• March 18, 2024

What Went Wrong: The 2014 Sins Of Chip Kelly

ChipKelly1The 2014 season will be forever remembered as one that the Philadelphia Eagles were given an opportunity to make a playoff run in a shaky conference, but squandered the opportunity away.

What was supposed to be another step forward in a new era proved to be a gut-wrenching step back, one that I ultimately pin responsibility on the shoulders of head coach Chip Kelly who was the ringleader in this botched operation.

Critical, recurring flaws that plagued the team throughout the year eventually caught up to them. The writing on the wall was there all along, but the Eagles managed to hide it behind the cheap coat of paint that was their 9-3 start. Now that the wheels have fallen off and this team has been exposed for what it is, let’s take a look and examine the mistakes made by the head coach that would ultimately lead the team down the path it took.

1. The Release of DeSean Jackson

There’s no acceptable positive spin that anyone can put on this one.

Kelly straight up botched the handling of DeSean Jackson.

Coming off of his best season to date, one in which he put up over 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns, Kelly couldn’t handle another season of managing DeSean’s personality off the field. Consequences be damned, Chip made it clear to the front office that he didn’t want Jackson back for another season. The Eagles tried to trade him, but were unable to find a club that wanted to take on his huge contract, which ultimately led the team to just releasing the star receiver and receiving no compensation of any kind.

Kelly’s defenders will point to the success of Jeremy Maclin this year and say that his production covered for the loss of DeSean, but the reality is that this move hurt regardless of what Maclin and the other receivers did or didn’t do this year. An offense with Jackson, Maclin, Jordan Matthews, LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles, Zach Ertz and the others would have been completely devastating for any defense that had the misfortune of going against them. Just imagine how much better this offense could have been if the head coach could have sucked it up and dealt with DeSean for another year.

As if removing 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns and one of the league’s top vertical threats from your offense wasn’t bad enough, Kelly gave Jackson free reign to sign with whatever team he liked. DeSean would sign on with the Washington Redskins, and play a significant role in Washington’s late season upset of the Eagles, putting up 126 yards, including several 50+ yard receptions that led to points for the Redskins.

Kelly’s going to be in for a rude awakening if he thinks that this is the last time he’ll have to manage difficult personalities. This is the NFL, not college. You’re managing grown men with enormous egos, Chip. You’re not coaching kids fresh out of high school anymore. You can’t keep cutting your stars any time you get a guy who doesn’t buy in 100%.

By releasing Jackson, Kelly denied his offense a chance to be truly elite, and watched the same player he let go come back and play a role in preventing this team from making the playoffs in the final weeks of the regular season.

2. Under-utilizing Key Players

One element of the Eagles’ offense that was both baffling and inexcusable was how certain players were utilized throughout the season.

Specifically, I’m talking about Darren Sproles and Zach Ertz.

Sproles and Ertz are two of this offense’s most electric weapons, after Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy, these two have the most gamebreaking ability of any of the Eagles’ weapons.

And both were criminally underused throughout the season.

We saw early on what kind of a game-changer Darren Sproles was. In the beginning of the season, he was the spark that the offense needed to get going against both the Jaguars and Colts. The former Saint touched the ball 26 times, gaining well over 200 yards and scored two touchdowns in those two performances, helping the Eagles avoid potentially starting 0-2.

After that, Chip Kelly seemed to forget about him, and he became more of a role player and less of a focal point in the attack. Sproles never gained more than 50 total offensive yards in a game in two more games for the rest of the year. After averaging more than five receptions in the first two games, Sproles had just two games where he caught more than three balls in a game.

During the team’s brutal three-game losing streak that eliminated them from contention, Sproles was given just four carries and no receptions against the Seahawks, and three carries and two receptions against the Cowboys. Where were wheel routes, screens, and hitches that take advantage of Sproles’ skillset? How could a guy show explosive become such a non-factor, especially in a year where LeSean McCoy struggled so heavily to be effective at times?

Its a very similar story for tight end Zach Ertz.

Just like Sproles, Ertz began the year with a bang, picking up 77 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars, and hauling in six passes for 86 yards against the Colts. And then for the rest of the season, Ertz saw his snap count decline and was only given cameo appearances here and there until he was finally given a major role in the gameplan against the Redskins where he went off for 15 catches and over 100 yards.

Ertz’s lack of use is an even bigger crime than Sproles. Here you have an excellent young pass catcher just oozing with ability. Anytime he’s given the opportunity, he’s been able to go out and make a difference as a receiver. And yet, the supposed offensive genius of a head coach couldn’t figure out how to take advantage of his talents and really unleash him in a way that would help this offense.

Throughout the season, Kelly would trot out the lame excuse Ertz wasn’t as good a blocker as Brent Celek, which led to his lack of snaps. I’m sorry, but Ertz is just too much of a strength as a receiver to not be involved in this attack regularly. And by the way, the lack of tight end use under Chip isn’t anything new…last year when the offensive line was healthy and at its peak, we were waiting all year for Kelly to unleash some lethal double-tight end attacks with some combination of Celek/Ertz/Casey, and it just never happened.

Just in general this season, there was a severe lack of creativity with the offense. One of Kelly’s claims to fame was that he’s supposed to a bright and bold guy that’s always innovating and coming up with new schemes and tricks. The offense that I saw throughout the year just seemed very vanilla and predictable to me.

3. Struggles Against Quality Opponents

This is one that I’ve talked about throughout the season, but its worth repeating.

Chip Kelly has not fared well against quality opponents in his first two seasons.

This year, Kelly went just 2-5 against teams above the .500 mark. They managed to squeak by against the Colts on Monday night early in the season, and had Indy called a better game in the fourth quarter, they might have easily been 1-6 on the year instead. Kelly failed to come up with wins on the road early in the year against the 49ers and Cardinals. His team was blown away with ease by the Green Bay Packers. Then with everything to play for at the end of the year, they folded like lawn chairs at home against the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys with their season on the line.

Its cute that Chip can run up the score against the Titans, Panthers and Giants, but if you can’t step up and win games against the teams you’ll be in competition with for playoff positions, how good can you really be?

4. Failure To Make Key Adjustments

When its clear that some part of your football team is struggling mightily and needs to be corrected, the head coach has got to be able to step in and at least try something to remedy the situation.

This is another aspect that Kelly failed miserably with two key aspects of this team: the cornerbacks and the amount of turnovers produced by the offense.

Let’s start with the corners.

Throughout the year, Kelly had been pressed by media about why he would continue to stick with Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher as his corners and not think about giving more snaps to Brandon Boykin or Nolan Carroll. Chip stood by and watched Billy Davis play his part in destroying this team’s playoff hopes by allowing the penalty machine (Williams) and burnt toast (Fletcher) struggle while Boykin and Carroll sat on the bench. This problem really came back to bite the Eagles in Week 16.

After watching Fletcher get obliterated by Dez Bryant the previous week, it was painfully clear that a change needed to be made. Regardless of whatever insignificant consequences it would have had for the nickel and dime packages, after the Dallas game it was clearly time to move on from Bradley Fletcher. And Chip once again stood by and did nothing while Davis rolled Fletcher out there with his starters once again to get burned multiple times by DeSean Jackson. I don’t want to hear that it was Billy Davis’ choice to make. This is Chip’s operation. Its his responsibility to step in for the good of the team and do what must be done.

This team had also been shooting itself in the foot with turnovers all season. They led the league in the unfortunate category, and by the time the season ended, this team looked no better protecting the football than they did back in August in the preseason. All Chip would say week to week is that he didn’t have an answer for the turnovers. He would explain that he certainly wasn’t coaching his guys to come out and make mistakes, but it was something that they had to get under control.

Well Chip, you might not have been coaching them to turn the ball over. But you apparently didn’t coach them to protect the ball either. Whatever Kelly was telling and emphasizing to this team every week clearly wasn’t working. Over the months that this season took place, the Eagles kept serving up turnovers on a silver platter, and never got any better at protecting the ball. Once again, a huge part of the blame for this falls on the shoulders of the man overseeing the operation.

5. Lack Of Creativity/Innovation

When I watched the Eagles offense this year, I never felt like this team was a step ahead of opposing defenses like they were last year.

Throughout the year, I rarely saw any unique or creative play design. I honestly felt like I was watching the same 15-20 plays over and over again.

I don’t want to hear that Kelly was limited with what he could do by his quarterback. Chip was hired because he’s supposedly this bright, innovative offensive mind that is always cooking up new schemes and formations to allow him to take advantage of the skillsets of his players. And all he could do with Sanchez was a bunch of vanilla, dink-and-dunk plays, very rarely making any kind of effort to stretch the field? What happened to “Big Balls” Kelly? What happened to the guy that wasn’t afraid to take chances? Instead of dictating the game to opposing defenses, he allowed defenses to dictate what he could do.

We rarely saw any dual running back formations involving both LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles, which I think was such a wasted opportunity. The potential for a number of different effective run/pass/misdirection with those two in the game at once was enormous, and Kelly allowed said potential to go untapped.

After the loss to the Seahawks, Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman stated that this was a “basic offense”. I don’t disagree with him in the least.

Denny Basens

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E-money
E-money
December 30, 2014 1:48 am

Great article! Agree 100%. It’s starting to look like, that outside of the protein shakes and sports fitness part of the game, that Chip is a pretty ordinary play caller that leaves his defense on the field far too long, turns the ball over too often, takes too many penalties, and can’t score in the red zone. Plus they give up more big plays than any other team in the league…

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 30, 2014 1:50 am

Good article

deserteagle
deserteagle
December 30, 2014 3:25 am

Denny ,all are glaring ..you failed to bring up the red zone inadequacies…why wasn’t Polk ,utilized on goal line situations in San Fran ? Arizona ? To name a few …I also felt that the fact that he kept allowing his corners to keep there jobs under duress with zero culpability and accountability ,accounted for a lack of focus…huffs botched kickoff at the beginning of the ,crucial home Dallas game still haunts me….with regards to the deep ball…foles was in accurate all season long ,and sanchez couldn’t throw one…in that respect I give coach a bit of slack..but on all other points ,spot on ,an indictment to a season squandered ..

DCar
DCar
December 30, 2014 3:29 am

Great article Denny! Agree 100% To put my spin on it-
The failure started 2 off-seasons ago, after you fired the miserable SOB Hindenburgh, & didn’t send Weaselman with him! 2 failure drafts in a row, with nothing but reaches, projects & rotational players, & 2 FA periods of dumpster diving, ignoring upgrades. This year, in a nut shell, Foles regressed, then got hurt again, the entire team turned the ball over, waaay too much (lead the league). Gave up too many points (lead the league), the secondary is horrific, making next to nothing in plays. Front 7 couldn’t get pressure on the QB, UNLESS, Davis used blitz schemes. No depth at LB, nor O-line. DJax skill set was not replaced (don’t give me tissue paper Maclin neither). Davis true self reared his ugly head, of the coordinator he always has been (Never rated above the 20’s). Entire team, was undisciplined, uninspired, & ill-prepared most of the season. Overpaying Cooper, as your #2 WR. Spoles, & Ertz underutilized. Hardly using the screen game. Not running enough. Square pegs, in round holes, all over the defense.

