Chip Kelly - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Saints, McCoy, Ryan, Shanahan

December 12th, 2015 at 10:06am CST by Rob DiRe

As teams prepare for a December playoff push, a few of the more important NFC teams are dealing with disappointing seasons that have gone off the rails. The Saints and Falcons have both fallen squarely out of the postseason picture, while the Eagles are hanging on due to a terrible NFC East division.

Here are some notes from the Saints, Falcons, and Eagles:

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is playing for pride down the stretch in 2015, but most of his teammates are playing for something more important–their jobs, writes Larry Holder of NOLA.com. Holder notes that the team will have to make major decisions on some key players this offseason, including Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Zach Strief, Jahri Evans, and even Sean Payton.
During the Falcons hot start, both Matt Ryan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan looked like absolute superstars in Atlanta. Since then, both have really struggled to produce anything significant offensively. Despite those struggles and who is to blame, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that neither is on the chopping block this season.
Much has been made of the feud between LeSean McCoy and Chip Kelly, especially since part of the reason for trading McCoy to the Bills was because of “fit” and “culture.” DeMarco Murray is averaging 3.5 yards per carry and has a reduced role in the Eagles’ offense, and has become a distraction, while McCoy is thriving in Buffalo, contradicting both reasons for the trade, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. It’s worth the read if only for the small note about McCoy getting a call from an unknown number this past Tuesday, and hanging up once he realized it was Kelly calling.

East Notes: Kelly, Bills, McCoy, Murray

December 9th, 2015 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

We touched on some Eagles and Bills news items this morning, with a focus on the two teams’ highly-paid running backs. Since then though, those clubs – and running backs – have continued to be hot topics, creating a few headlines throughout the day. So let’s round up the latest out of Philadelphia and Buffalo, as the two East clubs prepare for a big Week 14 matchup.

In a conference call today with Buffalo reporters, including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said it’s a “false assumption” to call him the team’s general manager. “I just have final say over the roster,” Kelly said. While he may not officially hold the GM title, Kelly is clearly the one making personnel decisions in Philadelphia, so his objections seem to be over a matter of semantics.
Kelly also said earlier today that he regretted not getting a chance to talk to LeSean McCoy before word of the trade that sent to the running back to Buffalo broke, adding that he’d like to shake McCoy’s hand. Shady wasn’t having any of that though, telling Bills reporters, including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, that Kelly “can’t shake s—.” McCoy continued: “We’re not enemies. I won’t say anything wrong to him. But there’s nothing for us to talk about, at all.”
The Bills‘ offseason acquisition of McCoy was a factor in Tyrod Taylor‘s decision to sign with Buffalo, the quarterback said today, noting that he wanted to be around playmakers (Twitter link via Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News). For his part, Bills head coach Rex Ryan said his team “couldn’t be happier” with the McCoy/Kiko Alonso swap, as Dunne details.
While McCoy was making headlines with his comments today, it was Eagles running back DeMarco Murray that was in the news yesterday, following a report that he spoke to team owner Jeffrey Lurie about his unhappiness with his role. According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), Kelly said that Murray has expressed those frustrations to him as well. The head coach also suggested that Murray’s conversation with Lurie was happenstance, though he couldn’t explain how it leaked to ESPN (Twitter link via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News).

NFC Notes: Murray, Lacy, Falcons, Bears

December 8th, 2015 at 5:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Eagles running back DeMarco Murray and owner Jeffrey Lurie had a lengthy conversation Sunday about Murray’s role in head coach Chip Kelly‘s offense, ESPN’s Ed Werder reports. Though the Eagles pulled a 35-28 upset in New England, Murray was barely a factor – taking the field for just 14 plays and totaling 24 yards on eight carries – and he voiced his frustrations to Lurie afterward as a result. Their conversation happened on the team’s flight home, according to Werder, who adds that it’s unknown who initiated the talk.

“He’s obviously upset about what happened,” a source close to Murray told Werder.

