Joe Banner

It was expected that Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie would use general manager Howie Roseman's input when determining the new coach, but another key person in the process is team president Don Smolenski. Although Smolenski does not have a direct role in football operations, he directs the organization's business and strategic efforts and will have an influential voice in the process. "I bring in an understanding of the culture, I bring an understanding of the dynamic of the organization and how there are no barriers between the football operations and the business operations," Smolenski said.

Just as they did last month with defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, the Eagles gave offensive coordinator Brad Childress a lucrative contract extension, taking Childress out of the running for the San Francisco 49ers' head coaching job. Childress' agent Bob LaMonte said the deal, a three-year extension believed to be worth more than $3 million, was struck over dinner in Hawaii on Thursday night. A large Eagles contingent is in Honolulu this week because head coach and executive vice president of football operations Andy Reid and his staff are coaching the NFC team in the Pro Bowl tomorrow.

Fresh out of Fordham Law School a mere 10 years ago, Howie Roseman showed up at Veterans Stadium ready for the first day of his Eagles internship. He felt as high as a first-round draft choice. "I come in, I'm wearing a shirt and tie - I'm in the National Football League," Roseman said. Roseman reported to Joe Banner, the Eagles' president, who had hired him to concentrate on salary cap issues. Right away, Roseman had a question for his new boss: "Where do I sit?" Banner told Roseman the truth.

I was very disappointed with the story on Joe Banner ("Little big man," Thursday). I've known Banner for 16 years, and to sum up his winning spirit as some sort of childhood defense against his stature is ridiculous and superficial. What successful CEO in America today doesn't want to win? And, by the way, they come in all shapes and sizes - tall, short, fat, and thin. It seems like the psychobabble in this story overrides the essence of what motivates Banner both at work and in his personal life.

The Eagles yesterday announced that Andrew Brandt, a former Green Bay Packers vice president, has been hired as a consultant in the areas of player contract negotiations and salary cap management. Brandt now lives in Philadelphia and is teaching a sports law class at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. He also founded the football Web site, nationalfootballpost.com. Brandt will assist team president Joe Banner in negotiations and salary-cap matters at least through August.

BY REFUSING to let T.O. back, the Eagles have told their fans that they are now not committed to winning the Super Bowl this year. So I ask the front office, where is their apology to the fans? If Joe Banner, Andy Reid, or Jeff Lurie believe that they can now win the Super Bowl without the best receiver in the game, I have some swampland to sell them. Yes, T.O. can be a pain and has a bad habit of running his mouth, but the Eagles knew that. If the Eagles' chemistry is as good as they would have you believe, how could T.O. change that?

WASN'T last year's poor end-of-season performance embarrassment enough for the Eagles? Do they really have to start this early alienating people over the new Lincoln Financial Field? After being denounced by nearly everyone over their ridiculous hoagie ban, and raising eyebrows over the suspicious omission of water fountains at the Linc, now the team is playing hardball with Temple University. According to sources cited in a story last week by Daily News staff writer Dave Davies, the Eagles want to charge the university $15 million in rent for use of the stadium for Owl football for the next 15 years - and all the money has to be upfront.

GIVE me a break with Angelo Cataldi's silly rants against the Eagles just to start controversy on the radio. The Eagles have won more games than any other team in the NFL the last three years, have good solid ownership that wants to win and a team contending for a Super Bowl going into a beautiful new stadium. So what does Angelo complain about? Hoagies! I'm a season ticket holder, and I didn't see that many people bring in their own food. Mostly everybody ate in the parking lot or in tailgating parties.

Police in Millbrae, Calif., said yesterday that they had completed their investigation into an allegation that a member of the Eagles practice squad sexually assaulted a woman on Dec. 28 at the team's hotel outside San Francisco. A police dispatcher said a routine report had been sent to the district attorney's northern branch Tuesday and a decision on whether to prosecute the case was expected by Monday. The dispatcher, who said he did not know whether police had recommended charges, said the police and district attorney's office often confer.

The Eagles will start their season today without a "dark cloud" hanging over starting quarterback Ty Detmer. Detmer and the team avoided a scheduled midseason arbitration hearing by striking a compromise deal late last night. Exact figures were not available, but Eagles executive vice president Joe Banner and Detmer's agent, Don Yee, talked several times this summer about a deal that would pay Detmer something between the $700,000 in his original contract and the $1.55 million called for in a bonus clause.