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A look at the numbers: Eagles' offensive improvement under Chip Kelly - JimmyK, Philly.com
Anyone who has watched the Eagles over the last two years can easily tell that their offense was improved under the leadership of Chip Kelly. With the regular season now in the books, let's take a look at the actual statistical production, comparing 2012 to 2013. The numbers speak for themselves.
Division Champs - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
The Eagles went 10-6. They won the NFC East. This is a heck of an accomplishment in Year One for Chip Kelly. It also says a lot about the players. Remember that last year the Eagles went 4-12. There were some talent issues, but sloppy play was as big a culprit as anything. Think about Mike Vick’s awful showing in the loss at Arizona. Brent Celek had a key drop and key penalty in the loss to the Lions. STs gave up a PR touchdown that broke open the first Dallas game. Bryce Brown had crucial fumbles in a couple of games. Nick Foles made his share of bonehead plays in multiple games. The entire defense was a disaster after the firing of Juan Castillo. That was a combination of tackling and coverage. The Eagles made good personnel moves in the offseason, but just as importantly, Chip Kelly eliminated a lot of the mistakes.
Kelly quickly made a believer of Lurie - Mike Sielski, Inquirer
Outside the victorious visitors' locker room at AT&T Stadium, Jeffrey Lurie smiled again and again, posing for photos with one Eagles fan after another. When media members entered the room after the Eagles' 24-22 win Sunday night over the Cowboys, Lurie was standing near the doorway, and instantly arms and microphones, arrayed like the spokes of a wheel, jabbed the air in front of his face. The man of the moment was Chip Kelly, of course, and everyone wanted to know if Lurie, the Eagles' owner, could see this improbable division championship coming so soon into Kelly's tenure.
Eagles coach Chip Kelly never got his comeuppance in rookie year as Eagles soar into playoffs - Dan Wetzel, Yahoo!
Kelly's Oregon offense might be a gimmick that NFL defensive coordinators would quickly figure out. The college success might be the product of superior talent. Was this a guy who could adjust on the fly, like the pro game demands? Could someone with no NFL coaching or playing experience command the respect of a locker room of grown men? The doubts went beyond McCoy and his teammates. The NFL had seen this act before – hotshot college coach arrives only to flail and fail, and then limp back to the NCAA. And with Kelly arriving with breathless media hype of being an innovative genius, there were plenty of people rooting for a comeuppance.
Ranking the NFL playoff coaches from 1-12 - Frank Schwab, Yahoo!
5. Chip Kelly, Eagles
Perhaps this is too high after just one season, but it's hard to ignore what he did. Once he figured out, thanks to Michael Vick's injury, that Nick Foles was the best quarterback for his system, the Eagles played remarkably well. The Eagles started 3-5 and then went 7-1 down the stretch. They improved on both sides of the ball. They were very difficult for opponents to prepare for because of the creative schemes. The coach who is No. 4 on this list had just four wins with pretty much the same Eagles roster in 2012. In a few years we might look back and say that No. 5 was way too low for Kelly.
Winning on the road is hard to do in the NFL - Andrew Kulp, The700Level
It’s an easy thing to forget in Philadelphia, where the Eagles went 10 games, or more than 13 months without winning a game at Lincoln Financial Field until November. The tides have turned though, as now they’ve managed to reel off four in a row. Now, the great news is the Eagles own the all-important home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs versus New Orleans. For one thing, it keeps the Saints out of the Superdome, where they were one of three teams to go 8-0 this season. Brees is deadly on that turf
Eagle Eye In The Sky: Cowboys Review - Fran Duffy, PE.com
Ten wins. The norm for nearly a decade was an elusive achievement over the last two seasons. The Eagles’ return to winning football in 2013 has been, and continues to be, a great ride and a great feat in Chip Kelly’s first season. A division title? Icing on the cake for many Eagles fans. Clinching in the final game of the regular season? In Dallas??? That’s a scenario Eagles fans across the world will take each and every year if given the opportunity. The season will continue on Saturday night against the New Orleans Saints. I’ll give more into them later in the week, but let’s first relish the huge win over that team down in Texas by taking a look at some of the notable themes I took away after watching the tape.
Never forget Tampa: Eagles will ignore weather - Geoff Mosher, CSN Philly
The Saints have never won a road playoff game in their 47-year history. It’s a topic they’re constantly reminded of whenever they have to travel in the playoffs and an issue that’s pertinent for the Eagles, who welcome the Saints to the Linc Saturday night for Chip Kelly’s first playoff game. The Saints, who won 11 games but clinched the sixth seed, are 3-5 on the road compared to their perfect 8-0 record at the Superdome.