Murray, who led the NFL in rushing last year with Dallas and then signed a big-money deal with the Eagles in the offseason, has struggled mightily under Kelly. The two-time thousand-yard rusher has just 569 this season on a paltry 3.5 per-carry average, and has been outproduced by teammate Ryan Mathews – who signed a much less valuable contract with Philly in the offseason. Mathews missed the Patriots game because of a concussion, but Murray still had to take a backseat to Darren Sproles, who accrued 90 yards on 19 touches.

“We are not trying to win a rushing championship or a passing championship or a receiving championship or anything from that stretch of the imagination,” Kelly said Monday. “We are just trying to win football games.”

NFC Rumors: Murray, Vikings, Lewis, White

December 7th, 2015 at 9:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Eagles potentially set to be tied for the NFC East lead if the Cowboys win tonight, let’s take a look at some news coming out of Philadelphia, as well as several other NFC cities.

As the Eagles gave DeMarco Murray only eight carries against the Patriots, Chip Kelly denied a demotion took place, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The eight carries matched a season low for the defending rushing champion, who is averaging 3.5 yards per carry after gaining 4.7 per tote last season. Kelly attributed Murray’s reduced usage (14 snaps) to the game’s strange flow that featured three Eagles non-offensive touchdowns. The obvious counter to that was Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner both out-touching Murray and each averaging north of four yards per rush. Berman writes Ryan Mathews‘ return could further siphon Murray’s workloads, which have been much smaller than 2014. Murray has just 163 carries.
None of the four safeties on the Vikings‘ active roster practiced Monday, and Antone Exum could miss multiple games with a fractured rib and a sprained AC joint, Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Exum’s started the past two games in Andrew Sendejo‘s stead.
After Adrian Peterson characterized the Vikings as being “outplayed and outcoached” in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Seahawks, Mike Zimmer took a hard-headed stance when addressing media. “I don’t really worry about other people’s opinions. I only worry about what I think,” the Vikings’ second-year coach told media (including Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Zimmer did say Peterson should have received more than eight carries, however.
John Fox said rookie wideout Kevin White‘s shin has sufficiently healed, and the team will now look to get him in football shape, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times reports (on Twitter). The Bears‘ first-rounder has yet to be cleared to play, however.
Shelved on the PUP list due to a torn ACL he sustained last November while at Georgia Tech, 49ers rookie wide receiver DeAndre Smelter will not play this season, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reports. Smelter reverts to the non-football injury/reserve list. The fourth-round pick will not practice with the team during the season’s remainder.
On injured reserve after an injury-restricted campaign, Keenan Lewis underwent hip surgery today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Saints‘ top corner is under contract through the 2017 season.

Extra Points: Eagles, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

December 6th, 2015 at 9:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the league as we wrap up the weekend…

While Chip Kelly may not be considered the Eagles bona fide general manager, there’s no denying that he was controlling personnel decisions this offseason. Based on the team’s underwhelming performance in 2015, NFL Media’s Michael Robinson believes the organization needs a more traditional GM. “He needs a guy that’s going to come in and help him evaluate talent,” he said (via Conor Orr of NFL.com).
The Bengals have denied both USC and Miami’s request to interview offensive coordinator Hue Jackson for their previous head coaching vacancies, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. If Jackson doesn’t receive an NFL offer, Florio believes he could eventually replace Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati.
Firing Mike Pettine with four games to go makes little sense for the Browns, writes Marla Ridenour of Cleveland.com. The writer believes the move would “do more harm than good,” as owner Jimmy Haslam‘s “quick trigger” may make it hard to find a competent replacement.
Steelers return man Jacoby Jones botched a pair of kicks in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Colts. The veteran has been benched for the second half, and Florio wonders if his tenure with Pittsburgh may be over.

