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Time for Five Questions.
Philadelphia Eagles blog Bleeding Green Nation
It's time to speak with the enemy in preparation for the Cowboys and the Eagles battle on Sunday night. We asked five question of Brandon Lee Gowton from Bleeding Green Nation and he gave us five answers. Enjoy!
Blogging The Boys: Lots of rumors flying around about Chip Kelly's future, what are your thoughts? Will he be the coach next year in Philly? Do you want him to be the coach next year?
Bleeding Green Nation: I think all the rumors are pretty dumb, to be honest. I don't see him going back to college. He didn't like to deal with boosters and recruiting. He has complete control of an NFL franchise in Philly. There's no real good reason for him to just leave. I don't think he's really on the hot seat, either. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie wouldn't have entrusted so much power in a guy just to fire him a year later. I definitely think Kelly makes the most sense for this team moving forward, but there's no question he needs to do a better job as both a coach and a personnel evaluator.
BTB: DeMarco Murray was a big deal during the offseason as he moved from the Cowboys to the Eagles. I'm sure most fans expected more out of him, what do you think has been the problem? Do you think Ryan Mathews is a better play right now?
BGN: There have been a number of problems. Early in the season, Philadelphia's offensive line was playing awful. It wasn't just a talent issue. Players weren't on the same page. They had problems executing simple blocks. Their communication has improved since then and they've played better.
But part of the blame goes to Murray as well. He just looks slow out there at times. It doesn't help that the Eagles have been using him on outside runs where they get him moving east-west instead of north-south. There's also a theory that Murray had an injury coming into this season since he missed some time in training camp and preseason.
Mathews has definitely been the more productive running back right now. Mathews is averaging 6.44 yards per touch. Compare these numbers to Murray, who has rushed for 307 yards and three touchdowns on 88 attempts (3.5 average) and has 23 receptions for 132 yards an one touchdown. Murray is only averaging 3.89 yards per touch. The Eagles don't need to flat out bench Murray, but they do need to get Mathews more involved.
BTB: My guess is Sam Bradford isn't the most popular player in Philly right now. Assess his play and whether you think he has a future as the Eagles QB.
BGN: Sam Bradford has been Sam Badford. He's just not very inspiring. He's struggled with taking care of the ball. His accuracy has been terrible at times. He'll have receivers running wide open and he can't put the ball where it needs to be. His low yards per attempt confirms that he's been too reluctant to throw the deep ball.
Despite his struggles, I have a feeling the Eagles will commit to him after the season. I think the team likes him still for some reason, and I don't think the Eagles have a lot of viable alternatives. But no, I don't think he's really the long-term answer for the Eagles.
BTB: On the injury side, do you think Jason Peters will play? If he doesn't and the line has to be shuffled, how big of a problem is that?
BGN: I think JP will give it a go. He's pretty tough. I think the bigger concern might be: how long will he last? He's played in a few games this year where he's been able to start but had to come out early and didn't return. If Peters doesn't go, the Eagles offensive line will look something like this:
LT - Lane Johnson
LG - Allen Barbre
C - Jason Kelce
RG - Dennis Kelly
RT - Matt Tobin
Or it could be Tobin at left tackle with Johnson on the right side. Either way, that lineup wouldn't be ideal. Kelly is an especially big weakness at right guard.
BTB: What do you think the Eagles' chances are in the NFC East, how much confidence do you have that they can take the division and head to the playoffs?
BGN: I think the Eagles have a pretty good chance to win the NFC East, but that has less to do with my confidence in them and more to do with the fact that the other teams in the division are pretty bad. The Eagles also have a favorable schedule ... on paper, at least. Philadelphia's defense is really good. They're ranked No. 3 overall by Football Outsiders. That should help them win some games. If the offense could stop being a liability each week, the Eagles might be a pretty good team. I don't have much confidence that the offense can be any good until I see it first on a consistent basis, however.
Thanks for dropping some knowledge Brandon.
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