Eagles players are still slowing down the Chip Kelly offense

Posted by Mike Florio on September 18, 2013, 5:17 PM EDT

AP

As Eagles coach Chip Kelly tries to maximize the performance of his no-huddle, hurry-up offense, he needs maximum cooperation from his players.

So far, he’s not getting it.

Before Sunday’s unexpected loss to the Chargers, Sal Paolantonio of ESPN reported that Kelly has instructed his players not to leave the ball on the ground after a play but to hand it to an official.  During Sunday’s game, Kelly’s players consistently left the ball on the ground.

The biggest culprit was running back LeSean McCoy.  Based on a review of the full game broadcast, McCoy left the ball on the ground at least 10 times.

At one point in the second quarter, McCoy flipped the ball to the officials after a play.  Soon after that, he left it on the ground, stopped, retrieved it, and gave it to the officials.

If the change was the result of being reminded about it on the sidelines after consistently failing to give the ball to the officials during the first quarter, it didn’t stick.  He quickly resorted to leaving the ball on the ground after a play.

Others who left the ball on the ground at least once include running back Bryce Brown, receiver DeSean Jackson, quarterback Mike Vick, and receiver Jason Avant.

While it doesn’t create a major delay, every second counts in Kelly’s go-go offense.  And for Kelly, who wants the system to run a certain way, it has to be maddening that the guys aren’t doing what they expressly have been told to do.

It’s unclear when they were first told to do it this way.  Either Kelly has been harping on it throughout the offseason program, training camp, and the preseason and they continue to ignore him, or he has just realized only recently that time was being wasted by leaving the ball on the ground instead of getting it in an official’s hands.

Regardless, the Eagles could be getting even more plays called if the players start doing what Kelly wants them to do.

It’s unclear how many more snaps they would have had on Sunday against the Chargers.  As it stands, Philly had only 58.  San Diego had 79 plays from scrimmage, despite often draining the play clock in a no-huddle approach while quarterback Philip Rivers made changes based on the pre-snap look.

The Chargers ended up having the ball more than 40 minutes, too.  Kelly has said that he’s not concerned about a 40-20 split, as long as the Eagles get their snaps in.  On Sunday, it was less like the UCLA game Kelly mentioned in August and more like the far bigger NFL game in which the Buffalo K-gun offense was stymied both in time of possession and snaps by a grind-it-out Giants team.

While the Chargers did much more throwing than grinding on Sunday in Philly, they came up with an approach that others surely will copy in the coming weeks.

Starting on Thursday night, when the Chiefs and Andy Reid come to town.

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Eagles place Brandon Hughes on short-term IR

Posted by Darin Gantt on September 18, 2013, 9:53 AM EDT

AP

The Eagles are hurting for secondary help, and made a move Wednesday to address it.

The team announced it was placing cornerback Brandon Hughes on short-term injured reserve, and filling his roster spot by signing Roc Carmichael off the Texans’ practice squad.

Hughes had been part of final cuts, but was brought back when Bradley Fletcher was lost to a concussion. Hughes will be released from IR and become a free agent once he can pass a physical.

The short-term injured reserve is not the same thing as injured reserve with designation for return. The return designation is for players who will miss eight weeks and then return later in the season, but Hughes will be released by the Eagles as soon as he’s healthy.

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Brandon Flowers questionable for matchup with Eagles

Posted by Josh Alper on September 18, 2013, 12:11 PM EDT Getty Images

The Chiefs are headed to Philadelphia for a date with the Eagles on Thursday night and they’re not sure whether their top cornerback will be able to help them try to win it.

Brandon Flowers is listed as questionable on the injury report for the game after limited participation in practice this week because of a knee injury. Stopping the Eagles offense will be difficult enough with all hands on deck, so losing Flowers would be a pretty big blow to the Chiefs’ defensive plans. If he is out, Sean Smith would likely get the call to shadow DeSean Jackson.

Tight end Anthony Fasano is unlikely to play after being listed as doubtful with an ankle injury. One of his potential replacements, Travis Kelce, is listed as questionable. If both can’t go, they’ll be down to Sean McGrath and Kevin Brock at tight end.

Tackle Branden Albert and defensive end Mike DeVito both participated fully in practice and are probable to play.

