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Crosswalk

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Could Chip Kelly be on the hot seat already? Is it possible that Kelly could be entering his last season as the Eagles’ head coach and not by his own choice? Of course with any coaching situation, there are three perspectives: ownership/management, the players and other coaches,  and, of course, us, the fans. When Andy Reid was fired after the 2012 season, it was clear that he had lost support from all three groups. So, I think it is important to evaluate Kelly’s standing with the three as well.

Let’s start out with the ownership group because, as much as it sucks, they are the ones making the decisions in the end and not us. Unless Jeffrey Lurie is an unbelievable master of disguise, the majority owner of the Eagles is enamored with Kelly. These were Lurie’s comments when the Eagles first hired Kelly back in January of 2013, giving him a five year contract with an average annual value of $6.5M, according to ESPN: “He has a brilliant football mind. He motivates his team with his actions as well as his words. He will be a great leader for us and will bring a fresh energetic approach to our team.” And these were his comments in January of 2015 after he awarded Chip complete control of all personnel decisions: “[W]e believe [the new system] will be a more thorough and thoughtful model that would best be overseen by Chip. It’s most important that we find players that match what our coaches are seeking.” Lurie would go on to say that he and Kelly have a “very good relationship.” In the stretch between the two quotes above, the Eagles have no playoff wins and one appearance, but it does not take much inference to see that Kelly still has a strong backing from Lurie and co. What would it take for Kelly to lose that this year? I’m not even sure a 6-10 season would leave Kelly looking for work. This is because Chip can use this offseason’s power struggle to his advantage by saying he is just beginning to mold the roster he wants after seizing power from the previous decision-makers. If he is looking for another reason, he could claim that newly-acquired Sam Bradford is not really the quarterback he needs to run his system, and until that quarterback can be acquired his team will not be complete. Will Lurie buy that, or will he cite the comments he made back in January 2013? A coach with a “brilliant football mind” should be able to work with the personnel he chose this offseason when he switched from a quarterback with a 14-4 record under Kelly to one he felt was better suited for his team.

Next, the feeling in the locker room may be the most intriguing dynamic of them all because of the numerous angles. Do the players buy into the smoothies, the sleep monitoring, and, most importantly, the roster turnover? Jason Kelce certainly does, as he told the media at OTAs last week that he believes the team has “added through free agency guys who are high character, high open-minded guys who want to learn and be a part of the team.” However, you would likely get different answers from former Eagles DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Trent Cole, who have been outspoken about their mistrust and dislike of Kelly. If you asked former Eagle Cary Williams about Chip, what would he say? It might sound similar to his statements after a Week 3 home win vs. the Redskins last year, when he claimed the players’ fatigue was due to Kelly’s intense practices. But the criticisms do not stop there. They are now beginning to seep out from players still on the roster. I’m sure Evan Mathis is not too fond of Kelly right now, as the former Pro Bowl guard has held out for a new contract during the last two offseasons, and was publicly mocked by the head coach during a press conference in which Kelly stated there have been no trade offers for Mathis, who is exploring those waters, as well. How do you think Brandon Boykin feels about Kelly, who, along with defensive coordinator Billy Davis, prefers taller corners (Boykin stands 5′ 10″) seemingly over better ones. Boykin said the other day in response to Kelly’s saying the 4th year corner will be competing for a spot at outside cornerback, “So that’s what he said. He’s the coach. He’s a man of his word, then I’m going to hold him accountable to that, like he does us.” What would happen to the locker room persona should the Eagles struggle this year? It appears Kelly already has his skeptics from within.

Last, the opinion of the fans, ever-changing, seems in favor of Kelly, but there are certainly factions of the fan base that are not sold on Kelly or may already want to see a new head coach. What would it take for our insatiable appetite to be satisfied this season? If Kelly does not reach the playoffs, it is likely that he will lose a very significant portion of support from the fans. Personally, he would need to win a playoff game for me to make my decision on what his future should be as the Eagles head coach. However, with behemoths Seattle and Green Bay in the conference, a season with one playoff win might be the ceiling and best-case scenario for this year’s Birds.  Should the Eagles fail to achieve a playoff appearance, doubt would begin to disseminate among the Eagle diehards, like me. High-tempo offense and sports science does not convince us. Winning does.

 

[pvc_paratheme ]