This week, we had an incredible opportunity to talk with Tim Vellner, a huge fan of the Philadelphia Eagles! We touched on a number of subjects such as the transaction history that brought an opportunity for the Eagles to shore up their quarterback and running attack, Chip Kelly, and our favorite former Dolphins kicker Caleb Sturgis.
MS: Right now, the Eagles are playing respectable football at 5-4. Initially, what were your immediate thoughts on the trade for Sam Bradford? Trading LeSean McCoy?
ET: When the Sam Bradford-Nick Foles trade occurred in March like most fans in Philadelphia, I had no idea what Chip Kelly was doing to kick start his career as the general manager. My initial reaction along with the entire city of Philadelphia was that Sam Bradford would never play a down for the Eagles and would be dealt in a trade to help bring Marcus Mariota to Philadelphia. As much as that sounds like an incredible pipe dream today, we fully believed that our unconventional head coach and now GM would devise a plan to acquire his former college quarterback. It was not until the Tennessee Titans selected Mariota second overall that this city and myself had to struggle with the fact that Sam Bradford was going to be our starting quarterback. Personally, the idea of Bradford being the Eagles’ quarterback scared and excited me. Here is this extremely talented quarterback with a rocket arm, a Heisman trophy, a NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and the opportunity to flourish in a prolific offense. But then the idea of a quarterback with two torn ACLs, a history of shoulder problems and also the fact he had not played a real game in 23 months was troublesome. People in this city are still not sold on Bradford but an overtime touchdown pass to beat the hated Dallas Cowboys certainly does not hurt.
The LeSean McCoy trade absolutely stunned this city. Philadelphia’s collective thought, myself included, was bewilderment at the fact that Chip Kelly would trade away his best offensive weapon. Eagles fans loved everything about Shady McCoy from his shifty runs to his off-field swagger. We embraced our superstar, we were proud to call him ours and now he was gone. I remember sitting on the couch talking to my Dad and getting the text from my buddy asking “ Trading McCoy! What is Chip doing?” I told my Dad and he immediately ran to the radio to listen to WIP, our local sports radio station. The reactions on the radio were as if we had just lost the Super Bowl. Anger, disappointment, confusion, along with a few threats spewed from the callers. Initially, there was no love for this move. There was only resentment towards the Eagles’ front office despite the fact that we had just acquired a very good young linebacker in Kiko Alonso.
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MS: What is the Eagles strongest unit offense, defense, or special teams?
ET: Currently, the Eagles’ strongest unit is our defense, especially our front seven. The starting defensive line nicknamed themselves the “No Namers” which includes Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan and Cedric Thornton and they have been the most consistent unit on the Eagles this year. They are most known and recognized for their strong play against the run because they themselves do not pressure the quarterback constantly. The starting outside linebackers of Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham do most of our pass rushing from the edges and over the past few weeks have finally been doing so. The inside linebackers have been shuffled around all year. Rookie third round pick Jordan Hicks has been the biggest surprise but unfortunately his season came to an end with a torn pectoral against Dallas.
However, Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans and Kiko Alonso are all on the mend andall should be healthy and active for this week’s matchup. Malcolm Jenkins and newcomer Walter Thurmond III, a converted cornerback have been a solid pairing. Byron Maxwell and former Dolphin, Nolan Carroll have been gradually improving each week. This is a defense that leads the league in turnovers with 12 interceptions and 12 fumbles but only remain +5 in the turnover ratio. The defense is also the tenth best defense in regard to points allowed per game (20.5). The Eagles and their fast paced offense often leave the defense on the field a lot as the Eagles rank once again rank last in the NFL for time of possession. The Eagles defensive unit is not elite by any means, but they have been our strongest unit this year.
MS: Our old friend in Kicker Caleb Sturgis is kicking better than expected. What do Eagles fans think of him?
ET: Caleb Sturgis has certainly had a roller-coaster ride since being signed to replace Cody Parkey this year. In his first game action during week 4 against the Redskins, Eagles fans were calling for his release as he missed his only field goal attempt and along with one of his three extra point attempts. But since then he has gone 11/12 for his field goal attempts and 10/11 for his extra point attempts. Right now, it’s the Caleb Sturgis love fest in Philadelphia because of his performance Sunday night in Dallas. Against Dallas, Sturgis was 3/3 on extra points and 2/2 on field goals including a 53-yard boomer to give the Eagles the late lead in regulation. Also his performance on kickoffs as been adequate and right now Philadelphia is happy with Parkey’s replacement.
4. Talk about Jordan Matthews. He seems to flash when it counts. How has he developed?
ET: Jordan Matthews had a very solid rookie year last year and was very comfortable being the number two target next to Jeremy Maclin. He put up 67 catches for 872 yards and 8 touchdowns. With Maclin’s departure, Eagles fans expected Matthews to step up and be the team’s primary receiving threat and so far he has disappointed. He has averaged 66 yards per game and only has 2 touchdowns on the year and has not looked the part of a number one receiver. The most disappointing part about Matthews’ year has been the really ill timed dropped passes. However, the Dallas game was the biggest game of the year and he showed up tremendously with 9 catches for 133 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Matthews has not lived up to the hype in the eyes of Eagles fans this year so far but we are all hoping the Dallas game was his turning point.
MS: Of course, there is always going to be a Chip Kelly question: what has Coach Kelly brought to Philadelphia in the past three seasons and do you believe he bolts for a lucrative college job?
ET:Chip Kelly has truly done things his way since coming to Philadelphia. He brought his radically different practice style and schedule, his witty press conference remarks and obviously his fast paced offense. Philadelphia initially embraced Kelly’s coaching style and attitude. But his overhaul of the roster and especially the departures of DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin have not exactly endeared him to many fans. We expected great things this year because of what we saw out of Bradford, Murray and the new additions in the preseason and things this season have not come close to meeting the early hype. I feel like Philadelphia is now split on Chip Kelly. One half of people believe he is finally building his roster and it will take time for it to gel and produce success. While the other half is ready for him to take the USC or Texas head coaching position. Personally, I do not see Chip bolting to take a lucrative college head-coaching job. He certainly has a big ego and I believe he wants to win on the biggest football stage. He has all the power in Philadelphia and the backing of owner Jeffrey Lurie. People always say he just wants to win and I think in is mind he has not done that well enough in the NFL and he still has a lot to prove here.
MS: Who wins?
ET: Score Prediction: Eagles 24 Dolphins 20
That’s what he thinks! Be sure to follow @Eagles_Talk during the game. Let’s see if the Dolphins can use losing two in a row and being on the outside looking in on the playoff picture as their chance http://gty.im/72324366 for a big road win.
Let’s have faith and PhinsUp!!!
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