The Philadelphia Eagles are 6-9 this season with one game left on the schedule. They aren’t going to the playoffs but made a surprising move on Tuesday. They fired Head Coach Chip Kelly after almost three years on the job. Was this the right decision?
The Eagles hired Chip Kelly on January 16, 2013. He spent four years at the University of Oregon going 47-7. The Eagles were hoping his up-tempo offense would help the Eagles win games and tire out the opposing defenses.
In his first year, the Eagles went 10-6. They made the playoffs and won the division. The Eagles lost in the Wild Card round to the New Orleans Saints 26-24. The next season, Chip Kelly led Philadelphia to 10-6 record but this time they missed the playoffs.
In the off-season, Kelly made deals that he hoped would make them a playoff team again. They traded quarterback Nick Foles for Sam Bradford. Bradford would become their starting quarterback. The Eagles also decided to make a transaction with the Buffalo Bills, sending starting running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo. The Eagles received linebacker Kiko Alonso. They replaced LeSean McCoy in the backfield by signing DeMarco Murray. Murray led the league in rushing the previous season, rushing for 1,845 yards. The Eagles on paper looked like they were going to be a threat to win the NFC East Division and maybe a run to the Super Bowl. That didn’t happen. The Eagles are going to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season. According to ESPN owner Jeffrey Lurie said, “I spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team. As I watched this season unfold, I determined that it was time to make a change.”
This is the right move for the Eagles, but it should have taken place after the season. There is one game left. They needed to let him coach the last game and then decide to fire him. What cost Chip Kelly his job was not his coaching but his roster changes. He made too many transactions in the off-season and they didn’t pan out.
The Eagles will be looking for a new head coach. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will be the interim head coach for this Sunday. Chip Kelly was an offensive minded coach. Jeffrey Lurie should look for a defensive coach.
Chip Kelly will be a head coach again. It may not be in the NFL. His system is better suited for the college game. There will be an opportunity for him but it’s all up to Kelly on where he would like to go.
What do you think of the Eagles firing Chip Kelly?
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