In case you missed it, here is the link to Chip Kelly’s day after PC.
This is definitely worth watching. My favorite moment came when guys were shouting over each other to get their question heard. Kelly stopped and asked if they got annoyed due to others talking over them.
Kelly had plenty of football insight as well. Lots of good stuff.
#ESPN announces that the #PHIvsWAS battle was the highest-rated and most-watched Monday Night Football opener ever. #FlyEaglesFly
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 10, 2013
Very cool.
Seth Joyner: I still would like to see the Eagles bring in a Wide Receiver. You still need another guy who draws attention…
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) September 10, 2013
Joyner: I know it's sacrilegious to a lot of Eagles fans, but I really think they need to bring Terrell Owens back to help the offense.
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) September 10, 2013
Not so cool.
Seth was a great LB, but he’s crazy if he thinks TO is what the Eagles need. I mean…yikes. Really?
Eagles favored by 9 points Sunday. Andy Reid's Eagles weren't favored by that much until his 31st game [-14 vs. Browns in 2000, won by 11].
— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) September 10, 2013
I’m as excited as anyone about Chip Kelly, but the hype may get out of hand really fast.
Did the Eagles actually benefit from the Skins scoring the defensive TD?
I’m in the middle of re-watching the game for my Detailed Game Review. On the opening drive Chip Kelly went for it on 4th/1. I agreed with the decision and was happy he did it. I did wonder for a second how different things might have gone if he’d just kicked a FG there. The Eagles would have led 3-0 instead of trailing 7-0.
Then it occurred to me that right after that the Skins offense would be on the field and the defense would be resting.
By having the Skins defense score on the bizarre pass play, those guys got no rest. They were worn down for the entire 1st half, which helped the Eagles to build a 26-7 lead. Obviously Washington’s turnovers and safety also played a big part in that. You just wonder if getting them so tired early actually benefited the Eagles in the long run.
I certainly won’t be advising Chip Kelly to let the Chargers score a defensive TD next week, but it is at least an interesting question as you think back to how the Skins game went.
Check out this gif of LB Mychal Kendricks slamming RG3 to the ground. Hard hit, but clean hit.
More please.
Pete Roussel of CoachingSearch.com put together a collection of tweets about Chip Kelly. Here is a small sampling.
Kirk Herbstreit: Look at that hole!!! Keep in mind these vaunted NFL Defensive Coordinators have had 8 months to slow down this “gimmick college offense
Jason McIntyre: That wasn’t a stampeding in the distance – just ESPN executives jumping off the RG3 bandwagon & racing to double-down on Chip Kelly coverage
Chris Vannini: Eagles ran 53 plays in the first half. Vikings, Colts, Steelers and Panthers ran 53 or fewer in their entire games yesterday.
There are other good ones. Check out the post.
The Washington Post rounded up game predictions by key Eagles writers.
Redskins 38, Eagles 26: Robert Griffin III might be a bit rusty, with no preseason, but the Eagles’ secondary made Chad Henne look like Peyton Manning in the preseason. So both Eagles safeties and all the corners might as well wear jersey No. WD-40. Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis said this game will tell him what he has. Spoiler alert: What he has is a big mess. Six new starters join a unit that has run a 4-3 for two decades and now is trying to transition to 3-4. Yes, Chip Kelly’s offense ought to be able to manage a few surprises, even on the road against a good defense, but it’s unclear how often the Redskins will feel like letting the Eagles have the ball. — Les Bowen, Philadelphia Daily News
I’m having a hard time figuring out what Les thinks of the defense. I hate it when he’s vague like this.
Jimmy Bama summed up the game pretty well.
This will be a fun, high-scoring game, but ultimately the Redskins simply have the better quarterback, who will make fewer mistakes.
Maybe. But if Clifton Geathers eats RGIII, all bets are off.
Chip Kelly coaches his first NFL game tonight. It will be interesting to measure his results compared to those of previous coaches.
Bob Brookover wrote a good article on the debuts of Andy Reid and Ray Rhodes. I loved the postgame quotes he dug up.
Rhodes – “We stunk up the joint,” he said in his opening statement. “We were sloppy. Execution. None. Defensively, we gave up some big plays, and you can’t give them up. It was just sloppy play all over the field. I’ve got a lot of things to clean up and I’m disappointed in an opening game like this. When you get your [butts] handed to you, 21-6, it’s hard to find anything positive.”
Reid – “All right, that’s a tough way to go right there,” he said. “Those hurt. I think the players feel the same way. Really, the first half was smart football. The second half was not as smart football.”
Both guys lost, as you can tell. Rhodes fiery demeanor served his team well for 2 years, but emotion can only get you so far. Reid’s big picture approach helped him build the Eagles into a great organization.
Jason Kelce: “I think Cedric Thornton has really come on well the past couple years. He continues to improve. He’s a very strong player. I would expect him to have a pretty good year for our defensive line. He’s always been a good player, but he’s starting to hone in a lot of other areas of his game. That experience level’s there now where he played a lot last year for us. So I would expect him to have a very good, solid year.”
“Offensively… I think Damaris [Johnson] has had a really good preseason and really good camp so far. And he’s just such a dynamic player in this offense. He could excel.”
Johnson and Thornton got votes from other players as well. Those are two guys I would have mentioned myself.