DCar
DCar
December 30, 2014 3:37 am

Denny, how can you say “Lack Of Creativity/Innovation”?
Didn’t you see how very, very fast those plays were going in, & ran? Man, that “Genius” shore is crafty, isn’t he???

DCar
DCar
December 30, 2014 3:42 am
Reply to  DCar

*Sure. WTF?

bfdaking215
bfdaking215
December 30, 2014 4:46 am

Foles got hurt and fletcher kept his starting job all season…that’s what went wrong!

Biglion821
Biglion821
December 30, 2014 6:39 am

Dcar hindsight is great except we were both harping on this stuff BEFORE the season started and people attacked us as no nothing complainers. Hmmm maybe we are the ones needing the genius tag.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2014 8:42 am

For the negative assholes who whine about DJAX skill set… Blah blah… This years top three WR produce more catches, yards and td’s without said skill set. They had too many turnovers and they lost a crucial game against Dallas… Plain and simple..every team left playing except one will lose a crucial game probably due to turnovers or penalties…
It’s year two of a rebuild… Of course we could have signed Gus Bradley! How is that working out?

Biglion821
Biglion821
December 30, 2014 9:27 am
Reply to  haveacigar

How would you know what this roster would look like if he was in Philly? I can guarantee Fletcher and Williams wouldn’t have been his corners. Put Chip in Jacksonville would he have went 10-6 back to back? Djax skillset means his field stretching ability, ask McCoy and Foles if they missed his skillset. Furthermore now you have a culture where your top performers need to take pay cuts or be released for gang ties or being cancers oh wait I meant football reasons.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2014 9:38 am
Reply to  Biglion821

Um all teams top performers restructure check out Brady. Neither of us have any idea how Bradley would do here, we can only judge by how he is doing in his job. Same with chip.
Ok so now the results don’t matter when it comes to DJAX? WR had more TD, more catches and more yards. Maclins YPC were one yard behind DJAX…. Also, there is no way to measure in a tangible way what the negative impact of his antics would have done… You can’t measure it so in your world that means noing? So the stats are better that has to mean something..
I know how you feel it is really distasteful to see the DJAX led skins making a Super Bowl run starting this weekend… When DJAX lifts the Lombardy it will be gut wtenching

Biglion821
Biglion821
December 30, 2014 9:52 am
Reply to  haveacigar

What does the Redskins record have to do with anything? Senseless we are talking about him on this roster last year playoffs this year not.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2014 9:58 am
Reply to  Biglion821

The difference in 10-6 vs 10-6.
Redskins record so poor even tho the great desean was had for NOTHING!

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
December 30, 2014 10:37 am
Reply to  haveacigar

10-6 and no playoffs.

And he definitely helped with that.

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 10:06 am
Reply to  haveacigar

Bill Walsh,Vince Lomardi & Bill Belecheck
Don’t Win 6 Games with that Jags Roster the last 2 Years
Bradley has them going in the right direction but
If QB Bortles does not develop big time in Year 2
Then they are a 4-5 Win Team again next Season and Bradley
Will be out of a Job..
I tell you who did a nice Job this Season was Texans HC Bill O’Brien
Who went thru 3-4 QB’s lost Top Pick Clowney early on and still had them
Battling to the final week and almost made the Playoffs..

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2014 10:14 am
Reply to  paulman

Um people blame Kelly for his FA and drafts, brDley doesn’t have the same accountability?

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
December 30, 2014 9:49 am

Yeah that about sums it up.

Though I will say I don’t have a problem with lack of creativity. Seattle’s defense is anything but creative. Cards defense is very creative. They both are stifling. It really comes down to talent and execution, and we lacked in both of those areas at key times throughout the year.

The other guy can know what you’re doing. But if you do it well, and better than anyone else it doesn’t matter. Now he could be less predictable…running the exact same looks in the exact same circumstance every time…that’ll bite you in the ass, as it did in the San Fran game I think.

But I’m fine with simplicity if you’ve got the talent to execute it at the highest level.

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 9:51 am

Great Article Denny and Spot On..
I think Kelky has to learn there there is a lot more to beating quality opponents than simply having a “fast tempo”..
I also believed he erred right at the Start of the Season,
When 2-3 OL were out where he should have changed his approach to more 2 Back Sets/Double TE’s and relied on running the ball more to
Ease done pressure off of Foles who passed 52 Times in Cardinals game..
Mrwmember I stated that with Polk out all Summer
That only carrying 2 healthy Backs(McCoy/Sproles) to open the Season was a mistake and especially after McCoy took 2 big hits to the head vs the Redskins
Polk was not healthy or in game shape for missing 2 months time which is why
We didn’t see him early on, though he was on Active Roster
When he should have been short-term IR and RB Tucker could have been helping in the running game..
The Eagles Secondary has been the worst in the NFL
Over the last 5 Years in aggregate Stats
Passing Yards, Long Plays,Red-Zone, you name it
So the fact the Eagles have not addressed this important
Component continues to be an Organizational one..
The last thing is that we all knew that the Offense
Was going to have to carry this 2014 Team,
So when the injuries up front to OL occurred,
And then the Injury to Starter QB Foles, then a light bulb has
To go off to change things around and Chip Kelly
Failed to change anything, next man up,
Same fast tempo, same formations and plays
If there was ever a tine to slow things down
To shorten the game and limit Sanchez’s limitations,
Then this was the time to do it..
My 2 Biggest Concerns about Kelly
1) Similar to AR – It’s more about his “System” then the Players who are available to play in it.. (Having Sanchez throw 30 +Times
Gives you very little chance in Winning)
2) Similar to AR – Kelly seems not engaged on the Defensive side
Of the Ball and is leaving too much to DC Davis.
(There are times when the HC has to step in and demand changes
But since Kelly didn’t do any with Offensive issues he was facing, who really expects him to step in on Davis’s side of the Ball)

Hopefully from the Collapse of 2014, we will see a more
Flexible and Mature HC in 2015 and beyond for if he stays hell bent on his schemes, next man up approach, regardless of personnel or injuries that will occur, then I am afraid we will see the same thing, which a slights than better
Average Team, exciting to watch but a step below and behind the
Elite Teams of the NFL..
This Eagles Defense was on the field for 75 Snaps and 35-40 Minutes a game down the stretch and simply got gassed when it counted the most which is when the big Plays and penalties really reared their ugly head..
Help the Defense out, limit their exposure by controlling the ball more,
Pounding the to k more, killing done clock more..
Maybe with a fresher D, some of these glaring weaknesses
Are at least minimized a bit..
Coach Kelly is a bright guy but Year 3 is critical
For him and his Era and for the Eagles as far as getting back to contending
Legitimately for a Super Bowl, another average year
Or missed Playoffs, and it may never happen under
Chip Kelly..,

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 9:56 am

HAC, what would you do to improve the 2015 Eagles roster talent wise at the cb, safety ILB and OLB positions?
Do you think the WR position needs to be upgraded at the # 2 position..if so, who would you bring in?

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2014 10:05 am
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

They need at least one corner and one safety… Probably a total of three combo draft FA… I like maxwell from Seattle. I don’t follow college, so whoever the draft gurus say there.
WR is fine.. They were more productive this year than last… The whole number two thing is stupid and people argue because of funny money. Matthews is the two if there is such a thing. I like maclin but can they upgrade? Dunno, Crabtree is free isn’t he?
OLB.. God damnit smith better be able to play! Graham will walk, eagles will offer him situational money, he will get starter DE money for a 4-3. Didn’t a young linebacker get hurt in preseason? I forget his name?
I believe this is the year that they will make some FA signings remember FA rarely works out unless you are sitting right on the edge of the SB…
Other then the pats and broncos most teams that made FA splash didn’t perform well

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 10:11 am
Reply to  haveacigar

That was LB Travis Long who tore his ACL,
Not sure how he progressed if he even is in their future Plans

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 11:10 am
Reply to  paulman

Eagles can’t rely on Travis Long. He was not a sure thing prior to injury so there is no way to think he can have an impact.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 11:06 am
Reply to  haveacigar

They are not fine at WR, Riley Cooper was named the worst starting wideout in the NFL by PFF, an upgrade is needed there as his production was god awful. Kelly said that Mathews is his slot guy, so a # 2 receiver is needed. Crabtree probably will not be back in SF, who knows, may depend on what new coach thinks of him.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 9:59 am

“1. The Release of DeSean Jackson

There’s no acceptable positive spin that anyone can put on this one.”

JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESUS. GOD DAMN IT. FUCK DESEAN JACKSON!!!!!!!!!!!! HE QUIT ON THIS TEAM A FEW YEARS BACK OVER MONEY AND OPENLY ADMITTED IT!!!!!!!!!!!

THEN AFTER LAST YEAR HE SAID HE DESERVED AND WANTED A NEW CONTRACT, SECONDS AFTER HE REFUSED TO MEAT WITH THE COACH FOR HIS EXIT INTERVIEW. DUDE GET REAL. ANY COACH OR GM WITH HALF A BRAIN WOULDVE DONE THE SAME THING. RISK HIM QUITTING AGAIN????? HAAAAAAAAAAAAA

DESEAN JACKSON HAD ONE GREAT YEAR THATS IT. THE OTHER YEARS WERE MORE LIKE #2 WR TYPE NUMBERS

OUR ROOKIE JORDAN MATTHEWS – YOU KNOW THE GUY FROM THE WORST DRAFT IN EAGLES HISTORY ???? HE HAD MORE CATCHES THAN DESEAN THIS YEAR AND MORE CATCHES THAN DESEANS PRIOR 5 OUT OF 6 SEASONS. AND HAD MORE TDS THAN DESEAN IN 5 OUT OF DESEANS 7 SEASONS.

GET REAL

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 10:00 am
Reply to  mhenski

sorry for caps… work stuff…

cmon jeff be better than crying about desean

that guy HAD to go

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 10:03 am
Reply to  mhenski

agree with all other points though

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 10:07 am
Reply to  mhenski

little correction to the stats:

OUR ROOKIE JORDAN MATTHEWS – YOU KNOW THE GUY FROM THE WORST DRAFT IN EAGLES HISTORY ???? HE HAD MORE CATCHES THAN DESEAN THIS YEAR AND MORE CATCHES THAN DESEANS PRIOR 6 OUT OF 7 SEASONS. AND HAD MORE TDS THAN DESEAN IN 5 OUT OF DESEANS 7 SEASONS.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2014 10:10 am
Reply to  mhenski

Oops!

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2014 10:06 am
Reply to  mhenski

Oh and the WR position was more productive and a negative asshole is gone… Besides that there was no reason to get rid of him

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 11:22 am
Reply to  mhenski

Djax 56 for 1169 6 TD’s
J Mathews 67 for 872 8 TD’s
Riley Cooper 55 557 3 TD’s
Jeremy Maclin 85 1318 10 TD’s.

The weak link is Riley Cooper. Djax may have been a bad egg, but so is Cooper. Take out Cooper’s #’s and put in Jackson’s, much better offense production wise all around. Bottom line..Cooper stinks and needs to be replaced. He is a #3 at best, more like a 4.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 11:27 am
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Riley will probably be here next year as an insurance policy. Pending Matthews and huff take the next step he will be gone the year after.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 11:29 am
Reply to  mhenski

Cooper’s cap hit would be “A HIT” so yes he will be here. But he can easily be replaced production wise. They screwed up on that contract.

