The Philadelphia Eagles Set Chip Kelly Up To Fail

All For One, But Nobody For Chippah

In the NFL, a team acquiesces individualism for the good of the team.  On this team, the regiment of winning is now secondary to personal feelings, general player happiness and some level of inner peace akin to kumbaya singing around a campfire.   Huh?  Each player in the NFL believes he is worth more than the team is willing to spend.  They must feel that way.  They risk injury, serious injury, on virtually every play in the NFL.  The cost of that risk for each man on the field is immeasurable.

Secondly, let’s go back to that official designation of duties.  Chip took over GM’ing, but Howie was still the check man.  In fact, Howie was paid much more to be a check man.

"“Howie has been great. He’s been with us for 15-16 years and grown with the organization and is as selfless as you can be. He just wants to win. And that’s all Chip wants to do. That’s all any of us want to do. You can talk all you want about structure and final say. What any organization worth their salt wants to do is try to get the players that the coaches need and try to make sound decisions, manage the salary cap so you’re not sacrificing the future for present decisions. Be smart about it and focus primarily on the draft, except in situations where you can take advantage of the free-agent market.” – Jeff Lurie describing Howie after demotion"

Doesn’t sound like a demoted executive. It is certainly not the same tone Lurie used when discussing the disappointment of Andy Reid nor of Chip Kelly. This sounded like Howie was doing an excellent job.  At the time, questions were raised about setting Chip Kelly up with so much say over NFL personnel decisions, when he’d had zero experience with salary and contract negotiations before.

"“You think it through very much. He’s bright. He’s hard-working. He’s obsessed with football. This man is all about winning. It doesn’t matter to him the public perception of a trade or the intention of where he’s coming from or trying to read in between the lines. He’s all about football and making us better. And that’s what you want in a coach as an owner. I support Chip Kelly. I support what he’s all about. And I want to give him the best chance to succeed.” – Jeff Lurie responded to concerns about Kelly’s GM role"

But the result was that was the tipping point. Anyone could guess that a man whose detail oriented nature – so attentive that he would stop a player from getting too many snaps on any given day – would not bode well when he was given the headaches and frustrations of contracts, extensions, who to sign and for how long. There is no science to that, no math, no studies or documented evidence. In one stroke, Jeff Lurie placed Chip Kely on the iceberg of player personnel management and smiled and waived as he drifted off slowly to die to the organization.

Whether or not Chip Kelly wanted personnel control is not the issue here. Each coach wants to control his own destiny, and Chip Kelly is a strong willed and highly motivated individual who knows football and believe he knows a way to succeed with the ultimate championship.

While we all high-five one another for getting rid of Chip Kelly, pause a moment Philadelphia.  Chip Kelly won ten games in the NFC East with these quarterbacks: a veteran Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez, and Matt Barkley.  Ten games each season.  Nick Foles tossed seven touchdown passes in a game on the road against the Oakland Raiders.   The NFL may not like Chip Kelly’s methods, but that didn’t stop NFL teams from cannibalizing Chip Kelly’s coaching staff – hiring both quarterback coaches Bill Lazor and Bill Musgrave off the team to run other NFL offenses.

In the end, the head coach who thought nothing of loyalty when he cut DeSean Jackson, Todd Herremans, Trent Cole, traded LeSean McCoy for a virtual unknown injured linebacker Kiko Alonso, was shown no loyalty when Jeff Lurie cut him with nothing to show for it.

But over time, questions will be asked that we may never get the answers to.  If 26-21 isn’t good enough to build a winner in three years in Philadelphia, then exactly what is?

Chip Kelly has said he never wants personnel control again.  Boy Jeff Lurie and Howie Roseman sure showed that young upstart, didn’t they.  Enough with the hazing and childish pranks.  If you are truly committed to winning, let’s try helping out our next coach, please?

Tough love. If you want to take a podium and preach about the emotions of this city, then I suggest that the owner on down to the janitor learn a little bit about it. Passion unites us all in our desire to succeed.   All we’ve seen from the front office is that it’s Howie vs. anyone football.  That cannot continue.  Unite this front office and this team, before it’s too late.