Written by Michael Moss, Philadelphia, PA
Ever since gaining full control of player personnel, Coach Chip Kelly, has made some eye-opening transactions for the Philadelphia Eagles.
He traded Nick Foles and a draft pick for injury-prone Sam Bradford. He let Jeremy Maclin go in Free Agency to the Kansas City Chiefs where Maclin will rejoin former coach, Andy Reid, who drafted him. He signed Tim Tebow and enraged the Philly fan base. He traded superstar RB LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills straight up for former Oregon Duck Linebacker, Kiko Alonso.
Even though the McCoy trade was made for financial reasons, I understand why fans are questioning why Kelly didn’t get at least a draft pick or two back in the deal. Then, with Ryan Mathews waiting around the team facilities to see if the Eagles will sign DeMarco Murray, Chip decided he’ll sign them both, which stacks the RB position.
The Eagles also signed Byron Maxwell, together with another former Oregon Duck, Walter Thurmond, to rebuild the defensive secondary, which was horrendous last year. Kelly had to free-up cap room to get Maxwell for $63 million over 6 years. Even if the fans don’t like the move, at least they need to understand why: they shouldn’t fight facts.
It’s clear: Eagles’ fans need to realize that the Andy Reid era is over. It’s Chip’s era now. He’s building his team the way he wants. There’s no doubt that the Eagles’ offense (under Kelly’s system) is going to be better with a North-South runner, like Murray, than with East-West “Sir-Dance-A-Lot” LeSean. And, while Foles had success with the Eagles, he’s not the prototypical QB for Chip’s system. Bradford, on the other hand, ran it successfully at Oklahoma. He won the Heisman, played in the NCAA National Championship Game, and was the #1 pick in the 2010 NFL draft.
While some fans may feel the Eagles look like a discombobulated puzzle, that puzzle may be solved already. We’ll just have to see how things play out on a field.
Courtesy: nypost.com
But maybe—just maybe—the puzzle isn’t solved completely. Could the Eagles trade for Mariota? Some might claim that the Eagles don’t enough ammunition to get a deal done, but with the players Chip Kelly has available–Mathis, Kendricks, Boykin, and even Fletcher Cox, mixed with some picks or cash compensation–I don’t see how he wouldn’t have enough to swing a deal.
If you ask me the best case scenario for the Eagles is to move up and get Mariota—but without giving up Bradford or Fletcher Cox, unless absolutely necessary. We need a franchise QB of the future. The key word is “future.”
If we keep Bradford, and start him over Mariota (at least for this season or until an injury), I’m okay with that. Mariota is no Andrew Luck. So, like every other QB transitioning from the NCAA to NFL, it would be in his best interest to sit for a time … instead of getting “Geno Smith-ed” (i.e., thrown on a field too soon with all that weight put on your shoulders) or “RG3-ed” (i.e., put on a field too soon while getting beaten up and injured).
The truth of the matter is this: not a soul knows what Chip Kelly is thinking. But the man is a football mastermind. Let him do what he’s doing. Don’t judge him now. Let’s see what happens.
Yes, there are still holes to be filled: WR, Safety, and Cornerback. But those holes will be filled. There’s too much panic in Philadelphia surrounding the Eagles right now, even though this is the most stable we’ve seen this team since McNabb was at the helm and Philadelphia was in the NFC Championship game, year after year.
Courtesy: interviewly.com
McNabb was the “Franchise Quarterback” with receivers James Thrash and Todd Pinkston. The corners were Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown.
The Philadelphia Eagles absolutely NEED Mariota. I just hope Chip doesn’t hesitate and gets the deal done.