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:36 am
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

well I hope he can at least produce better numbers

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:28 am
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

definely goodbye to cooper waste of money….gotta eat his cap hit….he’s a dickhead…..he left a lot of plays on the field

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:31 am
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

but djax had to go he didn’t know how to shut the hell up and just play with his contract but getting nothin for him sucked and nobody wanted his contract

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 11:49 am
Reply to  zilents44

Actually Jackson was quiet and aloof in the locker room from what was reported. He just did not follow Chip’s plan and probably bucked the system as far as the 10 pm bed time and dismissing what Chip wanted with the verbal back and forth.. Was he an asshole, yep…but a productive one like most all star wr. Guess what..from what I read..Jerry Rice was a little bit of an asshole. Comes along with the territory. Jason Avant and Chip butted heads too, but no one talks about that. It has been written about though. No one cares because Avant was a mediocre player.
When I used to teach, I had to deal with brash loudmouth students all the time, I get it. But, if they were smart and brought up my class’s overall cumulative GPA and performed well on the PSSA, I worked with them. If they brought nothing to the table, I still worked with them as they were my students. Those who bring something to the table is easier to deal with though. It’s water under the bridge because he is gone, but I miss what he brought to the field as far as explosive plays.

daydreamer09
daydreamer09
January 4, 2015 2:31 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Also your forgetting that D-Jax had a revolving door at QB! So he put up those kinds of numbers with first RG3 then Kirk Cousins, back to RG3 and then Colt McCoy and Back to RG3. 5 QB changes! Not bad at all! And RG3 threw ugly balls 75% of the time he played.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 10:08 am

The Raiders will interview Eagles OC Pat Shurmur for their head-coaching vacancy.
Related: Raiders
Source: Tim McManus on Twitter
Dec 30 – 9:56 AM

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 10:19 am
Reply to  mhenski

I believe Eagles may lose 1-2 Assts from Staff
Shurmur and Special Teams Coach David Fipp could get a couple of Interviews by Teams who may want to pick his brain a bit about Kelly’s Schemes If nothing else..

deserteagle
deserteagle
December 30, 2014 10:14 am

There is a divisive culture brewing upstairs..listen carefully to Chips PC ,when asked about “how’s your relationship with howie” good was Chips reply …he’s great with ccapology …then was asked about gamble..”he’s a great football person” mmmm…three guys ,two jobs …one coach …stay tuned…

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 10:23 am
Reply to  deserteagle

I believe Gamble leaves, Owner Lurie will not move Howie Roseman
From the GM Title..
Gamble would be a nice fit for the Bears
Who will go hard after him..

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:10 am
Reply to  paulman

I’d much rather have gamble then roseman. roseman is only good at contracts and gamble is better at talent evaluation….since I don’t care about their money definely gamble

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 11:32 am
Reply to  zilents44

Gamble does do a lot of the talent evaluation. Roseman is the contract and numbers guy. Believe, Gamble is looking at personnel as that what he was brought in to assist with. While Howie is at Eagles games and on the radio, Gamble is scouting and looking at players.

deserteagle
deserteagle
December 30, 2014 10:33 am

I believe the tug of war begins over gamble by Chip and upstairs …azzinarro is the bargaining chip ..I contend his fingerprints are all over this defense and especially the front 7 ..bill Davis whom chip strangely went out of his way to endorse is the bargaining chip …
Well see if this plays out ..as I’d expect..the bottom line on Davis …he’s never lasted more than 2 years in any previous jobs..he’s a dead DC walking IMO ..

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 10:57 am

The Eagles are reportedly looking at a cornerback from the CFL named Delvin Breaux. 6’1″ 192 4.38. He went to college at LSU and was seriously injured. Breaux has been playing in the CFL since 2013. Other reported interested teams…Steelers, Patriots and 49ers.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 11:01 am
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

his middle name is chip!

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 11:11 am
Reply to  mhenski

i read he cant sign until february but shit go get him he is a first team all star in the cfl and dubbed a shut down corner there.

that means he is for sure better than fletcher and williams. those 2 couldnt start in the cfl

shit howie while ur at it get him, the 2nd best corner and the best safety up there.

instant ugrade

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:17 am
Reply to  mhenski

LOL you are probally right about that henski

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:01 am

I was just about to post that ehl, you beat me to it. That’s great speed for a 6 1 corner…..at this point I’ll take any corner.

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 11:04 am
Reply to  zilents44

Nice work by the Eagles Canadien Scout,
Our Vinnie the Victor.. 🙂

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 11:08 am
Reply to  paulman

Should be “Canadian”

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:06 am

For real the secondary should be our main focus…..spend some money and draft some guys and resign….graham, maclin, thorton, give cox and kendricks new deals, and get rid of casey, herrmenans, cole, flectcher, carey, and allen. and draft a rg and get depth on line and either draft ilb or sign a solid one from free agency. There is no qb worth selling the farm for this season…..just stick with foles and if he sucks again then draft replacement in 2016.

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:08 am

I don’t care if we another wr but if we do I would like him to have speed like a randall cobb but he will want low end wr 1 money

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 11:27 am
Reply to  zilents44

Sammie Coates out of Auburn, 6’2″ 201 4.3 speed. He can give you deep speed, great blocking and great work ethic.

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:32 am
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

what round though…..if we don’t get 2 corners in free agency no way we can use 2nd rd pick on coates

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 11:39 am
Reply to  zilents44

Projected late first or early second. I agree we need corners. Only 2 corners are worth a first round pick. Trae Waynes and Marcus Peters. Waynes will be gone top 15 as long as he has good combine. That’s why I would have been fine with the Eagles losing Sunday. We would have been slotted at pick 16. Peters is a top 10 pick, but his problems with the coaching staff may cause him to drop like a rock. Depends on Chip and his culture. What if there are no worthy corner or safeties on the board at pick 20, but a WR is there like Coates or Kevin White from WVA. You have to take the better talent, not draft for need. There will be corners available in the second round and safeties in the second and third. If they get a Byron Maxwell in FA, don’t be surprised if they get a wide out in the first if a Kevin White or Sammie Coates is available. Jus sayin!

zilents44
zilents44
December 30, 2014 11:11 am

get

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 11:21 am

Great work Denny.

andrew p
andrew p
December 30, 2014 12:03 pm

Creativity or not, the man still had his O put up over 450 points n that’s with 34 turnovers, cut the turnovers to 20 n your talking over 500 points, I’ll take that non creative number any day of the week.

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 12:06 pm

I do not think Desean’s departure had as big of an impact as some people feel.

Last year the Eagles ended up 10-6 in a terrible division where they had very few injuries and very few turnovers. Additionally, the new offense has not been seen by anyone in the league at the start of the season. This year, the Eagles ended up 10-6 with a divisional opponent that competed for a playoff spot. Additionally, the Eagles had a plethora of turnovers and injuries across the offensive line. Furthermore, the Eagles have one of the worst secondaries in the league.

To make the loss of Desean Jackson as the number one mistake is an emotional reaction and not a legitimate argument. The Eagles have been trying to trade Desean when Andy was still coaching the team. The entire league knew this and decided not to make a move because these other teams knew the Eagles would have to let him go. After he was let go there were only a handful of teams that wanted to look at him for various reasons. He is small, frail, and can only catch deep balls. He does not block and is not a big “team first” guy. His old coach did not try to pick Desean up even though the Chiefs went this entire season without a wide receiver catching a touchdown. The Chiefs biggest flaw was wide receiver and they did not try to go after Desean which was telling. Additionally, it did not seem many players were terribly upset and devastated with the loss. This is not to say that he is not a good player, it is to say he has some serious flaws and getting rid of him is not the biggest mistake the Eagles made. If anything the Eagles bigger mistake was not focusing on creating Ertz as a serious threat.

I think lack of creativity should be higher on the list. The Eagles ran the same 20-25 offensive plays all year round. The Eagles have to add something new the league has yet to see so that they may improve. They need something that will allow us to sustain longer drives. The drives are way too short and inconsistent. I think they have to add a power run game. I saw an annoying play this past Sunday when the Eagles had a 3rd and 2 and ran McCoy who was immediately dropped by the first guy that touched him. We need a back that can break though the line and run people over. A back that can compliment McCoy and Sproles, and not be a mirror image of them. I find it funny everyone bashed Reid for having smaller scat backs in a pass first offense yet that is all Chip has in a run first offense. Ironic.

The secondary should be number one. They were terribly bad and cost us games this year that some people would like to place on QBs. They gave up too many big plays and created too few turnovers. An example of this came this past Sunday versus the Giants where there were several dropped interceptions. Also, there were double coverage plays in which the defenders somehow allowed the receiver catch the ball and other plays where the corner fell down to allow the receiver to score. This is something seen all year round and is unacceptable.

Bottomline I liked Desean when he was here, however there were way more mistakes the Eagles did during the actual play of the season that actually cost us games. Dwelling on Desean is shortsighted. The Eagles could have won at least two more games with better execution.

SONGSRME2
SONGSRME2
December 30, 2014 12:36 pm
Reply to  tua14768

You are outta your damn mine!

Defenses played this offense different all year due to Djax absence and you be asinine to think hm getting cut didn’t directly affect this Eagles offense for the worse.

Teams crashed on the running game leaving Foles erratic, overthrowing receivers, backpedaling, throwing interceptions and it continued when Sanchez came in.

Teams had to respect Desean knowing he can take it to the house at anytime with a gear that can blow past most DB’s in the game.

I seen safeties playing 20 to 25 yards out afraid of losing contain last season.

Don’t give me the Sproles aquisition when he rarely made it on the field in key situations…..

Desean was on the field the majority of the snaps with that threat there more often than a situational RB.

The Eagles not only got rid of a threat who makes defensive coordinators scheme against, they didn’t get nothing in return for a pro bowl receiver.

The same receiver torches your bum ass corners killing all playoff hopes with a division rival.

If it wasn’t for the points the special teams and defense gave us early in the year, this team would have struggled to get to .500, you’re going to say Djax’s absence has nothing to do with this offenses regression along with Foles struggles?

The field was more open for Foles last season because the space defenses gave him in fear of Djax.

Everyone on this site mentioned the same fears right after they let him go.

You can not replace exceptional talent with scheme or culture.

Talent wins in the NFL and this failure of an organization will continue as long as the fans continue their blind defense of these losing decisions.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 12:44 pm
Reply to  SONGSRME2

I don’t agree with you a lot Songs…but I do on this one! Bottom line they failed to replace what he brought to the field. I think they thought Brandon Cooks could be that guy, but the Saints jumped over them and snatched him. That plan exploded in their face just like DJax exploded on the Eagles defense twice this year…the last game ultimately culminated in helping to extinguish any hope of going to the post season..

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 12:50 pm
Reply to  SONGSRME2

Outta your damn MIND. Haaaaa. Outta your damn mine.

Lmfao.

And regarding pro bowl. He had 1 legit wr worthy pro bowl year. The prior was because of punt returns which he refuses to do now

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 1:08 pm
Reply to  SONGSRME2

“Don’t give me the Sproles aquisition when he rarely made it on the field in key situations…..”
Response – I have no idea what you’re talking about because I never mentioned the acquisition of Sproles.

