The Eagles are 3-8-1 heading into their Sunday matchup with the heavily-favored New Orleans Saints, and in an attempt to give the team a spark, Doug Pederson is benching Carson Wentz and turning to Jalen Hurts to start at quarterback.
Speaking Thursday on ESPN, NFL analysts and former Eagles’ Director of Pro Personnel Louis Riddick said he understood the decision — and although he didn’t say his name, he sure seemed to point the finger directly at Howie Roseman for the team’s struggles.
“Doug needs to do this. He has to do something. He is fighting for his job,” Riddick said of starting Hurts. “As Adam (Schefter) alluded to, right or wrong, people are going to point to him and go ‘If someone has to go, it is going to be you. And it is probably going to be the quarterback.’ Although, we all know this — this is an organizational fail. The team has not been set up right. There have been numerous, numerous personnel missteps.”
This is not the first time that Riddick, who worked for the Eagles from 2008-2013, has been critical of the decisions Roseman has made. His criticism is especially noteworthy since the two worked together during their time in Philadelphia. Riddick is expected to be considered for general manager openings around the NFL, and with Roseman on the hot seat, he could end up taking his job with the Eagles.
If he does, it sounds like Riddick believes he has a lot of work to do. Speaking during the team’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks two weeks ago, Riddick ripped into Roseman’s draft record, highlighting that he has drafted just one Pro Bowl player over the last seven drafts.
As for this Sunday’s game, Riddick sees an almost impossible matchup for Hurts against a very-good Saints defense.
“Look, this is a tough assignment. This is like ice skating up a hill for Jalen Hurts. I’m telling you — this Saints defense is ferocious. They don’t mess around. They have got absolute hunters and dogs on all three levels of the defense,” Riddick said. “They are deep and they are fast on the defensive line, they are deep and they are fast at linebacker. They have the best set of man coverage players in the secondary of any team in the NFL, and Jalen Hurts saying ‘Ahh. I get to take over and ignite the offense against these guys. Ok.’ And I wish him well. You love Jalen Hurts’ story, everyone loves his story, everyone loves what he has overcome.”
While Riddick didn’t pick a score, it seemed pretty clear which way he was leaning in this one.
“I’ll tell you this, barring something unforeseen, this game could get ugly,” Riddick said. “I’d be shocked if it doesn’t. But I anticipate this being ugly.”