Starting Over Plan

[deerpathdave]

The thing is, the way the games have plaid out this at no point of the season (other than perhaps after the Cowboys game) has felt like a playoff hunt. Hell, they have been ridiculed since the start of the season by everyone on the outside, and it is impossible to keep that out.

It has felt like groundhog day for two seasons now. A horrendous offense, a defense (and last season ST) that kept them in games enough that one or two anomalous plays by the offense could win them a game.

Why put in the effort when you know the result is the same over and over again. And know that you have no chance - even if somehow you make the playoffs - to go anywhere. You also see that the personnel decisions this off-season have mostly not yielded the results hoped for, and been a failure in many ways.

I'll go out on a limb, but I think the defense decided to quit - consciously or subconsciously - after the Miami game, and lost complete faith for two reasons: the O-line stunk it up (like most of the season), and Bradford, who had been improving, was replaced by Sanchez who played a typical Sanchez game. Also the fact that Cooper and Austin and again were the dismal failures they are must have played a role as well. Sanchez' performance against the Bucks completely sealed the deal.

sigh...so I guess you can't give me anything tangible. This just sounds like a conspiracy theory.

 

[old duke]

Ryan Mathews is averaging 2.2 more yards per carry behind the same Line. While I'm not saying we have a good OL, I think a solid Back with the "proper skill set" suited to the scheme (like Mathews) can have success. Murray's just a straight ahead Back who's a beast once he's allowed to build momentum from a traditional hand off ... you completely handcuff him when you run read option as he has to do too much starting and stopping thus nullifying momentum. He looks like a fish out of water running sideways trying to find a hole. I never in a million years thought that we'd get rid of Shady in exchange for a power Back and keep the exact same plays.

Exactly!

 

[skinzfan]

sigh...so I guess you can't give me anything tangible. This just sounds like a conspiracy theory.

Here's something tangible for ya. The Eagles are 5-10 in their last 15 regular season games.

Multiple choice

A) you have grossly overrated the talent on the team

B) Chip Kelly is a lousy coach and GM.

There is no C) or D)

 

[deerpathdave]

Here's something tangible for ya. The Eagles are 5-10 in their last 15 regular season games.

Multiple choice

A) you have grossly overrated the talent on the team

B) Chip Kelly is a lousy coach and GM.

There is no C) or D)

You can troll better than that...Its only vaguely related to what we were discussing.

 

[deerpathdave]

Amazingly the Eagles are only one game out of first with games left against the co-leaders.

 

[Los Eagles]

Didn't we have a shot ar both Carr and Bridgewater a few years ago?

 

[old duke]

Didn't we have a shot ar both Carr and Bridgewater a few years ago?

Yes sir - last year. We took Marcus Smith instead.

 

[DutchBird]

Yes sir - last year. We took Marcus Smith instead.

And only because most people thought Foles was the answer at QB. I wonder who was responsible for that one.

 

[DutchBird]

sigh...so I guess you can't give me anything tangible. This just sounds like a conspiracy theory.

And the irony is that I am not the only one thinking the thing the defense as a group has decided to quit on the offense/rest of the team - and that the Sam Bradford injury and Sanchez f-up was the breaking point. To quite Ruben Frank:

. My theory is that all those things above — losing Hicks, the absence of turnovers, playing too many snaps — combined with Sam Bradford’s injury and the offense’s year-long inconsistency created a hopelessness on the defense that the unit was just not strong enough to mentally overcome. They lost their confidence as a group. And the people they generally look to for leadership — Connor Barwin, Fletcher Cox, Malcolm Jenkins — were so wrapped up in their own personal struggles on the field that they were hardly in a position to provide support to anybody else. When any unit in any sport loses its confidence as a group, you’re going to have a disaster, and that’s what we’ve seen the last two weeks. A unit with no direction, no leader. And no way to recapture the form that made it a top-10 defense in the first place.

Roob's 25 Random Points: Chip Kelly, Philly airport and more


BTW, anyone who has ever been involved in somewhat competetive sports or followed it or has any interest in group psychology know this is a phenomenon that does occur (the reverse can also happen). Has nothing to do with conspiracy theory, or even the players not believing in their coordinator (in this case) or coaches (though that - obviously - can play a role).

Same thing how people argue that referees cannot decide games are complete idiots; enough cases where you can point directly at an officiating decision breaking the back of one team, and in doing so decide the outcome of a game.