“The same receiver torches your bum ass corners killing all playoff hopes with a division rival.”
– Our playoff hopes were killed way before that. The secondary was burned by almost everyone we faced this year. Desean was no different. The fact that we could not beat any playoff caliber team outside of the Cowboys crushed our playoff hopes. It has to do with the secondary, not Desean. Deasean does not play for the Eagles Songs.

“If it wasn’t for the points the special teams and defense gave us early in the year, this team would have struggled to get to .500, you’re going to say Djax’s absence has nothing to do with this offenses regression along with Foles struggles?”
Response: The special teams and defense are a part of the team. Most teams that win games receive contributions from the special teams and defense. Ask the Seattle Seahawks. Secondly, I never said the absence of desean had nothing to do with the offensive regression. You did. I said it did not have as big of an impact as most people feel. After saying that, I mentioned how good of an all around season the Eagles had last year. We had very few turnovers and even less injuries. Add on the fact that there was not a team in the division competing for a playoff spot other than the Eagles and an offense the NFL has never seen before and you have success being 10-6.

After I said that I compared last year’s team to this year’s team. We turn the ball over way more than we did a year ago, more injuries and worse secondary play yet we are still 10-6.

My point is that his talent is not irreplaceable. The fact there were so few teams willing to go after him is the very evidence of it. Furthermore, another point I made is that there are other concerns the Eagles need to address that are far more important than complaining about a player we got rid of months ago.

There were at least three games the Eagles could have won were it not for poor execution and mistakes on the field(which has nothing to do with offseason transactions). We could have beat the Cardinals, 49ers and Redskins to finish 13-3. Those were all winnable games where Desean did not suit up in an Eagles uniform. We were in the game for all of them and lost because of mistakes and poor execution.

Get over it Songs. If Desean were that important to the offense it would not be the 5th best offense in the league without him while using two different quarterbacks. This is what you and Denny fail to realize. Total offense = ranked 5th, passing yards = ranked 6th, rushing yards = ranked 9th, scoring = ranked 3rd.

The Eagles issue falls on the defensive secondary which second worst in the league.

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 1:44 pm
Reply to  tua14768

@Songs. Just to add that the Eagles finished third in the League in 20+ yard plays and tied for second in 40+ yard plays this year without Desean. But I guess none of those stats are considered elite to you and Denny.

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 1:45 pm
Reply to  tua14768

I’m sorry they had the third most 40+ yard plays.

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 4:28 pm
Reply to  SONGSRME2

Songs, What was the Redskins Record this Season
With your Boyz D-Jax & RG3…

yojoe
yojoe
December 30, 2014 12:22 pm

Terrific article!!!!! Coach should NOT get a pass… Too many people worshipping a guy that hasn’t done enough yet to warrant it…

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 12:28 pm

ugh… he said.. THE WAY IT WAS HANDLED!!!

Would you have liked a high draft pick for him? I would have… the P. Harvin deal from MN to Seattle netted the Vikes a huge haul. Both are similar players.

Would you have liked to see Desean on the Jets this year instead of the Skins? I would have!!!!

Guys… Im with you…. noone really wants the Mesean back but the points Denny made about him and how it was handled were spot on!! We miss his speed, it would have been nice to not get burned by him, would have liked something in return.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 12:34 pm
Reply to  Stevo

Exactly, it’s not about DeSean the person, it’s about what he brought to the field skill wise and how that skill burned us as we had no answer for the very person said we do not need and can get along without. They better get an answer for him on the offense as his speed needs to be replaced and on the defense, someone that can friggin cover him!

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 12:41 pm
Reply to  Stevo

I understand the argument that you don’t want him to burn you, however I don’t think it matters with a terrible franchise like the Redskins. Desean only had a couple teams that actually wanted him. The Redskins always go for guys like this and get burned in the long run. They have receivers with terrible QBs.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 1:59 pm
Reply to  tua14768

I am not concerned with Djax the person. I do not like how his skill set was replaced nor do I like how the Eagles attempted to stop him. We gave away a standout talent and did not replace it adaquately. I like Jordan Mathews…but he does not bring the same dynamic element to the offense that defenses is going to concern themselves with. I like explosive plays and explosive playmakers. That is why I liked Jackson. Anytime…anyplace….boom!

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 2:13 pm
Reply to  tua14768

“however I don’t think it matters with a terrible franchise like the Redskins.”

Long term- Agree. HOWEVER.. did you watch the game? He beat us.. and its one of the main reasons we are not in the playoffs right now.

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 3:10 pm
Reply to  Stevo

. “He beat us.. and its one of the main reasons we are not in the playoffs right now.” I guess the defensive secondary was good enough to get the playoffs, along with the turnovers, and injuries along the offensive line, and lopsided time of possession, and the redzone execution and injuries at QB. I guess if we had Desean we would have made it to the Superbowl and became a dynasty because he is that good.

None of that matters because Desean by himself beat the Eagles. The two missed field goals and interception on the last drive was not a factor either because Desean himself beat us.

Terrible argument Stevo.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 3:23 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Without him, Washington loses that game! He beat us.

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 4:07 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

We beat ourselves. We missed field goals, we made terrible penalties and had turnovers like we always do. Desean did not beat us. lmao. I think some people like to acknowledge that the season did not hinge on certain players not being on the team. Instead, it hinges on discipline, execution and making adjustments.

You can cry all day long about having Desean back and will not account for the terrible secondary and mistakes. You can’t mask a mediocre defense with a great offense. Chip is having to learn this the hard way. You can’t win chips without defense.

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 4:28 pm
Reply to  tua14768

“Jackson finished the day with four catches for 126 yards – his second-highest single-game yardage total of the season.”

Um.. desean helped.

“You can cry all day long about having Desean back”. Show me where I even say I wanted him back. Where is that exactly? I mean… what the hell are you even talking about? Denny said in this article that THE WAY it all went down was a mistake. That was the point. And I agree 100% with the point. Do you see this? How can you not?

I and a few others on here have been crying about the snitty 2ndary for at least 5 years while others obsess over Mike Vick…. where have you seen me say anything other than that?

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 4:38 pm
Reply to  tua14768

I never said Desean never helped. Please read the post I posted and not make up an argument that was never stated.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 4:41 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Deseans 4 catches didn’t beat us. Lmfao. He accounted for 0 points. He didn’t beat shit

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 4:43 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Saying we beat ourselves is a copout. Every team can say that every week. The winning team gets the credit. The Redskins beat us. Without Jacksons contribution they dont. We can not put an asterisk next to the L and say…the skins did not beat the Eagles. They beat themselves.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 4:46 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Jackson set up each of their scores…no doubt about that. PI penalty on Nate Allen in end zone on Jackson was a killer. Eagles could not stop him. Does Washington win without his production? Nope.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 4:55 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Marc Sanchez beat us and lost us the game and everyone that watched knows it. Tied game under 3 mins to play and he throws a hot pile of shit to a guy on Washington.

Washington gets the ball back and drives the field on 2 plays , 1 to garçon and the other due to penalty roughing the passer. No jaccpot catches No game changing plays and no points. Cmon.

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 3:26 pm
Reply to  tua14768

no you dope. Why is reading so hard for some….

I dont want desean back.
No… our secondary was not good.

But what I was saying was that I would have rather USED A HIGH PICK FROM A DESEAN TRADE TO LAND A GOOD CB.
I ALSO WOULD RATHER NOT HAVE HAD TO FACE DESEAN AT ALL !!

Just friggin read.

Again… here we are talking about qb’s and wr’s and NOT about the problems at hand….. D!

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 4:30 pm
Reply to  Stevo

@ Stevo.

We can’t do that if there are no takers. I think you are failing to grasp this concept of negotiation. When you have no leverage, it will be hard for you to make a deal. Other teams realized the Eagles wanted to trade Desean. If you recall there were rumors that Desean was going to be traded prior to being released.
Why would a team give up something if they have the option of just sitting back and waiting for him to be released? These teams talk to one another. They know what is going on. They collectively sat back and waited for his release.

I don’t know what you think these teams would have given up for Desean, but it wasn’t a top pick at all. This is exactly why I fail to realize yours or Denny shortsighted argument.

You should understand bargaining and negotiation more steve.

The only reason the Redskins picked him up because they are dumb enough to do it. They have a bunch of small speedy receivers that don’t fit with each other. This is what the Redskins are good at doing; making a splash during the off-season by picking up big names that don’t fit their system to keep fans interested. It never works out ever which is why I’m not concerned he’s in Washington.

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 30, 2014 4:44 pm
Reply to  tua14768

No NFL team was going to trade for Desean with his contract.

SO Eagles had 2 options – stick with a guy who hard been/would continue to cause problems.

2 – release him.

They did the right thing and released his overrated ass.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 4:56 pm
Reply to  tua14768

And kept that dynamic superstar speed blazin multi touchdown makin stand up citizen Riley Cooper…So damn good he gets an extension. Brilliance…sheer brilliance.

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 4:59 pm
Reply to  tua14768

“You should understand bargaining and negotiation more steve”.

Again… where are you coming up with this stuff? Do you know me? Do you know anything about me? nope and nope. So try and stick to the facts. You are right…. why would a team make a trade for a guy that is thought to have been in a gang and such? We dont need to go back but I stick by Denny’s point that HOW it was handled was a mistake. I believe it’s a fair point. You dont. Thats fine.

Vinnie- you really want to go down another path with me again? How many times do you take a lick and keep coming back?

Ive said it over and again….. i am glad desean is gone. BUT… It was all handled poorly and it was part of the reason we are talking here and now…. add it to Foles being a turnover machine who gets hurt and most importantly…. this horrid 2ndary.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 5:03 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Jordan Matthews is better and will be better than desean. Fuck he had better numbers than desean in 6 of his 7 seasons

Desean is a 60 catch guy making $10 million fuck that. He is making top wr money and he isn’t that

He has quit on this team , this city, this fanbase, been invisible in more games than he has made A difference. Who cares about this guy.

One of the most overrated guys in the game.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 5:05 pm
Reply to  tua14768

And fuck how desean was handled. Dickhead quit on us I’m happy as fuck he got did dirty by our front office

Pay backs a mother fucker !

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 5:08 pm
Reply to  tua14768

meh, I agree and dont miss him. I just think they screwed up the way they did it.

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 5:14 pm
Reply to  tua14768

I don’t know you steve. I can only contemplate based on what you write. To me, it seems like you don’t understand the bargaining power the Eagles did not have when trying to ship an overpaid receiver who only stretches the field and has a short shelf-life. We can agree to disagree steve.

I think its shortsighted that the handling of Desean Jackson was the biggest mistake Chip made according to Denny. We should have made adjustments during the season to help us win games. To me that is way more significant than bringing up how we handled a player we got rid of five months before the season started. I think the other points Denny made were on point, I just feel some were out of order.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 12:30 pm

EAGLES TEAMMATES: NICK FOLES IS OUR “FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK”
Written By Geoff Mosher CSNPHILLY.COM
Posted 12/30/2014

The names are out there. They’ve been making their rounds in the Eagles’ future quarterback rumor mill for weeks.

Marcus Mariota. Robert Griffin III. Brett Hundley. Colin Kaepernick.

But inside the Eagles’ locker room, there’s only one name. The quarterback of the future is also the quarterback of the past and present.

