Chip Speaks

Posted: March 21st, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 123 Comments »

Chip Kelly talked to the media for 72 minutes today.  Not much got mentioned on Twitter this morning so I wondered how much he would have to say that was interesting or relevant.  Thankfully Philly.com has the full transcript.  It is like reading a novel, but full of good information.  I’m going to cover a few highlights.

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 ”But we want taller, longer people because big people beat up little people.”

This quote has already gotten lots of attention.  It is simple and to the point.  Sounds like something Buddy Ryan would say, actually.

“…as I tell our guys, we don’t make the depth chart, you make the depth chart. You make it every single day you go out on the field and show us what you can’t do.”

I love this quote.  This is the way football should be.  Play the best players.  Most coaches generally do it, but you see times when coaches play favorites and make some odd decisions.  I think players love it when you give them a true chance to win a job.  That brings out the best in them and keeps everyone on edge.  One of Andy Reid’s shortcomings was trusting his players and allowing them to work out of a slump.  If you aren’t getting the job done, let’s get someone out there who will.  This isn’t to say players can’t have a bad game, but don’t let them have a bad month.

“I’m not a hypothetical guy. I don’t look at it that way, or have preconceived notions.  I think when you do, you gotta change your mindset. You’re trying to influence yourself before the process happens … I’m trying to come to a conclusion, and we’re in March. The conclusion will come to itself, because it’s going to be played out on the field.”

Back to the importance of competition.  Give the players a chance and let them answer questions…on the field.  I’ve never heard “the conclusion will come to itself”, but that is a great phrase.

On how he teaches it: “You teach the fastest learner, and everyone else has to catch up. …Those guys don’t have time to teach the other guys. Everybody’s moving. That’s the coach’s job.”

There is definitely something to be said for this philosophy.  Kelly isn’t going to focus on the guys at the back of the line.  He wants the focus to be on the best players.  That forces others to try and keep up.  It keeps pressure on the players and everyone on their toes.  You set the standard high and have everyone work toward that.  I’m in favor of anything that tries to draw out the best in players rather than pandering to them and trying to make everybody happy.

On the comparison from UNH-Oregon transition and Oregon-NFL transition: “I approach everything the same way. It’s still 11 on 11, whether you’re at New Hampshire, whether you’re at Oregon, whether you’re at Johns Hopkins University, or whether you’re at the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s still football. The only difference is more people watch it. That’s the adjustment. But the game itself is still the game itself.”

There is a lot of truth in this.  Football is football.  It all boils down to blocking and tackling.  The Eagles struggled in both areas last year and went 4-12.  The money, pressure, and level of players all change, but the game is still the game.  I think this ties in to Chip’s simple philosophies (run vs 6 in the box, throw when there are 8 in the box, etc.).  Don’t try to out-think yourself.  Right, Andy?

On preference of training camp: “I like the fact that we’re there, because we’re there all year long. There’s not a transition. You’re not moving, picking things up, going somewhere, and then turn around and coming back. Part of what I always wanted to do is get our guys in a rhythm of this is how we do things. The only thing that changes is the schedule starts to change, but we’re in the same spot. I think there’s a comfort level from being in the same spot. The other thing that was amazing to me is when you see that building and what it can provide to our players, from a rehabilitation standpoint, our weight room, video, all those other things are right there.’

No one is really happy to see the Eagles leave Lehigh, but I like Chip’s explanation.  If he truly thinks this can help him and the team get into the flow of things, I’m all for it.  I am desperate for the Eagles to get back to winning.  I’ll support Training Camp in Afghanistan if that can help the team.

On having success with a variety of quarterbacks: “What we did is, we adapted, depending on who our quarterback was. If you’ve got a good coaching staff, that’s what you do. The best example in the NFL is John Fox. A year ago he had Tim Tebow, and went to the playoffs. Now he has Peyton Manning and runs an entirely different offense and went to the playoffs. When you’re good, you adapt to who you have.”

Chip keeps talking about this idea, but no one seems to buy it.  Everyone is just sure that he’s got to have a great athlete.  Chip would love an athletic QB, but only if the guy is a good passer who is also smart, tough, and coachable.  Good coaches can adapt.  Don Shula won with Bob Griese handing the ball to Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris, and Jim Kiick.  Shula also won with Dan Marino and no running game.  Look at the Patriots.  How different were the 2001 and 2007 teams?  You have core ideas, but adapt them and build around your players.  I honestly believe Kelly can win with Nick Foles.  I’m not saying Nick is his choice at QB, but I do think Chip can make it work much better than most realize.

Chip touched on some other subjects.  He said Jason Peters should be ready on April 1st.  That is huge news.  A healthy Peters at LT makes a huge difference for whichever guy gets the QB job and whatever system we try to play.

Chip really talked a lot about perception.  He wasn’t defensive, but didn’t care for some of the labels and generalizations out there.  Chip wanted to make it clear he’s not going to go for it on 4th down just for the heck of it.  He explained how Oregon did it when the decision made sense.  The same was true for going for 2 points after a TD.

He had to shoot down the notion that he’s anti-NFL because the league is too conservative.  He explained how things come and go in the sport of football.  I think Chip doesn’t want to get labeled as Mr Joe College who is here to teach the NFL boys how it is done.  The media will jump on that story line plenty.  I’m glad he’s not helping.

Chip talked about DeSean as PR.  I know a lot of people want this.  I am not as big a supporter.  DeSean is incredibly talented, but in the last couple of years his PR skills have gone down.  He seems to have fallen in love with TDs.  That leads him to make some erratic decisions.  It seems like DeSean’s first instinct is to move backward, to try and create more running room.  I hope Dave Fipp and Chip are able to coach the bad habits out of DeSean.  If DJax could get back to the kind of a PR he was in 2008-2010, that would be great.

I was interested to read Chip’s thoughts on practice before games.  Most (if not all) teams simply do a walkthrough the day before a game.  Chip wants to do more than that, although still nothing close to a normal practice.  I don’t have an opinion, other than to do what won you all those games at Oregon.

I really enjoyed reading almost all of Chip’s comments.  The only part that bothered me was the talk of the defense.  Chip acted like he didn’t know what the 4-3 Under was.  All he will commit to is having 7 guys on the LOS.  This refusal to discuss the defensive scheme bugs the crap out of me.  I shouldn’t let it, but it does.

