Philadelphia Eagles Made Right Call With Chip Kelly

Dec 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly talks with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (18) during a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. The Cowboys defeated the Eagles 38-27. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

It was a strange series of days for the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans last week.

First came the stunning and abrupt dismissal of Tom Gamble, their vice president of player personnel. That led to wild speculation of an internal power struggle in the Eagles’ front office, with many seeing the Gamble move as a clear sign general manager Howie Roseman had won the affection of owner Jeffrey Lurie.

But then amid wild and irresponsible speculation that head coach Chip Kelly was on his way out, a funny thing happened: Lurie gave Kelly complete control over player personnel and “promoted” Roseman to a position that has nothing to do with the roster. The only thing he’ll be in charge of drafting anymore will be contracts for the players Kelly selects.

Now some 72 hours after the dust settled, here we are left to wonder whether this move was the right or wrong one for the Philadelphia football franchise.

Put me down on the side that says this was the best thing the Philadelphia Eagles could have done.

Speculation has been that for whatever reason, Kelly and Roseman didn’t quite see eye to eye on personnel issues. Given the strange way in which the Eagles had previously structured their decision makers below Lurie, it was tough to tell who exactly was responsible for what call. Now we know, and that in itself is a victory for fans from the simple standpoint of knowing who to praise or blame.

But beyond that – and much more important – is clarity and confidence for the organization. There is no doubt now that the guys taking the field in 2015 will be Chip Kelly’s guys. The coach entering his third NFL season will sink or swim with a roster for which he has the ultimate, unquestioned say.

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Reflecting on the 2014 season, it’s worth wondering how much of that was really the case despite Kelly’s public statements that he was in control. And my questioning on this is directed solely at circumstances surrounding rookie and first-round pick Marcus Smith.

It seemed like an odd draft choice at the time and over the course of the season was mainly attributed to Kelly. But we really don’t have any evidence that was the case, only a belief that boy-wonder Roseman wouldn’t have done something so incredibly bizarre like spending a first-round pick on fourth-round talent.

Looking back on the season it’s fair to wonder if the opposite isn’t true, that Smith was actually Roseman’s guy, a pick made over the objection of Kelly. Consider this:

1) Smith rarely saw the field this season. He didn’t even play on special teams. He didn’t even play in the final game of the season, a throwaway against the New York Giants. If you’re Chip Kelly and you spent a first-round pick on a guy, if you felt invested in him, wouldn’t you at least run him out there in an actual game situation in Week 17, with nothing to lose, to show his development? Wouldn’t you be more likely to let the guy rot away on the bench if you weren’t interested in picking him in the first place?

2) First-round selections are typically expected to contribute in some way, shape or form, unless they’re quarterbacks. Teams often take rookie quarterbacks and let them learn the game, get a feel for things, possibly for the entire season before throwing them into the fray. That doesn’t happen with other positions and if you’re the head coach of a playoff contender, you’d probably be pretty ticked off if your GM went against your advice and wasted your top draft chip on a guy you didn’t want.

3) After the game against the Giants, Lurie essentially dismissed questions on Roseman’s status, assuring all that Howie would be back in his role of general manager, that no shake up was coming. In the five days that followed, Tom Gamble was fired, Chip Kelly was made dictator and Roseman was relegated to overseeing the equipment managers. This about-face was stunning, but perhaps easier to understand if in post-season talks Kelly tells Lurie, “Listen, we lost three key games in December and I believe it was because we didn’t have the right personnel. I can’t coach someone else’s guys. They don’t fit. Look no further than Marcus Smith for evidence.”

This is all speculation, but given the dizzying series of events it all fits.

We might never know how or why this all came to be, but we do know the Philadelphia Eagles are firmly and solely in Chip Kelly’s hands, for better or worse. I believe it’s going to be for better, and this decision from Lurie was the best thing he could have done for the Philadelphia football franchise.

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