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Eagles News: Sam Bradford would love for Pat Shurmur to be Philadelphia's head coach

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 1/4/16.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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Sam Bradford endorses Pat Shurmur for Eagles' permanent job - ESPN
Sam Bradford's decision to stay with the Philadelphia Eagles will be influenced by whether owner Jeff Lurie retains interim head coach Pat Shurmur for the permanent position, the soon-to-be free agent quarterback said Sunday. Lurie must hire a new head coach to replace Chip Kelly, who traded for Bradford during the offseason. "The quarterback-head coach relationship is extremely important in any organization," Bradford said. "Given the history I have with Pat -- we were together my rookie year [in St. Louis] and reunited this year -- I think it would mean a lot to me. I would love to play for him. I really enjoyed playing for him today. If he is a candidate, I hope that he gets serious consideration."

Sam Bradford shows he's worth bringing back - Inquirer
This was the brightest ray of light, maybe the only one, to shine through from this dark and dissatisfying Eagles season. There have been worse Eagles teams than 2015's, than a group that needed a meaningless win here Sunday just to finish 7-9, but from the firing of Chip Kelly to the disintegration of Bill Davis' defense, from the misspent money on DeMarco Murray to the misspent money on Byron Maxwell, there haven't been many seasons that were more disappointing. Yet from the outset of training camp, one of the primary questions that the Eagles needed to answer was whether Bradford had the ability and the staying power to be the franchise's long-term starting quarterback. He answered that question. He can.

The Eagles' 2015 season was essentially over before it even started - PhillyVoice
The more closely you look at the problems that led to a disappointing 7-9 record, the more you begin to see just how many of them can be traced back to decisions Kelly made this offseason. Sure, there were other factors that helped contribute to this end result; but by the time they had a chance to derail the team, it can be reasonably argued that the season had already become a lost cause. It all started just over one year ago, in early January 2015, when the Eagles sent out a rather surprising press release announcing the promotion of then-GM Howie Roseman.

Notes: DeMarco Gets the Look He Likes - Birds 24/7
The first thing that jumps out at you about DeMarco Murray‘s 54-yard touchdown Sunday was that it came with Sam Bradford under center. That’s Murray’s preferred look — and one that he rarely got when Chip Kelly was in charge. Per Zach Berman, Murray entered the game with just 25 carries from under center versus 156 from the shotgun. That means he got his desired formation just 14 percent of the time. When he did, the results weren't very good, as he averaged just 2.2 yards per carry with the QB under center compared to 3.7 from shotgun. But the big difference this time around, Murray said, was the emphasis that was put on those running plays in practice leading into the Giants game.

Coaching Rumors are Heating Up - Iggles Blitz
Another key, people who worked with Gase kept taking him to new teams. It says something pretty good when Nick Saban, Mike Martz and John Fox all like you enough to want you to follow them to new gigs. Those are three very different coaches. They aren’t close friends so this wasn’t a case of them looking out for a mutual acquaintance. Each coach was impressed by Gase after working with him. Results are also critical. Jon Kitna had a solid season playing for Gase in 2007. Brandon Marshall posted big numbers in 2009. Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney played well for Gase. Brandon Lloyd had the best season of his career playing for Gase in 2010. Tim Tebow went 7-4 playing for Gase in 2011 and even won a playoff game. Peyton Manning had his bounce-back season under Gase in 2012 and then posted the greatest season in the history of NFL QB’ing in 2013, throwing 55 TD passes. Jay Cutler is going to finish with the highest QB rating of his career. He did throw 3 INTs in the season finale, but greatly cut down on critical mistakes this year.

Eagles deviate from Chip Kelly's offensive plan in win over Giants - CSN Philly
And with Kelly gone, on Sunday, the Eagles finally slowed things down in their 35-30 win over the New York Giants. "I think it helped," said quarterback Sam Bradford when asked if the slower tempo helped improve efficiency. "I think we really kind of got into a rhythm there, especially in the one drive in the fourth quarter. I think it just eliminated a lot of the negative plays you’ve seen this year. For the most part today, we were getting the right plays called against the right looks. I think that’s why we were able to be more consistent and more efficient today." Interim coach Pat Shurmur led the Eagles into the regular season finale. And despite having just five days between Kelly’s firing and the game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Shurmur tweaked Kelly’s game plan just enough to find some more balance in the offense. Sure, the Eagles still went fast sometimes. But not all the time.

Was Chip Kelly overrated? - NJ.com
After watching the Redskins dismantle his Eagles last Saturday night, head coach Chip Kelly told the media he still believes he has a good football team. But less than 10 hours after writing this, it is obvious that Eagles' owner Jeffrey Lurie doesn't agree. He fired Kelly Thursday night, a bolt from nowhere. It is painfully clear that Chip has been watching a different squad than most of the rest of us because from one view the Eagles have played mediocre football in a lousy division. That's being brutally mild.

A Season Ends And Questions Loom - PE.com
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – They go now into an uncertain future, into an offseason of intrigue and a coaching search, but with the taste of a last-game win on their lips, thanks to a 35-30 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. It meant something to the Eagles' players and coaches after the win, on the way into tomorrow …

Browns have reportedly given up on Johnny Manziel, who wants to play for the Cowboys - SB Nation
The Cleveland Browns are "so done" with Johnny Manziel after the quarterback missed a mandatory meeting with team doctors, according to MMQB's Peter King. Manziel reportedly wants to go to the Dallas Cowboys, and at this point it seems the Browns would be just fine letting the 2014 first-rounder go. Manziel is in concussion protocol after reporting to practice last Wednesday with concussion symptoms, ending his season. The Browns require that players in concussion protocol meet with a team medic at 9 a.m. on Sundays. When Manziel failed to report, the Browns reportedly tried to contact Manziel by phone and couldn't reach him.

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