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Report: Eagles nearly traded for Kaepernick, wanted Wilson

Posted by Mike Florio on September 15, 2013, 3:25 PM EDT

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As 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson prepare to square off for the second time in their careers (Kaepernick was a backup when the teams played the first time last season), an interesting report has emerged regarding the possibility that either of them could be playing for the Eagles.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the 49ers nearly traded Kaepernick to the Eagles for a second-round pick prior to the 2012 draft.  Because Alex Smith had a strong year in 2011, after Kaepernick had been drafted, the 49ers reportedly were willing to move him.  Schefter says the Eagles backed out because they believed they could get Wilson — a player “whom they geared their whole draft around.”

The Seahawks intervened, picking Wilson 13 spots before the Eagles were on the clock in round three.

If that’s accurate, the Eagles should have used one of their two second-round picks on Wilson, who either would have beaten out Mike Vick in the preseason or seized the job after Vick suffered a concussion in the regular season, possibly in the process saving the job of Andy Reid.

Reid reportedly also wanted to trade for Alex Smith multiple times during Reid’s time in Philly.  Now, they’re both together in Kansas City, and they’ll play the Eagles in four days.

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Looking for males between the ages of 25 to 59 in the Pittsburgh and Harrisburg area who are members of Sam’s Club and BJ’s.

Conducting research on 9/9 in Pittsburgh and 9/10 in Harrisburg that has an $175 incentive for those who participate. Please call Opinions Ltd at 888-836-5755 to see if you qualify for the study.

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Game Recap: Eagles 33, Redskins 27

Chip Kelly’s offense opened with a bang as the Eagles busted open a huge lead in the first half. A rusty Robert Griffin III came to life in the second half, leading his Redskins back into the game, but the comeback was too little, too late for Washington.

The Eagles are a completely different team than they were last year. Their wide open offense, team speed, and breakneck tempo were too much for the Redskins to handle. On the first drive of the game, the Redskins scooped up a Michael Vick lateral and ran it back for a score. The Eagles responded with 33 unanswered points behind brilliant running from LeSean McCoy. In the second half, the Eagles played more conservatively on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Eagles became increasingly run-heavy and predictable while Billy Davis called fewer blitzes defensively, exposing a porous secondary. Here are the individual notes:

QB Michael Vick showed excellent accuracy and was able to operate the offense at a brisk pace. He made good decisions in the read option game and forced the Redskins to respect him as a runner. On the downside, he was often slow to recognize blitzes and took too many negative plays.RB LeSean McCoy was magical, and Chip Kelly used him to the max. He had 20 first half carries, and he could parlay his monster workload into ridiculous stats this season. He has elite quicks, but conditioning did appear to be an issue for him. He finished with 31 carries for 184 yards and a score.WR DeSean Jackson was the focal point of the passing offense. He was heavily involved in the screen game and snuck behind the defense for a touchdown. He lost his cool after DeAngelo Hall hit him out of bounds, but other than that, he seems to have turned a corner in the maturity department.TE Brent Celek found the end zone and played the biggest role of the team’s trio of tight ends. Zach Ertz dropped a pass early on and essentially disappeared from that point on.The offensive line paved huge holes in the running game all night long, but the right side of the line struggled to pick up blitzes. OT Lane Johnson and OG Todd Herremans don’t seem to have good chemistry, with Johnson over-setting in pass protection and Herremans failing to compensate. The Redskins consistently exploited that hole with B-gap blitzes.DEs Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thornton were excellent against the run, pushing Alfred Morris all the way to the sideline on many occasions. Cox was the only lineman who could chase Robert Griffin III around the pocket.OLB Trent Cole excelled against the run, showing discipline, strength, and surprising comfort in space in his new role as a 3-4 rush linebacker.None of the team’s outside linebackers provided consistent pass rush. Instead, the Eagles were able to pressure Griffin by dialing up inside blitzes.ILB Mychal Kendricks had an excellent game, showing sideline-to-sideline range against the run and surprising stoutness against Alfred Morris, who’s a very physical back.CB Cary Williams made a few nice plays in coverage including a clutch pass break-up and a spectacular diving interception. He was the team’s best defensive back.S Patrick Chung is the only starting-caliber safety on the team, but he was exposed in coverage, especially when he gave up a long touchdown in embarrassing fashion. He let Leonard Hankerson slip behind him in a prevent defense, allowing the Redskins to cut the lead to 6.P Donnie Jones did an awesome job of pinning the Redskins inside their own 20. He looks like one of the league’s top punters.K Alex Henery converted his lone field goal attempt, but Chip Kelly went for it on a fourth and one from the Washington 21. Henery may see a decrease in field goal attempts this year, which is bad news for his fantasy owners.The Eagles’ coverage units were rock solid all night and the hands team recovered a crucial onside kick. So far, Chip Kelly’s emphasis on special teams is paying off.

