Welcome to Year Two of the Chip Kelly Era. It’s been a long time since the Eagles walked off the field at the Linc wondering how they had just lost a home playoff game to the Saints.
The hotshot college coach out of Oregon stunned everyone last year by taking a 4-12 team and standing it on its head, going 10-6, winning the NFC East and returning the Birds to the playoffs.
Of course, once they got on the big stage, they came up short, losing a very winnable game on their home field to the Saints.
Much has changed since then. DeSean Jackson is now a member of that team without a nickname down in Washington. Michael Vick is a Jet. Nick Foles enters the season as the unquestioned starting quarterback, even if some fans are still not ready to slap the franchise tag on him.
The Eagles should be better, but are they good enough to make a deep run in the playoffs. Are they a Super Bowl team?
Luckily, the Birds play in what is shaping up to be a thoroughly mediocre NFC East. They should win it without breaking a sweat.
While it is unlikely Foles will put up the kind of glittering numbers he did last year - 27 TD passes against just 2 interceptions - he should be solid. And that is really all the quarterback has to be on a team that features the best running back in the league. That would be LeSean McCoy. Darren Sproles will be another big weapon, along with the emergency of tight end Zach Ertz as a star.
Some questions remain on the defensive side of the ball. Did the Birds upgrade enough in the off-season. Their No. 1 pick, linebacker Marcus Smith, will not make an immediate impact. But a unit that was markedly better under Billy Davis in the second half of the year should continue to improve.
Then there is the kicker. Shaky Alex Henery got the boot. Untested rookie Cody Parkey kicked three field goals - two from more than 50 yards out - to win the job. But he’s never kicked in a real NFL game, let alone with a game on the line with seconds left on the clock.
The schedule is tougher as well, but not this week.
The Birds should cruise by the Jacksonville Jaguars. If they don’t that is not a good sign.
Welcome to Year Two of the Chip Kelly Era. Onward and upward, coach.
The Pick: Make it Eagles 31, Jags 16. DeSean who? Big day for Nick Foles throwing to a dizzying array of tight ends. Parkey has a good debut, but his day will include at least one worrisome miss. Mark Sanchez might even see some time if the Birds are rolling.
Last Week: The Eagles are coming off an exhibition season that saw them get better each week. That’s a good sign. Kelly’s team should be revved up and ready to roll. Maybe the best thing I saw in this pre-season is that should anything happen to Foles - or if he struggles - Sanchez looks supremely confident in Kelly’s offense. That’s a huge plus.
Season Record: The slate is clean. But I’m coming off a pretty good year. Both the Birds and I wound up the regular season with identical 10-6 records. Not a bad year for either of us. OK, raise your hand if you had Chip Kelly winning 10 games and getting the Eagles into the playoffs in Year One? I didn’t think so.
Game by Game: Eagles 33, Redskins 27 (My Pick: Redskins 31, Eagles 23)
Chargers 33, Eagles 30 (My Pick: Eagles 33, Chargers 17)
Chiefs 26, Eagles 16 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Chiefs 23)
Broncos 52, Eagles 20 (My Pick: Broncos 41, Eagles 27)
Eagles 36, Giants 21 (My Pick: Eagles 29, Giants 26)
Eagles 31, Buccaneers 20 (My Pick: Eagles 26, Buccaneers 17)
Cowboys 17, Eagles 3 (My Pick: Cowboys 33, Eagles 23)
Giants 15, Eagles 7 (My Pick: Giants 26, Eagles 23)
Eagles 49, Raiders 20 (My Pick: Raiders 23, Eagles 13)
Eagles 27, Packers 13 (My Pick: Eagles 29. Packers 16)
Eagles 24, Redskins 16 (My Pick: Eagles 33, Redskins 27)
Eagles 24, Cardinals 21 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Cardinals 19)
Eagles 34, Lions 20 (My Pick: Eagles 24, Lions 23)
Vikings 48, Eagles 30 (My Pick: Eagles 31, Vikings 19)
Eagles 54, Bears 11 (My Pick: Bears 29, Eagles 27)
Eagles 24, Cowboys 22 (My Pick: Eagles 33, Cowboys 23)
Of course, I also picked them to beat the Saints. I had it Eagles 26, Saints 23. I had the score almost right, but I should have flipped the teams as the Saints held on for a 26-24 win.
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