Mark Saltveit profiles Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly
September 26, 2014 9:16 AM   Subscribe

Metafilter's own Mark Saltveit profiles eclectic Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly for Philly.com. Saltveit already wrote the book on Kelly, and the profile is part of a follow-up effort called "Controlled Chaos: Chip Kelly's Football Revolution."

Kelly is a bundle of paradoxes – an egoless man with boundless self-confidence, disciplined and relaxed, intense and goofy, fun and moralistic, a guy who doesn’t care about money and makes $6.5 million a year. He innovates at the highest level of football by emphasizing basics and teaching fundamentals. He is all football all the time, yet when asked on his NFL questionnaire who has the most important job in football, he wrote: “No one. It’s a game.”
posted by Drinky Die (54 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
Chip Kelly is an enigma wrapped in a paradox and shrouded in a conundrum. And by conundrum I mean a black zip up windbreaker. He put a bird on it.

Go Eagles!
posted by the webmistress at 9:46 AM on September 26, 2014 [5 favorites]


Oh hey! Me and churl totally made Mark talk about some of this on The Crapshoot last year.
posted by cortex at 10:08 AM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


Chip Kelly is a very good football coach.

But let's be clear. Chip Kelly made his name in college football at Oregon, and success at that level is 80 percent recruiting.

Oregon's genius there (and it wasn't Kelly's genius, specifically) was doing away with the idea that the first step for a recruiter would be to scour the backyard. Washington, for example, talks about its recruiters owning all the blue-chip prospects from the state of Washington. Oregon realized that Oregon was half the population of Washington -- itself not a large state -- so they needed to go where the players are, and do things to make them stand out among the crowd of recruiters.

Hence the crazy-ass uniforms, the Nike-funded facilities (Nike basically adopted the team for its own purposes), millions spent on Heisman campaigns (not to win, mind you, they had no chance, but just to fly the Oregon flag), and a massive recruiting operation pulling players from California, Texas, Arizona and Georgia. 100 players on the Oregon roster right now. Only twenty of them are from Oregon. Washington, by contrast, has twice the ratio of in-state players.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:59 AM on September 26, 2014 [3 favorites]


It's kinda disorienting for the Iggles to have a coaching staff who seems capable of making halftime adjustments. I'm kinda down on football, but Chip Kelley's making hard to stop from at least taking a peak each week. I'm still uncertain whether the Eagles are a mirage, though -- too long a Philly sports fan.
posted by JKevinKing at 11:00 AM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


The article doesn't seem to mention the Eagles being the whitest NFL team, or go too much into the decision to release DeSean Jackson.
posted by discopolo at 11:15 AM on September 26, 2014


Charles “Chip” Kelly was born in Dover, N.H., and attended Manchester Central High School, a diverse, inner-city school where, today, 30 different languages are spoken.

I started laughing when I read this. New Hampshire's own Eastside High before an immigrant population descended on Dover. Inner city high school lol. Was it so "diverse" when old Chip went to high school there?
posted by discopolo at 11:24 AM on September 26, 2014


the whitest NFL team

The demographics of that are funny. The Eagles have by far the most white players of any NFL team, and the fewest black players. And yet the NFL is so predominantly black that they still have a majority of black players: 25 white, 27 black, 1 Hispanic.

the decision to release DeSean Jackson

I think Jackson's play on the Washington team has spoken for itself.

If you're trying to imply that Chip Kelly or the Eagles are racist, you should say it and back it up with actual facts instead of innuendo.

(Saltveit says pretty clearly that he's not, and actually shows facts and evidence.)
posted by graymouser at 11:37 AM on September 26, 2014 [2 favorites]


One other thing to note on the demographics is this team is still largely a team built by Andy Reid. It's too early to judge what the demographics are going to look like long term under Chip.

And also, Jackson was replaced by a returning Jeremy Maclin more than Cooper.
posted by Drinky Die at 11:51 AM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


That video of the stare is hilarious.

Chip Kelly is fucking with you. Bet.
posted by echocollate at 12:04 PM on September 26, 2014 [3 favorites]


Chip Kelly is a very good football coach.

But let's be clear. Chip Kelly made his name in college football at Oregon, and success at that level is 80 percent recruiting.


