The state of Philadelphia

[DallasCowboys2080]

Chip Kelly's an idiot. Any team could line up and use a short passing game in a hurry up offense and have bursts of success. No team can sustain that over long periods, though, and it kills your defense, so no one else does it with regularity. It's exciting to watch, and it'll always have flashes of success, but there's nothing novel about it -- it's a rejected philosophy that's been proven not to work in the NFL.

is there anything you feel Chip may be doing with this uptempo offense style thats different from teams in the past? There has to be something we are not seeing right? Why would he gamble with a rejected philosophy?

 

[Derinyar]

is there anything you feel Chip may be doing with this uptempo offense style thats different from teams in the past? There has to be something we are not seeing right? Why would he gamble with a rejected philosophy?

My best guess is that Chip got hired because when you can recruit talent and frequently have 3rd stringers as talented as the starters they are facing something like a high paced hurry up makes sense. In the NFL the second string is frequently a massive step down from the starters, which means having a system that causes the defense to run 30% more snaps over the course of a season is probably not a great idea, unless that offense is really converting consistently on its drives for 7. 3 just isn't enough consistently.

I also think the biggest issue that the eagles system has is that when they face a team who has a more efficient offense then theirs usually is it actually works against them. I sorta expect the Pats to steam roll them, because those 30% of extra snaps your offense gets also goes to the opponents offense too.

 

[Wood]

here is the state of Eagles (I live in philly area). If the eagles lose their season is over. The tsunami for chip kelly head will start. The pressure is on Eagles here.

 

[StarOfGlory]

I've had this big question mark on my face all offseason when it comes to the Eagles. Just what in the Sam Hill are they - meaning Chip - doing? None of these moves make sense to me.

The Eagles are an enigma wrapped in a puzzle. Occasional moments of brilliance are fogged over with frequent bouts of ridiculousness.

First off, Chip is hamstrung. He DESPERATELY needs a quarterback that can run for his offense to work. Foles couldn't do it, Sanchez couldn't do it, and Bradford definitely can't do it. It's little wonder why he was basically offering the Liberty Bell for Mariotta. Defenses don't even have to acknowledge the read option fake at all; in fact, it kind of makes it open season on Bradford.

Then, he goes and signs Demarco Murray, a downhill runner custom built for lining up seven yards behind the line of scrimmage. Lesean McCoy was successful because he could make quick, scat-back moves in the backfield and cut upfield. Elusiveness is the key to running from the shotgun sidekick formation, especially as close as Chip lines his QB up to the line of scrimmage. Murray doesn't have that ability, and Matthews only slightly more. Sproles is the best option here, other than the guy Chip sent to Buffalo.

Philly had a decent option as a nickel slot cover guy in Boykin. Then, Chip traded him for a box of jelly beans and watched his corners go down in camp. Now, they have almost nobody to mark Beasley in the slot, or Escobar, or anybody. It was a strange move.

Then, he ran off a good guard in Mathis, and if you watched the Eagles play on Monday, their offensive line didn't look good at all. Murray and Matthews combined for 13 whole yards rushing. Wow.

Add to this the dismantling of the receiving corps from Jackson and Maclin, a tandem that had big days against Dallas. He just replaced them with lesser versions of the same. Small, quick guys that aren't as good as Jackson or Maclin (although Jordan Matthews shows promise).

Add to all this Chip's bizarre insistence of playing every game in breakneck fashion. It tires defenses, yes. BOTH defenses. And it adds miles and wear and tear on his own team as they play 20 percent more plays each season. That's the same as 2-3 more games. I wonder if and when the NFLPA starts complaining about it, and in fact, if it starts to affect free agents' willingness to play there. It did seem to factor in Frank Gore's decision to back out.

I sense an uneasy panic in Philly, and if Dallas pulls this out on Sunday like I think they will, it could get really ugly up there. That "amazing" preseason offensive display stoked the flames of media and Eagle fan alike, and it may serve to set them up for a thunderous crash early this season.

That's a flawed franchise with a flawed coach, a flawed scheme, and a flawed roster, playing in front of a flawed city of flawed people.

And it's fascinating to watch.

A few notes....

Brandon Boykin was below average last year. Big TE's and WR's ate him up in the slot. Did anyone notice that Pittsburg didn't even let him see the field that first game, even though the Pats were ripping them up through the air? He's only 5'9", and last year was getting abused in some games.

Shady was a big reason Philly was in so many 2nd and 3rd and long situations...he dances too much and has more losses behind the LoS than any other starting back in the league. Chip's O needs to keep pushing the ball, not take losses.

Losing Mathis hurt, but the guy wasn't happy with making "only" 5.5 million, so he asked for his release. I'm sure slimy Drew Rosenhaus was a big part of this. Mathis can say what he wants, but he's lying through his teeth when he says he's happy with his pay cut in Denver.

Philly is hurting at guard for sure. Herremans showed his age two years ago and really was getting beat up last year...and they did not have good backups to,take over. They still only have two barely average guards.

 

[manster4ever]

My best guess is that Chip got hired because when you can recruit talent and frequently have 3rd stringers as talented as the starters they are facing something like a high paced hurry up makes sense. In the NFL the second string is frequently a massive step down from the starters, which means having a system that causes the defense to run 30% more snaps over the course of a season is probably not a great idea, unless that offense is really converting consistently on its drives for 7. 3 just isn't enough consistently.

