Before the 2015 NFL season started, two of the 13 NFL Network analysts picked the Philadelphia Eagles to not just make the Super Bowl but take home the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl 50, too. Similarly, ESPN’s Adam Schefter selected the Eagles to win the Super Bowl this season and was not the only ESPN analyst to make this preseason claim. In fact, on Aug. 31, VegasInsider.com listed the Eagles as the team with the fourth best odds to win the Super Bowl at 10 to 1. Those 10 to 1 odds were better than the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots, each of which are first in their division so far this season. The Eagles ended up finishing the preseason outscoring their opponents 139-77, adding to the Super Bowl hype and expectations of this season.
It was late on Monday, Sept. 14, when the nation realized that this was not the same Eagles team they saw in the preseason. They lost to the Falcons 26-24, which was only close because of the second half comeback they put on. They then lost to the Cowboys 20-10 the week after and held onto a win in New York against the Jets in week 3. Although they are 1-2 and have plenty of time to get their act together, they have played terribly on offense during the first three games. This is the same offense that was poised to set NFL records because of the complexity and weapons it presented to the defense. The question that everyone is asking right now is how has this offense been so bad when they were projected to be one of the best in the NFL?
In my estimation, Chip Kelly has gotten into his own head. The talk of him being a football genius and one of the smartest guys to ever step foot on a football field may be leading him to do strange things like throwing the ball on a third down with one yard to go when he has last year’s leading rusher Demarco Murray. He has pro-bowl tackles and a pro-bowl center, with questionable guards to say the least, but one would guess that it would be enough for a back that accumulated 1,845 yards last season with an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Although the offensive line has been atrocious in run-blocking this year, it shouldn’t be asking too much for your line that features three pro-bowl players, mixed with a great blocking tight end in Brent Celek, and the best running back in the league last year to gain one yard. Unfortunately, it has been.
Demarco Murray amassed just two rushing yards against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, in week 2. This brought his season total to 11 yards, which was somewhere in the lower tier of quarterbacks’ rushing yards this season. The majority of Murray’s rushing attempts seemed to show him avoiding defenders in the backfield and fighting to get back to the line of scrimmage. Murray hasn’t had the lanes to run through and he hasn’t been able to break many tackles in the backfield, creating many problems for Chip Kelly’s run-first and run-often philosophy.
Week 3 rolled around and Murray found himself on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury. Running back Ryan Mathews started in his placed and earned 108 yards on the ground, averaging 4.5 yards per attempt. This came against a defense that is supposed to be one of the better defenses in the league that features a stout defensive line. Even 5’6 Darren Sproles saw more success on the ground than Murray has all season. Sproles is averaging 3.7 yards per attempt on the season while Murray is averaging 0.5 yards per attempt. Maybe the defense just plays harder when Murray is running the ball. Perhaps every time Murray’s name is called for a running play, the defense just so happens to run a blitz to the gap he is intending to run through... Perhaps not.
The Eagles' highly touted free agent pickup that had incredible numbers last season behind the best offensive line in the entire NFL has not been the same back that everyone thought he would be. Murray is great at the second level against the secondary and flat-footed linebackers, which he put on display against Dallas on a pass play where he elevated his game and had a great run after the catch. Having said that, he is not good at getting past defensive linemen and downhill linebackers. Murray is a downhill, north-south runner that doesn’t have the skill set that former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy where he can spin and cut on a dime to make slower, not as agile defenders miss (linemen and downhill linebackers).
Murray is not what we thought he would be and it’s time to accept that. Start Ryan Mathews and sprinkle in the crafty Darren Sproles to see more production. Get Sam Bradford throwing more down the field and make an effort to get him more comfortable with the offense. So far he has seemed rattled, uncomfortable and the furthest thing from confident that I have seen in the NFL. Although I still believe he is the guy for the job as of now, he needs to have more confidence and he needs to use the weapons he has around him, not just Jordan Mathews and his check-downs (running backs and occasionally the tight ends). Rookie wide receiver Nelson Agholor has been extremely quiet this season and Riley Cooper might as well move to the offensive guard position because all he does is block.
There are plenty of weapons on that offense, but they need to go back to the basics a little more. Start the best running back on the team, no matter his pay or his accolades. Don’t get too gimmicky with the play-calling; run the ball on a third and short to keep the drive alive. Find a kicker that can actually make field goals and extra points (I doubt Caleb Sturgis is your answer). Get Sam Bradford comfortable and firing consistently and to more than one or two guys to spread the defense out a little more.
The defense has looked pretty good considering all they have had to deal with. They are on the field the vast majority of the game with the Eagles fast-tempo offense and the fact that the Eagles barely have any idea how it feels to see the chains move in their favor. The only problem on defense is the problem they are having on offense; they payed Byron Maxwell over $60 million to be their number one corner and he has been worse than terrible. Play the best player at corner, no matter how much he makes or how much the media will criticize the signing. The Eagles are thin in at corner but rookie Eric Rowe played pretty well against the Jets so it may need to be a decision made in practice that he gets more time on the number one or two wide receiver.
Despite the crazy offseason and the bad start to the season for the Eagles, I believe they have a legitimate chance to turn it around, win the division, and make some noise in the playoffs. The defense will get better with time, barring no injuries, and the offense will hopefully find themselves for an entire game, not just one half. This week’s game against the Redskins is a must win and will show a lot about a team that has been one of the biggest disappointments this season (maybe second biggest to Baltimore). Some final words of positivity to all Eagles fans: at least you aren’t Steelers fans (great game on Thursday).
