Chip Kelly Update: Brutal

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a brutal loss to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, 24-20. But it was the good kind of brutal. It was brutal because they nearly knocked off the team with the NFL’s best record (tied with Denver), the team that leads both the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers by two games. They nearly beat them in …

Chip Kelly Update: Bird on Bird Violence

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

After a bye week, perfect for the many injured Eagles to heal up, Philadelphia faces the surging Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in a battle between two of the four remaining one-loss teams. This game may well decide who gets a bye during the wild card round of playoffs. Every Eagle practiced this week except WR 4/special teamer Brad Smith, though …

A Flock of Eagles Coming to Eugene this Saturday

Omar Garibay FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Oregon Ducks Football Practice Report: October 16th The Ducks took the practice field on Thursday and had their traditional walk-through for Saturday’s game against the hard-hitting Washington Huskies. According to Rob Moseley of GoDucks.com, as the Ducks practiced at walk-through speed, a few familiar faces were seen in the crowd. The Philadelphia Eagles have a bye week this week, which …

Chip Kelly’s Amazing Special Teams

Joe Kearns Analysis

Fans will not find football players listed on official rosters as gunners, wings or kick return blockers, but Chip Kelly went out of his way to ensure the Philadelphia Eagles have quality players at those positions. Newcomers Chris Maragos, Bryan Braman, Trey Burton and Darren Sproles are just a few of the players behind the transformation of the Eagles’ special teams …

Chip Kelly Update: The Eagles Suck. Also, Best in NFL

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

This is the most confusing football team ever. The offense is completely misfiring. Nick Foles led the league in long throws (over 20 yards) last year; in 2014, he’s 4 for 31, with three interceptions. Sunday was his personal low point in a miserable season; scrambling for a first down, he fumbled away the ball untouched as he rolled forward …

Chip Kelly Update: Well, That Sucked

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The 3-0 Eagles steamed into brand new Levi’s Stadium, hoping to kick the 1-2 San Francisco 49ers while they were down (two key defenders out, the coach fighting with management, and Colin Kaepernick showing his flaws). They left dismayed, perhaps exposed, with fans squabbling, coach Chip Kelly defensive and Nick Foles’s big contract payday at the end of this year …

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 …

Chip Kelly’s No-Huddle: A Growing Staple for NFL Offenses?

Joe Kearns Analysis

A pickup basketball game between the football coaches of the University of New Hampshire and Brown University in the 1990s was the first of many meetings between two future NFL head coaches. Then-New Hampshire running backs coach Chip Kelly and a Brown assistant coach named Bill O’Brien exchanged ideas about X’s and O’s on the first of many occasions. O’Brien was …

Chip Kelly Update: Dominatin’ Ugly

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Philadelphia Eagles are playing terribly. Nick Foles has been blind to wide-open receivers and throws erratically when he does spy them. LeSean McCoy, 2013’s leading rusher, has yet to reach 80 yards by land in a game. Four of the seven offensive linemen and three of five interior linebackers (if you count ILB/OLB Travis Long) are out injured and …

Winning the Trenches: The Key to the Oregon Ducks and Philadelphia Eagles’ 3-4 Defenses

Joe Kearns Analysis

There is a reason why defensive line guru Jerry Azzinaro was the one Oregon position coach who joined Chip Kelly on the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching staff. The 3-4 defensive scheme and two-gap technique are just as important to Kelly as the fast-tempo, zone-blocking, and packaged plays. Azzinaro was Kelly’s right-hand man in installing the 3-4 as the base defense at …

Chip Kelly Update: Like Father, Like Son

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

Let’s call the Oregon Ducks’ football program the ‘father’ and the Philadelphia Eagles’ version the ‘son’. (Yes, Chip Kelly is the parent of both, but don’t overthink this metaphor into something creepy.) With all due respect for South Dakota State, both teams had their first real test this past weekend, and the family resemblance was striking. Both teams were favored but …

Chip Kelly Update: Here Goes Nothin’

Mark Saltveit FishWrap, FishWrap Archive

The Philadelphia Eagles finalized their roster this week, polished their trickiest schemes in closed practices and got ready for the season to actually begin. The Eagles are 10.5 point favorites at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, led by quarterback Chad Henne. Older fans will remember Chip Kelly’s second game as Oregon’s offensive coordinator in 2007 when the Ducks crushed the …