In 2009, a great man who was under an immense amount of pressure and adversity told America that it was time to “nut up or shut up”. That man then went on to slay hundreds of zombies at Pacific Playland in California and was eventually able to enjoy a Twinkie that he so desired after that brief moment of peril.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have watched “Zombieland” starring Woody Harrelson before writing this column, but Mr. Harrelson’s position can be compared to the situation Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is in right now.
Kelly and the Eagles are now 0-2 after an embarrassing 20-10 home opening loss to the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. If you watched the broadcast, you heard the boo birds rain down from the stands to the sidelines Kelly patrols. Those frustrations from fans are completely justified considering Kelly’s offense — which has been so prolific the last two years — was stymied again by the Dallas defense.
In three games at home against the Cowboys, Chip Kelly has an 0-3 record, now. In those games, the Eagles offensive performance has been 278 total yards for three points, 294 total yards for 27 points, and Sunday’s 226 yards for a 10 point effort. Losing to the Cowboys three straight times at home while not amassing more than 300 yards of offense and looking completely baffled is another thing entirely.
It’s unacceptable.
Chip Kelly’s first two years in Philadelphia were magical. The Eagles went 20-12 in two seasons, and the team looked very good in the preseason causing Super Bowl Fever to grip the tri-state area like so many zombie-causing viral outbreaks in television and movies. Two games and two losses later, that fever has all but been cured. The only heat that exists now could be the increased temperature in the seat region of one Charles Edward “Chip” Kelly.
It may be a bit soon for me, personally, to suggest that Kelly could be fired at the end of the season, but that won’t stop everyone else in this town. Coaches have been fired for worse performances. If you’re former San Diego Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer, you know you can be fired for even a great performance. (I’m sorry Chargers fans, but I am NEVER letting you live that decision down. Ever.)
Kelly’s tenure hasn’t seen too much adversity in his brief stint with the Eagles. Don’t get me wrong. There has been some. When Nick Foles went down with injuries last year, there was doubt whether or not Mark Sanchez could do the job. Sanchez was serviceable, but the team couldn’t win a December 20th game against the Washington Professional Football Team. The fat lady sung on that season after that day. What Chip Kelly has to deal with going into the Eagles week three match-up against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium is completely different.
Kelly took over player personnel this past January. Once that happened, there was some shifting. Kelly traded Lesean McCoy (a Pro-Bowl running back) to the Buffalo Bills for Kiko Alonso. He traded Nick Foles (a quarterback that was good enough in his system to make it work) to the St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford. He signed DeMarco Murray from Dallas and Byron Maxwell from Seattle. He cut Evan Mathis (a Pro-Bowl left guard) and let another guard, Todd Herremans, walk.
All of these moves were Chip Kelly’s decisions, and every single one has backfired in two games so far. Byron Maxwell is looking more and more like Bradley Fletcher every week. DeMarco Murray can’t seem to go forwards at all — which is perhaps a result of the sub-par offensive line. Sam Bradford is completing 66.3 percent of his passes and has 560 yards passing, but he also has four interceptions. These were all Chip Kelly moves. There is no one else to blame, and he’s the one that is going to have to piece this thing together before it spirals way out of control.
In yesterday’s press conferences, Chip Kelly hinted that he wouldn’t be making any sweeping changes. There wouldn’t be any substitutions on the offensive line. Sam Bradford will continue to be the quarterback, and Kelly said that the problem is not with the personnel.
“The personnel is good enough,” Kelly said. “The execution isn’t. … We’re not putting together a plan that’s good enough for us to execute offensively. Because we’re not executing it. That falls on the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball.”
The Eagles face the Jets this Sunday, and that green gang has looked very impressive in two victories over the Browns and Colts. That defense is no joke between the big-uns on the defensive line as well as cornerbacks Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis. After the Jets, Chip Kelly and the Birds have to travel to Washington to face a team that has looked surprisingly competent given all of their off-season turmoil. After that, the Saints come to town. (Although, they’ll be without Drew Brees.) A week later, Odell Beckham, Jr. comes in for a Monday night showdown.
The upcoming schedule for this Eagles team could result in complete and utter free fall. This is the time we will see what kind of chops Chip Kelly has as an NFL head coach. If the Eagles go down 0-3 and look just as bad against the Jets as they did against the Cowboys, the buzzards will begin to circle, and the boo birds will come down even harder and louder than they did this past Sunday.
Let’s see what you got, Chip.
It’s time to nut up or shut up.
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