Eagles coach Chip Kelly may be fired at the end of the season thanks to his overhaul of the roster – which included an exodus of talent featuring WR Jeremy Maclin, RB LeSean McCoy, G Evan Mathis, G Todd Herremans – and subsequent disappointing season.
But that won’t be why Kelly gets canned. It will be because the team isn’t playing hard.
DeMarco Murray's Decreased Role Not Related To Performance
Normally that would be difficult to quantify or prove, but two glaring examples could be Kelly’s undoing. The first happened during a Week 11 game vs. the Dolphins in which RB DeMarco Murray, who replaced McCoy on a larger contract, actually slid as if he were a scrambling quarterback.
That was a hit to the team’s chemistry, as it caused one anonymous Eagle to rip his effort. “Well, when you see DeMarco sliding before getting hit, you tell me. Was that giving full effort?” That’s a bad look for Murray, but it’s possibly worse for Kelly.
Murray Possibly Angling For Release From Eagles Back to Dallas
The latest reports surrounding left tackle Jason Peters are potentially even more damaging. Fox 29’s Howard Eskin reported sources told him Peters pulled himself from Saturday night’s tilt with the Redskins once it was out of reach.
last nights #eagles gm sources told me LT Jason Peters pulled himself out of game 4th qt. Heard to say "I'm not going to get hurt 4 this"
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) December 27, 2015
Kelly denies that, saying that Peters’ elbow injury was severe enough that he couldn’t finish. “Jason just could not go at the end of the game,” Kelly told Philly.com. “Jason’s given us everything; he’s been a warrior all season long. It’s unfair to say he’s not giving us his all.”
That could be damage control, or it could be the truth. Perception is what matters most though, and it looks like the Eagles have given up. That usually means doom for a head coach, even one who won 20 games in his first two seasons.
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