The Eagles’ decision two years ago to make Chip Kelly available to the WIP Morning Show following each game – much to the chagrin of old-timey beats – was a smart one. Angelo Cataldi was the leader in the #FireAndy movement that swept the city for, like, six straight years. Reid somewhat famously detested Cataldi and his crew, a feeling that was reciprocated by Cataldi through airwaves and bullhorn. So Kelly, an admitted WIP fan, made the wise decision to show up to Wing Bowl and play nice with Cataldi.

But at 4-6, this may all be headed to a predictable place.

Kelly entered the no-win zone* on the WIP Morning Show today, and the oft-friendly jammy jam deviated from its usual cordial nature when Cataldi asked him about whether he yells at his team after losses like this.

*A situation in which coaches or players can literally not say anything that will allow them to come out on top. “I goofed”? Great, you should be fired. “My players goofed”? Great, you just lost the locker room. 

From CBS Philly:

Kelly: “I don’t think you have to yell at grown men. I think every single play in that locker room is as disappointed, or more disappointed, than anybody in this city in terms of how we played and what the outcome of this game was. So for someone to have yell at them or raise their voice, they’re not two-year-olds. They’re grown men. They know exactly what’s going on. That’s Harry High School stuff. That doesn’t flow and that doesn’t work and that’s not what people talk about it. If that’s what people want, if people want a screamer and yeller, then let’s hire you ’cause you’re really good at it.”

Cataldi: “Yeah. You know what, I’m not sure I would be worse than 4-6. I’m trying to understand, you said the talent is good this year, you’re happy with that. You clearly have created the culture you feel most comfortable with, and you’re 4-6, Chip. Try to get us to understand why that’s happening.”

See, some people thought that the exclusion of Angelo (and Al and Rhea) from my fantasy lineup was a slight. It wasn’t meant to be. For the purposes of that game, and building a dream station, I couldn’t make it work with their salaries. But Cataldi is one of the best in the business for exactly this reason. He and Mike Missanelli are 1 and 1a – in some order – at being able to handle a contentious interview without coming across, during the interview, as completely pompous or arrogant (save for Missanelli’s occasional takedown of [insert outsider whose inevitable shunning of the show will have no long-term impact on Missanelli or his ratings]), while still asking all the right questions. Angelo’s response to Chip was fantastic. A quick counter followed by a follow-up question couched in another glancing blow. The haters will hate, but when it comes time to conduct a sports interview, Angelo is among the best.

Gotta hand it to Les, he did kind of call this, however:

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