I'm sure I'm biased on this, but I had an acquaintence in the UNH fundraising department who would go on and on about how amazing Kelly was doing with the rather limited resources availed to him there because of his innovative coaching. That's what got him the Oregon job. He was pushing the boundaries and having success doing so long before he went to Oregon.
posted by Diablevert at 12:30 PM on September 26, 2014 [3 favorites]


But let's be clear. Chip Kelly made his name in college football at Oregon, and success at that level is 80 percent recruiting.

Maybe for other coaches, but Kelly ran a system that absolutely gassed every team they played (except Auburn) by the fourth quarter. Often, Oregon wouldn't rack up big point totals until the end of the game when the opposing defense had no energy to handle the combination of the hurry-up every snap and the zone read.

Nick Saban even made a point to say it should be banned. "Basketball on grass," I think they called it.
posted by basicchannel at 1:06 PM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


echocollate: "That video of the stare is hilarious .

Chip Kelly is fucking with you. Bet.
"

I would love to know what CK was thinking in that video. Heck, I would settle on knowing what world he was in.
posted by 724A at 1:10 PM on September 26, 2014


Full disclosure: I despise Oregon and their filthy Nike money.
posted by basicchannel at 1:10 PM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


Another weird Eagles factoid I saw this week is that they're the only team in the NFL that has a worse record at home than as a visitor over the last ten years. I doubt there's much to that, but 160ish games isn't exactly a small sample size, either.
posted by tonycpsu at 1:14 PM on September 26, 2014


basicchannel, my LSU Tigers (IT'S A REBUILDING YEAR!) would like a word with you about Oregon gassing every team they played (except Auburn). Or perhaps you confused two SEC teams. :-)
posted by wintermind at 1:14 PM on September 26, 2014


I doubt there's much to that, but 160ish games isn't exactly a small sample size, either.

It's probably got to do with the Linc. Two factors.

One: Up until this year, the Linc has been pretty quiet as new stadiums go. The Seahawks have demonstrated quite amply that a bunch of lunatics shouting at the top of their lungs on 3rd downs can really do a defense some favors and create a real home field advantage. Supposedly it has been made louder this year, and they've won two at home so far.

Two: The playing surface at the Linc is awful. I'm pretty sure it's never given the Eagles any favors to have a terrible surface at home.
posted by graymouser at 1:33 PM on September 26, 2014


The surface is generally regarded as pretty good as far as I've heard around Philly, but that may just have a silent, "Compared to the green concrete at the Vet," attached. It has not been a very loud stadium, but it's not exactly quiet either. I think it was just random luck that they ended up the worst team on the road and a particularly long streak when the team was collapsing under Reid and not winning much on the road either helped.
posted by Drinky Die at 1:36 PM on September 26, 2014


(I've been at the two home games this year and it is definitely louder than it used to be. They filled in the corners with seats and it's keeping more noise in the building.)
posted by Drinky Die at 1:37 PM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


The Linc doesn't have the Vet's surface, but it has been voted worst because of its "DD Grassmaster" turf. The grass stays on the field unlike, say, FedEx Field, but it's just a mess to play on.
posted by graymouser at 1:54 PM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


The article doesn't seem to mention the Eagles being the whitest NFL team


.....and?
posted by the webmistress at 1:56 PM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm sure I'm biased on this, but I had an acquaintence in the UNH fundraising department who would go on and on about how amazing Kelly was doing with the rather limited resources availed to him...

How Nike and Oregon Created College Football's Perfect Brand

Oregon’s rise goes beyond winning football games at an incredible rate. It’s the product of a bold blueprint built around loud, attention-grabbing uniforms and facilities so good you won't want to leave. And the entire process, with a helping hand from a very rich man and his very rich and creative company, has worked out brilliantly.
...
"It's quite a trip to Eugene, Oregon, from most places, so there has to be a hook and motivation to get prospects there and expose them to the brand as the Ducks," 247Sports’ national recruiting director JC Shurburtt said. "Things like uniforms and facilities can help Oregon get its foot in the door with top recruits across the country." Only 17 players on the Ducks’ current roster come from the state of Oregon. From Hawaii to New Jersey, Oregon’s courting hinges on successful first impressions and on-campus encounters.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 2:02 PM on September 26, 2014


I'm critiquing the article more than your man Chip, graymouser. But, whatever. But if it helps calm you down, I'm sure Chip pisses lemonade.
posted by discopolo at 2:31 PM on September 26, 2014


Webmistress, it's kind of topical and I'd like to have heard it addressed in the article.