 

[DutchBird]

O yeah,

another point brought up - interestingly - Roseman is the problem; fired Gamble, triggering the Kelly powerplay for the GM job (and the disaster than unfolded). Marynowitz might not be up to it yet. Best thing to do (probably) look for a good (assistant) GM.

Who was the Eagles' biggest offseason loss? You might be surprised

Latest BGN Radio episode also pointed at the same.

 

[eaglesnut]

Didn't we have a shot ar both Carr and Bridgewater a few years ago?

Yup. Biggest worry with chip now is that he doesn't have an eye for talent. Good teams identify guys that can play and add them from all over the place. All we did was overpay for no one special. And he's used a 1st, a 2nd and a 3rd on WRs in the last 2 years and we are still weak at the position.

 

[ctc]

Kelly is going to have to reinvent himself.
The 100 mph offense is going to have to disappear. Taking on players with a history of injury is out. He's going to have to change the running game to accommodate murray or cut him loose and take the massive cap hit. That will involve changing the blocking scheme. The emphasis on receivers who can block rather than catch... all this out the window. He's going to have to demonstrate that he can be an nfl coach, not just a college coach. A little humility and recognition that he's not the smartest guy in the room and that, in fact, there are even smarter people in the nfl than him.
Whether he can do it remains a complete mystery. There's no one in football who's close to him that can offer any insight and so we're going to be involved in an experiment.

 

[DutchBird]

Yup. Biggest worry with chip now is that he doesn't have an eye for talent. Good teams identify guys that can play and add them from all over the place. All we did was overpay for no one special. And he's used a 1st, a 2nd and a 3rd on WRs in the last 2 years and we are still weak at the position.

Problem is that we do not even know what exactly happened there.

- Mind you, that year many believed Nick Foles to be the QB of the future. Our QB need was fixed(!). Many people would have villified the Eagles if they had gone for Bridgewater or Carr. Especially seeing as there was a need for WR with Desean being thrown out, and Avant being cut. Our defense was not that good either (OLB).

- We do not even know who pulled the strings that draft, Kelly or Roseman, stories vary (including who picked Marcus Smith II), and decided not to pick Carr or Bridgewater.

 

[Rey]

Kelly is going to have to reinvent himself.
The 100 mph offense is going to have to disappear. Taking on players with a history of injury is out. He's going to have to change the running game to accommodate murray or cut him loose and take the massive cap hit. That will involve changing the blocking scheme. The emphasis on receivers who can block rather than catch... all this out the window. He's going to have to demonstrate that he can be an nfl coach, not just a college coach. A little humility and recognition that he's not the smartest guy in the room and that, in fact, there are even smarter people in the nfl than him.
Whether he can do it remains a complete mystery. There's no one in football who's close to him that can offer any insight and so we're going to be involved in an experiment.

Excellent post ... I agree 100%

 

[skinzfan]

Amazingly the Eagles are only one game out of first with games left against the co-leaders.

a piece of cake with the Patriots and Cardinals left on the schedule huh?

 

[old duke]

Washington's schedule is the easiest. Who would've thought? We self destructed. Even though we have a lot of holes to fix, we still should have won this division.

 

[skinzfan]

Washington's schedule is the easiest. Who would've thought? We self destructed. Even though we have a lot of holes to fix, we still should have won this division.

Strength of schedule beginning of season

T-20. Washington Redskins: 122-133-1, .478

T-20. New York Giants: 122-133-1, .478

22. New England Patriots: 122-134, .477

23. Philadelphia Eagles: 121-134-1, .475

24. Dallas Cowboys: 119-136-1, .467

 

[Iggloo]

So Chip Kelly is going to abandon all his concepts? I doubt it.

More likely...Chip is wearing a USC or LSU cap in a few months.

PS this is MY opinion, Deerpathdave.

 

[deerpathdave]

So Chip Kelly is going to abandon all his concepts? I doubt it.

More likely...Chip is wearing a USC or LSU cap in a few months.

PS this is MY opinion, Deerpathdave.

Evidently USC is out. They hired a guy reportedly AFTER contacting Chip's agent. As I stated before, I don't think Lurie is inclined to pay out $13M to Kelly and then go find a new coach. More likely he will give him a chance to fix. I expect Chip will be eager to do that as well. He doesn't want to fail.

 

[DutchBird]

So Chip Kelly is going to abandon all his concepts? I doubt it.

More likely...Chip is wearing a USC or LSU cap in a few months.

PS this is MY opinion, Deerpathdave.

Except that USC has just signed a coach, and LSU has come out to say that their coach will stay.