In Chip We Trust.
Howie Roseman? Not so much.
That was the word yesterday from Eagles' owner Jeff Lurie, who met with the media at the NFL meetings in Phoenix.
It was a stunning turnaround from Lurie's statement at the end of the season, in which he insisted that Roseman was his general manager.
That obviously changed in the offseason, when Lurie turned over the keys - and total control on the roster and personnel - to his hot shot new head coach Chip Kelly.
The wunderkind who has yet to win a playoff game - and this year failed to make the playoffs despite once sitting on top of the NFC East with a 9-3 mark - then embarked on a heart-stopping remake of the Eagles roster.
LeSean McCoy? Gone.
Nick Foles? Gone.
Jeremy Maclin? Gone.
Add in DeSean Jackson from the year before, and toss in lineman Todd Herremans and soon-to-be gone Evan Mathis and you have a completely different offense.
Kelly signed two running backs, including DeMarco Murray, who led the NFL in rushing last year with the Cowboys.
He used McCoy to pick up young stud linebacker Kiko Alonzo from the Bills.
He sent Foles to the Rams in exchange for always-injured QB Sam Bradford, a former No. 1 pick in the draft.
Lurie hinted that his demotion of his once-trusted aide Roseman was no reflection on Howie, but rather a belief in Kelly. It's simple. Lurie doesn't want to be just good, to make the playoffs or even win a playoff game. He wants to win a Super Bowl. Obviously he thinks Kelly is the guy who can get him there.
We'll see.
Lurie might as well have been standing at a poker table in Las Vegas as opposed to the sparkling sunshine of the Southwest. He then could have pushed all his chips to the center of the table.
Because in this game there is really only one 'Chip' that matters.
That is Kelly. Clearly, Lurie is "all-in."
Beat writer Bob Grotz offers his take on Lurie's statements here.
Now all Kelly has to do is deliver.
We'll hear from the coach today.
What do you think the over/under is on the number of questions that focus on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the guy Kelly covets to run his offense?
Don't expect Kelly to say much. He'll no doubt talk about Bradford having "great tools" and how the Eagles did not bring him in to be used as some kind of bargaining chip.
"I'm the only Chip here," Kelly said when quizzed about his QB after the signing of Murray.
Lurie confirmed that yesterday.
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