Eagles News: Brandon Boykin Talks Chip Kelly, Eagles Fans

When the Philadelphia Eagles traded Brandon Boykin to the Pittsburgh Steelers on the first day of the team’s training camp, Boykin made headlines when he told CSN Philly’s Derrick Gunn that Chip Kelly was ‘uncomfortable around grown men of our culture’.

Boykin, upon arriving to Pittsburgh, backed off of those comments, suggesting that they were taken out of context.

This afternoon, he released an article that he penned (or someone penned for him) for Derek Jeter’s website The Player’s Tribune. The article allowed him to give some more of his thoughts on his exit from Philadelphia.

On how trade went down:

"I just had a feeling my time in Philly was over at that point. I was left over from the Andy Reid era, so I wasn’t drafted by the Chip Kelly regime. I was playing well year after year and not getting rewarded with more playing time, which was frustrating, but at the end of the day, Chip Kelly likes long-bodied corners, and I’m 5-foot-10. I can do everything I can on the field and my impact and my numbers could be great, but I can’t change my height. That’s what was holding me back in that system. So in the back of my mind, I kind of saw it coming.“What did you trade me for?” I said. It was less of a “why” question and more about what they got in return, but I guess I wanted to know both.He said the Steelers had been trying to get me for a while, but he kept turning down their trade offers. That day, as I was taking the field for conditioning tests, the Steelers called again, this time, offering a conditional fifth-round pick for me, and he couldn’t pass it up. He told me he thought it was a great opportunity for me. I wanted a bigger role, and I’d have that chance in Pittsburgh.There was a lot I wanted to say, but I didn’t say it. It’s nothing personal against Chip, it’s just that it hurts when anybody tells you they don’t want you.“Alright,” I said before a long pause. “… Cool.”He thanked me for everything I’d done for the team and we shook hands — a masculine, business-like handshake. We did not hug."

The part about not hugging may be overlooked, but it is interesting because Kelly said that the two hugged after the news of his trade was delivered.

On race-relations comment:

"I love being in the mix at nickel, but I also wanted to play the entire game. Who doesn’t, especially when they’re playing well? But at the end of the day, you can’t take anything too personal. Chip and his defense weren’t the best fit for me and I wasn’t the best fit for them, so they moved on.You may have heard about the comments I made on my way out of Philly — comments that got taken a bit out of context. I have no ill will towards Chip, and definitely none towards the Eagles. Chip’s job is to build the best football team he can build — a team with players that fit his system and his vision to be competitive on the field — and I wasn’t a part of that vision. There’s not much more to it than that. That’s the NFL."

Boykin, seeming to close the chapter on his career in Philadelphia, did thank the Philadelphia fans for their support of him.

"The thing I’ll miss most about Philly is the fans. I mean, they’re crazy. We were 4-12 my rookie year, and they still packed The Linc for every single game and made it one of the loudest, craziest stadiums in the NFL. How could you not love that kind of loyalty? Add in the fact that Philly was a great place to live and the whole city embraced me from the moment I got there, and I couldn’t have picked a better place to start my career. I loved every minute I spent there."

The entire article is interesting, as is the idea of the entire site as a whole. I think the site gives players the best chance to really speak their mind, because whoever the ‘ghost-writers’ are, their goal is to get the player’s message out, not to get pageviews.

Boykin will always be etched into Eagles history after his pick-off to clinch the team’s divisional win over the Dallas Cowboys in 2013. Hopefully from here on out, both Boykin and the Eagles are able to find the success that they desire.

Next: Brandon Boykin Dunk Highlight Reel

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