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Game Recap: Chiefs 26, Eagles 16

The Chiefs were the first team the Eagles faced to have an answer for Chip Kelly’s offense. The Eagles were unable to overcome five turnovers despite a solid defensive effort.

The Eagles spent most of the first half shooting themselves in the foot. Michael Vick threw a pick six and a second interception, Damaris Johnson muffed a punt, Jason Kelce botched a snap. The offensive line gave up four first half sack, but despite these miscues, the defense came through with some huge stops and held the lead to 10 going into the break. The offense struggled to move the ball, especially through the air. While the defense made as many stops as could be expected of them, they ultimately faltered in the clutch, surrendering a back-breaking Chiefs drive that ate up a huge portion of the fourth quarter. Here are the individual notes:

QB Michael Vick looked rattled at times and never found his rhythm. He completed only 13-of-30 passes, but made some big-time plays with both his feet and his arm. He rushed for almost 100 yards, but threw a pair of costly interceptions.RB LeSean McCoy went down with a scary-looking leg injury in the second quarter, but returned early in the third and went on to explode for 158 yards and a score. He’s a big reason why the Eagles gashed Kansas City for 260 yards.WR DeSean Jackson was less involved against Kansas City than he has been. He caught only three passes, but hauled in an impressive 40-yard reception. He lined up in the backfield a fair amount in the first half, but as a decoy. He’s still a much more dangerous weaponOT Lane Johnson was beaten like a drum, giving up 3.5 sacks to Justin Houston.One of the season’s biggest mysteries has been RG Todd Herremans’ implosion. A reliable veteran starter, Herremans has been a major liability at guard for the Eagles.C Jason Kelce has had difficulty snapping the ball, once causing a turnover and once a sack, but he was an outstanding run blocker throughout the game.OT Jason Peters is no longer the best left tackle in football. He was beaten in pass protection once in a while and was whistled for a penalty.LG Evan Mathis has been an absolute rock at guard for yet another season. He’s got a near-flawless game and is playing at an all-pro level.DE Cedric Thornton has quietly emerged as a solid run stopper. He doesn’t offer much in the pass rush department but has been the stoutest Eagle at the point of attack.DE Vinny Curry was excellent in limited action, drawing a holding penalty and wrestling Alex Smith down for a sack. He’s the team’s top interior pass rusher and should have a role on the defense going forward.OLB Connor Barwin was all over the field, but was usually a half-step late. He’s active in all phases – coverage, pass rush, and run defense – but doesn’t excel in any one area. He predictably struggled to match up with Jamaal Charles in the flats.OLB Trent Cole made a few splash plays and is proving that he can penetrate and disrupt plays even from his stand-up alignment. Even Brandon Graham came alive against the Chiefs, beating the left tackle around the edge for a sack.ILB Mychal Kendricks led the team with 9 tackles, and is the team’s most active and rangy run defender. However, he’s not a very good downhill player and, as usual, missed a few tackles that he should have made.S Nate Allen wasn’t as terrible as usual. He came up with a big sack of Alex Smith early and wasn’t exploited in coverage, which is major progress for him. In fact, fellow safeties Patrick Chung and Earl Wolff were the main culprits when the Eagles missed tackles on the back end.The secondary was generally good in coverage, but they were carved up by WR Donnie Avery to the tune of 141 yards. They are particularly poor when Billy Davis only rushes three men or calls for an outside technique from his corners out of a cover 3 look.K Alex Henery missed another long field goal that the Eagles needed. He’s reliable from short range but is extremely shaky from beyond 40 to 45 yards.

