But for the most part, Lurie's "state of" has been a bland event because the Eagles owner has been a master of keeping the conversation light. Lurie is the anti-Jerry Jones.
But that will change on Sunday at 1 p.m., when Lurie meets with the press and the "D" word is uttered for the first time. And we're not talking dynasty or dream, as in "Dream Team."
Lurie's pending divorce from his wife, Christina, is in most ways a private matter, and it should be treated as such here and elsewhere. But how it relates to the ownership of the Eagles, and ultimately the team's success, is fair game.
There are many questions that have yet to be asked. For instance, who will own the team when the divorce is final? The Luries, in a statement released July 4, said their split would have "no impact whatsoever on the ownership" of the Eagles. They said their "future as colleagues will be a bright one."
But in what venture will they be colleagues? It is unclear if they own the team together in name, in his name only, or in hers. As nearly impossible as it is to speculate upon what led to their separation, it is just as pointless to guess what either side may want when the divorce papers are drawn.
Common sense says the Luries want to avoid what happened with the Mooreses in San Diego and the McCourts in Los Angeles. John Moores had to sell a large portion of the Padres after his divorce in 2009, and Frank McCourt sold all of the Dodgers last year after a rancorous split from his wife, Jamie.
The Luries, on the surface, are very different from the McCourts.
Jeffrey has always been front and center as owner of the Eagles, especially in football matters, while Christina has spearheaded many of the Eagles' philanthropic efforts. Jamie McCourt was once the "first female CEO in baseball" before her husband fired her.
Christina hasn't been at camp this summer, although she rarely made appearances in the past. A few weeks ago, before the Eagles left for Lehigh, she was seen still working out of the NovaCare Complex, the team's headquarters.
The Luries have been good owners. The Eagles have sustained a level of success over the last 18 years that few franchises can match. The nonprofit charitable Eagles Youth Partnership and "Go Green" have been innovative initiatives. The lack of a title is a glaring hole, but the standard the Luries have set has been a medal-winner, if not a gold one.
So when Jeffrey Lurie is asked Sunday if his divorce will have any bearing on the team, he will certainly assure his constituents that the state of the Eagles is strong. That would be easier to accept if the divorce didn't come on the heels of another significant parting of the ways.
Just weeks before the divorce was announced, Lurie's longtime consigliere, Joe Banner, stepped down as team president. Banner was as much the face of the Eagles front office as Lurie, and his business acumen helped turn Lurie's initial $195 million investment into one worth $1.164 billion in 2011, according to Forbes.
Lurie's initial purchase of an NFL team, of course, was the shrewdest decision. Last week, Tennessee businessman Jimmy Haslam, with the help of Banner, bought a moribund Cleveland Browns team for more than $1 billion.
Banner will have a small stake in the Browns and eventually be named president, an astonishing turn of events a little less than two months after he unceremoniously took his leave. When the Eagles' inner circle first gathered to announce Banner's departure, it was Lurie - with glistening red eyes - who seemed the most affected.
First his best friend and now his wife. The only one who remains among Lurie's longest Eagles relationships is Andy Reid. The coach's future will surely be a subject covered Sunday.
Does Reid have to win a Super Bowl this season - his 14th with the Eagles - to survive? Banner, and perhaps Christina, would have aided Lurie in making such a decision. But it's Lurie, and Lurie alone, who will decide Reid's fate in 2013.
It's lonely at the top.
Contact Jeff McLane at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @Jeff_McLane.