* * * * *

How did you guys feel?  I’m stoked that Chip is our coach.  I love his ideas and his attitude.  He’ll be the first to tell you that all of this doesn’t mean a hill of beans (baked beans) if he doesn’t go out and win some games.

I just love the vision he’s got for the team and the way he expresses himself.  I think Chip is going to be tougher than Reid and will push every button he can to light a fire under players.  It will be sink or swim time.

I am really looking forward to seeing this team in action.  Of course, I said the same thing last March.  Oops.

* * * * *

MLB Brian Urlacher is leaving the Bears.  There is no spot for him on the Eagles.  He isn’t as good as DeMeco Ryans right now.  You want some perspective…Urlacher is from the same class as Corey Simon.  Urlacher has had an amazing career, but he’s a declining player.  Just doesn’t run well anymore.  I wonder if he could land in Denver.

_

  • JulzPE

    Good stuff as always Tommy, enjoyed those nuggets, lots of promising signs but as you said will be good to see it play out on the field.

    Honestly the secrecy on defence doesn’t bother me all that much. I’d like to know what’s going on, but if the media can’t work out what he’s doing then I think some opposition coaches will be getting frustrated by it as well. Anything that might give us even a small advantage on the field I’m all for.

    • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

      To me the fact that they grabbed guys from Houston and SF (and tried to get another guy from SF as well) implies that the D they run will be modeled similarly to those defenses.

      • JulzPE

        And that makes perfect sense, but regardless it’s still guess work for everyone trying to work it out and that’s why I’m not against it.

        • EaglesHero87

          Yeah, and we’ll just have to take a grain of salt at the moment with all the guess work as to what kind of defense they could run. All in all, though, it’s pretty exciting and I’m looking forward to see what they’ll install!

  • babapsu

    whoah. how did i miss the eagles aren’t going to lehigh anymore. growing up in bethlehem, this really bums me out. even though i live in california now. bummer.

  • http://twitter.com/theguyotc the guy

    I didn’t have strong feelings on moving training camp, but it makes a lot of sense this way.

    Why would you build state of the art facilities for everything, and then move out of them for what could be the most important part of the year?

    • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

      I agree with it on that level, but will also miss the setup in Bethlehem. That was a great place for an Eagles fan to be in the summer.

  • goeagles55

    As someone who lives in Philly, I don’t really mind the Lehigh move at all. I’ll be able to drive 15 minutes to a couple of the practices instead of 90 minutes to one.

    On what issue has been the most difficult to deal with: “The Schuylkill.”

    Fortunately, I take 95 to get to South Philly.

    • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

      Why doesn’t he take the street with his own name on it instead? Kelly Drive is an excellent alternate route…

    • A_T_G

      And, as someone who lives much closer to Lehigh than Philly, booooooo!

      (Really, if it works, great, but I had a fun day there last year with my father and sons.)

      • D3FB

        Exactly! It’s 30 mins to Lehigh versus an hour plus if the Schuylkill isn’t a total parking lot to Philly.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

    I think Desean would be a better punt returner if he were doing it more often. Of late he has done it generally in the highest pressure situations, and in those situations he feels that it is time to go for the big play.

    • Davesbeard

      Completely agree. He’s shifted to an all or nothing attitude when he gets put in there even though 90% of the time its not another miracle at the meadowlands that we need.

    • EaglesHero87

      That’s definitely a good point. Punt returners should receive a handful of returns in order to put in a consistent YAC numbers. This could certainly attribute to Desean’s so little opportunities that he thinks Reid put him in there for the sole purpose of performing another “Miracle at the Meadowlands”.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

    Chip also said “I was told there’d be no math”

    • Arby1

      That cracked me up. Nice to have a coach with a sense of humor to provide a little flak to the deadly serious tenor of the Philly press corp.

  • D-von

    “Chip keeps talking about this idea, but no one seems to buy it. Everyone is just sure that he’s got to have a great athlete.”

    This is what some of us try to tell people who want Foles gone. How many times has Chip said his scheme is driven by personnel only to have people say he needs a running QB. People will say “why did they bring back Vick if they are not running the spread-option?” or ” he brought in Dennis Dixon so obviously he needs mobile QBs.”

    What does cutting Vick’s deal to one year and bringing in one of his former college QBs who was just on the Raven’s practice squad really mean? All I see is a FO trying to bring in as many options at QB in a weak FA and draft class for the position. What we do know is that Kelly will bring some elements from Oregon to Philly but its more of the principles he used than the scheme he used.

    • GGeagle21

      I don’t buy the Foles BS at all. I think there is a very good chance of Foles being our starting QB next year. since he got 6 games experience, behind a historically bad Line, and play calling where it was a miracle if the defense didn’t already Know exactly what we were…Would anyone really be
      shocked if Jick takes a serious leap in year two, and out plays Mke Vick in camp? so many people assume Foles is gone because of an Oregon offense…when I actually think their is a much better chance of Vick not being here is September, than Foles. fans are shortsighted and don’t realize how much young players can improve from year to year especially when given playing experience. I really don’t see how Chip will stomach a 10yr veteran like Vick, when their is a kid n the roster that already reads defenses better, makes better decisions, and gets the ball out faster than his QB who has had a decade of experience and still looks like a rookie at times? The same people who kill Foles for his long ball I accuracy, where the same ones who were over reacting to his long ball accuracy in the preseason. What happened? Did he just forget how to throw? Any idea how many beautifully precise long balls he has completed since College? Foles is plenty accurate…Its not uncommon for young Qbs to have breakdowns in fundamentals early in their careers when under heavy amounts of pressure. A little offseason work, a significantly cleaner pocket, and once he starts trusting that line we will start to see him consistently throw with the proper fundamentals on every play, and we will have a plenty accurate QB on our hands…NO Coach will value anything more than accuracy from a QB. So how the hell can we write off Foles, when our other options at the moment are the erratic Vick, and a player who has been living on practice squads?
      Pocket Passers are the rarest and hardest thing to find in football. there isn’t even enough to go around for 32 nfl teams…so there are certainly not enough to go around to all the colleges. I always believed that a running QB is what you look for when you don’t have a guy that can consistently beat you from the pocket. So, It’s known that Chip had all that success without ever having a top 10 recruiting class..so maybe he wasn’t able to land the best and rare pocket passers. how do we know that he has passed up on more accurate pocket passers for QBs with legs? maybe it’s just what he had to resort to, because he didn’t get the top pocket passers that come with top 10 recruiting class…..Now don’t interpret this as me having this insane belief in Nick Foles. Because I don’t. it’s just I’m forced to playE he devils advocate argument because every where I turn on the Internet or Radio I hear fans convinced that Nick is outta here and has no chance to play for chip, and it’s a bunch of crap…where we stand today, I think Foles has the best chance to be the staring QB job of the bunch.

