Section 215
Fansided

In Chip we Trust? Has Philadelphia Eagles Coach Kelly Earned the Benefit of The Doubt?

By Mike Lacy

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I’ve learned that Philadelphia Eagles fans have a lot of faith in Chip Kelly. Some fans have so much faith in him that they’ll accept just about any move the team makes simply because they’re confident that “Chip will make it work.”

After the blockbuster LeSean McCoy trade went down, I tweeted that I didn’t understand the trade. This set off a fury of activity from people defending the trade.

Some people were excited about the trade because they picked up Kiko Alonso. But this trade didn’t seem to be about the Eagles desperately wanting Alonso. Based on what we’ve learned, the Eagles were shopping McCoy around the league and when someone made them an offer that they deemed to be an adequate return, they jumped on it.

I certainly didn’t expect Kiko Alonso to be white! (SARCASM ALERT) Image Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Some people were excited because they think that McCoy is on the decline, and the team will be able to put his salary to better use.

Personally, I think too much is being made about McCoy’s “decline.” While his 2014 numbers weren’t as good as they were in 2013, it’s tough to say he had a bad year. He was third in the league in rushing, and it’s still tough to name more than one or two backs who are definitively better than him.

Yes, he has a lot of carries under his belt and is at the age where a running back’s performance tends to drop. But even a declining McCoy will likely be a top running back in the league for at least three more seasons, which is a lifetime in the NFL.

But even some fans who don’t consider McCoy to be over-the-hill were okay with the trade. The main reason why? Because Chip Kelly was the one who made it.

I didn’t realize just how strong the “Chip can do no wrong” sentiment was among Eagles fans. It seems that these past two years have convinced a lot of people that Kelly is a genius, and if he says that the team doesn’t need a player, then the team doesn’t need the player.

Apparently, as awesome as LeSean McCoy has been, it is Kelly’s system that has been the real key to the team’s success. They can find a younger, cheaper replacement, and the offense won’t suffer at all.

LeSean McCoy was a star before Chip Kelly arrived in town. Image Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

That’s quite a leap of faith. We’ve seen McCoy be successful in Kelly’s offense, but he was a top running back before Kelly arrived. We haven’t seen Kelly’s offense function without McCoy, and I think it’s reasonable to be curious how it will do without one of the best backs in the league.

Are fans justified in the amount of faith they’re placing in Kelly? Am I–as a few people accused me of being–just a hater?

Kelly has undoubtedly been successful in his first two years with the Eagles. Twenty wins and a division title is a pretty good showing. Then again, he’s not the first coach to have a successful first two years with the team.

Ray Rhodes never won an NFC East title, but he also won 20 games in his first two years. And unlike Kelly, he made the playoffs both years and even won a playoff game.

Rich Kotite is not typically regarded as one of the franchise’s greatest coaches, but he won 21 games in his first two seasons. And although he only made the playoffs one of those years, he also won a playoff game.

Things quickly went downhill for both men. Both were fired after their fourth season with the team, and few, if any, fans were upset by the moves.

Kotite and Rhodes both had the same basic problem: They won with a group of players that was mostly left over from their predecessor’s reign. Once they started to bring in their own guys, they couldn’t continue that success.

Trent Cole

is yet another veteran who needs to be replaced. Image Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports

That’s important to keep in mind as Kelly purges the roster of Andy Reid era players. Guys like DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Trent Cole, and Todd Herremans have had excellent careers. Do we know enough about Kelly’s personnel abilities to assume that he’ll be able to find replacements of the same caliber?

Maybe Chip Kelly is as great as everyone says. Maybe all that extra cap room will allow them to not only replace McCoy, but also bring in other talent to improve the team. Maybe Kelly’s offensive system will work even better with a different back who fits the system a bit better.

I sincerely hope that all happens. But thinking back to the promising starts to the Kotite and Rhodes eras, I can’t help but be a little worried about what the future holds.

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