It’s Nick Foles.

“He’s a franchise quarterback,” tight end Zach Ertz said. “He’s got all the tools that you want in a quarterback. He’s a great leader. He can make any throw on the field. He’s tough. You saw in the Redskins game how he got popped and was able to come back and lead us to the victory.

“We know what we have in Nick. I think management knows what they have in Nick. He’s a franchise quarterback.”

Nobody knows what Chip Kelly plans are. Even Kelly isn’t sure. But Kelly is entering the third year of his coaching tenure and there’s no time for rebuilding.

His offensive line is getting up there in age. His star running back only has so many more top-flight seasons in him. Most of his resources this season, especially draft picks, must be used on his secondary.

Kelly is 14-4 with Foles as his starter and is extremely unlikely to maneuver high up enough in April’s draft to land Mariota or Jameis Winston.

“Nick, when he’s at his best, is really good,” right tackle Lane Johnson said. “I’m confident in him. I like him. As a teammate and as a person he’s always been a good friend and a great role model.”

Some veteran quarterbacks around the league could become available this offseason. Maybe Jay Gruden dangles RG3 on the trade block. Maybe the new 49ers coach wants to start over and deems Kaepernick expendable.

Maybe Kelly thinks he can coax the talent out of Jake Locker, another mobile quarterback who’s been plagued by injuries.

But what are the odds Kelly can find another quarterback who can outperform Foles from Day 1 and lead the team deeper into the postseason?

“I don’t know,” right guard Todd Herremans said. “We were pretty damn good last year with Nick in there.”

On Sunday, after the Eagles put the finishing touches on their 34-26 win over the Giants at MetLife Stadium, owner Jeffrey Lurie only gave lukewarm praise for Foles. Kelly won’t publicly commit to anyone until he undergoes his typical evaluation process.

Foles, speaking Monday for the first time breaking his collarbone, confidently stated that he expects to start next year, his fourth year of a four-year rookie deal.

Ertz can’t see any other option.

“Obviously I don’t make those decisions but as a player that’s playing with him, we won a lot of games together,” he said. “I think that’s the ultimate key of a quarterback, to win games, put your team in a very good position to win games. At the end of the day we did that.”

Ertz, who played at Stanford with Andrew Luck, used the word “special” to describe Foles.

“I played with one of the most special guys in the league in Andrew Luck,” he added. “I don’t think Nick is necessarily on that level yet, but I think with his work ethic that he can be one day.”

Identifying the team’s long-term quarterback needs to be one of Kelly’s top offseason priorities, but his options outside of Foles are limited.

Mark Sanchez will be a free agent and went just 4-4 in place of an injured Foles. He beat only one team with a winning record, Dallas, and lost to the Cowboys in the critical home rematch.

Although he set a franchise record for completion percentage (64.1), Sanchez threw 11 picks in eight starts and posted the highest interception rate of his career (3.6), which was already high.

If the coaches believed in Matt Barkley, they would have given him a chance by now. If they were picking higher than 20th in they draft, maybe they’d have a better shot to move up for an elite prospect.

But even a top QB prospect isn’t a sure thing.

“You never know what’s going to happen in a first season,” Johnson said. “Robert Griffin had a great first year, then second and third year … this league is tough, man.”

Foles makes the most sense. He’s not only their best current quarterback but also their more cost efficient.

Foles will make just $660,000 in base salary next year, which means the Eagles can devote plenty of money this offseason to fixing their secondary and maybe draft a quarterback in the lower rounds and use the year to develop him.

The fact that Foles started just started eight games and left an incomplete picture of his potential only means the Eagles can wait another season before making a long-term, financial commitment to him or look elsewhere.

“If you’re able to get a very talented quarterback that is able to stay consistently in the system for numerous amounts of years I think that’s when you’re going to get your highest productivity,” Herremans said. “With any team that’s more what you want. You don’t want quarterbacks swapping out year after year.”

The only reason it’s even a question is because of Foles’ regression this season after his unimaginable 2014.

Before breaking his collarbone on Nov. 2 against the Texans, Foles had thrown 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

His completion percentage had dipped below 59 percent. He didn’t resemble the guy who threw 27 touchdowns, two picks and set franchise records for passer rating and completion percentage.

Foles took some big hits in the first month and injuries on the offensive line impacted the offense. He developed a tendency of backpedaling and throwing off the wrong foot.

Still, the Eagles were 6-2 with Foles as the starter.

“He maybe had happy feet in the beginning because there was pressure in his face a lot and when there wasn’t pressure he thought there maybe was pressure,” Ertz said. “I don’t know what was gong on in his head but he knew going in he wasn’t going to have 27 touchdowns and two interceptions like he had the year before.

“How he started the season, with that touchdown-interception rate, I don’t think that’s his standard. He knows he can do better and that’s what he expects out of himself.”

SONGSRME2
SONGSRME2
December 30, 2014 12:46 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Well, the players don’t write the checks or coach and Lurie and Chip didn’t endorse Foles.

Can you explain why?

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 30, 2014 2:31 pm
Reply to  SONGSRME2

Yup…i can explain why easily. First: Geoff Mosher is a Foles ass kisser…of course he can muster up a few comments from a couple of players who likes Foles.
What a bullshit article…Foles 14-4 record comes is amassed against the weak teams and he always comes up short and looks terrible against solid good defenses.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 2:36 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

If Mosher is a Foles ass kisser I think that makes you:

A Mike Vick dick sucker

A Taj Boyd dick rider

A Marc Sanchez asshole eater

and

A Johnny Manziel dick taker

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 30, 2014 2:55 pm
Reply to  mhenski

LMAO

Shut da fyck up mhenski

Is that all you got?

‘dick, ass, dick, ass

LMAO

You’ve been exposed as a dumb ass racist with severe emotional problems…

Get ya life right fool ass!

Yeah, yeah..we know what’s coming next…

Dick, ass, dick, ass….LMAO

Fool!!!

SONGSRME2
SONGSRME2
December 30, 2014 12:50 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Another thing.

We keep hearing excuses for Foles shit play like “The offensive line was banged up”.

Doe RG3 get a pass when his offensive line is banged up?

What about Cutlers line?

I can go on and on.

These QB’s get killed in the media even with injuries and bad play by the offensive line.

Why is there an exception for Foles?

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 1:22 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Great Post EHL and Spot on…
Foles is the QB for 2015 and will have every opportunity
To nail down the long term QB Position with a good and healthy 2015 Season
Kelly & Front Office know this and are not going to throw accolades
And state anything long term until Foles proves
He can Play a full season, they also know that Drafting @ #20
Gives them no shot to get any QB this Draft Class that will help them short term just as they know there are no QB’s in Free-Agency
Out there that can help them either for 2015
The 2015 Eagles Season will be hitched to QB
Nick Foles whether anyone likes it or not..
Now let’s fix the Secondary and upgrade the OL,ILB
And WR Positions this Off-Season with Free-Agency & Draft

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
December 30, 2014 1:44 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Wait players opinions matter now?

Players were saying they miss Djax and no one wanted to hear that.

So *shrug*

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 2:04 pm
Reply to  tsjohnson5

nobody came out after and said we are gonna miss djax. here were player reactions. BUT DONT LET THE FACTS GET IN YOUR WAY AS ALWAYS

Mike Vick ✔ @MikeVick
Follow

Want to wish my bro @DeseanJackson10 much success where ever he land his next opportunity! Good luck lil bro

Jason Kelce ✔ @Jkelce
Follow

We just made an extremely unpopular decision, but I couldn’t be more excited and happy with where this organization is going!! #FlyEaglesFly

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 30, 2014 2:42 pm
Reply to  mhenski

mhenski…buy a clue…Shady was one player who made it clear that we are gonna miss djax…there were reports of multiple players who didn’t like the move. The player reactions to a player who has just been cut by the organization was not surprising since they were all thinking about their own jobs…Fool!
There is no outpouring of support for Foles..insisting that for us to win we need Foles…its just ass kissing Mosher who wants his boy Foles in the job…probably one of his sources

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 2:48 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

DID HE SAY THAT? ARE YOU SURE? WHERE DID HE SAY THAT ? CAN YOU PROVIDE PROOF?

FUCKING MORON RACIST DICKSUCKER

On Wednesday, however, McCoy seemed surprised when he was told that Jackson said the running back wishes the Pro Bowl receiver was still in Philadelphia.

“He said what?” McCoy said. “I don’t know if we got into all that.”

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 2:52 pm
Reply to  mhenski

JUST LIKE UR GIRL. 2 DUMB FUCKS THAT TALK AND KNOW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT ANYTHING. ZERO FUCKING CLUE. YOU COULDNT BUY A CLUE IF YOU TRIED BECAUSE YOUR BROKE AS FUCK FINANCIALLY AND MORE SO MENTALLY.

JUST AN ABSOLUTE IMBECILE

YOU MAKE STUFF UP OUT OF THIN AIR

LIKE WHEN YOU SAID TAJ BOYD WAS GONNA BE A STAR AND HE COULDNT EVEN GET A TRAINING CAMP JOB

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAW

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 3:00 pm
Reply to  mhenski

anserine, dopy, dopey, foolish, goosey, goosy, gooselike, jerkyblockheaded, boneheaded, duncical, duncish, fatheaded, loggerheaded, thick, thickheaded, thick-skulled, wooden-headedcloddish, doltishdense, dim, dull, dumb, obtuse, slowgaumless, gormlesslumpish, lumpen, unthinkingnitwitted, senseless, soft-witted, witlessweakyokel-like

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 3:01 pm
Reply to  mhenski

fool star
jerk star
moron star
nitwit star
stupid star
twit star

blockhead star
bonehead star
cretin star
dimwit star
dork star
dumbbell star

dunce star
ignoramus star
imbecile star
kook star
muttonhead star
nincompoop star

ninny star
pinhead star
simpleton star
tomfool star
out to lunch

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 3:19 pm
Reply to  mhenski

Two weeks ago LeSean McCoy admitted that he missed DeSean on the field this year in terms of his speed opening things up on his Monday show with Ike Reese and the other guy(forget his name) on WIP. He was very clear on that and what Jackson did to help the offense. Talk show hosts who thought Jackson would not be missed on the field has came out and said they were wrong. Even the #1 talk show hater Angelo Cataldi who still admits to hating Jackson says the Eagles miss him (skill set) on the field as well as numerous players and analyst.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 3:36 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

yea eagleshaslanded we are talking when he got cut, not monday morning quarterback and what people are saying now…then is the context:

“Wait players opinions matter now?

Players were saying they miss Djax and no one wanted to hear that. ”

Here TSjohnson is saying back then players were saying they didnt want jackson gone anD NO players were saying that.

then foolbreeze “shady was one player who made it clear that we are gonna miss djax…there were reports of multiple players who didn’t like the move.” WHICH IS NOT TRUE

this is past tense stuff not last week or last month…

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 30, 2014 4:49 pm
Reply to  mhenski

Mhenski on fire

SONGSRME2
SONGSRME2
December 30, 2014 12:44 pm

This team offense would have been a beast if Djax would have been here with that 10 mil price tag and would have cut Riley Cooper bum ass.

That money to lock up Cooper would have been better spent.

Imagine Djax.Jordan Matthews, and Jeremy Maclin, with Sproles and Shady.