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Eagles Tickets Still Available for Reid’s Return

For the previous fourteen years, Andy Reid stalked the Philadelphia sideline, guiding the Eagles to five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl.  Although he never grasped the Lombardi trophy, Reid’s tenure with the Eagles yielded the highest win total – 120 – in franchise history.  Eagles fans may have soured on him the final few years and it will always burn to come so close to championship glory and yet never achieve it, but wins were certainly aplenty under Andy Reid.

And tomorrow night, he will return, donning the red and yellow of the Kansas City Chiefs.  The game tomorrow night will surely be emotional for Reid, his former players, and Eagles fans.  Fortunately, if you’ve circled this game on the calendar and still haven’t grabbed Philadelphia Eagles tickets to tomorrow night’s game, they remain available.  The average ticket price is currently $170, although it has dropped 20% over the last seven days and will certainly drop a bit as we get closer to kick-off.  If you’re looking for the cheapest tickets, the get-in-the-door price is currently $110 for seats in Section 229.  Lower level seating begins at $163, but the best seats in the house in the lower level between the 40’s will cost a minimum of $312 per ticket.

It’s a new era in Philadelphia and while fans will pay good money to see Reid’s return, they are probably more enticed to see new head coach Chip Kelly’s high-flying offensive act in person.  Michael Vick and company have looked fantastic over the past two weeks, but the defense will have to keep pace if they are looking to make the playoffs this season.  Reid’s Chiefs enter the game 2-0 with home victories against Jacksonville and Dallas, while the Eagles are sitting at 1-1 with a road win against Washington and home loss last week against San Diego. A lot of the personnel for the Eagles has remained the same, but the game plan and tactics have changed and it will be interesting to see who will be victorious: the old or the new.

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Game Recap: Chargers 33, Eagles 30

Chip Kelly’s offense sparkled for the second straight week, but it wasn’t enough to make up for a putrid defense that couldn’t get San Diego off the field or keep them out of the end zone.

The Eagles offense took a while to get going, and San Diego capitalized by racing out to a 13-3 lead in the second quarter. The Chargers moved the ball at will, both through the air and on the ground. Eventually, the Eagles slowed down RB Ryan Mathews, but they never found an answer for a rejuvenated Philip Rivers. Playing from behind, Chip Kelly deviated from his run-first strategy, giving LeSean McCoy only 11 carries. QB Michael Vick threw for a career-high 428 yards without committing a turnover and showed excellent command of the offense. He led the Eagles back into the game, but the defense simply couldn’t hold up. Aside from two forced turnovers in the red zone, the Eagles did nothing to slow the Chargers down. They were awful on third downs and allowed San Diego to control the ball and pace of the game. Though the Eagles eventually tied the game twice in the second half – once with a long DeSean Jackson touchdown and once with an Alex Henery field goal – the Chargers won with a go-ahead 46-yard-field goal. Here are the individual notes:

QB Michael Vick played one of his best career games and looks completely comfortable in Chip Kelly’s offense. He continues to throw the ball with elite arm strength and pinpoint accuracy and made no glaringly poor decisions. He has functioned as the team’s distributor and has gotten all his best playmakers involved. As long as he stays healthy, he will be a productive player in this system.RB LeSean McCoy received only 16 touches, but took them for 167 yards and sprinkled in a few dazzling moves that Eagles fans have just grown to expect from him. He’s a perfect fit in an offense that wants to get players in space.WR DeSean Jackson has finally found a coach that will use him correctly. Instead of acting as a decoy who runs deep patterns all game long, Jackson caught 9 passes for 193 yards and a score. He catches screens, runs intermediate routes, and has found open space on vertical patterns. His presence will make teams think twice about selling out to stop the run. On the down side, Jackson has been a bit of a hot head. He cost the team dearly with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and has narrowly escaped other flags after pushing and shoving opponents.TE James Casey dropped a touchdown pass. It was a low throw and he nearly secured it, but he cost the Eagles 4 points and earned himself a spot on the bench. Rookie Zach Ertz replaced him as the ‘move’ tight end and ripped off gains of 31 and 27 yards. Ertz will be the starting tight end in 2014 and may very well lead this year’s group in all receiving categories.Overall, the offensive line afforded Michael Vick plenty of time in the pocket and did an excellent job of sealing the edge in the run game. The left side of Jason Peters and Evan Mathis is potentially the best in the league, but RG Todd Herremans and RT Lane Johnson both have kinks to work out. Herremans has struggled so far this season and was beaten badly by Jarius Wynn in a one-on-one situation. Johnson was whistled for an illegal formation penalty that wiped out a DeSean Jackson touchdown and allowed some pressure from Dwight Freeney.The defensive line had a very quiet game. In the first half, they were completely washed out in the running game but became stouter as the game went on. They applied very little pressure on Rivers on their own, although DE Fletcher Cox was able to get near the quarterback on several occasions.OLBs Connor Barwin and Trent Cole look like the strengths of the defense. Barwin notched a sack while Cole forced his second fumble in two weeks. Cole in particular seems to be adjusting well to his role as a stand-up pass rusher.ILB Mychal Kendricks’ assignment in coverage was Antonio Gates and he was beaten like a drum all day long. Kendricks may have great straight line speed, but Gates exposed his lateral movement skills and set him up with some excellent route running.The true issue with the Eagles roster is clearly their secondary. Nate Allen has predictably looked like a practice squad talent at safety, missing tackles and playing too deep in zone coverage. Patrick Chung is a good tackler, but struggles mightily in coverage.At the cornerback position, Brandon Boykin was one of the few bright spots on defense. He forced a big fumble and had tight coverage all day long. He got lost on a wheel route once, but was clearly the team’s best cover man. On the other side, Cary Williams followed up his solid game against the Redskins with a total dud. He was whistled for three pass interference calls and missed multiple tackles. He was repeatedly toasted when playing in an outside technique, giving the receiver the entire middle of the field to work with. It’s unclear if that technique is his decision or the coaches’, but all it does is invite big plays down the field.K Alex Henery has been money from short distances, but hooked a 40-some yard try badly to end the half. Those points would likely have made a difference in the outcome of the game.

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Eagles Defense Turning A Corner?

For the first time since week 1 of 2012, the Eagles missed 3 or fewer tackles.

The Eagles defense outperformed their talent level against the Redskins, but it’s still too soon to believe that the Eagles will be a good – or even average – defensive team in 2013. After the Eagles missed double digit tackles on several occasions in 2012, fans are sick and tired of undisciplined football. Unfortunately, there’s not enough evidence to say that the Eagles’ impressive week one performance is more than a fluke.

Missed tackles are a fact of life in the NFL. Offensive players are just too good to go down on first contact all the time, and as with all statistics, random variation plays a big role in when teams miss relatively few – or many – tackles.

I would have a much easier time buying that the 3 missed tackles are indicative of future success if defensive coordinator Billy Davis had a better reputation or the Eagles made drastic improvements to the defense on paper. Instead, the likes of Nate Allen are still entrenched in the starting lineup and pass rushers like Trent Cole and Brandon Graham are being asked to play in space more often.

So far, the Eagles’ aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme has put defenders closer to the line of scrimmage and helped to bottle up the Redskins’ running game and pressure Robert Griffin III. Ultimately, it still seems that the Eagles’ secondary will have a hard time holding up against precision passers and some players will struggle to adjust to new roles in a 3-4 system.

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Video: Riley Cooper and Carey Williams Fight at Eagles Practice

Riley Cooper and Teammate Cary Williams had an altercation in practice. Allie LaForce and Doug Gottlieb discuss.

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For Eagles home opener, there is such a thing as a free ride

 Who says you can't get something for nothing? For part of Sunday, rides on SEPTA's Broad Street will be free.

The free Broad Street rides complement the Eagles home opener. A major brewing company decided to offer the service as part of a national promotion, said SEPTA spokesman Manuel Smith.

"Miller Lite has had a free rides promotion across the nation and they really wanted to be able to connect with Philadelphia sports fans," Smith said. "And what's the best time to be able to do that? Join the Eagles home opener."

Riders are not required to be going to the Eagles game to take advantage of the free fare, he said.

"On the Broad Street line, you don't need a token, you don't need a transfer of any kind, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.," Smith said. "In addition, we will be running our sports express trains from Fern Rock to to AT&T station starting at 10:10 a.m."

The Philadelphia Parking Authority is also offering a $5 parking rate at its LOVE Park and 15th and Vine Street garages, which are convenient to subway stations.

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