This time, Lurie didn't offer any juicy sound bites that could come back to bite him.
He did, however, address the man-beats-dog issue that has dominated the NFL headlines since the indictment of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick last month. He also talked about the future of his own quarterbacks - Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb - and the Eagles' "elusive" quest to win their first Super Bowl.
"It's the quality of the players in the game," Lurie said when asked about the dogfighting charges that have been brought against Vick, to which he has pleaded not guilty. "You don't want to have guys that are not real popular with the fans, or respected by the fans, playing on the field. That doesn't do anything, so the measures the teams take are important.
"I can't say it's the league. It's the individual teams that have to be very diligent. You have to mold the 24-year-old, the 23-year-old, in a positive way. It's not foolproof, but if you're on top of them at 22 or 23, you may not have dramatic surprises at age 28 or 29. Be very disciplined in what you stand by."
Lurie recalled that the Eagles had two former players charged with dog abuse and dog neglect and showed little tolerance for it. Back in 2000, rookie running back Thomas Hamner pleaded guilty to beating his pit bull after initially failing to appear in court. A year later, safety Damon Moore pleaded guilty to abandoning a Rottweiler puppy.
Hamner didn't return to the Eagles after the 2000 season and Moore didn't return after the 2001 season.
"They were both gone from the team almost immediately, if not immediately," Lurie said. "Both draft choices, and it sets a tone that we just don't accept those kinds of attitudes towards other people or animals. I'm a dog lover. [Coach] Andy [Reid] is a dog lover. We're very sensitive to people who would not treat other humans or animals with total respect."