Is that not better?

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 12:54 pm
Reply to  SONGSRME2

I guess your not going to honor the bet. What a classless scumbag

SONGSRME2
SONGSRME2
December 30, 2014 12:57 pm
Reply to  mhenski

leave it alone guy.

I’m posting because the bet does not apply.

Foles was injured before he could get benched and when he was close to healed the team decided not to play him.

It can be argued he was benched because they didn’t go back to him at the end of the season.

leave it alone brother,

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 1:05 pm
Reply to  SONGSRME2

You bet he would be benched period and he wasn’t. You spineless weasel. Don’t make bets if you aren’t gonna pay up. You didn’t mention conditions. You bet he would be benched and lost

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 12:51 pm

There is no sense in whining about what could of, shoulda happened
If Eagles kept D-Jax a good chance that Sproles Deal may not even happen
Or the Trade up to get WR J Matthews..
Let’s deal with reality, this Eagles Defense and in particular , the Eagles
Secondary is not able to compete and win the battles vs the Good Teams,QB’s & Receivers of the NFL as the Stats over the last 4-5 Seasons clearly bear
this out and until they get the back end upgraded Talent wise, then
These others areas of improvement won’t matter..

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 1:17 pm
Reply to  paulman

Thank you!!! The secondary is pitiful and everyone is talking about the QB and receivers being the problem as if we have a shutdown defense that would have done anything if we made the playoffs anyway.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 30, 2014 2:13 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Your welcome!~The secondary stinks, the QB stinks, and not having DJax clearly had a major impact on the team.

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 3:14 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

It did not. Show me a significant stat that would have allowed the Eagles to make the playoffs with Desean here regardless of the turnovers injuries and terrible secondary. Not to mention the lopsided time of possession and under-utilization of the tight end.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 30, 2014 2:19 pm
Reply to  paulman

The Sproles deal would have still happened. You dont make a deal for a running back to replace a wide receiver. The trade up to get J Matthews would have still happened.
This is the time for assessing the front office moves, since we are not in the playoffs we have plenty of time to whine, bitch, moan and complain about another year we have fallen short.
We have to improve the secondary through free agency…and Chip needs to get his man at QB…if its Mariota…then make it happen…bust the move.
We are in no-mans land not good enough to beat good teams
We have to bust a move…make it happen…take a chance
Or else we will be moaning, bitchin and whining for the next 4-5 years

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 4:02 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

The biggest reason Sproles was acquired for was to upgrade the Return & Special Teams.. Like I said, no one knows for any certainty
That they would have went after Sproles if D-Jax remained an Eagle
and was still slated to return punts?

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 31, 2014 12:29 am
Reply to  paulman

Paulman they needed to get DJax out of that role of punt returns. Getting Sproles and drafting Matthews would have still been the play AND they would have been more productive with DJax…more space, easier reads…our offense may have been unstoppable with DJax.
Face it….it was a terrible decision

paulman
paulman
December 31, 2014 5:49 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

We will never know KB, and that’s the reality of the situation
Now fast forward a year later, and it still doesn’t matter what you or I
Or any Fan thinks…

RealTalk777
RealTalk777
December 30, 2014 1:21 pm

Best article I’ve read written by Denny B. Good work! The lack of creativity was a surprise though, because that’s what Kelly has been known for. But the more I thought about it you are right. Creativity was a key with the personnel. Only one WR could win a one on one match up consistently (Maclin)…although I believe Matthews showed signs in that area. But the use of the RB’s was not at all what I anticipated, expected more split back sets with Sproles and McCoy, expected Ertz to do damage like he was the last few games of the year…

Do we blame Kelly for the DC inability to have creativity, make adjustments in game and utilize some key personnel, too?

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 1:30 pm
Reply to  RealTalk777

Absolutely. Kelly is the head coach not the offensive coordinator. His responsibility as head coach is to make adjustments to win the game, not restrict himself to the offensive side of the ball. Teams with no defense don’t win championships.

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
December 30, 2014 1:33 pm

Zach Ertz was punished by Chip and benched because his blocking assignment ( Whitney Mercilus ) broke Nick Foles shoulder. Ertz had Whitney Mercilus blocked initially but half assed the back end of the block and pushed him backwards away from the pockert and disengaged him. Mercilus kept fighting and came back into the play and got a hit on Foles. Zach Ertz did not give 100% the entire play and it cost Nick Foles the last 8 games and the team the playoffs.

mhenski
mhenski
December 30, 2014 1:40 pm

Oh lets also note that we wouldnt have drafted matthews had we kept desean. ill take the rookie he had better numbers his rookie than 6 out of 7 of deseans seasons

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
December 30, 2014 1:45 pm
Reply to  mhenski

yeah, but can he rap? crip killa in the house

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 1:59 pm

Matthew’s a Vanderbilt Graduate,
Off-course he can’t Rap & Gangsta..

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 1:47 pm

Congrats to U of Michigan and to Jim Harbaugh
Who made the Official Announcement of Harbaugh
Becoming their New HC..
Terms are 7 Year – $35 Million which is $5 Million
Per Season which is what he earned per Year with the 49ers
Though the Michigan AD stated they will look at situation
After his first season and adjust up to “Market Value”
Bases on what else happens in College
It was always about him moving back to Michigan
Which is where he grew up And where his Dad Coached and where he played College Ball which were some of things I mentioned over the last Year
Word is that Harbaugh kept his Salary at the $5 Million level so that he can attract and pay his Coaching Staff more $$$ …
I was all over this story and for the right reasons,
He & 49er GM Trent Balkke disdained each other and barely even talked
Over their last year together.. When they didn’t extend his Deal
Last off-season, with more authority over Personnel,
it was all over…
This hiring should elevate the Big 10 with Harbaugh,Urban Meyer,Mark D’antonio, along with the new Hires at Wisconsin,Nebraska
And sone young up and coming Coach’s at Rutgers,Maryland & Penn State
will make this a hell of a Football Conference for years to come..

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
December 30, 2014 2:00 pm
Reply to  paulman

Big 10 needed a positive head coach hire.
Wisconsin coaches fleeing because of Alvarez , the Nebraska coach fleeing, and Penn State losing Bill O’Brien.

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 2:29 pm

The Nebraska Coach got fired..
He was never a fit culturally at Nebraska am surprised he lasted as long as he did to be honest.
O’Brien’s always aspired to Coach in the NFL
And not College, was a panic move and bad hire but brought some short-term structure and independence and someone from the outside that was needed stemming in the Paterno aftermath

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
December 30, 2014 1:53 pm

Joe Banner is available for General Manager job interviews.
contact,
Thy Gold Standard Way for resume.

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 4:23 pm

****NFL News**
Jaguars fire OC T Fisch for overloading Rookie QB Bortles
And not helping him grow as an NFL QB
On a side note, wonder if Pat Shurmur leaves for Oakland
Raiders and the Eagles hire T Fischer as their OC
We could then call the Eagles Offense
“Kelly’s Fisch & Chips” and I will Patent this nickname
And make a million $$$ of it…

Just think of the Eagles Signs they use on the sidelines
could be various seafood items
I am printing up shirts, flags,banners…
This could he huge

CT
CT
December 30, 2014 4:27 pm

We are in post year 2 of this Chip Kelly tenure. This isnt even the mans team yet. We need to give him 4 years before we start trying to make decision on his greatness when he has only had 2 drafts and is playing with alot of Andys leftover toys. So far we have had two drafts who look promising but are still too premature to decide on whether or not they were successful. Give Marcus Smith time. The man has only been playing that position for a few years. I was happy they didnt toss him into the fire. If he doesnt show atleast SOME progression this upcoming offseason then we can start to panic somewhat on the pick.Alot of teams had him on there radar early for a reason. It was just one of those years where turnovers bounced every opposite direction in our favor. Bet the house its fixed next year. I mean the shit cant get any worse. Lesean will be only 27 years old and has 3 elite more years in him at the mininum. Sproles has never been an every down back and has little milage on him for a 31 year old, and Chris POlk is one of the gems on this ream. Jordan Matthews and Josh along with Maclin is going to be a very dynamic duo. Our Oline has another 1-2 years left in them until we have to replace evan mathis AND JP. JP of the worlds only come around once every 20 years. Dude is probably the most freakish athlete on the team and has alot of bounce left in his step. Mathis also is very low on milage for his age. Kelce and Lane Johnson are still young. But I still say we address oline in the early rounds.

Were just not on the level of the elite yet. We had a lousy scheduel last year and finished 10-6 when the division was very weak. That only killed the expections for this season. We had to be realistic. I remeber last year alot of yall were saying “If we win 8 games, call the season a succes” because of how bad we looked the prior year and the amount of question marks left around the team on defense and qb. Let Chip develope his team with the same coaching staff basically still in tacted for year 3 which is critical. Year 4 will be detrimental and his demise if he doesnt show atleast a deep playoff run. Were just not on the level of a GB OR Sea in the NFC. There coaches have been there for years and they have there franchise qbs. We dont. Were just beginning fellas. Chip has brought us hope. WHich is all we can ask for right?

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 4:51 pm

Why don’t we ever talk about Jason Avant no longer being on the team?
Why does Djax continue to be such a hot topic of discussion on this board and radio in Philly?

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 30, 2014 4:54 pm

I am very very surprised that all 4 od Desean’s TDs this year came in losses.

Shocking really.

Front running punk player.

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 5:05 pm

It amazes me the sillyness here,,, the words “Mike Vick” and “Desean Jackson” are still the hottest friggin topics among simpletons. Enough with the stars already. Dont you know… that once we got ride of Vick we would go to the playoffs and get right to the Superbowl??

yawn…. the same problem remains…. this D, specifically this 2ndary is trash. They wont go anywhere until this GM brings in talent on the outside. Same as 2014. Same as 2013 Same 2012. regardless of the qb situation. We are fine at QB. Foles will be fine. As always… they need a good backup… all of our qb’s hold the ball too long.

Move on from Vick. Move on from Jackson.
Denny made a great point.. it’s valid. Now quit crying and move on.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 30, 2014 5:12 pm
Reply to  Stevo

And we still stink in the red zone. Big physical recrivers was supposed to solve that problem. If stinkin Riley would have caught that perfect pass by Foles in the end zone that is a rz td for a win.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 31, 2014 12:18 am
Reply to  Stevo

Stop the madness…

When your QB leads the NFL in turnovers you have a serious problem at QB

When you are running a spread,read-option offense with a slow QB who can’t read defenses you have a serious problem at QB
If Nick Foles is going to be your QB then Kelly needs to get a half-back, run from the I-formation and get rid of all the read option stuff….

You can’t run this offense with Nick Foles
Bottom line

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 5:50 pm

I think the Eagles need to go after the offensive line in the draft. As we have seen with both the Eagles and the Cowboys, this is an important component for success. We need to have adequate linemen to take over the aging offensive line in a couple seasons.

We should address the secondary in free agency. I think there are multiple players out there that could help the Eagles who would be considered better than who we have right now.

Time of possession is critically important to winning games and should not be overlooked. I think the offensive game plan needs to be altered to help the defense. Chip has to realize that he should not always have this hurry up and score mentality. Instead, he should focus on switching up the pace to keep the opposing offense off of the field. Therefore, I think the Eagles should focus on being more efficient with shorter gains. We can accomplish this with a power run game that can wear down the opposing defensive line. After they have tired you then can take deep shots. Chip prides himself on doing things his way even if it is against the grain, however this has been traditionally done because it works.

