• March 19, 2024

Did Lurie Learn A Valuable Lesson From Redskins?

ChipKelly21When Jeffrey Lurie pondered the future direction of his franchise, he was faced with a tough decision on what to do with Chip Kelly.

On one hand, Lurie made a significant commitment to Kelly, giving him absolute power over the organization. Things have gone horribly wrong, but Lurie might have felt that it would be the wrong thing to do to end the arrangement after just one season.

However, if Lurie looks to the division rival franchise that won the NFC East this year, he can learn an important lesson about commitments, forward thinking, and doing what is truly at the best interest of the franchise.

When the Washington Redskins went to Training Camp this year, it was expected that former top draft pick Robert Griffin would the team’s starting quarterback come opening day. After all, the Redskins had made a titanic investment in Griffin, trading three first-rounders and a second-round pick to the Rams to move up and select Griffin back in 2012. And the quarterback was still overwhelming with physical potential and ability, so surely the Redskins owed it to themselves, and the to Griffin, to give it one more shot, right?

Far from it.

Washington head coach Jay Gruden recognized that Griffin wasn’t the answer. He had seen enough of the former starter to know that he wasn’t the best choice to lead his football team in 2015.

So Gruden made a difficult, controversial, and unpopular decision: he benched Griffin and named Kirk Cousins his starting quarterback.

Many analysts and fans threw up their hands and criticized the move. When you heard everyone talk about Washington, you’d hear “same old Redskins”, “dumpster fire”, and “dysfunctional” being used to describe them.

But it turns out Gruden was right.

It wasn’t always pretty, and it took a little time for Cousins to settle in and for all of his weapons to get healthy, but the Redskins wound up being the only team in the division to finish with a .500 record or better, and ended up winning the NFC East. Cousins has really started to come on over the month and a half, and is set to throw for over 4,000 yards while also eliminating a lot of the turnovers that had hurt his game in year’s past.

The bottom line here is that Gruden looked at this situation, and he was true to himself and with what was best for that team. And even though the idea of benching a healthy Griffin for Cousins seemed unfathomable at the time, it was the best thing for the franchise.

And now we go back to Jeffrey Lurie and his bumbling head coach/general manager Chip Kelly.

Kelly has failed to win a playoff game in three years in the NFL. He has now missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. His teams continue to regress, and his major personnel moves have been disasters.

As I wrote the other day, the future projections of this program under Kelly are rather grim.

So now this is Lurie’s opportunity to be proactive. And he knocked it out of the park. The evidence was clear that the Chip Kelly experiment was just not going to end well. Returning the head coach for a fourth season and another year of full control would bring results very similar to what we’ve seen this past season.

Thankfully, Lurie came to terms with what was best for the franchise, and pulled the plug on one of the biggest frauds in Philadelphia sports history.

Denny Basens

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paulman
paulman
December 29, 2015 8:36 pm

The key to the Redskins Turnaround was the new GM they Hired last Off-Season (Scott McLanahan) and the Hiring of OL Coach Bill Callahan from the Cowboys

Bill Callahan may not be a bad Coach to Interview..
I’m not sure he’s HC material but he’s a fantastic OL Coach and knows how to build and run a Physical Offense

RegalEagle
RegalEagle
December 29, 2015 8:44 pm

Hope whoever replaces runs a traditional NFL offense. Power Running with Play Action. Includes audibles for a veteran QB to get out of bad plays and includes more than a TecmoBowl playbook

RegalEagle
RegalEagle
December 29, 2015 8:46 pm
Reply to  RegalEagle

I like the 3-4 defense better than a 4-3 for the modern NFL but personnel may dictate a change back to a 4-3

vinnietheevictor
vinnietheevictor
December 29, 2015 9:41 pm

GM from Pitt or GB only please.

pdiddy
pdiddy
December 29, 2015 9:48 pm

News so dam good it brought Diddy back. First Heinke now Chipmthere is a sport God. Happy new year to you all

DCar
DCar
December 30, 2015 3:58 am
Reply to  pdiddy

Brought me back too Diddy!

Xevious
Xevious
December 30, 2015 11:02 am
Reply to  DCar

That makes three of us. Good things happen in 3’s CHIP, HEINKE AND AMARO…..get out lol. I can post again and have hope. Pro football is back in Philly in 2016….RIP Philadelphia Ducks 2013-2015…..Used it before but fuck it…I am happy. All you chip nut suckers eat a dick too.

DCar
DCar
December 30, 2015 4:27 pm
Reply to  Xevious

X, LMMFBO!

pdiddy
pdiddy
January 2, 2016 12:32 pm
Reply to  DCar

Hey what’s up D, happy new year bro. Sorry for the late response just doing my New Years thing. But anyway I know how you feel about Roseman aka rosebud. Honestly tho chip was so bad, I am happy Roseman is back. Not that he’s so great it’s just chip suck so bad man dam. He ruined this team for a while.