  • T_S_O_P

    There maybe not place for Ulracher on the Eagles, but there will always be a place for home on the Eagles message board. I hope there is a roll call for him there now.

    • xeynon

      Was gonna say… URRLAKKKERZ could finally come to fruition.

  • GermanEagle

    To be honest I was first scepitcal when the Eagles hired Chip Kelly. But a couple of weeks/months later I am at least as much as stoked to have him on board as you Tommy.
    I don’t wanna go out on a limb, but in hindsight I think this will go down as Lurie’s best decision since he hired Andy Reid more than a decado ago.

    • EaglesHero87

      Let’s certainly hope so!

  • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

    I’m excited to watch this team this year. The possibilities are near limitless with Kelly heading the offense. My excitement is still tempered by a healthy dose of skepticism though. Coach is saying all the right things but will the players listen to him? Will he be able to handle a losing streak that can happen with a rebuilding team? Can he handle the Philly media and a rabid fan base? Lots of questions to be answered, but there’s definitely excitement to see the team on the field.

  • zbone95

    If Chip wanted to do Read Option with Vick, the defenses would just go after Vick regardless whether he gives it off or not. They know that he isn’t durable. Plus DC’s are studying the Read Option extensively so winning with Nick Foles and making him like Tom Brady Offense is my preference.

    • GGeagle21

      RIGHT! Vick will get knocked out so fast it’s not even funny. if our options are Vick and Foles, and EVERYONE including Vick knows he can’t play 16games..If Vick is just gonna get hurt in week 5, and Foles will have to come in, why not just start Foles from day one, so that by the time week 5 rolls around, Foles will already be acclimated? I just see NO reason why Vick would be our starter. then again, I’m not even sure Vick will be here in september

      • http://twitter.com/LuvJones1987 Malcolm Jones

        I can sense your man crush on Foles but neither are the QB of the future in my honest opinion. Also both Qb’s are a question mark. Vick has never played the QB role in the “pure passer” mode until Reid and MM tried to convert him. Once he made the full convert ( w/ planned runs) he got most of his injuries in the pocket. Vick also had major turnovers problems. Foles had good pocket presence and was good on short to intermediate throws but the deep ball needs some work. Foles also broke his throwing hand, never know what you get after that. Both QB’s struggled to get into the endzone and struggled to get wins which can be attributed to the horrible line and play calling although both QB’s have to make better decisions on who to go to and make plays.

        • GGeagle21

          I think any judgment of Foles is utter BS. IF everywhere I turned, I didn’t have to read or har senseless BS about hO Foles can play in this imaginary offense or how he is a career back up at best, than I wouldn’t even feel the need to talk about the kid..I would treat him like a plant, give him his water, and leave him alone for a year..and then see what kind of flower he produces. but if I have to hear insane negative judgments about Foles than I will continue to point out his potential. And that’s all I point out, just potential..how the hell should I know if he reaches it or not? but I do know that he is showed enough that it would be foolish to discard without seeing more first

          • http://twitter.com/LuvJones1987 Malcolm Jones

            I can’t stomach handing a job to Vick or Foles. Competition needs to be here but if Foles dont fit or if Vick dont fit then one of them needs to be traded while some value can be gained. Either way this FOles/VIck talk is pointless…we will be bringing in a QB whether that be Smith, Manuel, Scott or Nassib.
            With that being said I don’t think Foles nor Vick will be next year.

          • GGeagle21

            See, I’d rather pass on any qb in this class. Start building a team with our draft picks…and because we gave nick 6games of rookie boot camp experience under the harshest conditions and the most dysfunctional situation a rookie qb could possibly see…all we need to do is invest 1 year, in a much healthier situation where the deck isn’t completely stacked against him before he ever touches the field…and we can get a pretty good idea about exactly what kind of QB we have on our hands. Playing Foles can go two ways:

            1)He leads us to a respectable 7-9,8-8 season and shows that he is the QB we want to go forward with…
            2)We have a bad year and get a high draft pick in a much better QB class. look we can argue that who knows what will happen with these college QBs next year so that we can justify drafting the sexy qb spot..but we all know their will be better QBs available in next years draft class.

            So, for me it’s a win win to play Nick, for the simple fact that this time next year we know who he is, and we can actually make informed situations on our future.

            Just my humble oppinion

    • Ark87

      I was thinking the same thing when pondering how to stop RG3, yeah run the option, lets just clobber the kid.
      Every.
      Play.
      I have no problem with him using his athleticism to be opportunistic, but if they scheme around his running ability, and he’s a potential runner on every down, make him pay.

      • http://www.facebook.com/michael.w.cho Michael Winter Cho

        “The Griffin Rules”.

    • http://twitter.com/LuvJones1987 Malcolm Jones

      and they would get murdered with the run, you are thinking too much about Reid’s system where we ran shady under 20 times. Teams will get an overdose of Shady and Brown and maybe even Polk. When we run teams will have to be honest. With the logic you are giving they could do the same for Foles knowing he is not going to run much in a read option. After a touchdown or a big run, teams will have to be honest, they can’t plan to knock out Vick or Foles because they could very easily knock them out and give up two or more touchdowns to a RB or a WR Screen. Teams are trying to win games, giving up two or three big plays for a bounty hunt is stupid. Every game affects playoff status.

  • A_T_G

    Does Chip’s elusiveness regarding the defense signal that they are leaning in that direction with the #4 pick?

    And those are some great quotes. The one about the conclusion was particularly profound, in my opinion.

    • Arby1

      Makes sense to me, regarding your question.

