For those Eagles fans that did not watch the draft, you will probably be sad to hear that the Eagles did not acquire Chip Kelly’s coveted quarterback, Marcus Mariota. For those Eagles fans that knew what it would have taken to get Marcus Mariota, you will be RELIEVED to hear that the Eagles did not acquire him.
Only hours before the NFL draft, rumors were swirling regarding how much Chip Kelly was willing to trade for the #2 pick. Ian Rapoport, first reported that the Eagles were offering a package that included two 1st rounders, a 3rd rounder, Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, Brandon Boykin, and possibly more. Another report stated that Chip Kelly was willing to part ways with his soul to get the pick (he might as well have if he was going to give up his best d-lineman and his best linebacker).
But it’s time to stop the non-sense.
John Gonzalez, a columnist for CSNPhilly.com (who is very good at his job), may have made the most ridiculous statement he could have possibly made in an article he wrote entitled “No Marcus Mariota for Eagles is a real letdown.” Gonzalez wrote:
It’s all Chip Kelly’s fault. He did this to you. He made you believe.
In case you are wondering what he is talking about, he is referring to the idea of Chip Kelly being unable to figure out a way to get Marcus Mariota (read the full article here). The hilarious part about the statement is that it completely absolves the media of pushing outlandish scenarios and ridiculous trade rumors. Rather than directing the letdown of the rumors being untrue onto Chip Kelly and the Eagles organization. This completely ignores the fact that Kelly and Ed Marynowitz were clear and concise in what their plan for the draft would be. In short, they said time and time again that they would not give away the farm to get one guy, which would mortgage the future for the team by significantly limiting their ability to build through the draft in the relevant future.
It was the media at large, of which Gonzalez is a part of, that was responsible for creating an expectation that was unrealistic even to the most optimistic informed fan. It was also the media, which Gonzalez is a part of, that then spoon fed the idea that any draft outcome — except the one that includes Mariota — would not only be a letdown for the city, but a failure for the coach.
The idea that Gonzalez pushed was that Chip created the belief that he would get Mariota no matter what and he let down the fans when he was unable to take get him. He also pushed the idea that Chip Kelly created the whole Mariota trade buzz to the limit when he wrote:
Kelly created the quarterback. Kelly developed him. Kelly gushed about him before the national championship game and even compared him to Peyton Manning. After that, how could anyone look at Mariota and not think that he should be reunited with the mad scientist who was responsible for him in the first place?
No matter how interesting a reunion with Mariota would have been and how great a story it would have been for a college coach to leap to the pros, draft his own guys, and win a Super Bowl. It should have never become the all but assumed expectation, especially when trading from the #20 pick to the #2 pick had never been done before in the history of the draft.
Just recently, the Washington Redskins are still paying for the choice they made several years ago when they chose to trade up for RGIII. Landing Mariota would have been more than taxing on the Eagles future. Even if the Eagles somehow managed to acquire Mariota while only giving away a multitude of high picks over the next 3-4 years without any players being involved, anything less than multiple Super Bowls during Chip Kelly’s tenure would have been considered a catastrophic failure of a deal.
It’s time to get over the letdown. We were suckered into this feeling, whether it was voluntarily or in-voluntarily. Either way, the Eagles chose to build on the team they now have and stay competitive in a highly competitive NFC East as opposed to parting ways with some of the team’s greatest assets. Sam Bradford, if healthy, will be the starting quarterback for the Eagles which was Chip Kelly’s original plan anyway. Then, with the 20th pick in the first round, Kelly chose to reinforce a receiving corps that has lost the likes of Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin in consecutive years with Nelson Agholor. Whether or not he is a good player and a fit for the system is what should be debated, not why Chip Kelly was unable or UNWILLING to trade for someone at a ridiculous price.
All this is not to say that Chip Kelly did not want Mariota at all and it is not to say that he would not have given up a couple first round picks to do it. It is only to say that the media will push almost anything, regardless of its possible validity or likelihood. Chip Kelly decided that the price for Mariota was simply too high and who could blame him for balking at any offer that would have fractured his chances of drafting talent in the future. The Eagles are far from a top-contending team that was one piece away from winning it all (a.k.a the Seahawks) and Kelly is very aware of that fact. They are sporting a brand new offense next season and having rookie quarterback, Marcus Mariota, at the helm was not going to be the reason the Eagles vaulted into the playoffs.
As fans, it’s time to stop letting the media dictate what we should expect. The media’s job is to report news and rumors, regardless of whether it’s true or not. It’s time we take everything they say with a grain of salt until it either actually happens or the source they are getting their information from puts a name to their info. You would think that this was, pretty much, common sense. That is, until Chip Kelly was blamed for all the rumors and the ridiculous trade scenarios and the fans having the rug pulled out from underneath them.
So, in short, don’t blame Chip Kelly because, at the end of the day, he told us the truth. Blame the media because Kelly isn’t the one who lied to you.
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