I've been quite fascinated with the Philadelphia Eagles ever since they hired former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly. Kelly was known as one of the most innovative college coaches to come along in quite some time. So in 2013 when he teamed up with Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Brent Celek, I'll be the first to admit I was excited to see the team play. I've written three extensive blogs about Chip Kelly since the hiring, one in each of the past three seasons (two now this season), and I have to say, I've been rather accurate with all three to this point.
In 2013, after Chip Kelly won his debut game with the Eagles, defeating the Washington Redskins 33-27, many ESPN analysts started comparing him to current South Carolina and former Washington Redskins head coach Steve Spurrier (http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2013/09/why-chip-kelly-steve-spurrier.html). I said this comparison was ridiculous on multiple fronts, mostly because the talent levels of the two teams were far from equal. Spurrier's quarterbacks were Shane Matthews and Danny Weurffel, among others; his leading tailback was Stephen Davis; and I can't even remember the names of his top receivers. If he had gone to Washington with the likes of Vick, McCoy, Jackson, Maclin, and Celek, he would have been grinning ear to ear, and if Chip Kelly was offered a job in Philadelphia with Shane Matthews as his quarterback, Stephen Davis as his running back, and some no-namers at receiver, he would have stayed at Oregon.
In 2014, I wrote that letting go of DeSean Jackson was going to bite the Eagles at some point in the future (http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-desean-jackson-move-could-wind-up.html). No matter how irritating a player might be, if he provides as much on the field as Jackson does, it's never a wise move to let him go, especially to a division rival. He caught 56 passes for 1,169 yards (20.9 per), and 6 touchdowns. He caught 13 passes of 40 yards or more, 16 passes of 20 yards or more, and 35 passes that went for 1st downs. So, yeah, I think Chip Kelly and the Eagles, whether they'd admit it or not, miss the guy on the field.
Following the barrage of moves this past off-season, while many ESPN analysts were praising Chip Kelly for the moves, I was much more skeptical, saying the 10-6 team from each of the previous two seasons now had more questions than answers (http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2015/03/ty-webb-this-isnt-russia-is-this-russia.html). While the season is far from over, since the Eagles are currently 1-3, I think there's a pretty good chance I was more accurate than the before-mentioned ESPN analysts.
A quarter of the way through season number three for Chip Kelly, I'm still fascinated with his Philadelphia Eagles, but not in the same manner I was in 2013, and to a lesser extent, 2014. When Kelly took over the Eagles in 2013, like I mentioned previously, he had one of the most explosive offenses in the league, which resulted in the Eagles going 10-6 and making the playoffs, only to lose in the first round to the New Orleans Saints. Minus Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson, that explosiveness decreased some in 2014, but with LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, and Jeremy Maclin, the offense still had a load of talent and potential, which again resulted in a 10-6 season, but wasn't good enough for a second consecutive playoff appearance. The offense has completely changed in year 3. Michael Vick is in Pittsburgh; Nick Foles is in St. Louis; LeSean McCoy is in Buffalo; DeSean Jackson is in Washington; and Jeremy Maclin is in Kansas City. In their places are Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez at quarterback, DeMarco Murray at tailback; and Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor at receiver.
All the changes have resulted in the offense worsening and defense improving each successive season. In 2013, Philadelphia ranked 2nd in all the league in yards per game at 417.3. They ranked in the top 10 in passing yards per game (9th at 256.9), rushing yards per game (1st at 160.4), and points per contest (4th at 27.6). Through the first quarter of this season, the Eagles rank 29th in yards per game (294.0), 26th in passing yards per game (225.0), 30th in rushing yards per game (70.0), and 22nd in points per game (19.5). In two years, their production has decreased by 123.3 yards per contest, including 90.4 on the ground, not to mention 8.1 fewer points per game. On the defensive side of the ball, the team has improved, but not to such an extent the team can expect multiple victories to come by way of a dominant defensive unit. In 2013, the Eagles ranked 29th in yards allowed per game (394.0), 32nd in passing yards allowed per game (289.8), 10th in rushing yards per game (104.3), and 17th in points allowed per game (23.9). In 2015, those rankings are 21st (373..4), 25th (276.5), 13th (97.0), and 12th (21.5), respectively. In 2013 and 2014, the Philadelphia Eagles outscored their opponents 916-782 (average of 28.6 - 24.4). In 2015, the team is on pace to score just 312 points and allow 344.