  • Cliff

    I’ll miss T.C. at Lehigh. As an out of town fan, it will be nice to visit T.C. in Philly so there’s more to do after watching practice. Have they said if practices in Philly will be as open to the public as they were at Lehigh?

  • dislikedisqus

    I asked this over on Burds 24/7 & I would like your thoughts. When he says he adapts his offense to personnel, what kind of playbook does he hand out and work off of day one? Is it tailored to pocket passing or read option? A mix? But you know going in that some guys are better suited to one than the other. I can’t make sense of this unless it’s just an experimental period which probably means a fair number of losses early on.

    • http://twitter.com/LuvJones1987 Malcolm Jones

      Chip said that he wants his playbook to fit two different skillsets so that if a quarterback with one skillset got knocked out, the QB with a different skillset could come in and they have a game plan for them as well. The playbook is already made… what plays get called is based on personnel. Our Nosetackle said in his introduction interview that Chip had big playbook for him and the other FA’s to dive into, so the playbook is set, the personnel will decide what gets used, whats left out and how much of it is used.

      • dislikedisqus

        Thanks. That was helpful.

  • austinfan

    There’s a simple reason Chip didn’t talk about the defense, that’s Billy Davis’ job. Chip is adamant that he’s an offensive guy and won’t interfere with his DC, though he hinted he’ll be working with him behind the scenes during the week. This avoids the “go over the DC’s head to the HC” syndrome and makes it clear the DC runs the defense (didn’t we see this happen last year?).

    • GermanEagle

      I second this. CK’s secrecy about the D doesn’t bother me at all, unless Billy D. starts to mum over his D philosophy..

    • TommyLawlor

      Fair enough.

    • Arby1

      And I think we’ll hear a lot more about the D after the draft.

  • GGeagle21

    TY-Law aka Tommy Lawlor brought the HEAT yet again! Nice stuff. I’m a defensive guy, so this sective defense aggravates me to, but I understand the sercrecy. I’m preset convinced that we are going 4-43Under regardless what Chip says. chip isn’t a micromanager, and the Hybrid is what Davis does, so why would we do anything else? not to mention, the only reason I think Chip cares about 3-4Defense is because it gives him for LBs for his ST…well he can still get all his LBs with a Hybrid in place, so I don’t see any other reason why Chip would tell Davis that he can’t run HIS DEFENSE, especially since his defense can give Chips roster the same thing a 3-4 gives him…..

    • GGeagle21

      And on 3rd down Nickle, I expect us to go 4-2-5.. It makes sense since most of our predators were 4-3DE..can you picture the Nickle speed at LB that we would have with Kendrick’s and Din Jordan? not to mention Dion Spying RG3? Dion is the most Unique prospect in the draft. people knock his lack of play making, but iM sure that it will come. too many fans overlook the human element..the kid only been playing n the defensive side of the ball for a couple years, IT’S INCREDIBLE that he was able to lineup all over the place and do so many different things for his team because it takes a certain understanding if the game to be able to move around like that…and for Jordan to only have been on the defensive side of the ball for a couple years, It makes it ridiculously impressive. A little more experience on the defensive side of the ball, and I expect a heckuva playmaker. No player in this draft can provide as much defensve FLEXABILITY, and defensive DISGUISE like Dion can.

      • GGeagle21

        Sorry for the multiple post, for some reason this dumb comp is forcing me to break them into segments…. Tom or anyone, I unlike like your Imput regarding what I’m about to post:

        I hear a lot of talk about now that we have Barwin there is no need for Dion. I actually like Dion more now that Barwin is in town. The knock n Dion was that he was a few years away from growing into the animal that he is destined to be. So now we can draft hm and develope him the right way. I see two options for when Dion is ready to take over the league in two years:

        1) By then we can easily get out of Barwins contract

        2) Demeco will be old and ready to move on..He is undersized bu IMO physical enough to play Thumper Mike n the Hybrid. When Demeco moves on, Barwin does not lack the size to take on the strong side guard all day as our Thumper, while Dion takes over at Sam.

        Thoughts?

        • laeagle

          Please, please, please, don’t bring your unique brand of long posts in several levels of conversation with yourself to Tommy’s page. Please for the love of good keep that over at BGN.

  • Ark87

    Regarding “Football is Football”:

    I like the attitude. But it isn’t just that more people watch it. In the NFL, everyone is big, everyone is fast, everyone is talented. It’ would be like shrinking the college fields and saying it’s the same game. Highly effective principles that got you to a bowl-game in college don’t necessarily translate to the NFL. Every college hot-shot has to adjust or fail.

    Listen, I’m glad we have Chip, but come on, give some respect to the Philly fans. Empty talk and tough words don’t work on us. Talk to us about the defense, we get it! We’re smart enough to understand that something isn’t as simple as a label it’s given. “Football is Football” is great in it’s elegant simplicity, but c’mon….he knows that’s not true, that’s why he loaded up on NFL-veteran assistants and stressed the importance of doing that.

    That being said, I think Chip’s football principle should translate well to the NFL.

    • GGeagle21

      The one advantage that chip has right now, is no one knows wtf he is really going to do. NO one can say for sure what we are looking for in draft picks, and no one will know for sure what we are running before we line up and play next year…How about Fans try and RESPECT THAT! WHy would a fan of the Eagles, want us to compromise our element of surprise, so that they could get a few answers?…We will only have this element of surprise THIS YEAR, so take advantage of it.

      • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

        I’m not sure if he even knows exactly what offensive and defensive approaches he is going to settle on. There may be a lot of trial-and-error before they decide what works and what doesn’t.

        That being said, I like a lot of basic, simple things that he does… like giving several plays one-word names so they don’t take 15 seconds to transmit to the quarterback.