I also think the biggest issue that the eagles system has is that when they face a team who has a more efficient offense then theirs usually is it actually works against them. I sorta expect the Pats to steam roll them, because those 30% of extra snaps your offense gets also goes to the opponents offense too.

Yeah, like the OP said it's self defeating from the standpoint that your O AND D are out there for so many more snaps than normal. It's gimmicky, cheesy, assinine and in the long run......stupid. If it was such a great way to run an offense, the best coaches in the NFL would be running it and they aren't. That said, we have a helluva lot of talent out for tomorrow. They should win. I'm not panicking if they do.

 

[erod]

A lot you got wrong here.

Chip doesn't prefer a rb who dances. He wants a one cut runner. Aka Murray and Mathews. Also known as not McCoy.

Chip doesn't prefer small quick receivers. He wants bigger wrs. Matthews is 6'3 and their first rounder Nelson is 6'0.

Chip let Evan Mathias walk when he cut him. He then proceeded to sit on the street for over a month before Denver gave him a look. He is now getting Peyton Manning killed.

This is a flawed post with some flawed premises, some flawed research and some flawed analysis.

Murray is not a one-cut runner. He's a downhill runner that lacks elusiveness.

Meanwhile, Foles just beat Seattle. McCoy and the Bills just beat Indy. Murray and Matthews combined for 13 yards rushing, and Bradford and Jordan Matthews bumbled into the interception that lost against Atlanta.

Now, the Eagles might be 2.5 games behind Dallas after Week 2. A Cowboys win here could light the tinder box.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Murray is not a one-cut runner. He's a downhill runner that lacks elusiveness.

Meanwhile, Foles just beat Seattle. McCoy and the Bills just beat Indy. Murray and Matthews combined for 13 yards rushing, and Bradford and Jordan Matthews bumbled into the interception that lost against Atlanta.

Now, the Eagles might be 2.5 games behind Dallas after Week 2. A Cowboys win here could light the tinder box.

So you agree that Chip prefers a more decisive runner.

Meanwhile it's cute how you list players as if they beat teams all by themselves. As if it was Foles and McCoy and not their defenses that dominated week 1.

All of this has nothing to do with the fact that your analysis could not have been more off base on what it is Kelly desires in his players.

I hate the Eagles but your analysis was comically bad.

 

[Alexander]

I'm really glad Chip didn't decide to offer the farm for Mariota

Me too. He has looked very sharp and mature.

 

[erod]

So you agree that Chip prefers a more decisive runner.

Meanwhile it's cute how you list players as if they beat teams all by themselves. As if it was Foles and McCoy and not their defenses that dominated week 1.

All of this has nothing to do with the fact that your analysis could not have been more off base on what it is Kelly desires in his players.

I hate the Eagles but your analysis was comically bad.

The primary thing Chip wants in his skill players is that HE chose them, not Howie. He's an egomaniac with a bizarre personality disorder that way.

Foles and McCoy were, and still are, the far better option for that offense. What he spent on Murray, who is horribly unsuited for that style, is comical.

And lose the condescension. It's a football forum, and your constant overcompensation doesn't help these threads.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

The primary thing Chip wants in his skill players is that HE chose them, not Howie. He's an egomaniac with a bizarre personality disorder that way.

Foles and McCoy were, and still are, the far better option for that offense. What he spent on Murray, who is horribly unsuited for that style, is comical.

And lose the condescension. It's a football forum, and your constant overcompensation doesn't help these threads.

Chip is on record stating what he desires in his players. You simply got that wrong in a boisterous fashion.

Don't shoot the messenger.

 

[landroverking]

I said it elsewhere the national media reminds me of at Seahawks last year.
Cowboys have been very low key. No trash talk.
I feel good about our chances.

 

[Miguelitomama]

I kind of enjoy living in the area when they win. All the smack talk all week then its crickets. All last year it was wait till December when Romo and they boys choke and then they did. Plus the bonus of listening to WIP and the whining and excuses the following week.

Their fans are the kings and queens of whining. And then there's Howard Eskin. Need I say more?

 

[guag]

I was hoping everybody would catch the irony.

And trust me, the rest of Pennsylvania doesn't claim Philadelphia as its own.

I think Philly is more of an extension of New Jersey than a city in Pennsylvania.

 

[erod]

Like I said......

But Romo, dang it.

 

[RS12]

Chip put himself on a narrow limb with his personnel decisions and I just heard a loud crack.

 

[JJHLH1]

Sam Bradford is shockingly bad. Amazed that Philly traded for him.

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

Sam Bradford is shockingly bad. Amazed that Philly traded for him.

And yet all the experts have said he will be the key to carrying Phily to the Super Bowl

 

[StarOfGlory]

Heard a person say this was worse that the Kotite years, lol!

 

[muck4doo]

Shamelessly stolen.

 

[JakeCamp12]

here is the state of Eagles (I live in philly area). If the eagles lose their season is over. The tsunami for chip kelly head will start. The pressure is on Eagles here.

I am enjoying the tsunami as we speak. Normally if Dallas loses, my phone blows up like a nuclear attack, tonight it is quiet like a library. The local radio station, WIP, is on suicide watch....lots of people on the ledge ready to jump. A great Sunday as far as the Iggles losing is concerned.