East Notes: Kelly, McDaniels, Coughlin

December 6th, 2015 at 11:02am CST by Rory Parks

Just a week after Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was said to be “despondent” and “mulling all options” on the heels of back-t0-back blowout losses, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the head coach is likely to return to the Philadelphia sidelines in 2016. Owner Jeffrey Lurie remains a staunch Kelly supporter, even though he is aware of some dissension in the locker room, and per La Canfora, Lurie “did not hand Kelly total control to the roster a few months ago to consider launching a new search for a coach and GM now.” Although it is not inconceivable that Kelly could return to the college ranks in 2016, those vacancies are filling up quickly and team officials would be shocked if Kelly left the Eagles before completing his fourth season with the club.

Although Kelly surely appreciates Lurie’s loyalty, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if Kelly himself is too loyal to under-performing players. During Kelly’s tenure with the Eagles, he has never released or benched a player for poor performance, and McLane thinks certain members of the club may have become complacent.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is once again a hot head coaching candidate, and La Canfora writes that he is open to speaking with teams this offseason. Of course, given McDaniels’ disastrous stint in Denver, he would only go to a team that has a strong organizational structure from ownership down, since another failed tenure would likely spell the end of his head coaching opportunities. Many clubs are enamored with McDaniels’ offensive mind and ability to extract a great deal of production from an offense that has to continually reinvent itself, and McDaniels is viewed as the closest thing to a Belichick clone to emerge from the Belichick coaching tree.
If McDaniels is to leave the Patriots, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe sees the Lions as the most likely landing spot, given that the team has a good young quarterback in place and ownership that has shown patience in the past. The Titans have been viewed as a fit, and they may be, but their ownership situation is unstable, and Volin does not believe McDaniels would disrespect New England by going to a team like the Dolphins or Colts that has a history of bad blood with the Patriots.
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin may be on the hot seat, but as Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News writes, Coughlin typically thrives with his back to the wall. Of course, the team had a chance to take a commanding lead in the NFC East last week and failed to do so, which means that the Giants’ string of four straight seasons without a playoff berth is in danger of continuing. If that happens, Coughlin’s two Super Bowl rings and respect from team ownership may not be enough to save him.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Riley

December 4th, 2015 at 6:50pm CST by Luke Adams

As bad as the Cowboys have been this season, their 3-8 record only puts them two games out of a tie for first place in the NFC East, where no team has more than five wins. As the division’s four teams try to work their way up to .500, let’s round up the latest out of the East….

Within his weekly round-up of notes from across the NFL, Albert Breer of the NFL Network examines the Cowboys‘ search for Tony Romo‘s eventual replacement, suggesting the team will consider targeting a quarterback in this year’s draft.
Breer also spoke to Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox about players-only meeting, with Cox offering the following assessment: “When you start having players-only meetings, that’s when you know things are going south. I’ve been around that before. We aren’t gonna be having any players-only meetings.”
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie still believes in head coach Chip Kelly and his plan for the team, according to Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News, who doesn’t expect Kelly to go anywhere this offseason.
After injuring his foot in practice on Thursday, Washington linebacker Perry Riley will undergo surgery to repair a stress fracture, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Riley, who is coming off his best stretch of the season, is expected to miss three to six weeks, so there’s no guarantee he’ll play again this year.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, McFadden, Eagles

December 3rd, 2015 at 1:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Despite a 3-8 record, the Cowboys have not been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and it would be crazy for them to tank, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News writes. The Cowboys are still unlikely to make the playoffs, but coach Jason Garrett would be going against his principles if he were to tank for a higher draft pick, Moore argues. The final games left aren’t about making the playoffs or draft position, he says, but rather they’re about competing at the highest level possible.

Here’s more on the Cowboys and the NFC East:

Babe Laufenberg of The Dallas Morning News envisions the Cowboys‘ backfield consisting of Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar, and a rookie to be named later in 2016. Still, Dallas will have to wait and see how Dunbar’s knee responds and there is no guarantee that he’ll be 100% next year. There will also be veteran running backs available to Dallas in the offseason.
No matter how Sam Bradford performs over the final five games of the season, the Eagles will have to make a franchise-altering decision at the quarterback position next offseason, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Eagles have whiffed on quarterbacks in the past, but sources tell McLane that Kelly did not have complete control over the position in the 2013-14 offseasons. In those offseasons, Kelly and ex-GM Howie Roseman both had to be in agreement on any QB decision. Now, of course, it’s all Kelly’s decision to make.
On Wednesday, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said that he would like to finish his career with Big Blue.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Manziel, Hardy