        • GGeagle21

          i don’t disagree at all…but I expect Chip to leave Billy alone, and let bIlly do his thing. I also happen to believe that not only is the 4-3Under what our DC Does, but it fits our current roster pretty nice! cox is the PERFECT 3tec, why wouldn’t you want him one on one with the weak side guard with a decent amount of space to work with? Why wouldn’t chip want our predators to basically continue rushing from a wide 9 angle against the weak side Takle, but with a running head start? Why wouldn’t we want Kendrick’s to fly around sideline to sideline untouched making plays behind the wall that the 4-3under creates for the WIL? Demeco isn’t the Ideal size, but He is physical enough to bang it out with the strongside guard. Connor Barwin can play SAm because he isn’t a total liability in coverage..But if we draft Dion, we can just take Barwin out in Nickle, and let Dion and Kendrick’s speed take over in Nickle coverage on a 4-2-5, while Dion grows into his NFL body, and eventual pass rushing capabilities….Not only is a 4-3Under what our Dcoordinator Does, but it’s suits the best plays on our roster at the moment really well, and gives Chip the extra LBs on the roster that are important to him…

          that’s just the way I’m reading int it

          • http://www.facebook.com/michael.w.cho Michael Winter Cho

            Dude…. I don’t ever want to hear the words “wide 9″ again!

      • Ark87

        New scheme, new coach, it will be on full display in the especially public TC at the Linc. So I highly doubt he is being so mum to preserve the secrecy of a scheme.

        • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

          Whether 3-4 or 4-3, does anyone here think the base D *won’t* be an Under front?

        • GGeagle21

          there will only be a few days open to the public, and I’m sure those days will be the most vanilla days…Also, Chip ain’t the type of guy to run the same stake stuff that opponents know exactly what he is doing Like Reid, anyway…so I expect astically different game p,and from week to week, so how much can you really expect teams to learn from a few TC practices? Chip won’t even tell you what defense he will run, and you expect him to show much in the open practices?

    • http://twitter.com/LuvJones1987 Malcolm Jones

      yes everything is bigger, faster and talented…so the playing field is even….so it is still football…and everyone in the draft is qualified to play in the NFL and they are seen as more talented, more faster, and bigger than the others who didn’t get accepted as a possible draftee. It is not like he is going and finding guys off the streets, he has NFL players playing against NFL Players.

      It is still 11 on 11. We have one of the fastest teams. Patriots move pretty quick. We have seen fast strike offenses. Colin Kap is playing in a faster, bigger, more talented league yet the ravens will tell you they could not catch him on that touch down run. It is still football and he has NFL players. if he were bring his Oregon team and saying this I would be livid but he has NFL players.

      • Ark87

        There are no advantages. But everyone in the NFL has ridiculous range relative to the average college player. Many college offensive principles are built on or in some way rely on the limitations of the average college player’s range. (To compensate for the field being more “narrow” in a sense. The offenses use speed and arm strength to make the field “longer” for a defense to cover). Bottom line, you can’t replace all the pawns with rooks and say “Chess is Chess”. Different game.

        And that’s only one aspect of it. The personnel are a different breed. There is an NFLPA. The rules are different. This is a different animal and Chip knows that. He specifically told everyone that it was important that his Coordinators have NFL-experience because he has none.

        • http://twitter.com/LuvJones1987 Malcolm Jones

          Understandable but just like most players have to adapt and adjust coaches do to. The NFL exp. was more so for the business side of it. Kelly does not need help coaching an offense but with Head Coach responsibility on the NFL level. Colin Kaep, Wilson, RG3, all were given some college like plays(read-option) to help adjust faster and to get them to show productivity early. Luck has his OC with him now and is about to do the same. College stuff is seaping in little by little and as long as you have QB’s who need to adjust to the NFL you will have a few college tricks here and there.

          Mike Tomlin likes the idea of the read-option because he says so many Dc’s will spend so much time focused on that that they will spend less time on regular game planning for other threats a offense provides.

    • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

      moving this post to right place

  • http://twitter.com/BugeHalls Buge Halls

    My thought on D-Jack on PR – it would be a big help, but first we need to have a defense that forces the other team to actually punt!

    • TommyLawlor

      Leave your facts out of this.

  • miked718

    I love Chip Kelly as our coach, I love his ideas about football and competition and that seems to be working so well with Howie. His quotes are great. Keep It Simple Stupid, get the ball to the other side of the field and don’t sweat the media/star player drama. I’m sure he’ll run into a few “stars” who don’t like his style but we don’t really want them anyway. Build this team right and we won’t have to go back in and fix the shoddy parts every couple years. Couldn’t be more excited about a potential 7-9 season…

  • http://www.insidetheiggles.com/ CalSFro

    After reading the transcript on philly.com, and seeing the moves the team is making so far, I’m starting to wonder if Chip is really all that excited about Desean. Now, before you freak out or lose your mind, hear me out. . .I’m not trying to say that there’s no place for him here or that Chip can’t make use of him because obviously he is a special talent. . .but we all assume Chip see’s Desean’s speed and elusiveness and his mouth starts to water.

    But is Desean really the kind of speedy playmaker that Chip wants? Chip had two kinds of guys at Oregon; bigger bodied, slightly slower receivers and small, fast, durable RB/WR types.

    Desean is neither of those. Chip even says it himself in reference to the De’Anthony Thomas comparisons that were made earlier this offseason, that he and Desean are really nothing alike. De’Anthony is a RB who they got involved in the passing game because of a glut of RB talent and the fact that he can catch the ball well. Desean is a WR who, though extremely talented, is pretty one-dimensional and comparatively speaking, physically weak.

    I can’t shake the fact that Desean just doesn’t jibe with the whole, “we want bigger, longer people” thing. I don’t believe for a second that that’s a defense only kind of philosophy.

    Desean is nothing if not small and elusive. It would be wrong to call him injury prone, but he’s also not going to break tackles or run guy’s over. His game is about going around the opponent, whereas Kelly seems to welcome the opportunity to go through the opponent.

    Maybe this has some connection to the whole Indy trade thing. Maybe not. But I just wonder if Chip’s really as enamored with Desean as people think.

    • EaglesHero87

      Certainly a legitimate concern to be acknowledged. The fact that Desean’s blazing speed must be accounted for, is probably why Chip wanted Casey, so that he could utilize Casey in a variety of formations and plays.

      This could probably paint a better picture of how I imagine Chip’s reaction to Desean:

      “Hm, this guy [Desean] has incredible speed. Hm, it’s no wonder why Reid and Co. kept utilizing him as a vertical threat and end-around plays. Maybe if I could have someone with versatility like [Casey] who can run flats out from the H-back position, underneath routes from Desean’s route from the slot or TE position, that would keep the defense honest.”

