Chip Kelly responds to Cary Williams' post-practice comments

After practice today, Cary Williams basically called the team a soft laughingstock (although he didn't use those words specifically), and seemed annoyed that he was kicked out of practice for getting into a fight during joint practices with the Patriots.

Williams was both right and wrong with his comments. On the one hand, Williams' comments were dead on. The Eagles have absolutely been soft over the last few years. On the other hand, what the hell has Williams done in his tenure here that gives him the right to be this critical, especially when his excuses for skipping OTAs were so that he could attend a dance recital, get dental work and pick out home furnishings? Not to mention... He's barely played in training camp because he's been nursing a hamstring injury.

Chip Kelly responded to questions about Williams' comments.

"We can get in a street fight, but that's not going to help us," Kelly said. "There is a certain way you're supposed to play this game and it's between the whistles. The stuff after the whistles is not what you're looking for. Our players knew that and Bill [Belichick] was the same way, one of the reasons we wanted to participate against the Patriots is we knew this wasn't going to turn into a WWE brawl. Because that's not what it is. It's a game of football."

Kelly is also dead on. The purpose of practice is to get work done, and get better as a football team. If he were to allow fighting, he would not be maximizing practice time efficiency. If Williams wants to set a physical example, do it on the field... in a game... during a play.

Perhaps my favorite take has been Derek Sarley's from IgglesBlog:

Really didn't think we'd see another player who could be this annoying saying things we kind of agree with so soon.

— Derek / IgglesBlog (@igglesblog) August 11, 2013