Hope that helps you!
posted by discopolo at 2:33 PM on September 26, 2014


The article is an excerpt from the upcoming book, if I understand correctly, so that's why it may not be as topical as you would expect.
posted by Drinky Die at 2:54 PM on September 26, 2014


Webmistress, it's kind of topical and I'd like to have heard it addressed in the article.

How is it topical? Unless they all had the same exact ratio of black/white players, wouldn't some team have to be the whitest? And isn't some team the blackest?
posted by the webmistress at 3:06 PM on September 26, 2014


discopolo, a piece this long clearly took months of research. The information about the Eagles being the whitest team came out three days ago. I'd be very surprised if Saltveit was still writing for this piece when that came out.

As for the Desean Jackson release, I linked to Saltveit's response from when that was relevant, which gave an in-depth look at Chip Kelly's public choices where race was a factor. It's the same author as the profile, giving a lengthy discussion of a topic about which Kelly has basically made no public comment whatsoever.

Your complaints boil down to one silly factoid-driven article from a couple of days ago that wasn't "addressed" in a lengthy profile, and a topic that Saltveit already wrote extensively about. It's rather thin as criticism of a lengthy and excellent portrait of a coach.
posted by graymouser at 3:18 PM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


I don't doubt that the shit-tons of money Nike dropped on the joint and all the weird gimmicks helped a great deal with recruiting better players, CPB. But if the argument is, it's not Kelly's coaching that made the difference, just better quality recruits, then I don't think you're giving him enough credit. If we're doing duelling quotes, here's a relevant bit of puffery from his alma mater:

"The 49-year-old Kelly guided one of the most productive offenses in all of Division I FCS (formerly I-AA) football during his term in Durham. In his final season (’06) at New Hampshire, Kelly’s offense ranked second nationally in scoring offense by averaging 35.3 points/game, tops in the Atlantic 10 (seventh in FCS) in total offense (400.6 yards/game) and second in the A-10 and 15th in the country in passing offense (245.4 yards/game). Junior quarterback Ricky Santos won the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding player in FCS football, and senior wide receiver David Ball became FCS football’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions by surpassing Jerry Rice’s mark of 50 TD catches Oct. 7, 2006, in a win against Richmond."

His players were breaking Jerry Rice records before he got a dime of Nike money, and they weren't division 1 caliber natural athletes, either.
posted by Diablevert at 3:40 PM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


Man, you Eagles fans are as touchy as hell. Christ on a cracker. Take yourself a deep breath and let it go.

Your complaints boil down to one silly factoid-driven article from a couple of days ago that wasn't "addressed" in a lengthy profile, and a topic that Saltveit already wrote extensively about. It's rather thin as criticism of a lengthy and excellent portrait of a coach.

It's not a complaint as much as just something I noticed.

Let me let you in on a little secret: Not everyone has to like the article. I usually enjoy reading profiles, but this one isn't among my favorites. That line about Central Manchester High being an "inner city high school" where 30 languages are spoken now is weird to me. I'm not sure what the point of that was or what that is supposed to indicate about Chip.

Saltveit's okay with that. He's a professional and knows not everyone is going to like his work. Somehow, I think you'll be able to live with that, too, once you take a big old deep breath, you crazy Eagles fan you.
posted by discopolo at 5:37 PM on September 26, 2014


You're posting in a weird and passive aggressive style and we understand your complaints so hopefully we can move on now.
posted by Drinky Die at 5:50 PM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


"Man, you Eagles fans are as touchy as hell."

Hey! We're much more touchy than hell, sir. You'd better apologize right now, you darned Cowchip fan.

I didn't go to the game, but I went to Jacksonville for the Superbowl in '05 to soak in the atmosphere and go to the carnival they have, and after the game this dude drunkenly told me he was going to kill himself. Because the Eagles lost a stupid game.

Yeah, touchy.

You haven't been around many Eagles fans in your life if you're writing that as if it were news! 😉
posted by JKevinKing at 6:17 PM on September 26, 2014 [2 favorites]


Chip Kelly is fucking with you. Bet.

Chip? Never.
posted by Drinky Die at 9:25 PM on September 26, 2014 [1 favorite]


Thanks for all the love and/or attention, folks. Cortex is right, he was way ahead of the curve on this one.

You've raised a lot of interesting points -- I'll address a couple quickly and others in separate comments. Eagles fans have PTSD from years of heartache -- there's a fun theatre production called "The Philly Fan" (I had my book release party before a showing) where an Archie Bunker-type muses on the heartache and joy of following these teams. Recommended. The Phillies winning forced a rewrite.