      When the Eagles hopefully start developing success distributing the ball to the different receivers, it’ll keep the defense honest and they may not always be able to account for Desean then. And then that’s when hopefully his gamebreaking ability will come into effect. But, then, of course, this could all sound wishful thinking as it also be a recipe for failure.

      • shah8

        No, what happened was that the Eagles never could successfully and consistently run the ball, and punishing the two deep we constantly face. Casey is a reflection on Celek or Havili, and probably both.

        • http://www.insidetheiggles.com/ CalSFro

          I always just assumed that running the ball against a 6 man box made too much sense for Marty and Andy to actually put it into practice.

      • http://www.insidetheiggles.com/ CalSFro

        Desean offers a lot just in terms of dictating coverages, ie; the two deep that Shah mentioned that we constantly see. But you’ve got to take advantage of said coverages by running the ball. It’s a marriage that (hypothetically) could and should work really well as long as you’re committed to running the ball when there are 6 guys in the box. It seems like that’s Chip’s plan through and through.

        But I really just wonder a) how much Desean loves football (he raps and as a label and what not), a seemingly major factor for Chip. And b) what his size means to Chip. He’s fast, but he’s not big and, though he’s been “durable” to this point, he’s been durable because Reid and Co. handled him with kid gloves.

    • http://www.facebook.com/michael.w.cho Michael Winter Cho

      “His game is about going around the opponent, whereas Kelly seems to welcome the opportunity to go through the opponent.”
      I don’t mean to cherry-pick this quote, but it seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding. He claims that you run when you have the numbers, you pass when don’t. In other words, you avoid the defense and take what it gives you. The “big people beat up small people” is Buddy Ryanish, but nothing else is.
      De’Anthony is a lot more like Desean than Christian Okoye.

      • http://www.insidetheiggles.com/ CalSFro

        You’re equating “making use of the advantage afforded to you by the defensive scheme/alignment”, with “going around the defense”. That’s semantics, and frankly, wrong.

        Of course you want to take what the defense give’s you. But there are plenty of quotes from Kelly where he makes the point that football, at its essence, is one guy physically beating another. So, taking advantage of the defensive alignment or not or using innovative schemes, you still have to beat the man across from you in order to win.

        Now, whether that’s with speed, or power, or elusiveness or what have you, is up for debate and probably dependent on the coach. But Kelly is clearly a smash mouth kind of guy. So, while I agree that you have to take what the defense gives you, the further in that you focus the microscope, the clearer you see that Kelly wants to (and to be successful in the NFL, you have to) go through the opponent.

        We just spent 2 years with a team who wanted to go “around” the defense. It’s why we couldn’t ever score in the RZ. I think it’s pretty clear that’s no longer going to be the case considering our success, or lack thereof.

        And yeah, of course there are degrees of similarity and difference. But Desean is never going to take handoff in the backfield and run straight through the line. He doesn’t have that skill-set. He’s entirely one dimensional. Here’s Chip’s quote about De’Anthony and Desean. Interpret it how you choose:

        On similarities between the two: “I think they are both similar in size and are fast but De’Sean is a wide receiver and De’Anthony is a running back. When we go De’Anthony we looked at some of his traits and thought it was beneficial to get him involved because we had LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner, how do we get them on the field at the same time. He’s kind a wide receiver/running back for us but I don’t know if DeSean has those qualities of a [running back]. De’Anthony has been a running back his entire life and my understating is DeSean has been a receiver his entire life, so they are not similar from that standpoint.”

    • austinfan

      I think the problem was stated by Kelly, the Black Mamba is a RB, DeSean is a WR. RBs know what to do after they get the ball, which is every play, fast WRs often think their job is to catch the ball and if they have open space, keep running.

      Watching DeSean on end around plays, he lacks the cutback ability and elusiveness to be effective, and the same applies on WR screens. Even as a punt returner I didn’t think he was that great at making the first man miss, what made him special was his tremendous burst if the blockers opened a lane for him, he’d get through it before the Red Sea could close. And he’s easily brought down by an arm tackle.

      Problem is, if you’re not running an offense built around the deep play, he has limited value, I think D Johnson is actually a better slot receiver, and of course, much cheaper in that role. DeSean is still a great deep threat, but if Chip is more focused on run blocking and getting open quickly underneath (not to mention providing a big target for your QB), he may think DeSean is worth more as trade bait than as a starting WR. DeSean would cost another team $34M for the next 4 years, which is very reasonable and ups his value as trade bait.

      • http://www.insidetheiggles.com/ CalSFro

        I really believe that Damaris could fill the slot WR/RB role just as well as, if not much better than Desean. He’s short so his center of gravity is better and he’s lightning quick. He’s lacking in long speed but Chip’s offense doesn’t seem to place much of an emphasis on throwing the ball deep. It remains to be seen if he’s got the RB skill set to utilize his blockers and make the small shifty moves through the line, but he did it in college so I’d guess he’s got a puncher’s chance.

        Chip wants to build an offense around moving the ball consistently, not quick strikes (though I’m sure he’ll be alright with them happening). It’s exactly why I think Desean isn’t that great of a fit, and Vick won’t work as the QB. He, like McNabb before him, became enamored with the deep ball. And once teams took that away there was no adjustment, from the QB or the coaching staff, to take advantage of the other areas of the field that were then open. The only constant between the two scenarios is the coaching staff so maybe Vick won’t be so bomb-centric with a fresh set of coaching.

        But, to me, Desean just seem’s kind of out of place here, for all the reasons we both said. And, like you also said, his trade value at the moment may very well may outweigh his eventual contributions.

        Not to mention, Irsay’s tweet, dumb as it may have been, mentioned a “whopper”. I like Maclin and think he has every chance to continue to grow as a receiver and become something more than he is, but I definitely wouldn’t call him a “whopper” at this point. Desean, with all the highlight plays and Miracle at the Meadowlands II on the other hand…

  • TommyLawlor

    Update for TSOP (from Adam Caplan):

    “Former Chiefs and Jets DE Ropati Pitoitua visited the Titans earlier this week.”

    • T_S_O_P

      He’ll need a rival offer. :-)

  • P_P_K

    The biggest thing I came away from the interview is that Jason Peters will be available on April 1. This is great news.