The Eagles must, must, must use the tight ends way more next season. Ertz should be used all over the field. He can be that good. They should bench Cooper and give Huff more playing time to see what he can do.

I’m not sure what will happen with Ryans and Cole. I hope they can be replaced soon. I’m not sure what’s going on with Marcus Smith.

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 6:05 pm
Reply to  tua14768

disagree. T.O.S. means nothing. Points matter. The d hardly ever looked winded. Playing this way is a strength. Remember…. if our D is on the field alot.. it means their O is on the field a lot. Our players are used to running all the time. Other teams are not.

Keep the pace. Get better players.

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 6:12 pm
Reply to  Stevo

They may not have look winded, but their play tells me otherwise. You’re right, if our defense is out there that means the other team’s offense is out there too. Brilliant point.

I never heard, with a defense like the Eagles, that it is a good thing to have the defense out there longer than the offense.

The quick three and outs are a momentum killer.

tua14768
tua14768
December 30, 2014 6:22 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Additionally, we ended up finishing third in points scored which left us out of the playoffs. T.O.S. does mean something. Simply scoring points doesn’t always equate to victories.

gmcliff
gmcliff
December 30, 2014 10:00 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Good Point Tua14768.

We were 29th in Total Defense – In Spite of the Sacks. Apparently, there weren’t enough of them. We can have it with a more consistent Pass Rush….

Kendricks, is the only real Pass Rushing option from the LB Core. In a 3-4, you need more Pass Rush from the Linebackers. Connor Barwin, had a good year in terms of sack TOTALS this year, but he is NOT an elite Pass Rusher – and who plays his position if he gets hurt

……He plays his role, but we still need better TALENT, on both sides – Alvin Dupree, and Lyndon Trail would be my draft targets to back him up – for now……and Justin Houston, if he isn’t re-signed should be our #1 free agent priority.

We need a REAL replacement for Trent Cole – Not named Brandon Graham – He is NOT a starter, he, is a back up – at best. Justin Houston…please!!

And the secondary is obvious as well. I do think we need to draft 2 Corners, but they shouldn’t be brought in to start. We need 2 Corners, and a Safety from Free Agency – Byron Maxwell, Derelle Revis, Devin McCourty or Searcy to start with Malcolm Jenkins

I agree with Stevo on that point, because it’s been obvious to me – and I’ve only been saying it for the last 5 years – Fix the Defense has always been the answer – not the QB

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2014 10:14 pm
Reply to  gmcliff

GMCliff- This A Dupree has Star written all over him
And I would expect he may move up into
Top 10 when the Senior Bowl/Indy Combine and Workout
Process gets thru..
What’s your thoughts on Arkansas’s Trey Flowers?
Another long, quick, Athletic DE/OLB
That could be that Pass-Rusher from the OLB
Position at the NFL Level and still could put his hands down
As a 4-3 DE Rusher.. He goes about 6-5 265lbs
And can leap out of a Gymnasium
He may be on the Board in that 2nd Half of Round #1

gmcliff
gmcliff
December 30, 2014 11:35 pm
Reply to  paulman

I am aware of who he is and his skill set Paul.

I think he is a Trent Cole Clone, with perhaps a little more versatile and athletic. He needs to develop more pass-rushing moves for the NFL as an Outside Linebacker, but he has a nice skill set with upside to develop.

I agree that Alvin Dupree, has the potential to be that player. I would like to see he, and Lyndon Trail, as opposed to Trey Flowers – He is like a bigger Derrick Thomas w/ Cover skills – future our Linebacking Core with Kendricks, and Benardrick McKinney; A big strong, fast aggressive LB Core, which we’ve needed for years.

I think if they bring in the right mix of Free agents for the Secondary, OLB and CB draft picks – For me that’s Marcus Peters, and Quinton Rollins – we’d have a closer version of Seattle’s Defense – and a balance of efficiency in both the Offense, and Defense.

eagles0superbowls
eagles0superbowls
December 30, 2014 11:40 pm
Reply to  paulman

eight, nine, ten

gmcliff
gmcliff
December 31, 2014 12:38 am
Reply to  paulman

and just one from E0S – Jameis Winston

Don’t worry about me. Who are you suggesting for the Eagles????
Or can we expect the same silent bullshit from you before the combine???

Rounds 2-7 is all I want to here from you, and I don’t want to hear crap from you, until you do it, sense you’re such a hindsight genius, who loves to criticize after the fact…So let’s hear yours….

Begging off as usual??…I thought so….

gmcliff
gmcliff
December 31, 2014 12:56 am
Reply to  paulman

Alvin Dupree will be drafted in the 1st 15 – 25 pick range Paul

Denzel Perryman, would be a perfect understudy for DeMeco Ryans as well.

focused
focused
December 31, 2014 1:19 am
Reply to  paulman

I just logged on and checked out Cliff’s Prospects he suggested for the Eagles, and they look pretty good…..Damn Good!! Very Nice GMCliff!!!…. Yet, I haven’t seen any from you yet Eagles0Superbowls. Can you post your suggestions, I would really like to see what you have in mind that’s better than what Cliff just posted a couple of days ago…

I too would like to see Winston QB the Eagles, more so than Foles.

focused
focused
December 31, 2014 1:32 am
Reply to  paulman

GMCliff says Winston won’t be anything special in the NFL. I’m not sure I agree with that..

gmcliff
gmcliff
December 31, 2014 1:34 am
Reply to  paulman

That’s your right to feel that way Focused, but you will get over it after his first 2-3 years as a pro.

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 11:45 pm
Reply to  tua14768

That’s why I said… Fix the damn d. Don’t change what we do know O. Score points. Fix the D.

Stats mean nothing with this team. They could be last in yards against every year because they are on the field for many more snaps per game. With this style O.. Only D stat that matters is points against. Simple as that.

gmcliff
gmcliff
December 31, 2014 12:50 am
Reply to  Stevo

Absolutely right Stevo…

paulman
paulman
December 31, 2014 3:22 pm
Reply to  gmcliff

Eagles have Plenty to fix with the Offense as well
As they have 3 OL post 30 Years of age all making big $$
Need to get a legitimate “deep threat” at WR
And need to get a backup QB with a NFL arm

tua14768
tua14768
December 31, 2014 12:46 pm
Reply to  Stevo

We might want to mix it up.

The secondary is next to last in the league and the rush defense was ranked 15th. Overall, the defense is the 5th worst in the league. These stats, in my opinion, are not solely a measure of the defense’s ability, instead I believe the amount of snaps they have to take contributes to it due to the offense’s inconsistency at times. When the offense fails to sustain drives it leaves the defense out there where mistakes are bound to happen. Since I believe mistakes are bound to happen when you constantly leave a mediocre defense on the field, the Eagles should be more mindful of trying to sustain longer drives.

Yes the Eagles scored the third most points in the league, however we gave up the 10th most points in the league. Therefore, we cannot simply say keep the offense exactly how it is and get better corners. Instead, the offense should adjust to help out the defense. T.O.P has always been crucial to success especially in the playoffs. Chip Kelly will not change the importance of this by simply scoring quickly, He will not change the importance because, as we have seen several times this year, when the Eagles fail to get a first down it puts the defense right back on the field in a matter of a couple minutes.

The only way I would endorse keeping the offense exactly how it is now is if the implement a power run game.

Stevo
Stevo
December 30, 2014 11:48 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Outside of corners… Our D looked great. We shut down the run… Flew to the ball. Loaded up on sacks. Good stuff. They are fit. And this page separates them from others. Just get corners.

Muimuiman
Muimuiman
December 30, 2014 5:50 pm

This team went 10-6 with MARK SANCHEZ as its QB for 8 games. This team also went 10-6 last year with Mike Vick playing a few games. So you had two below average QBs playing over the span of 2 years. During the other half, you had Nick Foles who is an average qb at best. Had Foles started all games, they may have wont 11 or 12 games.

The reality is this team has gone 10-6 the past 2 years, with nowhere NEAR an elite quarterback on its roster. Give Chip some credit please.

andrew p
andrew p
December 30, 2014 7:14 pm

Expect to see Sanchez out of here n Colt McCoy in, Chip wanted him last year, I see him bringing him in considering he’s unrestricted, I think he can thrive in this system.

gmcliff
gmcliff
December 30, 2014 10:07 pm
Reply to  andrew p

Colt McCoy??????!!!!…….bwhahahahahaahahaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!

jakedog
jakedog
December 30, 2014 7:14 pm

Garbage article by Basens again

Basens knows more than kelly. What a joke

He needs to criticize but the coach did a great job after losing his leaders on offense and defense

You nerds need to understand how football is played, coached, you make it way too complicated because that’s your realm, but to a coach, player it is far more basic

You lose your best players to injury. You are done

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 31, 2014 12:08 am
Reply to  jakedog

Lose our best players to injury?

Your drunk…our best player on offense is Shady McCoy

Our best defensive player is Fletcher Cox

The defense struggled on third down all year
The offensive struggled with turnovers at the QB position all year
Your done when you can’t get off the field and your QB turns the ball over

tua14768
tua14768
December 31, 2014 12:54 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

I agree. McCoy is the best player on offense but he is not a leader. Cox is definitely the best player on defense, but no one on that defense including Cox will call him the leader. Ryans is.

I agree there has been a lack of execution all year long with this team. We weren’t going to win anything even if we had made the playoffs. Too much sloppy play. Additionally, we only beat two playoff caliber teams this year. (Indy and Dallas…I’m not including Carolina, I don’t think they deserve getting to the playoffs).

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 31, 2014 2:13 pm
Reply to  tua14768

tua…the ‘leadership’ stuff is overrated.

You have to make plays on the field…production is what counts

You have to include Carolina because they did what they had to do to get in!
Carolina is going to beat Arizona…and if they do that they will have accomplished something we haven’t did in years…win a damm playoff game…smh

mhenski
mhenski
December 31, 2014 2:16 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

yea who cares about leadership

we need guys you like. guys that have IT like John Manzeil, guys like that budding superstar qb taj boyd.

thats what we need!!!!!!!!

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 31, 2014 2:33 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

leadership stuff is overrated…nonsense! Look at what the browns GM Ray farmer said about Manziel…Farmer is a well respected GM in the league. Players speak of team leaders, coaches speak of team leaders. That’s why Chip wanted Ryans..and wants him back. He also wanted Malcolm Jenkins for his leadership quality. Kool…did you ever play competitive organized football? Seriously. BDawk was a leader…what he brought was not overrated. The Eagles found that out the hard way. A team without leaders is just a rudderless ship. You even stated how the Eagles don’t see Foles as a leader…either you or Songs.

tua14768
tua14768
December 31, 2014 5:12 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

@Kool

Seven wins in a season is no accomplishment. They are not a true playoff team. They only made the playoffs because someone in the division had to by default. What will be the real accomplishment for Carolina if they win the playoff game against the team starting their third string quarterback? They will only lose the next week anyway. It’s a waste of time and opportunity to draft higher seeing that they have a losing record.

Bad argument Kool. Carolina is not a true playoff team.