DCar
DCar
December 30, 2015 4:01 am
Reply to  pdiddy

First Ruin 2morrow got whacked, then Hinkie gets humbled, & soon will be gone, & now the genius lil Barney Rubble is axed! I couldn’t have asked for better outcomes! Man, I’m so happy when I prove the know-nothing troll dill holes on here wrong! BTW, where is Izzell the asswipe, & E0S at! I haven’t seen those morons on here in a while, even when I wasn’t commenting?

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
December 29, 2015 9:50 pm

Are you serious?

Cousins is NOT a good QB and Gruden NEVER had any intention of starting RG3. He named him starter just so he could have enough time to convince Snyder other wise.

They won 8 games against bottom basement teams in the NFC East. That has nothing to do with a Redskins turnaround as much as it has to do with how bad the NFC East is.

Cousins is simply Tannenhill 2.0 nothing more or less.

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
December 29, 2015 9:52 pm

I swear some of ya’ll think fantasy football is real.

Stafford “looks” like a QB and throws for a bunch of yards too. How’s that working for the Lions?

SMH.

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 29, 2015 10:02 pm

Howie Roseman is back in charge

Does that really inspire anyone with a lot of confidence

We have to wait and see but this seems like a hasty move…but what’s the plan?

Do they gut the team and start over…who’s the Coach

Who’s the Quarterback and what kind of system will they run?

Sounds like some serious problems to me…very serious

tsjohnson5
tsjohnson5
December 29, 2015 10:19 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

I’m not happy about Roseman either.

Not even a little bit.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2015 5:19 pm
Reply to  koolbreeze

I don’t think things are nearly as bleak as many think. I absolutely believe chip…culture is VERY important, he should have realized that as a leader he establishes the culture, he is the most visable, he is the one that should tell a player about sad news at home or he should be the first call when a players wife gives birth… He is the one… Head coach, manager of a Burger King, principal of a school whatever they establish the culture by example. He clearly didn’t.

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2015 5:24 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Sorry, as for not as bleak…. Look Murray is a good player and clearly wasn’t used correctly running across the formation …we all saw was absurd, I think Mathews and Agholor are going to be very good. Ertz and Johnson good…QB, I’ve softened my stance on sam we shall see. On defense Rowe, hicks good and young… Are there holes yes ..but bring in a football guy and let’s see how it goes

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2015 6:45 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Eagles have enough to Talent to be around a .500 Team like half the NFL but they will need some breaks and a great Draft Class
They need to upgrade their OL and Add Size and Speed on the Outside

Defensively they have to improve up the middle with a tougher better DT’s, ILB and Safety
Logan wore down and needs help
ILB looks like a real find, but the other 3 (Ryans,Kendricks & Alonso) don’t cut it for me
I would like to see a true Strong Safety added, then let Malcolm Jenkins play Free Safety and let Walt Thurmond be the Slot CB
Add a legitimate Pass-Rusher and another Young Cover CB

They can do these things with a good targeted Plan, With Reworking some Contracts, Releasing dead-weight, tapped out Players and having a strong Draft

QB Situation is a huge ?
Whose the HC, What Type of System, etc, etc
Would Bradford benefit playing in a more traditional – 2 back set Offense
Probably so..
If it’s another HC who likes to spread them out, up tempo scheme then no Bradford is not the QB

It should be an interesting Off-Season again with lots of moving parts but maybe not as much movement as everyone thinks

If I know anything about the NFL and in most Team Sports, it’s just that much harder to compete when there is so much turnover year to year on your Roster
40 of the 52 Players on the Eagles (80%) have less than 2 Years With the Team and each other and your just not going to won’t hat many Games with all that unfamiliarity ..

koolbreeze
koolbreeze
December 30, 2015 8:34 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

But they are not bringing in a football guy…they are going back to Roseman!

People keep forgetting that what forced Chip Kelly to make the power move was Roseman firing Tom Gamble! The reason Chip Kelly made the power move was to prevent Roseman from taking over personnel….Lurie giving it to him and not hiring an experience GM is ridiculous…its a U-turn back to a guy who didn’t get the job done

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2015 8:04 pm

In the nfl the difference between 8-8 and 10-6 making a playoff run is a weird bounce of a pointy ball or a blocked punt or a tipped interception …
Bradford is back ….mark it down (of course I marked it down Foles was back)

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2015 8:12 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Bradford’s Eagles Future completely up in the Air
If they Hire a Defensive Minded Coach and retain Shurnut to remain as the Asst HC & OC then I thinks it’s a good chance that Bradford returns
E Eagles hire an Offensive Minded HC and Shurmur is out the door, then Bradford will be out the door also..
I can see the Texans or possibly the Broncos making a run at Bradford

haveacigar
haveacigar
December 30, 2015 8:24 pm
Reply to  paulman

I don’t believe there is a better QB available than Bradford… Eagles go with him.
Chip Kelly is no dummy, he orchastrated this to go to titans without titans giving up picks…. He gets hired by titans as soon as they satisfy Rooney rule, they draft best OL early in draft, chip has had this in the works

paulman
paulman
December 30, 2015 9:10 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Titans have the #1 Pick and will grab Stud LT Laramy Tunsil and then shift Taylor Llewan to RT where he’s better suited for giving the a Titans a promising bookend of OT’s for the next 10-12 Years to protect Mariota