    • EaglesHero87

      Heck, yeah! I felt the same, too. As a guy who ruptured both my Achilles (my left one in late 2008 and my right one in spring 2010), yes, I can definitely imagine Peters feeling both prepared and perhaps a slight sense of hesitation.

      Although, I wonder what kind of discussion Peters may have had with DeMeco regarding their Achilles injuries. It certainly comes a long way to receive support and encouragement from someone who’s experienced an Achilles injury and playing back on the field.

      • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

        “Using a Roll-A-Bout as a Go Kart is not a great idea”

        • P_P_K

          I heard Demetress Bell was seen loosening a bolt on Peter’s Roll-A-Bout.

        • EaglesHero87

          Haha! Well said, sir! :)

      • P_P_K

        Forget DeMeco, Jason should talk to you.

  • ACViking

    Re: The Defense: 4-3 under . . . or 3-4 1-gap . . . or 3-4 2-gap . . . or a bit of each

    The better part of the profootball media seem to be all gaga over the “read option” and the immediate need for NFL teams to find athletic QBs.

    But the PF media’s also still talking about the 2-TE offense and how great having a Gronk and AH is (with a QB who made David Patten into a good receiver).

    QUESTION: what impact does a 2-TE formation have on the 4-3 under?

    • Anders

      The biggest effect the 2 TE sets have is you need a either a SAM who is a pseudo safety (If Kenaan Clayton could just tackle) or a safety who is big enough to pretend to be a LB (Adrian Wilson).

      If your SAM got good enough coverage skills you can stay in base D and you do not care where the offense moves the F back or you go to a 4 -2-5 with 3 safeties where one of them is an Adrian Wilson type safety who can act as a the pseudo LB.

      How it relates to the Eagles. If we draft a Dion Jordan we can stay in base against 2 TE sets, else I think the best option is too go to a a big nickle with Phillips covering the TE, Allen FS and Chung as the SS. This would make us very good against the pass and Phillips is good enough to act as a pseudo LB, its not optimal, but its the best they can do.

      • D-von

        Dion would be a good fit. I still think that Ziggy Ansah is better fit though

        • Anders

          How would Ansah be a better fit? He got no experience in coverage at all.

          • D-von

            As a Predator and a Sam. Dion would only play Sam in the 4-3 under. And while he is not as good as Jordan in coverage, Ansah did drop back into coverage for BYU

          • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

            I prefer Ziggy as well.

          • D-von

            Glad we agree

          • Anders

            Dion have no problem playing Predator also Ansah is ideal for the 4-3 SAM, while he might be able to cover, he cant cover like Jordan.

          • D-von

            To me Jordan is not as good of a pass rusher as Ansah, but yeah he could play predator. Also, Ansah is more versatile on the D-line. He can play 5-tech, 3-tech, 3-4 DE and 4-3 DE. He can also move him inside into the DT position on nickel situations. Can you imagine Trent Cole, Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Ziggy Ansah rushing the passer together on a third and long play?

          • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

            More massive, just about as fast, changes direction quickly to get back into plays, more toughness. More great plays in fewer games and progressive improvement over the past season

    • http://twitter.com/deshawnbentley BG

      In a 2 TE set–adding to what Anders said

      You bring in a Keenan Clayton/Adrian Wilson type to line up on the weakside , right of the WLB. (MLB…..WLB……FS) . The DE/Predator is still in a 5 technique. The NT is in the A gap on the strong side (1T). And the weakside DT is a 3T on the weakside. The CB slides in and plays man coverage on the 2nd TE.

  • D-von

    Tommy, have you and Jimmy every thought about doing videos instead of podcasts? Add some game film to it to use as a visual aid to help some of us understand more complicated subjects

    • ACViking

      D-von . . . you wanna break our screens?

      • D-von

        Lol you mean because of the Eagles atrocious play? They could use game film to scout other teams, and players that they get in FA and the draft. But yeah burn all of the 2013 Eagles game film

        • Ark87

          Except the ravens game. 2013 shall henceforth be know as the glorious year that we defeated the eventual super bowl champs, revisionist history, awwwww yeeaaahh

  • Lukekelly65

    i just saw a story on PFT about Jarvis Jones pro day and he said that he has workout lined up with the eagles i know jones was a big play maker in college and i think hes going to be a good pro but I just dont see him being our pick at 4.. personally i would rather have Dion Jordan

    • D-von

      Eagles also worked out Geno Smith and Star Lotulelei, so don’t get caught up in who they’re scouting. Eagles always do their due diligence. Also, Chip said himself that they probably won’t bring Dion in for a visit since Jordan was coached by him. Curiously though, the Eagles have not worked out any O-linemen that I know of. That to me is more telling than the other news

      • D-von

        And I only mean in the first round. I believe that players scouted by the eagles who are projected outside of the first round are good indicators of where the eagles are heading

        • Lukekelly65

          good point i like that the team does a does their homework on all those guys i was just kinda throwing it out there that he was working out for the team but about them not working out an o-linemen i think there has to be something to it either they feel strongly about the guys in house currently or maybe their sold on one guy (fisher?) and dont want to show their interest.. its all really interesting i cant wait to see how it works out

          • D-von

            Yep its either/or. I tend to think that they might really like a O-linemen and don’t want to tip their hat. I hope I’m wrong though

      • RC5000

        Why is that telling? They just began private workouts.

        • D-von

          This is just speculation but it either means they don’t like any linemen in this draft (I find that hard to believe) or they really like one of the o-linemen and don’t want to show interest.

          • Iskar36

            It’s still very early. The Eagles will be meeting with a ton more draft prospects between now and the draft. It’s still to early to read into who they visited with and who they haven’t.

          • D-von

            Yeah I know its early but you don’t think its weird that they haven’t visited or brought in one O-line prospect in one of the strongest o-line classes with the Eagles o-line being one of teams weak points. I would have thought they would have brought one or two in by now.

          • Iskar36

            If by draft day we haven’t visited or brought in one o-line prospect I’ll find it weird, but the order they meet with these guys is based on way to many factors for me to read to much into it right now. They have only met with a handful of prospects so far, so I think we just have to wait and find out who they will meet with.

          • D-von

            Well I really want Ziggy Ansah, so I hope my hunch is wrong.

