Montgomery County native Jim Cramer might spend most of his time in New York now, but he tries to never miss an Eagles home game. So after asking the host of CNBC's "Mad Money" for his thoughts on some macroeconomic issues, Philadelphia’s economic outlook and a few local companies he's particularly bullish on, we turned our attention to lighter topics like his favorite NFL team.
Cramer thinks fans are too hard on Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman and still has concerns about quarterback Jalen Hurts. And while he attends virtually every game at Lincoln Financial Field, Cramer does not tailgate for a very specific reason. Here is more from our discussion with Cramer:
On going to Eagles games and why he doesn’t like to tailgate at the Linc
JC:. We've got a game December 26th. I don't like to miss games. I mean, never. And I know that we're not going to probably be in the playoffs. I don't care. I don't miss games. And it's been a fun year ... I have all my friends, we go all together. We don't do the tailgating because there's too much drinking. And I find that it's too threatening when I bring my kids. I just don't like it. There's too much drinking down there. They've got to cut back the drinking. I did a tailgate [for the Nov. 28 game] at Giants Stadium from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. People were sober. They had a great time. In Philadelphia, there's too much drinking, and it just bothers me because I think that we have to get a better reputation. And it's the alcohol that makes us suspect.
On whether Jalen Hurts is the Eagles' franchise quarterback
JC: I question Jalen’s judgment. I question how he handles the pocket. He's very young. I happen to have been a Carson Wentz fan. His arm was a cannon. I think he was a little too uneasy in a town like Philadelphia, but Philadelphia is very hard. So all I can say is the jury's out. … I do think that I see flashes of brilliance, but you can't have flashes of brilliance. You've got to be brilliant. The league's really hard.
On GM Howie Roseman's performance
JC: I think Howie put together a Super Bowl team so people may want to criticize Howie, but he got us a Super Bowl. He got it in our lifetime. So I'm a Howie fan. Some players don't pan out the way they should. And I've got to tell you, Howie dealt with a level of injuries last year that was just insane. And he dealt with a sulking Wentz, and that was difficult. But he got us three draft picks, three number ones next year, so we can redo [the roster]. He gets a lot of criticism because he drafted Jalen Reagor, but he also drafted Jordan Mailata, who may be All-Pro for many, many years.
I'm an out and out Howie Roseman fan. I think he's great. I’ve done some stuff with him. I think he's terrific. He lets me address the team. But more than that, I just think people in Philadelphia, do they not remember we won a Super Bowl with a team he put together? When I wake up in the morning and it's a bad day, I look at that cover that I have – I've got the Philly Philly cover. I've got a Philly Philly coffee mug that I put my stuff in. In my man cave I've got nothing but unbelievable pictures, whether it be Zach Ertz stretching to get that touchdown or I've got memories of Derek Barnett getting the fumble. So why do people not remember that we got a Super Bowl because of Howie? I don't get it.
On Fanatics CEO and 76ers minority owner Michael Rubin
JC: Fanatics is [a private company]. I wish it were public. I would buy a piece. Rubin is my kind of guy in terms of trying to really succeed in business. He’s from Upper Dublin and he has a chip on his shoulder even worse than mine from being from Springfield. And I like his work ethic. He is endless in his desire to win. I think that's great. He's got a lot of causes, too, that I tend to agree with.
On where he would go for the perfect Philadelphia day
JC: I am going to have to start at the inner sanctum of Geno’s. No one gets in the inner sanctum. But I used to throw my father's birthday in the inner sanctum because that's how much I love Geno’s. So we're going to Geno’s. Now, look, Jim's catered my wedding and my mom loved Dalessandro’s. They're all good. But, you know, Geno’s is special. So, you start at ground zero, which is the inner sanctum.
I was telling my kids how much they loved the Franklin Institute. And you know what, the heart, I would still take them to the heart. And if you go to the locomotive underneath, it's 1401, which was my address — 1401 Cromwell Road. So we'd have to stop by that. I would take them to the Mutter Museum because no one would believe that's a real science museum. I just think that is the greatest museum. We would go to the Wissahickon and we would take a hike. I defy anyone to think that there could be such an amazing park in the center of a city. Then we would go absolutely to the Constitution Center, which I think is fantastic. I love obviously going to Independence Hall, which is a must. The Liberty Bell is great. I think the Constitution Center, they did a really fantastic job. That's an absolute must.
I love the Art Museum. I went there every single year when I was growing up. We took our field trip there. I haven't been in the zoo since my kids were little, but it's an accessible zoo and I think the zoo is great for younger kids because you can actually see the animals. Unlike when you go to the New York zoo, where you can't see a single animal because they put them all the way where you can't see them. And then we'll have a cocktail at Parc and then we'll go have the best steak in the world at Barclay Prime. That's my day.