The Nike $$ (and sports science research help), and flashy uniforms do help Oregon's brand a lot. It has nothing to do with Chip's program per se, as UNH and Philly have demonstrated. It's more like Chip's program was one strategy UofO pursued, and the flash was another. Both were very successful.

But Oregon still had much less talent than its high level competitors and still does -- e.g. USC, Stanford, Auburn (Cam Newton & Nick Fairley), LSU (though Chip drafted Bennie Logan and started him halfway through his rookie year. In fact, he has acquired Zach Ertz from Stanford and Matt Barkley and Mark Sanchez from USC, too.)

In 2010, Oregon beat Stanford despite falling behind 21-3 in the first quarter. Stanford has Andrew Luck at quarterback, Richard Sherman at corner, Jim Harbaugh as coach, and MUCH bigger lines on both sides of the ball. Oregon had Darron Thomas at QB, and Cliff Harris, a sophmore, was their best CB. Neither played in the NFL. Oregon went on to lose the national championship only on a last second field goal.
posted by msalt at 11:42 PM on September 26, 2014 [3 favorites]


As to whiteness -- this piece is a personal profile of Chip. Clearly, he is white, but I see no evidence that he is racist, and this piece isn't about how he runs the team.

To address the issue -- Oregon's team was and is a hell of a lot blacker than Oregon's population. Pretty much all of Chip's starting QBs there were of color -- Jeremiah Masoli, Darron Thomas, and Marcus Mariota (who's Hawaiian.) 2 white QBs lost quarterback competitions under Chip. Last year, Nick Foles (white) lost the QB competition under Chip to Micheal Vick (black), until Vick got injured and Foles filled in.

This year, the Birds drafted 7 players. The first four are black, the last 3 are white. Under Chip, the white players tend to round out the bottom of the roster. The team signed 4 free agents this year -- a starter and a key depth CB (black), and two special teams only players (white).

Previous coach Andy Reid was Mormon and acquired a lot of ex-BYU players, mostly white, as well as WR Riley Cooper and LB Casey Matthews and several other white players.
posted by msalt at 11:51 PM on September 26, 2014 [2 favorites]


DeSean Jackson -- I can't tell you how funny the comment that I ignored him is. I have been accused of being completely obsessed with the DJ dismissal -- I think fairly -- and have written probably 8-10 columns on the subject. In this article, I discuss him in chapters 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 (out of 11). And I was trying really hard not to go there.

The most recent was my FishDuck column this morning: "Chip Kelly Update - DeSean Scored, But the Eagles Won." Short story -- I'm not a fan of DeSean's.

Chip was trying to trade him the second he arrived in Philly, but in a year and a half of desperate trade attempts, the Eagles couldn't find a taker, even for a conditional 7th round pick. DeSean had a huge contract and he's one-dimensional - a speedy, short WR with great hands whose best years are behind him, can't grab contested balls, can't highpoint, won't block and is worthless in the redzone. Chip made great use of him and got him a career year -- perhaps to interest teams in trading for him. It didn't work. He signed with Washington for 25% less than he was making with the Eagles.

Here are a few things I wrote about DeSean, starting back in June of 2013, 9 months before the Eagles cut him.

Chip Kelly Sends DeSean A BrushBack Pitch

Could Jeremy Maclin Replace DeSean Jackson?
Note: Jackson was the NFL's 10th leading receiver last year. Right now, Maclin is 10th and DeSean is off the list.

How Chip Kelly Handles Troubled Players

DeSean is DeGone

Why Chip Kelly REALLY Cut DeSean

Redskins vs Eagles: Interactive Q & A with Bleeding Green Nation

Washington Coach Jay Gruden Slams DeSean Amidst Laughter
posted by msalt at 12:17 AM on September 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


It's also worth noting that Kelly had steadfastly refused to say one negative word about DeSean, simply saying that he was released "for football reasons" and that the team prefers tall, muscular wide receivers. I believe this, and the team's subsequent actions have been consisten with it, including the highly unpopular decision not to move the Eagles highly talented slot CB Brandon Boykin to outside CB because he's not tall (about the exact same size as DeSean).

