The feeling is all too familiar with Philadelphia Eagles fans since 1999 — the year Andy Reid took over. When Reid’s offense took shape, there was one phase to the offense that always seemed to be lacking on a fairly regular basis.
Analysts and commentators will beat the drum that the NFL has evolved into a passing league because of the increased skill in the quarterbacks — or more importantly, the disparity in advantage for the receiver over the defender. That rhetoric is as clear as day, recently.
When Chip Kelly was hired, what did Eagles fans constantly hear?
“Chip Kelly wants to run the ball.”
“Chip Kelly may run a spread offense, but that spread offense is built on a running game.”
There are times where many of us Eagles fans say, “Really? You could’ve fooled me.” Last night was just another one of those times. This was especially confusing to a lot of us after the Eagles brought in running back DeMarco Murray to the tune of a five-year, $40 million deal this past offseason.
The Eagles lost the season opener last night to the Atlanta Falcons in a 26-24 heart breaker, and the theme was simply all too familiar. There was such a heavy emphasis on the pass, and the running game was mostly forgotten. Head coach Chip Kelly called 52 pass plays versus 16 runs in last night’s game. For you math lovers, that’s a 3:1 ratio of pass to run. Does that seem crazy to anyone else besides me considering the talent in the backfield with DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews, and Darren Sproles?
Three pass plays to every run play! Seriously, Chip? If that was your plan, then why even give DeMarco Murray that contract? Why not just roll into the fire with Ryan Mathews and Sproles? And yes, Sam Bradford looked good enough last night to win the game going 36-52 for 336 yards, a touchdown and an interception. (I know. The stat sheet says two interceptions, but that last one isn’t on Bradford. Wide receiver Jordan Matthews jumped to catch a ball that he either mistimed or didn’t need to. The ball bounced off his noggin, and that was all she wrote.)
The story for me is the disparity in running plays when you spend that kind of money on a guy like Murray who’s a workhorse back who has a lot of backup as well. Murray had a total of nine yards on eight carries last night. You can count on one hand how many carries he had in the first half last night. That number is four. The Eagles spent $40 million on DeMarco Murray in the offseason, and he was given the ball … four times in the first half of last night’s game.
Four! Cuatro! Shi (my Japanese readers).
Did Chip Kelly give up too early on the running attack? (That’s a rhetorical question. The answer is yes.) The Falcons had the edge in time of possession in the first half (18:40 to 11:20), and the Eagles punted five times in the first half. The last possession of the half ended in a Bradford interception he had no business throwing. That interception was very Nick Foles-ian (backpedaling off his back foot).
The only saving grace Eagles fans have is the fact that even at 0-1 to start the season, it’s not the end of the world — despite what other columnists, fans, relatives, pets, etc. believe. The Washington Professional Football Team is still a mess. Who knows if the Giants are any good? (My guess is no.) Finally, with Dez Bryant out for up to eight weeks with a broken foot, the Cowboys are cooked. They’re not “well done” cooked, but they’re definitely mid-well without their top rusher and top receiver from last year.
The Eagles have five days to go back to the drawing board and get ready for the Dallas Cowboys. Part of that drawing board should just be a hand with a football in it giving it to a guy in an Eagles #29 jersey or a #24 jersey or a #43 jersey.
You have the horses, Chip. Let them graze a little bit.
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