While the defense has received the brunt of the blame for the team's early season struggles, especially in their 23-20 loss to Washington on Sunday, it's the offense which should receive the majority of the blame. Sam Bradford hasn't been awful in his first year with the Eagles, but he's been anything but stellar. Bradford has completed 60.7% of his passes for 947 yards (6.5 per attempt), thrown 6 touchdown passes, while being intercepted 4 times, for a quarterback rating of 82.2. The guy has lacked DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin-esque receiving threats. Jordan Matthews leads the way with 25 catches for 281 yards (11.2 per), and 1 touchdown. Darren Sproles, Zach Ertz, and DeMarco Murray are the only other three with at least ten catches, all averaging less than 10.5 yards per. Where the offense has especially struggled, however, is in the running game. The Eagles' leading rusher to this point is back-up tailback Ryan Matthews, who's averaging 33 yards per game (4.0 p/carry). Darren Sproles is averaging another 20 (3.8 p/carry). Most surprising (disappointing) of all has been DeMarco Murray, who has carried the ball 29 times for 47 yards (1.6 per). The Eagles have gone from 1st in the league in rushing in 2013 (160.4 rushing yards per game) to third from the bottom (70.0). The off-season moves at quarterback and receiver could potentially prove to be solid ones, but we're not going to know one way or the other unless the running game improves. Simply put, the Philadelphia Eagles will not win many games this season if they continue to run the ball like they have, DeMarco Murray in particular.
Their 12 remaining opponents currently have a record of 23-24 (the first four are a combined 11-5), so the Eagles shouldn't think their season is over by any stretch of the imagination, especially playing in the NFC East, where an 8-8 or 9-7 record (at best) should be good enough to win the division. However, some adjustments and improvements will definitely need to be made on the offensive side of the ball if they want to have any chance of making the playoffs. The change that needs to be made most is an alteration in the running scheme. DeMarco Murray is not an east-west runner; he's a north-south in-between-the-tackles kind of runner. Chip Kelly will need to call plays to Murray's strengths if he wants to see a significant improvement in his star tailback's numbers, and the offense's overall. If the guy wanted an east-west kind of runner, he should have hung on to LeSean McCoy. If Kelly adjusts the running scheme with Murray in the lineup, this will improve Murray's effectiveness, make Bradford and the passing attack more dangerous, especially in the play-action, not to mention it will allow the offense to chew up more clock and prevent the defense from tiring out in the 4th quarter like they did against Washington on Sunday. It'll be interesting to see if Chip Kelly, with all the changes he's made, can place his ego to the side in favor of smarter play-calling. At this point, I remain skeptical he'll be able to make things consistently work this year, and the more these offensive woes continue, the more likely he'll need to find a new job in the off-season.
First quarter grades
Offense: D+
Defense: C+
Special Teams: C
Overall: C-
In 2013, after Chip Kelly won his debut game with the Eagles, defeating the Washington Redskins 33-27, many ESPN analysts started comparing him to current South Carolina and former Washington Redskins head coach Steve Spurrier (http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2013/09/why-chip-kelly-steve-spurrier.html). I said this comparison was ridiculous on multiple fronts, mostly because the talent levels of the two teams were far from equal. Spurrier's quarterbacks were Shane Matthews and Danny Weurffel, among others; his leading tailback was Stephen Davis; and I can't even remember the names of his top receivers. If he had gone to Washington with the likes of Vick, McCoy, Jackson, Maclin, and Celek, he would have been grinning ear to ear, and if Chip Kelly was offered a job in Philadelphia with Shane Matthews as his quarterback, Stephen Davis as his running back, and some no-namers at receiver, he would have stayed at Oregon.
In 2014, I wrote that letting go of DeSean Jackson was going to bite the Eagles at some point in the future (http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-desean-jackson-move-could-wind-up.html). No matter how irritating a player might be, if he provides as much on the field as Jackson does, it's never a wise move to let him go, especially to a division rival. He caught 56 passes for 1,169 yards (20.9 per), and 6 touchdowns. He caught 13 passes of 40 yards or more, 16 passes of 20 yards or more, and 35 passes that went for 1st downs. So, yeah, I think Chip Kelly and the Eagles, whether they'd admit it or not, miss the guy on the field.
Following the barrage of moves this past off-season, while many ESPN analysts were praising Chip Kelly for the moves, I was much more skeptical, saying the 10-6 team from each of the previous two seasons now had more questions than answers (http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2015/03/ty-webb-this-isnt-russia-is-this-russia.html). While the season is far from over, since the Eagles are currently 1-3, I think there's a pretty good chance I was more accurate than the before-mentioned ESPN analysts.