That said, I write in my new book that character is a football reason. If you're not working your butt off, training and studying film of games all the time, you're simply going to be outpaced by hungrier and probably better NFL competitors.
posted by msalt at 12:38 AM on September 27, 2014 [1 favorite]


My one lingering issue with the release of DeSean is that I don't feel they did enough to shut down the "gang ties" rumor. Whatever issues he had, he was a really good and memorable player for the team and if he had to be cut he deserved to go out with dignity. I didn't boo at all when he was mocking the team in the end zone because it was an incredible, classic DeSean play and because I felt like the team kind of earned it.

If they had won though I probably wouldn't care about his dignity anymore though, heh. Great piece, msalt.
posted by Drinky Die at 6:56 AM on September 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


Home team advantage - the Eagles really fell apart in 2011 and 2012, in part cause Andy Reid cut some corners to try to get a Super Bowl win, in part cause DeSean pouted all 2011 cause he didn't get a bigger contract, then played poorly and got hurt when he did, in part due to brutal OL injuries.

There wasn't much for fans to root for, to care aout, and they sucked. A crazy home losing streak - 10 games or more - extended into the first half of Chip's era, but the Eagles have now won 6 straight at home and the Linc is explosive again.
posted by msalt at 9:01 AM on September 27, 2014


A New Jersey newspaper ran an overhyped article alleging DeSean had gang ties, and the Eagles cut him later that day.

Many charged that the Eagles leaked it to justify the dismissal. I doubt that. They were trying hard to trade him and the story just made that impossible. I think they cut him because they knew the story would guarantee that a trade was impossible.

Chip didn't comment at the time and when he did a month later, he said he never comments when they release players (true so far), but then specifically dismissed the gang story as old news and nothing actually illegal (also true). Said he had no issues with DeSean (almost certainly a lie, but he's sticking to it).
posted by msalt at 9:07 AM on September 27, 2014


msalt: Many charged that the Eagles leaked it to justify the dismissal. I doubt that. They were trying hard to trade him and the story just made that impossible. I think they cut him because they knew the story would guarantee that a trade was impossible.

I don't buy their assumption that a trade was impossible. The day/week of the article? Sure. But a lot of teams need a speedy guy to stretch defenses, and if they'd held on to him until the press got distracted by another shiny object, I think he could have gotten us at least a mid-round pick.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:10 AM on September 27, 2014


Honestly, the person with the most to gain by leaking that was DeSean's new agent. He got no money at all unless DeSean signed a new contract and the Eagles weren't willing to renegotiate.

Also, DeSean is trying to launch a career as a gangsta rapper and record label owner, and might have signed off to build street cred. Or just not known about it.
posted by msalt at 9:10 AM on September 27, 2014


Tonycpsu: credible reports are that the Eagles were actively shopping DeSean starting in January 2013.

The problem with trading him was his contract, which a trading team would inherit. He was way overpaid for his skill, especially with his age and size. Hell, Darrelle Revis got cut for his contract and DeSean is nowhere near the player.

Honestly. I think Washington paid him way too much as well. He's their #2 receiver at best, maybe #3 if you count TE Jordan Reed, and there were tons of great rookie WRs last draft. Would you trade Jordan Matthews for DeSean? I wouldn't.
posted by msalt at 9:17 AM on September 27, 2014


I started laughing when I read this. New Hampshire's own Eastside High before an immigrant population descended on Dover. Inner city high school lol. Was it so "diverse" when old Chip went to high school there?

I don't really understand what you're trying to say here. What/where is "Eastside High"? Manchester High is in Manchester, a different city from Dover.

I couldn't find ethnicity stats on Manchester Central in the 1980s, not surprisingly, but it has always been a large urban blue collar school with a lot of immigrants.

Also, Adam Sandler went there.
posted by msalt at 9:33 AM on September 27, 2014


Chip didn't comment at the time and when he did a month later,

That's my problem with it. I would have preferred he came out immediately and strongly denied the implications in the article were the reasons for the move. The team only has themselves to blame for people suspecting them after that.
posted by Drinky Die at 9:42 AM on September 27, 2014


msalt: Tonycpsu: credible reports are that the Eagles were actively shopping DeSean starting in January 2013.

Of course. But what were they asking for in return?

The problem with trading him was his contract, which a trading team would inherit. He was way overpaid for his skill, especially with his age and size. Hell, Darrelle Revis got cut for his contract and DeSean is nowhere near the player.

