Lurie Doesn't Quite Live Up to His "Gold Standard"

Eagles owner does however still land in the Top-5 owners in the game: SI

By DAN STAMM

Updated 4:00 PM EST, Tue, May 12, 2009

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Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie once said he wants his team to be the "gold standard" of the NFL but he isn't quite the gold-winning owner in the sport.

Lurie is the fourth-best owner in the NFL, according to a new Sports Illustrated poll. The five best and worst owners in the four major sports (no one from any other Philly team was picked in the top or bottom five) were picked by SI based on a slew of criteria including recent team success, a willingness to spend money to improve the team, front-office stability, stadium amenities and the club's relationship with the fan base.

Lurie's fourth-place finish wasn't too shabby but if first gets gold, second earns the silver and third goes home with a bronze -- then what does fourth place get?

A participation trophy?

Maybe we're being too hard on the billionaire who pays the bills for the Birds. Since he has bought the Birds the team has experienced its greatest modern success.

Lurie has put people around him like Joe Banner and Andy Reid who might anger fans but for the most part have righted the Eagles into a consistent competitor.

But getting close isn't good enough for the fans and the Birds just like their owner finished fourth too many times (four NFC Championship losses).

Lurie came in behind the owners of the Steelers, Patriots and Giants who all have what Lurie doesn't -- a recent championship. Maybe this poll is just another example of the Birds inability to get over the top.

The Birds owner made the list because "[he] brought consistency to one of the more historically volatile franchises in the NFL... Under the Boston-born Lurie, the Eagles are financially secure and have a modern stadium that will guarantee the team continued self-reliance. The Eagles have also had the most success in franchise history, reaching five NFC Championship Games in eight years and appearing in their second Super Bowl," according to SI.

Lurie might be good but a "gold standard" should be great. So far Lurie's "gold standard" has turned out to only be fool's gold for the Super Bowl championship-starved fan base.