Cary Williams believes the Eagles need to develop a mean streak.
Ya think?
There was a lot of hype surrounding the hiring of new coach Chip Kelly and the frenetic, fast-paced offense that set scoring records and propelled the Oregon Ducks to national prominence.
After the Eagles' first preseason game Friday night vs. the Patriots, the offense looks every bit as advertised.
The problem likely resides on the other side of the ball. Will this team be able to stop anyone?
But there is another question as well, one implicit in the question raised by the Eagles' new corner on Sunday that directly relates to their lack of a mean streak, of a single player who strikes fear in the heart of opponents.
I don't know about other fans, but I certainly did not realize that Chip Kelly does not believe in hitting in training camp. Or at least not very much of it. That, of course, lies in direct opposition to the long tradition of Eagles camps, from Andy Reid back through Dick Vermeil. It also probably does not sit well with the Eagles' faithful, who love the defensive side of the ball, and the nasty attitude, the swagger that exuded from the Birds' defense for so many years.
Kelly is more a proponent of "thud" contact, not actually taking offensive players to the ground. His belief is that tackling to the ground puts players unnecessarily at risk of injury. Then again, the Eagles already have proved you don't need contact to lose players for the season, as their rash of blown ACLs in this camp has already proved.
But the horrific tackling that became a trademark of Reid's team the last two years, including that lamentable innovation known as the 'Wide 9,' was on display again Friday night as the Patriots steamrolled the Eagles.
On the opening drive of the game, the Patriots did not throw the ball once, instead allowing Tom Brady to simply hand the ball off and Pats runners jamming the ball down the Eagles' throats. The Eagles defense simply was overmatched physically.
Does that have anything to do with how the Eagles practice? Time will tell. But if this defense can't get off the field, a troubling habit they've developed over the past few years, the Eagles will need all the points Kelly's high-octane offense can put up.
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