Five Big-Picture Takeaways From Eagles Week 16 Loss vs Redskins

2.) If Chip Kelly is Back, Sam Bradford Should Be As Well

Dec 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford (7) passes against the Washington Redskins during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

After playing coy about where he saw his future in terms of returning to Philadelphia beyond 2015, free-agent-to-be Sam Bradford opened up about his desire to remain in the City of Brotherly Love.

"“You know, obviously he said it a few weeks ago. You know, I want to be back here, like I said. Obviously, we are not at the stage where we have been talking about that, but if it does present itself and I do have the opportunity, then this is where I want to be…You know, I’ve enjoyed my time here. I’ve enjoyed being in Philadelphia. I think throughout my career, I’ve learned that learning new offenses every year, it’s just hard to continue to improve. You are always learning. You are learning new verbiage, learning new plays, learning new systems. And I would really like to stay in the same one and have the opportunity to play a second year.”"

To address the sentimental angle of this discussion first: Sam Bradford sounds like a quarterback that loves playing the game and is fed up with a revolving door type of career. He had moments during the season where he demonstrated, as a first-year starter in a new locker room, the type of leadership ability that the league’s best do. By no means is that a categorization of Bradford as an elite NFL quarterback. However, the Eagles wanted to win for Bradford and that is a good place to start when it comes to trying to find a franchise quarterback.

The odds were not working in Bradford’s favor during his first year in Philadelphia. He could not participate in mini-camp, he was recovering from ACL surgery, he hadn’t played the game for the better part of two years, and he was learning a brand new scheme under Chip Kelly. All things considering, by the team week 16 came to a close, fans saw the talent that Bradford possessed. The more important aspect of Bradford’s first year with the Eagles is how his teammates responded when probed about the quarterback’s future.

"“I know that’s going to be my guy, and I want him to be my guy,” Matthews said. “I wholeheartedly believe he has to be the guy moving forward. You’ve seen progression; you’ve seen how much better he’s gotten; you’ve seen the chemistry that he’s been able to build with me, Zach [Ertz], some of the other receivers. I was at a low point a little bit and he kept picking me up. He kept bringing me up, and now I think you’ve seen us grow. Like I said, it’s got to be him.” Matthews added that the Eagles “need” Bradford, citing the quarterback’s talent and the importance of consistency. The second-year receiver said the same applies to Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff, two young wide outs who have performed below expectations this season. “I know people hate to hear it, but it’s the truth of the matter: it does take time. It takes time to build those relationships. It takes time to build that camaraderie, but I’m committed to it and I know Sam’s the guy,” Matthews said. “That chemistry does have to get built. That time does have to be put in for everybody to grow to be the team you want to be.” Zach Ertz agreed with Matthews’ assessment, before adding the decision isn’t up to him and his teammates. “I want to go into an offseason with the same quarterback,” Ertz said. “We had that with Nick [Foles] one offseason, but he got hurt the following year. It’s hard. We want Sam back, but ultimately it’s not going to be our decision.”"

The quotes above came courtesy of Josh Paunil of Birds 24/7’s article.

The fact of the matter is, if Chip Kelly is going to remain in Philadelphia, the Eagles need stability at the quarterback position. There is no Marcus Mariota to dangle in front of the fans and upper management to justify a step back. Kelly gave up a premium asset to land the former first overall pick and, for better or for worse, has to live with it. The Eagles organization has not had stability at that position in far too long and Bradford has the talent to construct an offense around. Is he injury-prone? Yes. Is there any better option that can provide a step-forward in 2016? Not that I’m aware of. Something tells me Eagles fans might not love the deal Bradford lands from Kelly if/when it is signed. If Bradford is a success, it’ll will be a good deal. If it isn’t, than both Kelly and him will be out of here in a year.

"1.) Though They Won’t Have One, the Eagles Need a Relatively Quiet Offseason in the Worst Way Dec 26, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) reacts to the fans during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Redskins won 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Ever since Chip Kelly shocked the football world and arrived in Philadelphia, the spotlight as focused intently on South Broad. Since Riley Cooper’s racist remarks, there has been a heightened interest in how things have played out for the Eagles under Kelly. The old football world pines for him to fail and Kelly’s foray into roster management will almost assure that he is the focal point of any and all blame or praise going forward. The Eagles are Chip Kelly and will remain that way until he takes his coaching abilities elsewhere. Andy Reid was the same way for a good portion of his career, but did not garner that type of association until a few seasons into his career. Philadephia media are such that a quiet offseason is impossible. The Eagles beat force is among the most expansive and aggressive collection around the league and will leave no stone unturned when it comes to sniffing out a story. Though Kelly only has to fulfill the minimum requirements set forth by the league in speaking with the press, one has to wonder if he longs for the days where he could hide in the backdrop of Oregon football and the Nike empire. Personally, I think Kelly has no plans on coaching anywhere but the NFL for the rest of his coaching ‘prime’. It’s the ultimate challenge and, for a guy that eats/drinks/sleeps football, Kelly will accept nothing else but success. For the most part, Kelly has brought a great deal of the intensified scrutiny upon himself. He made the power play to usurp personnel control from Howie Roseman last offseason and proceeded to complete a multi-year uprooting of Reid’s final roster as he put his stamp on the Eagles. Most of his marquee moves ended up as disappointments and there is no Phil Knight to turn to as one to divert the attention. Jeffrey Lurie is a hands-off enough owner to keep the frustration from climbing that high on the management ladder. Chip Kelly is running out of ‘splash’ moves he can make that would stun the football world the way he has since arriving in Philadelphia. Save for maybe trading Fletcher Cox, there aren’t any LeSean McCoy-types that can be involved in a fanbase-polarizing trade. There will be decisions to be made, some of which will ramp up the criticism in a big way. If Kelly is to remain in Philadelphia, there has to be an emphasis on stability and trying to foster a situation that is not based so much on a vision. The NFL is a league that is contingent upon continuity and the Eagles have had none of it since even before Kelly’s arrival. Eagles fans don’t sign up for the low-key operating style of some of the other teams in the NFL. There will be drama in Philadelphia this offseason, there is no doubt about it. Quite a bit of it will involve Kelly and whether or not he mans the sideline next season. My suggestion to the Eagles franchise: take care of that decision the first second you get and go from there. There has been far too much hearsay on both sides of that narrative. With another week to play and the media availability that goes with it, it wouldn’t take a genius to venture a guess that the conversation won’t be much about the Giants. Though I’m not expecting it, the Eagles need a relatively drama-free offseason and they needed it yesterday."