Glen Macnow: Deciphering a quotable week in Philly sports

Much was said on the local scene this past week. Let’s review the smart, the dumb and the incendiary.

“(Fans) don’t understand the game. They don’t understand the process. There’s a process. And then they bitch and complain because we don’t have a plan. There’s a plan in place and we’re sticking with the plan.” –Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro

Imagine your favorite restaurant starts serving substandard cuisine. You mention it to the head chef, and he browbeats you as a whiner who knows nothing about food. You going back for another meal? Of course not.

In defending his cautious strategy on prospects, Amaro let slip his disdain for a customer base that’s grown weary of watching slop. Indeed, Phils fans may not understand “the process,” but they are aware that since Amaro became GM in 2009, the farm system has not developed one single impactful player.

“You can take that as a guarantee (of the Eagles going to the Super Bowl).That’s just me believing in my team and the product we’re going to put out there on the field. I really do believe that.”– Eagles free agent cornerback Byron Maxwell

And so a fan base cringed. We’ve been down Bold Proclamation Boulevard before – with the “gold standard” and the “Dream Team.” It never ends well. How could Maxwell, here just two months start channeling Joe Namath and Mark Messier? This has to end badly, right?

But you know what? I like it. Byron Maxwell didn’t live through our ignominious history, and shouldn’t be governed by our fears. He’s a rising star and Super Bowl champ, aiming to infuse swagger into his new team. If he wants to be the lightning rod, let’s not allow our neuroses to get in the way. Be the man, Byron.

“Ending the season the way we did — didn’t make the playoffs — in hindsight is almost a good thing because it forced the coaches and the organization to reevaluate what we had.”– Eagles center Jason Kelce

I initially blanched at this. Who could find an upside after 2014’s collapse from a 9-3 start? But Kelce is correct in that last season’s team wasn’t nearly as good as its record through November. The drubbing by Green Bay revealed that.

Chip Kelly overhauled nearly every unit on the team this off-season after grabbing control of personnel. Whether the Eagles are now good enough to win in the playoffs remains to be seen. But give Kelce credit for admitting that, before this, they were just spinning their wheels.

“I’m not governed by the fear of what other people say. Events don’t elicit feelings, I think beliefs elicit feelings, and I understand what my beliefs are, and I know how I am. . . You start chasing perception and you’ve got a long life ahead of you, son.”– Chip Kelly

We all like to believe that we don’t care what others think about us. Kelly is that rare instance when it’s true. Brilliant, just brilliant.