Chip Kelly Update: Things You Don’t Already Know

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

There is a lot of “conventional wisdom” going around about the Philadelphia Eagles these days. For example: — Chip Kelly is an offensive wizard who doesn’t care about defense. — DeMarco Murray is worn out and headed for a crash, while LeSean McCoy will be huge for Buffalo. — All of the Eagles’ new players — Murray, Kiko Alonso, Ryan …

Chip Kelly Update: The Dead Zone Lives!

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Some people call this “the Dead Zone,” the part of the NFL season where everyone is on vacation, training camp rosters have been filled to 90 and the draft, OTAs and minicamp are over. It’s the boring time when nothing happens, right? I don’t think so. In some ways, this is the most interesting time of the year. Writers have …

Identity Crisis: Byron Marshall With Something to Prove?

Noah Smith FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Oregon Duck‘s star WR and RB, Byron Marshall, is looking to make a name for himself during his senior year. After leading the Ducks in rushing yards as a sophomore and then in receiving as a junior, it is clear to see that Marshall, much like Liam Neeson’s character in Taken, has a very special set of skills. These …

Chip Kelly Update: Playing for Pride Now

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Philadelphia Eagles were openly discussed as a Super Bowl contender and ranked in the NFL’s top 4 after thrashing Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. The 9-3 overachievers were led by backup QB Mark Sanchez, an NFL laughingstock since his infamous “Butt Fumble” two Thanksgivings earlier, suddenly looking like the league’s most improved player. Then they played Seattle at home, the …

Madness Comes Every Seventh Year

Nathan Roholt FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Seven. No number has more mythology or legend associated with it. Many classic tales center on the premise of an occurrence “every seven years.” Football, a sport where the value of its primary form of scoring totals seven points, isn’t immune to this lore. College football, in particular, in the 21st century (the first century since the game’s invention that …

Chip Kelly Update: DeSean Scored & the Eagles Won

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Philadelphia played its long awaited showdown with the Washington LOLSkins and it was even nastier and more dramatic than anyone could have imagined. DeSean Jackson has been cocky and attitudinal since he played at Cal. No one doubted that he wanted to get revenge against the team that cut him over the summer (and cost him millions of dollars a …

Lane Johnson: Chip Kelly’s Secret Weapon in Space?

Joe Kearns Analysis

Chip Kelly doesn’t just want his skill players to have speed. He places a high premium on athletic offensive linemen who can execute their blocks both at the line of scrimmage and in space. It is easy to see how Lane Johnson‘s rare athletic ability convinced Kelly to select the Oklahoma offensive tackle with the fourth overall pick last year. …

Chip Kelly Journal — A Defining Moment: DeSean Jackson’s Release

Joe Kearns Coach's Opinion

Conventional wisdom dictates that a Philadelphia Eagles team whose offense earned the second-highest total yards would likely stay the course with its current personnel. Anyone who made that assumption ignored the fact that Chip Kelly does not care about conventional wisdom. The release of DeSean Jackson, the Eagles’ most dangerous receiver, this past March was a defining moment for Kelly. The …

The Huff-Kelly Reunion

Joe Kearns Analysis

It’s only year two of the Chip Kelly era in Philadelphia, and the Eagles have already overhauled their receiver group. They released three-time Pro Bowler DeSean Jackson and veteran slot receiver Jason Avant. They re-signed Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin. Then, they traded up in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft to select Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews, but the front …

Chip Kelly Update: Practice Gadgets and Tempo Training

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

It will be three months until real regular season football games begin, but the Philadelphia Eagles are at least doing something again. Phase 3 of the off-season program — the organized team activities or OTAs — began last week, with actual offense-against-defense drills and all the famous Chip Kelly practice twists: blaring music, extreme speed and innovative, often goofy practice devices. Only a …

Chip Kelly Update: Radio Silence

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

With all the controversy over his team releasing DeSean Jackson, a friend asked me a very good question.  What has Chip said about all this? The answer: next to nothing.  Kelly has almost completely avoided talking to the press since the season ended in January.  He has spoken publicly only three times during a period of constant media scrutiny, free agent …

Chip Kelly Update: DeSean is DeGone

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Two weeks ago, I wrote that Chip Kelly and the Eagles front office seemed to be dissatisfied with star wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s attitude, and it looked like they were shopping him around. Less than three hours after my column was published, the Eagles released him outright.  No trade, no compensatory pick. Just, “Good bye. It’s been real.”  This was …