Philadelphia Eagles: Five Observations vs. Cardinals

Oct 26, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly looks on during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Chip Kelly’s decisions are becoming questionable

Chip Kelly is well respected in the coaching world. Both in the college and professional world. His resume is impressive in both circles as well. He’s well know for having a high-octane offense capable of explosive plays off the line of scrimmage. He’s proven himself in his short time in the NFL when he led a 4 – 12 team from the previous season to the NFC Championship. And he did that while changing quarterbacks in the early part of the season. Two things that stood out yesterday that shows that Kelly’s decisions are becoming a bit of a concern.

On the Eagles’ first possession the first two plays were basically screen passes. The first was to Eagles running back LeSean McCoy on the right side at the line of scrimmage for a two yard gain. The second play was exactly the same to Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek for two more yards. The third play was an ill-advised pass attempt to Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews in the middle that was almost picked off.

The general rule of thumb for the NFL is if you win the toss you receive the kickoff and score as quickly as possible. Two screen passes and a short pass just north of the first down marker isn’t getting it done. The Eagles first possession in the game was a weak three-and-out. Not exactly a high-octane performance.

Oct 26, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Chris Polk (32) is topped on the goal lie by Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93), strong safety Deone Bucannon (36) during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The second questionable decision from Kelly yesterday happened late in the fourth quarter when he did not challenge the spot of the ball when Philadelphia Eagles running back Chris Polk was tackled at the goal line. It appeared to be a bad spot. It looked by the replay that he had gotten at least the first down. At that point, Kelly had both challenges left and it was late in the game. He had all his time outs and decided not to challenge the call. It most likely would have given the Eagles a fresh set of downs with four more chances to get into the end zone. Instead, with the game on the line Kelly gave the ball to his struggling running back, LeSean McCoy.

He actually lost yardage on the play. Why would he do that? All game the run up the middle got the Eagles nowhere. Why not a bootleg? He decided to kick the field goal and trust his defense. A defense that had already given up a few big plays earlier in the game. Hindsight is 20/20 but after the game played out, as smart as Kelly is one would have thought he would have played that differently.

When the Eagles faced the San Fransisco 49ers on a similar situation for the win, Kelly chose to pass the ball. They had four chances to punch the ball into the end zone from the six yard line and they failed. With 2nd and goal he trusts McCoy with the ball and he gets it to the one. Then he passed into the end zone the next two plays. They turned the ball over on downs. Why didn’t he give the ball to McCoy again? They had less than a yard to go and two plays to run.

Not sure of the play calling there either. Seems like the Kelly of last year would have done it differently.