Should we congratulate Howie Roseman? | Sports Daily

The Eagles are 9-7 and have clinched a playoff berth regardless of what happens this weekend against Dallas. But how much credit does general manager Howie Roseman deserve for the team’s success this season? Well, it depends on whom you ask.

In the second of four point-counterpoint columns, The Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes and Mike Sielski debate whether Roseman had a good year.

Hayes: The notion that Howie Roseman deserves some sort of congratulations for producing a nine-win, second-place team in the NFL’s worst division assumes that Howie Roseman didn’t produce the four-win, last-place debacle of 2020. His season is just the first step in cleaning up three years of general mismanagement.

Hayes cites the Eagles’ mishandling of former quarterback Carson Wentz, their ‘questionable’ draft record — see Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson, and little-used Andre Dillard, and more — as reasons to hold the praise for Roseman.

Sielski: The Eagles are 9-7 and going to the postseason, and their future looks a lot more promising than it did 12 months ago. Roseman deserves credit for that. Did he have a good year? Yep. He did.

[Roseman] saw the cornerback he signed in 2020, Darius Slay, become a Pro Bowler and the quarterback he drafted in 2020, Jalen Hurts, become a team leader and earn the benefit of the doubt as the long-term starter.

... hired Nick Sirianni, who led the Eagles into the playoffs in his first season as their head coach, a feat that Dick Vermeil, Andy Reid, and Doug Pederson didn’t accomplish.

We warned you it depended on whom you asked!

— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport

What grade would you give Eagles GM Howie Roseman in 2021-22? And remember to scroll to the bottom for our Weekly Wager sports.daily@inquirer.com

Jalen Reagor addressed the media for the first time since after the Giants loss when he accepted responsibility for dropped passes at the end of that game. The boos have grown since then, but Reagor has had good moments as well and the Eagles have won four straight games. So he was in a good mood Wednesday as he put the booing into perspective.

Looking ahead to the playoffs, the Eagles are most likely going to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but that’s up in the air as we wait for Week 18 results. What’s the Eagles’ more favorable path to getting past a wild-card opponent? KC Joyner runs through the possibilities.

The 76ers got their coach back on Wednesday. Doc Rivers returned to the sidelines for his team’s 116-106 win after spending nearly a week in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Rivers said he felt great before the game. “I think I had two days [of symptoms] and other than that, coaching from your living room, and you know, sweet. Kind of nice.”

Rivers made sure to give props to Dan Burke, who served as acting coach and led the team to a four-game win streak while at the helm. He also explained that his time away from the team wasn’t tough because he wanted to stay out of the way and make sure Burke’s voice was heard. The Sixers welcomed back Rivers with a win.

Next: The Sixers play the San Antonio Spurs at 7 p.m. Friday at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers’ four-game West Coast road trip resulted in a 1-2-1 record, but the record hardly tells the full story. Here’s what we learned:

The biggest positive? The play of the club’s youngsters. Cam York, Joel Farabee, and Felix Sandström had memorable moments on the trip, York and Sandström seizing their opportunities to play with other players out of the lineup due to COVID-19 protocols.

Sandström made 43 saves in his start against the Sharks on Dec. 30, a record for a Flyers goalie in his debut, and York made an impressive return to his native Anaheim that should spark further calls for his permanent promotion.

The Flyers also lost two more players Wednesday as Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim were added to the COVID protocol list. Neither has missed a game this season.

Next: The Flyers return home Thursday to play the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7 p.m. (ESPN+/Hulu).

Look who’s back trying to get elected as U.S. Soccer president — former president Carlos Cordeiro, who resigned not long ago in disgrace over sexist language used by the federation’s law firm in response to a lawsuit by members of the U.S. women’s national team. Jonathan Tannenwald explains a situation that has multiple layers.

Don’t know how to approach Week 18 in the NFL with teams resting players and others with little to play for? Ed Barkowitz has an NFL futures parlay to fill the void.

FanDuel is offering NFL Awards odds, and a parlay of the favorites for MVP (Aaron Rodgers), Defensive Player of the Year (T.J. Watt), Offensive Rookie of the Year (Ja’Marr Chase), Defensive Rookie of the Year (Micah Parsons), and Comeback Player of the Year (Dak Prescott) would get you +150 odds. Not bad when you consider Rodgers, Watt, Parsons and after last week, even Chase seem like locks to win their respective awards ...

We asked yesterday whether the Eagles, having clinched a playoff berth, should play their healthy starters Sunday against the Cowboys.

More than 70% of you answered that coaches should either rest Eagles starters the entire game or let them play only a portion of the Week 18 game against Dallas.

However, David W. disagreed, citing the team’s current momentum: “They should play to win! Going into the playoffs with a win against Dallas is immeasurable. Players are used to routines and that should be retained. Rest only players who are truly hurt.”

____

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Mike Sielski, Mike Jensen, EJ Smith, KC Joyner, Gina Mizell, Olivia Reiner, Keith Pompey, Ed Barkowitz, Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald and Isabella DiAmore.