          • RC5000

            I don’t think it’s weird at all in any way shape or form, the private workout process is just beginning. Kelly said Geno was their first private workout. They had meetings. There are Pro Days every day. Trying to read into things weeks before the draft is futile.

          • Ark87

            exactly right, Eagles were very active in FA to at least stop-gap the glaring holes, which means everyone is a potential target absent of urgent need…which means a lot of homework for Howie and company and the Eagles being linked to a whole lot of names.

  • ACViking

    Re: Chip’s “Big Boy” quote

    Chipper said: “We want taller, longer people, because bigger people beat up little people.”

    Ok . . . does that guideline apply to QBs, too?

    And what’s B-Graham worth on draft day? The only DE/Predator types he’s “taller” or “long” than are Elvis Dumervill and Dwight Freeney.
    _______________

    By the way, what’s the difference between “taller” and “longer” (clean answers, please).

    • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

      I take that quote as a quip, but one with some truth to it. He does want a taller, tougher team, as evidenced by the guys he’s brought in so far. Graham unfortunately isn’t as tall as we’d like him to be, but he is pretty tough, and I think the big question will be about whether he can handle a little bit of coverage responsibility on the backs.

    • austinfan

      Well, if Graham can be as productive as Dumervil and Freeney, I think Chip will live with his “midget” predator for a few years.

      I think “longer” refers to reach, which is mostly arm length (and to a lesser extent, upper body width). If you have a 5’11 safety with 32″ arms, he’s going to be as effectively tall as a 6’1 safety with 30″ arms, and may have a lower center of gravity when it comes to tackling.

      There are always tradeoffs, most guys with longer arms have less upper body strength for the same size and can’t punch as forcefully. With OL for example, coaches often prefer an OT with 34-35″ arms because of the ability to reach a defender trying to turn the corner and redirect him. One thing amazing about Fletcher Cox was putting up 30 reps at 225 with 35″ arms, that gives him both reach and power, he can hit the opposing OG first and mean it.

  • Iskar36

    So, we have talked about what we think the base defense will be a ton, but my question is, how often will we actually be in the base defense? On top of that, when we go to a nickel or dime defense, who are the guys most likely to stay on the field and who isn’t, and how will their responsibilities change in the nickel and dime?

    For example, we have all talked about Dion Jordan as a potential target. When we are not in our base D, where would he be lined up (and I ask about this more focused on long term rather than just this year while we are still trying to find playing time for Graham, Cole, and Curry)? I guess the same question should apply to those players as well as Connor Barwin. I ask because I think that plays an role in figuring out the relative importance of the different positions and maybe also which skill sets we should value more (i.e. Ansah seems like a more polished pass rusher while Jordan seems like a more polished player in coverage. When they are not in the base D, how will their roles change?)

    • D-von

      Jordan can play DE but I wouldn’t like that idea too much. To me he seems more natural in a 2 point stance and so would be an OLB in nickel situations. Ziggy would be on the line in nickel situations either at DE or DT. That’s one of the reason’s I like Ansah more than Jordan. More versatility. Jordan covered WRs in college but I don’t how practical that would be in the NFL, so you look at him as an OLB or Rush LB. Ansah can move throughout the D-line, while also being a Rush LB

      • Iskar36

        That’s sort of why I brought up the question. If Ziggy provides more beyond just the base D, he has more value to me in the draft. With the NFL being such a pass heavy league, you end up outside of your base D a ton and a 4th overall pick needs to be a good fit for that as well in my opinion.

  • Mac

    Not sure if everyone on here checks out jimmy’s site, but if you haven’t the article he has up on Bradley Fletcher is good reading material.

    http://bloggingthebeast.com/2013/03/20/qa-on-new-eagles-cb-bradley-fletcher-with-a-rams-guy/

  • Lukekelly65

    i have a question for tommy or anyone who knows the answer but i was just wondering how do compensatory picks work. i understand teams are rewarded for FA who left the year before but how do they determine if you get a higher or lower pick is it quality of the players? if so should we expect to receive a few picks next off season seeing as we lost NA and DRC? there big names but we all know how awfully they played does that effect the pick?

    • D-von

      Not exactly. NA was cut so he doesn’t count. It depends on the FAs that you lose and the FAs that you pick up. Jimmy Kempksi had a good article up at the blogging the beast but my computer is acting weird so I can’t provide the link

    • A_T_G

      It is much more strongly influenced by the contract they receive than their performance, so DRC’s one year prove it deal won’t get us much.

  • Ark87

    “The T-Rich Rule”:
    The hit he put on Kurt Coleman was basically exhibit A is the case for passing the rule.
    But I’d like to point out, Kurt was a MAN on that play, not only did he latch on after getting popped, he stayed in the game. In fact, when examining that defense in those first 3 weeks. That defense was actually pretty tough and physical. Even accused of being dirty, by the Ravens of all teams! What the hell happened….

  • Neil

    On the running backs being a strength: “The little I know, I would
    think, but until I can really get my hands on them, I’m not being
    evasive, I can’t tell you. I know LeSean’s talented, Bryce is really
    talented. Chris Polk was hurt a lot, but I saw Chris play in college,
    and I know Chris is an outstanding football player. So how does he fit
    into the mix? You don’t know until you get out there. That’s a position,
    you’re a sprained ankle away from – it goes from a position of strength
    to a position of weakness, because you can only carry a couple of guys.
    Obviously LeSean, Bryce and Chris have got some skills.”

    Dion who?

    • Ark87

      Ouch. Funny thing is Dion is a really good runner. But he’s 3rd RB at best and near worthless on special teams, adios amigo (I think he’ll land on his feet and do well for himself)

      • D-von

        Lol another great pick from the 2011 Draft

        • A_T_G

          To be fair, he would be much more valuable if we hadn’t stolen Bryce in the 7th round.

  • limodriver27

    Tommy,
    I would never steal your thunder. You exhibit knowledge and insight far beyond my expectations. Being stranded here in Vegas for the last 20 years, you and Sheil are both my street-level and technical support, yet speaking TO us, not *at or over* us.
    But I must admit that I agreed with every opinion that you expressed for each of CK’s responses, altho he did get a bit flustered when asked to label his defensive scheme. It’s a refreshing change from the last 14 years where … Oh,lets just move on.
    Keep up the good work. I read everything new from you.

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