10-6.
Let those numbers roll off your tongue this morning and marvel at how far the Eagles have come under Chip Kelly.
One year after a dispirited flock of Birds coughed up a four-win season that paved the way out of town for Andy Reid after 14 years at the helm, Chip Kelly has pulled off a miraculous turnaround.
Worst to First.
It wasn't easy. These things never are. The Eagles gave the Delaware Valley a serious case of white-knuckle football in their prime time confrontation with the hated Cowboys last night, using a Brandon Boykin interception to finally seal the deal, and a 24-22 victory. You can get all the details here.
Now the Eagles host the New Orleans Saints in a first-round playoff game on Saturday night at the Linc.
So much for all those who belittled Kelly, his hyper offense, and his offbeat coaching methods as "high school" stuff.
Start looking for every team in the league to start sucking down smoothies, the drink of choice that Kelly uses as part of his 'different' training regimen.
Critics will say the Eagles got a lot of breaks en route to that 10-6 record. They are right. Last night they faced a Cowboys team missing its star quarterback, just as they had earlier this season when they beat the Packers in Lambeau without Aaron Rodgers.
Kyle Orton seemed more than up to the task of upsetting the Eagles, right up until the moment when he did his best Tony Romo imitation, throwing a crucial interception late in the fourth quarter to seal Dallas' fate.
Raise your hand if you had the Eagles at 10-6 back in August? If you had them even managing to keep their heads above .500, let alone competing for an NFC East title and spot in the playoffs.
That's how far Kelly has brought this team in just a few short months.
Imagine what he might be able to do when he has a few more years - and drafts - to put his system in place.
And consider one other thing. Consider the difference in this franchise with Kelly at the helm, as opposed to those final few years of the Andy Reid regime.
The former Eagles coach made no friends in Pennsylvania yesterday, resting most of his key starters as the Chief blew a chance to beat the Chargers, thus keeping the Steelers out of the playoffs.
Reid's team now must go on the road for the first round of the post-season.
Given the same choice against the Bears last week, a game that meant next to nothing for the Eagles since it was clear they had to beat the Cowboys regardless to get into the playoffs, Kelly took the opposite approach. He used his starters, hit the gas, and never looked back.
Much as he has done all year.
It's been an exhilirating ride. And a most refreshing change from where we were last year at this time.
And next to no one - other than maybe Kelly himself saw it coming.
How far can the Eagles go in the post-season? Ask all those experts who had the Birds winning four games this year.
10-6. It's a mark that no doubt has a lot of people around the NFL green with envy.
Kelly green, you might say.
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