The contract was certainly a problem, but he caught 80+ balls last year at 16+ yards per. I don't care if he was 48 years old and four feet high -- that's some serious production in an offense that had a lot of other mouths to feed. Now, I guess the WR market has cooled off in the last couple of years, but they could have worked something out where he gets traded and the team taking him renegotiates his deal to give him more guaranteed money (he had nothing guaranteed after 2014) for a much smaller deal. I guess this is what he ended up getting from Washington anyway, but there were plenty of other teams in play when the trade talk was heating up -- feels like they could have played this better.

And I don't buy the Revis comparison -- he was getting $16 mil/year, not Jackson's $10, and he's two years older. Yes, they're both guys who depend on speed, but Revis was already showing signs of losing a step, while Jackson is merely in the "will likely be slowing down in the next couple of years" category.

Again, I'm not in the Jaccpot fan club here -- I just feel like they could have played it better.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:18 AM on September 27, 2014


I hear you, and I was stunned too at the time. We're all just speculating, but I have trouble believing that the Eagles turned down any offer for DeSean. Why would they have?

General Manager Howie Roseman traded Isaac Sopoaga and a 6th round pick for Darren Sproles (in 2 transactions). Then he traded a player he had already cut -- RB David Fluellen -- for Cody Parkey, the stud rookie kicker who now leads the entire NFL in scoring.

My point is, he's pretty good at wheeling and dealing.
posted by msalt at 11:53 AM on September 27, 2014 [2 favorites]


The Sproles deal, absolutely -- I still have no idea how they got him so cheaply -- but the market price for backup kickers is zero, so I don't see getting Parkey as that much of a comment on Roseman's negotiating skills. The fact the he was able to beat out Henery and play so well in the first three games is great, but not something I think anyone anticipated.

I do concede that the team's moves have been much better than under the Reid/Heckert regime, but that's some faint praise. Maybe I'm just slow in realizing that the market for deep threat WRs in their mid-late 20s isn't what it used to be?
posted by tonycpsu at 12:43 PM on September 27, 2014


I think the fact that this year's draft was perhaps the deepest ever at wide receiver probably hurt Jackson's trade value. DeSean's history of tanking seasons because he was unhappy with his contract and his history of blowing up at coaches and teammates also probably didn't help. He even started to complain about his contract immediately after the 2013 season. You'd think that the Eagles could have at least gotten something for him given his talent and the fact that they'd been trying to trade him since Kelly became the coach (at least until Maclin got hurt in the spring of 2013), but apparently not.

I was surprised that the Redskins signed him so quickly, but then again Dan Snyder is an idiot.
posted by eagles123 at 1:50 PM on September 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


Chip Kelly is a useless bum. Fire his ass!
posted by Drinky Die at 5:50 PM on September 28, 2014


(but seriously I look forward to the All-22 this week on how the fuck they managed not to score a single point.)
posted by Drinky Die at 5:52 PM on September 28, 2014


Temple beating UConn saved us from the Pennsylvania Football Poopfecta. At least the Eagles loss wasn't quite as agonizing as Tampa Bay's win over the Steelers.
posted by tonycpsu at 5:58 PM on September 28, 2014


I forget who said this, but the Eagles ran out of 4th quarter miracles today. Still, they were 1 extra yard on Shady's run away from one of the craziest road victories of all time.
posted by msalt at 6:16 PM on September 28, 2014


Re: Cody Parkey, I think it was shrewdness on Howie's part. Obviously Vinatieri wasn't likely to lose his job, and they figured that Parkey was brought in just to rest him during the preseason basically. So they pounced when Cody was cut.

I don't know why Parkey agreed to go there knowing he wouldn't win, maybe he didn't get a better offer. He may have been devalued because he missed a fairly short FG in the national championship game, the highest possible visibility.

But Eagles had been tracking him for some time. Looks like they gambled on Murderleg, perhaps enthralled with the idea that he could tackle people on special teams too. And/or maybe they coached Parkey better, as he didn't get that as many touchbacks in college as he does in the NFL.
posted by msalt at 6:21 PM on September 28, 2014


They barely had time to coach him. I think they were just desperate and took the best available young option. Going into this season with Henery would have been catastrophic considering what he cost the team last year, it's scary how close they came.
posted by Drinky Die at 6:24 PM on September 28, 2014 [2 favorites]


Last thing I will say on this loss, I think it's clear the disruption of the late night fire drill was the true cause of the Eagles poor performance. We all know how much stock Kelly puts in needing the right amount of sleep and clearly that was totally interfered with. I hope the Eagles find better accommodations in the future.
posted by Drinky Die at 6:27 PM on September 28, 2014 [1 favorite]


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