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Jewish Hall of Fame honoring Joe Banner; Eagles should do same | Bob Brookover
Updated: May 21, 2017 — 5:17 PM EDT
Picture this on a split movie screen: Two guys are talking on the telephone trying to pull off an NFL trade. One has two Super Bowl rings, George Patton's personality and the title of head coach and general manager for the New York Jets. The other is Joe Banner.
Guess who's dominating the conversation?
"I had never met Bill Parcells and this is before we had Andy Reid," Banner said during a recent telephone interview from his home in South Florida. "We obviously had not been overly successful and we weren't real respected. You can tell when somebody is talking to you and they don't think you know what you're talking about. They think they can kind of dominate you. He was very dismissive - kind of like 'I'll tell you what we're going to do.' "
Banner, then the Eagles president, listened. He liked the terms of the deal and knew he was going to make it. He did not like Parcells' condescending tone.
"At one point, he says to me, 'I'm done talking and this is the deal if you want to make it,' " Banner said.
Parcells told Banner that he was going to dinner at 8 p.m. and if he had not heard from him by then, the trade was off the table.
"I waited until 7:59 to call him back," Banner said. "I knew I was going to make the deal as soon as we were done talking, but I wanted him to know I wasn't afraid of negotiating with him."
The Eagles landed defensive end Hugh Douglas for second- and fifth-round draft picks. It ended up being a lopsided deal in their favor and it was neither the first nor the last successful transaction negotiated by Banner during his 19 years as owner Jeffrey Lurie's most valued executive.
The topic comes up now because Banner is being inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The organization's 20th class of inductees will also include former Inquirer baseball writer Jayson Stark.
Given the scope of his work during his time with the Eagles, Banner is certainly deserving of the honor. He is also deserving of a spot in the Eagles Hall of Fame.
"It's always nice when somebody thinks you've done something well and this is much appreciated," Banner said. "My faith is important to me more as a strong philosophical guide to life than as someone who constantly attends temple or preaches religion. I am thrilled that my wife and kids are going to get to be a part of this."
It has been almost five years since Banner left the Eagles, and the team has made the playoffs just once since his departure. He had a brief stint as the chief executive officer with the Cleveland Browns that ended in early 2014 and since then he has done some consulting work for NFL teams and part-time work with ESPN, a gig, like so many other ESPN jobs, that has recently expired. He said he has no desire to return to the NFL in a major role because he has enjoyed his time with family and friends too much since leaving the Browns.
Updated: May 21, 2017 — 5:17 PM EDT
Picture this on a split movie screen: Two guys are talking on the telephone trying to pull off an NFL trade. One has two Super Bowl rings, George Patton's personality and the title of head coach and general manager for the New York Jets. The other is Joe Banner.
Guess who's dominating the conversation?
"I had never met Bill Parcells and this is before we had Andy Reid," Banner said during a recent telephone interview from his home in South Florida. "We obviously had not been overly successful and we weren't real respected. You can tell when somebody is talking to you and they don't think you know what you're talking about. They think they can kind of dominate you. He was very dismissive - kind of like 'I'll tell you what we're going to do.' "
Banner, then the Eagles president, listened. He liked the terms of the deal and knew he was going to make it. He did not like Parcells' condescending tone.
"At one point, he says to me, 'I'm done talking and this is the deal if you want to make it,' " Banner said.
Parcells told Banner that he was going to dinner at 8 p.m. and if he had not heard from him by then, the trade was off the table.
"I waited until 7:59 to call him back," Banner said. "I knew I was going to make the deal as soon as we were done talking, but I wanted him to know I wasn't afraid of negotiating with him."
The Eagles landed defensive end Hugh Douglas for second- and fifth-round draft picks. It ended up being a lopsided deal in their favor and it was neither the first nor the last successful transaction negotiated by Banner during his 19 years as owner Jeffrey Lurie's most valued executive.
The topic comes up now because Banner is being inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The organization's 20th class of inductees will also include former Inquirer baseball writer Jayson Stark.
Given the scope of his work during his time with the Eagles, Banner is certainly deserving of the honor. He is also deserving of a spot in the Eagles Hall of Fame.
"It's always nice when somebody thinks you've done something well and this is much appreciated," Banner said. "My faith is important to me more as a strong philosophical guide to life than as someone who constantly attends temple or preaches religion. I am thrilled that my wife and kids are going to get to be a part of this."
It has been almost five years since Banner left the Eagles, and the team has made the playoffs just once since his departure. He had a brief stint as the chief executive officer with the Cleveland Browns that ended in early 2014 and since then he has done some consulting work for NFL teams and part-time work with ESPN, a gig, like so many other ESPN jobs, that has recently expired. He said he has no desire to return to the NFL in a major role because he has enjoyed his time with family and friends too much since leaving the Browns.
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