Even though the Philadelphia Eagles fanbase is generally heartbroken after a brutal choke job against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12, their spirits may be lifted after hearing the latest NFL coaching rumors surrounding Chip Kelly.
After helping Ohio State win a national championship as offensive coordinator, Kelly decided to jump back to the NFL to join Pete Carroll's staff with the Las Vegas Raiders. Just a few months after being made the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the league, Kelly was handed a pink slip.
Kelly was fired after allowing 10 sacks in a loss to the Cleveland Browns that dropped Las Vegas to 2-9 on the season. While it's never a good sign to see someone lose their job in the NFL, big chunks of the Eagles' fanbase likely don't have any sympathy for Kelly.
Eagles fans can rejoice after Raiders fire former Philly HC Chip Kelly
Kelly oversaw a major Geno Smith regression, as he went from a Pro Bowler and film Twitter darling in Seattle to someone throwing more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (12) and leading the NFL in picks. Kelly's offensive system, which ranked 30th in points per game this year, managed one game with over 24 points (overtime) and was held to 10 points or less five times.
To be fair, it wasn't all Kelly's fault. The Jakobi Meyers trade left Tre Tucker as the WR1 alongside two uneven rookies, the offensive line may be the worst in the NFL, and Top 10 rookie RB Ashton Jeanty has been up-and-down.
However, Kelly's inability to adjust his scheme, develop any sort of running game, and struggles in close games were all hallmarks of his Eagles tenure that he failed to correct. Kelly had it made as the Buckeyes' OC, and he threw it away for 11 terrible games in the desert.
Between his power plays that saw him get more influence as a personnel decision-maker than Howie Roseman, the terrible way in which he handled the locker room (Riley Cooper incident), and the way he unceremoniously parted ways with franchise greats like LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson, Kelly has become persona non grata in Philadelphia despite an average 26-21 record as a coach.
This firing should confirm that Kelly, who is 81-41 as a college head coach, needs to stay at that level for the rest of his coaching career. Kelly has proven to be in over his skis as a professional coach, and now, Raiders fans are as painfully aware of his shortcomings as Eagles fans are.