December 1st, 2015 at 4:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the NFC East:

In a radio interview, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed that quarterback Johnny Manziel was rated among the top 5-6 players on the team’s board, as Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. Jones’ fondness for Manziel was well documented prior to the 2014 draft. The Browns demoted Manziel to the No. 3 spot on the QB depth chart earlier this season after more questions arose about his off-field behavior. However, with Josh McCown done for the season, Cleveland could conceivably turn to him as its starter rather than Austin Davis, who is penciled in as the No. 2 signal caller.
Many have assumed that Greg Hardy‘s time with the Cowboys is up since he has only 4.5 sacks and Dallas has lost seven of the eight games he’s started. That’s not quite the case, Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPN.com writes. Hardy will be a free agent at season’s end, but the defensive end is unlikely to get the long-term deal he wants thanks to his reputation. Other teams might choose to steer clear of Hardy altogether, and Taylor theorizes that could pave the way to a reunion between Hardy and the Cowboys. Taylor cautions fans not to be shocked if the Cowboys re-sign Hardy, provided that they can get him on another deal that protects them in the event of an off-the-field issue.
On Monday, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly denied a report that he met recently with USC officials regarding their head coaching job. For his part, offensive tackle Jason Peters says that he didn’t need the reassurance from Kelly, but he did feel that some of the younger players needed to hear it, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Kelly addressed the rumors with his players first thing in morning and told them that he’ll be staying put as long as the Eagles will have him (link).

NFC Notes: Kelly, Kaepernick, Carter, Packers

November 30th, 2015 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Responding to a Monday report that suggested he met recently with USC officials, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly adamantly denied that such a meeting took place, telling reporters he has had “no contact” with USC or other colleges, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Kelly had made a habit in the past of shooting down this sort of report, even when it’s hard not to believe that the report is true — for instance, he claimed this spring that he hadn’t had trade talks involving any of his players during the first day of the draft. In this case though, I’m inclined to believe that the details of today’s story – that Kelly met with USC officials in Philadelphia on Friday – are off. Still, it seems unlikely that Kelly or his agent have never spoken to anyone from USC at all, even if it was just to politely turn down an inquiry.

In any case, Kelly isn’t going anywhere for now. As we wait to see if he can get the Eagles back on track after a disastrous Thanksgiving loss, let’s check out some others notes out of Philadelphia and the rest of the NFC….

We’ve heard recently that the Eagles‘ struggles this year actually reflect relatively well on former GM Howie Roseman, who lost control of personnel decisions after the 2014 season. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, perception is shifting outside the Eagles’ building as well, with talk around the league suggesting that Roseman could draw interest elsewhere this winter. As Garafolo writes, it’ll be a delicate situation for owner Jeffrey Lurie, who has a good relationship with Roseman and will likely make an effort to keep him if other clubs come calling.
According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), the 49ers were able to track how much time players spent studying game plans and plays on tablets assigned by the team, and found that Blaine Gabbert studied about four to five times more than Colin Kaepernick did. While Kaepernick’s lack of preparation was an area of concern for the team, players aren’t thrilled with teams’ ability to track their studies, arguing that it may take some players less time than others to learn the same things. According to Cole, there’s a chance the NFLPA could take up the issue with the league.
Having been placed on IR with the designation to return in September, Lions cornerback Alex Carter won’t be activated to the 53-man roster and will remain on IR for the rest of the year, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Carter, selected in the third round by Detroit back in May, will have to wait until 2016 to make his NFL debut.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers admits the Packers need to improve their preparation on offense after losing four of five games, but denied that the club has reached the point where a players-only meeting is required, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. During NBC’s Thanksgiving telecast, Cris Collinsworth alluded to the club holding a players-only meeting, but Rodgers said no such meeting happened.