A quarter of the way through season number three for Chip Kelly, I'm still fascinated with his Philadelphia Eagles, but not in the same manner I was in 2013, and to a lesser extent, 2014. When Kelly took over the Eagles in 2013, like I mentioned previously, he had one of the most explosive offenses in the league, which resulted in the Eagles going 10-6 and making the playoffs, only to lose in the first round to the New Orleans Saints. Minus Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson, that explosiveness decreased some in 2014, but with LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, and Jeremy Maclin, the offense still had a load of talent and potential, which again resulted in a 10-6 season, but wasn't good enough for a second consecutive playoff appearance. The offense has completely changed in year 3. Michael Vick is in Pittsburgh; Nick Foles is in St. Louis; LeSean McCoy is in Buffalo; DeSean Jackson is in Washington; and Jeremy Maclin is in Kansas City. In their places are Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez at quarterback, DeMarco Murray at tailback; and Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor at receiver.
All the changes have resulted in the offense worsening and defense improving each successive season. In 2013, Philadelphia ranked 2nd in all the league in yards per game at 417.3. They ranked in the top 10 in passing yards per game (9th at 256.9), rushing yards per game (1st at 160.4), and points per contest (4th at 27.6). Through the first quarter of this season, the Eagles rank 29th in yards per game (294.0), 26th in passing yards per game (225.0), 30th in rushing yards per game (70.0), and 22nd in points per game (19.5). In two years, their production has decreased by 123.3 yards per contest, including 90.4 on the ground, not to mention 8.1 fewer points per game. On the defensive side of the ball, the team has improved, but not to such an extent the team can expect multiple victories to come by way of a dominant defensive unit. In 2013, the Eagles ranked 29th in yards allowed per game (394.0), 32nd in passing yards allowed per game (289.8), 10th in rushing yards per game (104.3), and 17th in points allowed per game (23.9). In 2015, those rankings are 21st (373..4), 25th (276.5), 13th (97.0), and 12th (21.5), respectively. In 2013 and 2014, the Philadelphia Eagles outscored their opponents 916-782 (average of 28.6 - 24.4). In 2015, the team is on pace to score just 312 points and allow 344.
While the defense has received the brunt of the blame for the team's early season struggles, especially in their 23-20 loss to Washington on Sunday, it's the offense which should receive the majority of the blame. Sam Bradford hasn't been awful in his first year with the Eagles, but he's been anything but stellar. Bradford has completed 60.7% of his passes for 947 yards (6.5 per attempt), thrown 6 touchdown passes, while being intercepted 4 times, for a quarterback rating of 82.2. The guy has lacked DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin-esque receiving threats. Jordan Matthews leads the way with 25 catches for 281 yards (11.2 per), and 1 touchdown. Darren Sproles, Zach Ertz, and DeMarco Murray are the only other three with at least ten catches, all averaging less than 10.5 yards per. Where the offense has especially struggled, however, is in the running game. The Eagles' leading rusher to this point is back-up tailback Ryan Matthews, who's averaging 33 yards per game (4.0 p/carry). Darren Sproles is averaging another 20 (3.8 p/carry). Most surprising (disappointing) of all has been DeMarco Murray, who has carried the ball 29 times for 47 yards (1.6 per). The Eagles have gone from 1st in the league in rushing in 2013 (160.4 rushing yards per game) to third from the bottom (70.0). The off-season moves at quarterback and receiver could potentially prove to be solid ones, but we're not going to know one way or the other unless the running game improves. Simply put, the Philadelphia Eagles will not win many games this season if they continue to run the ball like they have, DeMarco Murray in particular.
Their 12 remaining opponents currently have a record of 23-24 (the first four are a combined 11-5), so the Eagles shouldn't think their season is over by any stretch of the imagination, especially playing in the NFC East, where an 8-8 or 9-7 record (at best) should be good enough to win the division. However, some adjustments and improvements will definitely need to be made on the offensive side of the ball if they want to have any chance of making the playoffs. The change that needs to be made most is an alteration in the running scheme. DeMarco Murray is not an east-west runner; he's a north-south in-between-the-tackles kind of runner. Chip Kelly will need to call plays to Murray's strengths if he wants to see a significant improvement in his star tailback's numbers, and the offense's overall. If the guy wanted an east-west kind of runner, he should have hung on to LeSean McCoy. If Kelly adjusts the running scheme with Murray in the lineup, this will improve Murray's effectiveness, make Bradford and the passing attack more dangerous, especially in the play-action, not to mention it will allow the offense to chew up more clock and prevent the defense from tiring out in the 4th quarter like they did against Washington on Sunday. It'll be interesting to see if Chip Kelly, with all the changes he's made, can place his ego to the side in favor of smarter play-calling. At this point, I remain skeptical he'll be able to make things consistently work this year, and the more these offensive woes continue, the more likely he'll need to find a new job in the off-season.
First quarter grades
Offense: D+
Defense: C+
Special Teams: C
Overall: C-
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