Eagles

The Landsharks Are Circling Chip

By Kyle Scott

Published: Sep 22nd, 2015 · 9:50 AM EDT

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Jenny Vrentas, who is excellent, writing about the the mass hysteria that surrounds Lincoln Financial Field is your recommended reading for the day:

So far it hasn’t mattered who is in the backfield, raising questions about another element of the roster slicing and dicing: Under Kelly’s direction, the Eagles cut both of their veteran starting guards, Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans. Their replacements, Allen Barbre and Andrew Gardner, are journeymen who have only a smattering of spot starts on their résumés. Three times in his post-game press conference on Sunday, Kelly made a crack about skill-position players having nothing to do with not blocking a three-technique defensive lineman. Generally, guards have something to do with blocking a three-technique defensive lineman.

This is a fair critique. When you take a step back and think about it, it’s kind of mind-boggling that over the past two years Chip Kelly has willingly parted ways with DeSean Jaccson, LeSean McCoy, Nick Foles, Todd Herremans and Evan Mathis– arguably five of the six (Jason Peters) most impactful players on the 2013 team that was so good at the end of that season. A case can be made for all of those moves – and I’d be willing to make it – but there’s also a strong case to be made that it was too much, too fast. You sometimes have to sell your soul to win in professional and college sports. If having a couple of superstars means dealing with a couple of bad apples, then it’s what you have to do. Not saying that’s what the Eagles should do, or should’ve done – two games is hardly a large enough sample size to draw that conclusion – but it’s certainly a question we’ll get a better answer to over the next few weeks.

Vrentas was fair and measured. But, just wait for the pitchforks to come out in general if the Eagles are 3-7 or something similarly awful. If there’s one thing the media loves, it’s a good feeding frenzy. And right now, I see some fiiiiiiiiins to the left.