Chip Kelly watched last year as the Eagles twice got inside the 5-yard line in key road games at Arizona and San Francisco only to fail to punch the ball into the end zone. Two wins became losses. His running game wasn’t good enough. Change was needed.
Later, after a stunning three-game losing streak took a team that was sitting pretty at 9-3 and left them sitting outside looking in on the playoff hunt; Kelly came to another startling conclusion.
His team wasn’t good enough.
Even more change was needed.
Kelly assumed complete control of the Eagles in an off-season power struggle that saw Howie Roseman banished to a lesser role.
Then Kelly went about putting together the team he wanted.
Nick Foles is out. Sam Bradford – along with his twice surgically repaired left knee – is in.
Then a stunner. LeSean McCoy, the leading rusher in Eagles history, was sent packing to Buffalo in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso. After being snubbed by Frank Gore, Kelly simply changed course and reeled in DeMarco Murray from the Cowboys, along with Ryan Matthews. They will team with Darren Sproles for a potent three headed monster of a rushing attack.
Veteran offensive linemen Todd Herremans and Evan Mathis were cut loose.
Cornerback Byron Maxwell was brought in while last year’s too often toasted starters Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher were shown the door.
The result is a team remade in Kelly’s image. Nowhere is that more evident than at the most important position on the field. Bradford has been almost too good to believe in the five series he's played in the preseason, each of which resulted in an Eagles touchdown. If he stays healthy, Bradford could be headed for a monster, MVP-type of year.
The defense will be better, anchored by one of the best front 7’s in the league. Just how good they will be likely will be determined by how much pressure they can generate on opposing quarterbacks.
The Eagles, led by Bradford, and running Kelly’s up-tempo offense, should be electric on offense.
They’ll get a chance to show off on prime time Monday night, kicking of the season with a nationally telecast game in Atlanta vs. the Falcons.
Kelly realized last year’s 10-6 team was not good enough.
This team should be better. Eleven or 12 wins are not out of the question.
The Pick: Make it Eagles 37, Falcons 26. Bradford will have tongues wagging as he picks up right where he left off in the preseason. Yes, we’ll still hold our breath every time he gets hit or plants that left leg in an odd manner. But Bradford is the real deal, very possibly the most talented QB the Eagles have had in a long time.
Last Week: It’s a new slate. The Birds went 3-1 in the preseason. I see no reason why they won’t keep it going now that the games are for real.
Season Record: The Birds finished at 10-6, the same as Kelly’s first season. But in essence it was a step back, because they failed to make the playoffs, despite sitting at 9-3 at one point. That’s why Kelly made big changes. Monday we’ll find out if he was right. And he’d better be right. Throw out that final week win vs. the Giants, it was pretty much meaningless. The Eagles had already been eliminated from the playoffs. That win by the Birds dropped me to a thoroughly mediocre 8-8. I’m looking to be better this year, just like Kelly.
Game by Game: Eagles 34, Giants 26 in the last game of 2014 (My Pick: Giants 27, Eagles 26)
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