Five Big-Picture Takeaways from Eagles Week 15 Loss vs Cardinals
By Somers Price
2.) Chip Kelly’s Eagles Tenure May Be Defined by Where Sam Bradford is Playing in 2016 and Beyond
Dec 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford (7) warms up prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports
Before throwing a pair of 4th quarter interceptions, Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford had put together an impressive display in the passing game against one of the better defenses in the NFL. Even taking into account that the Eagles were playing from behind for the better part of the game, thus inflating Bradford’s stats, Sunday night was a solid showing. He was poised in the pocket, withstood a handful of vicious looking hits, and delivered catch-able balls almost all night. There is an argument to be made that minimizes his impact on this loss.
As the game slipped further out of the Eagles grasp, the conversation on social media again gravitated towards the ever polarizing Bradford and his future in Philadelphia. His noncommittal stance on the matter makes the pending predicament that much more interesting. For all of the back and forth there is on whether or not Bradford is capable as a cornerstone NFL quarterback, Bradford still holds the wild card of choosing to try to play elsewhere next season.
Based solely on my own speculation, I think Bradford’s remarks on playing beyond 2015 in Philadelphia were more posturing than anything. He’s in position to score another huge contract after rebounding from a devastating series of injuries. The last thing his agent and he need is for him to lose the leveraging power he has over the Eagles. Unless Chip Kelly has eyes for Colin Kaepernick in free agency, there likely is not a better option on the open market or the draft if this team wants to win soon.
The question remains: is Sam Bradford good enough to get the Eagles over the top? One could probably make a case that remaining in Philadelphia would allow Bradford to grow in an NFL offense for pretty much the first time in his career. It is also a scheme that maximizes statistics and provides the quarterback with open receivers a good amount of the time. Unfortunately, Bradford has also taken a beating in his time as an Eagle and may decide he does not want to hitch his wagon to what is going on in Philadelphia.
Chip Kelly will fight his rear-end off to keep Bradford here. What Bradford has displayed in recent weeks, to a certain extent, has to be what Kelly envisioned when he flipped Nick Foles and a valuable 2nd round pick for him. A good part of his reputation hinges on that trade and whether or not he is the one to revitalize Sam Bradford’s career. If Bradford wants to play in Philadelphia, how Kelly approaches the situation will be among the most scrutinized decisions in the ever-polarizing’s coach’s career.