The Eagles’ struggles in 2015 have all but stripped coach Chip Kelly of his “genius” label. It’s not impossible for him to save face, however. At 4-7 the Eagles are just one game behind the Giants and Redskins for first place in the NFC East, with one game remaining against both teams.
An improbable run to the playoffs would likely save Kelly’s job, at least as the head coach. Next year is when he can restore his genius tag. This offseason there are several quarterbacks whose situations have become untenable, and are likely to be cut loose. All three of them can be taken in by Kelly, and serve as better fits in his up-tempo system than Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez have.
Mike Pettine Is Right To Leave Johnny Football On The Bench
Johnny Manziel
The Browns have named Austin Davis their starter this week on the heels of announcing veteran starter Josh McCown is out for the season with a broken collarbone. That is not a good sign for Johnny Football’s future in Cleveland. The first-round pick spent his first NFL offseason in rehab, and then blew his starting job by partying with alcohol on the Browns’ bye week and lying about it to his bosses. On top of it all, Manziel has had one good game in his career. Cleveland seems fed up with him, but teams find room for talent.
If the Browns decide to cut the cord, Manziel could be a fit with Kelly, whose offense hummed nicely in his first year with Michael Vick at the helm. Kelly has not had a mobile QB since Vick – Sanchez is the next best runner he’s had – and Philadelphia’s playbook is limited because of the speed with which they play. Manziel hasn’t shown much of a football IQ; what he has shown is he can move, and chuck it deep. He is also great at running the read-option, which is a big part of Kelly’s offense when he has proper pieces.
Manziel's Excuse For Party Video May Be Worse Than His Decision To Drink
Robert Griffin III
What was just written about Manziel can almost be copied and pasted when it comes to RGIII. The differences are Griffin has a better arm, is a better runner, and has proven much more in the NFL. Don’t forget that in 2012 Griffin beat out Andrew Luck for Rookie of the Year, and led the Redskins to the playoffs.
Griffin is not as creative as Manziel when it comes to scrambling and making throws, but the rest of the tradeoffs make him more appealing. One thing—he costs $16 million, so he isn’t a cheap risk.
Colin Kaepernick
Kaepernick’s downfall has been extremely puzzling. His regression throwing the football isn’t a shock since Jim Harbaugh’s no longer his coach, and Harbaugh is known as something of a quarterback whisperer. The shocking thing was the way his confidence eroded, and he stopped running the football. Kelly could repair that by taking the thinking out of the equation, simplifying his playbook to start, and turning Kaep loose on the ground in tandem with DeMarco Murray.
With that kind of rocket-armed, physical QB, Kelly would have a chance to remind Eagles fans how high-powered his offense can be.
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