I am not going to mention the leadership is overrated argument. I think we both know how ridiculous it is to say that it is overrated in football.

jakedog
jakedog
December 30, 2014 7:25 pm

To understand how bad this so called journalism is to characterize the decisions of a football coach in football related matters as “criminal” demonstrates the how far below acceptable journalistic standards this article and author reside

Muimuiman
Muimuiman
December 30, 2014 10:27 pm
Reply to  jakedog

Im saying. However, it is representative of how the people of Philadelphia probably feel about Chip. No coincidence that they are also morons.

Chip deserves blame for certain things, but lets also understand that he has done an EXCELLENT job since coming here.

Sometimes Im embarrassed to be called a Philly fan.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 31, 2014 12:11 am

DeMeco fan,” Kelly said. “As a group, he really sets the tone for everybody on the defense side of the ball”
Funny, Kelly doesn’t have to ‘evaluate’ Demeco but when it comes to the Quarterback he has to go back and look at the tape…

I wonder why…?

mhenski
mhenski
December 31, 2014 2:23 pm

GAMBLE OUT

paulman
paulman
December 31, 2014 3:18 pm

A mistake of huge proportions and the beginning of the end of the Chip Kelly Era, in Philly as we once knew it…
GM Roseman is consolidating his Power & Authority over
Chip Kelly while he has the leverage to do so after Kelly’s lackluster Season.
Make no mistake about this move..
Kelly will bolt back to College after 2015

gmcliff
gmcliff
December 31, 2014 3:32 pm
Reply to  paulman

I whole heartedly agree with you Paul.

We both felt that the Eagles draft inconsistencies would diminish if Tom Gamble was given full reign of the draft – and I still believe that ….but it’s over

If Howies draft, and free agent signings are less than stellar, then we can’t continue to give him a pass for drafting Cox, Kendricks, and Curry. This is a what have you done for me lately business

– and I don’t view Howie Roseman as a very good talent evaluator. But he may be smelling himself in firing Tom Gamble – Just as stupid as getting rid of DeSean, and like the Eagles this year, will come back to bite them. DeSean is right, they are naïve.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 31, 2014 3:38 pm
Reply to  gmcliff

Getting rid of Jackson was a Chip production..I’m not pinning that on Howie, who had signed him two years prior. Chip wanted to get rid of DJax and re-sign Cooper. How’s is that looking for personnel decisions?

gmcliff
gmcliff
December 31, 2014 3:43 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Eagle hopefully we get some clarification of facts over the next month or so. Just pisses me of that we lost another talent like that even in the front office.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 31, 2014 3:54 pm
Reply to  gmcliff

Big Balls Howie..lol. I don’t know Cliff, this team is all over the place. Hey..Happy New Year good brother!

paulman
paulman
December 31, 2014 5:37 pm
Reply to  gmcliff

It’s no doubt that it’s Howie’s show now with Today’s firing of Gamble..
Kelly most likely will be concentrate on his Staff,where he will have opening to fill, Updating his Schemes, and of course reaching out to Friends in the College world to plant the seed of Returning
For 2016 Season

DCar
DCar
December 31, 2014 3:36 pm

What did I tell you guys? Gamble took the same road as Gregson, & he’ll be better off for it! As long as this panty waist owner employs the inept, bean counter, nothing will change. Don’t be surprised if the “Genius” tucks his tail & bails too! New Year coming, same old shit!!!! Happy New years!

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 31, 2014 3:46 pm
Reply to  DCar

LOL…
DCar, What if Tom gamble was responsible for MSII? None of us really know. Seriously, I don’t know what to think of Gamble. After the picks the Eagles wanted were selected, the Eagles failed to choose the right player after trading down. Who is responsible for that MSII selection remains to be the question.
I’m thinking getting rid of DeSean, failing to adequately replace him, then re-signing Riley Cooper hurt Chip’s talent evaluation decision making power.
You are right though…same old shit! Happy New Years to you and your family bruh!!!

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 3:57 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Adequately replacing him? The WR position was more productive this year than last! And that’s with a limp noodle arm at qb for half a year. Jordan Matthews had a better year than a typical Jackson year and maclin had a better year than Jackson’s best year… Cooper had an avant year… Wtf are you talking about
This move means zero… Draft day will come, here will be some good picks p, some bad picks, some over reaction on GCOBB….

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 31, 2014 4:59 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Lol…here comes the Eagles Public Defender (EPD)defending the Organization who can do no wrong in his eyes. The receivers have not been adaquayely replaced. Cooper is a stiff….what the fuck are you watching. But hey EPD…Like I said..your world is alternate to reality.Screw the numbers dude…the proof is on tape. Cooper had no impact…period.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 5:14 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

I would think they look at it differently… I hate cooper, hated cooper when he had a good year. I can’t stand they brought Allen back…but again I beleive they view it differently… They had 500 runs last year and 475 this year, had a decimated offensive line… I guess you forgot that

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 31, 2014 5:22 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Did not forget it…did not look it up. Good counter point. Appeared they passed more to me this year. Appearances can be deceiving I guess. They can be a lot more potent with an upgrade to replace Cooper. Jacksons explosiveness was not replaced. The Eagles were going to draft Cooks or Haha..why would they want to draft Cooks? To replace the skill set Jackson brings. Speed, explosiveness and agility.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 5:38 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Deseans ‘skill set’ which apparently is a ‘thing’ on this blog is unique, not many teams have his specific, run down the field fast and catch some passes skill set… Yet they do fine, as the eagles did this year.

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 31, 2014 5:45 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Why be like everybody else when you can have a unique talent? That is what made the Eagles so fun to watch last year. This year…kind of boring with the dink and dunking.zzzzzzz

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 31, 2014 5:08 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

The Eagles were more run heavy last year….more pass heavy this year. The Eagles were more explosive last year…that is what I want to see. Not a bunch of dinking and dunking to Riley Cooper.

tua14768
tua14768
December 31, 2014 5:27 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

@ haveacigar. Well said.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 31, 2014 5:49 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Ridiculous! The WR position, the running game, and everything else about this offense would have been much better with DJax even with the limp arms of Foles/Sanchez!

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 5:56 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

Foles arm is fine btw.. And the numbers speak for themselves… Did not miss him one bit on the field and unfortunately you can’t measure the impact it had by ridding his earphone wearing ass from team meetings, yelling at asst, coaches etc…
If you think chip or any professional at that level looks back with any regret overt hat then you are crazy.. If jax was so special then he would have been coveted but he wasnt

Eaglehaslanded
Eaglehaslanded
December 31, 2014 6:18 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

The impact of Jackson being off this team can not be measured…but..we do know other teams defensive players has made it clear that they didnot have to prepare for the Eagles deep threat like last year. You guys with personal hatred or dislike for him can not or refuse to see how he impacted the team be it tangible or intangible. I will listen to what players and pro football analyst say instead ofpeople who hate the person because of his personality or conduct.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 6:26 pm
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

I love DJAX! He is a very interesting person! He has contributed In a lot of wins for my favorite team! It was time for him to go.. He was a detriment to the team… Rollins is one of my top five philly athletes of all time but it was time to go… Trust me the Phil’s will not get the same production out of the SS position but it was time.. It was time for jax

Biglion821
Biglion821
January 1, 2015 2:28 am
Reply to  Eaglehaslanded

Is it time for Utley to go as well?

zilents44
zilents44
December 31, 2014 3:54 pm

Happy new year’s guys damn gamble gone lets see what ole lil howie can do after showing the team who is the boss…..bye felicia

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 4:10 pm

2013 eagles:
RB- 1900 rushing, 600 passing, 13 TD
WR- 2600 yd receiving, 19td
TE- 970 yd rec, 10 TD

2014:
RB 1800 yard rushing, 575 yd rec, 15 TD
WR 2600 yd rec, 21 TD
TE 1050 yd rec, 4 TD

No some one tell me again how the offense missed Jackson?

Biglion821
Biglion821
December 31, 2014 4:43 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Did you watch the games man, how much of that production came in losses how did that offense look against SF and Seattle? So the only thing that matters is numbers? Obviously the release of Djax and the drafting of these stiffs that you and everyone else says give them time were a factor in this dismissal obviously this 10-6 feels a whole lot worse to the people running things. Amazing how the same 10-6 record has caused the Genuis to lose his luster in Lurie’s eyes.

zilents44
zilents44
December 31, 2014 4:46 pm
Reply to  Biglion821

is jordan matthews a stiff

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 4:53 pm
Reply to  Biglion821

They had off games in 13 as well but I’m sure you knew that but forgot to mention it.
I know you don’t like Kelly but the ship is going in the right direction and cutting a receiver is not something to get worked up about, they replaced his production. There are many factors that you overlook… 13 was injury free, injuries are part of the game and when you go without them you have a significant advantage. Two, the league has caught up a bit, that is natural when a new ‘thing’ hits the league.
Kelly losing is luster in Luries eye? Wtf are you talking about

zilents44
zilents44
December 31, 2014 4:57 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

all of matthews tds came in wins except 1 game

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 4:59 pm
Reply to  Biglion821

I don’t think it’s important but you asked how much of that production came in losses… 13 they averaged over 400 yards of production in their losses, in 14 slightly less than 350… You asked.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 31, 2014 5:55 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

so the Eagles offense would not have been better with DJax, Maclin and Matthews?

Every aspect of the Eagles offense would have been better and more explosive with DJax on the field…the running game….

Lurie just gave Chip a warning shot

He fired his man Gamble…

Chip you better get some talent on this team and forget that ‘culture’ bullshit…

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 6:02 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

Isn’t it your bed time hot air? Better with jax? Maybe? I don’t know and neither do you. Maybe his disrespectful attitude would have affected some of the guys that did so great as fill ins or on special teams… You or I don’t know that either.lol can’t have one without the other

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 31, 2014 7:03 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

are you still buzzing haveablunt….

It is pretty obvious to anyone who is sober enough to watch the games. What fool would cut an All-Pro, productive wide receiver who scares the hell out of defenses everywhere….who the Quarterback…Nick Foles said was a good teammate and made his job extremely easy by giving him so much more space to work the field with?
What fool would cut that kinda of receiver and keep a bum, racist, unproductive Riley Cooper who drops passes that helps you lose games…(see the San Francisco game)?

The locker room ‘culture’ is better with Cooper who talks about his teammates contracts and makes racial slurs??

Maybe this is why one of Chip’s guys got fired today…bone headed and stupid decisions leads to sitting home playoff time…

Cutting Djax was one of the dumbest moves in Eagle history…

Haveablunt….pump ya breaks your all smoked out!

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 7:17 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

Unfortunately hot air you don’t live in the real world… It’s pro sports …

tua14768
tua14768
December 31, 2014 6:41 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

I’m not sure Jordan Matthews is drafted by the Eagles if Desean did not go.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 31, 2014 7:15 pm
Reply to  tua14768

Another great reason to get rid of desean

zilents44
zilents44
December 31, 2014 4:16 pm

I been watching this paul dawson guy a since the beggining of the season for TCU…the guy has hands like a receiver and always makes plays….he is my favorite linebacker in the whole draft….knock on him is hasn;t been a LB a long time and doesn’t shed blockers well with hands relies on his athletic ability too much but is always making great tackles and big plays