and Nick Sirianni was hired. These decisions were not popular with amateurs.
Today, Sirianni basically has the keys to the city, Hurts is an NFL MVP finalist, and DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown have made past mistakes on the receiving side forget.
“I hope history will not repeat itself in the next five years. But if that means we’ll meet again at the Super Bowl, I’m willing to live with that,” Roseman said.