Cowboys Extra: With control in Philly, Kelly pushes chips all in
It hasn’t taken long for Chip Kelly to become a polarizing person in the NFL. Just about every person who follows the sport has an opinion on whether Kelly deserves the label “genius” or not.
Most expect that debate to be settled this season by the third-year Eagles coach after he took control of the personnel department this off-season, and made a flurry of moves.
Kelly opted to deal for quarterback Sam Bradford, the first overall pick of the Rams in 2010 who hadn’t played since October 2013 because of two ACL tears in his left knee. Then he traded workhorse running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso, who missed all of 2014 with a knee injury. Then, in a bizarre flurry, Kelly signed former Chargers lead back Ryan Mathews and money-whipped free agent back DeMarco Murray from the rival Cowboys.
Time will tell how those moves pan out, but questions are already being raised after Monday’s 26-24 season-opening loss at Atlanta.
Bradford had an uneven first half, tossing an interception that set up a Falcons touchdown going into the break. Then he threw another pick off the hands of receiver Jordan Matthews late in the fourth quarter that essentially ended the game.
For the game, Bradford was 36 of 52 passing for 336 yards with one touchdown and the two interceptions. He had a 77.1 passer rating.
The bigger questions, though, centered on how the Eagles used Murray. For a guy who signed for $42 million, Murray ran only eight times for nine yards.
That is not a misprint. The league’s leading rusher for the Cowboys last season had single-digits in both categories Monday night. Adding insult to inactivity, he was on the sidelines during a critical third-and-1 situation late in the fourth quarter.
Instead of using Murray, the carry went to Mathews, who was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.
“Whoever is in the game [gets the call],” Kelly told reporters afterward.
Regardless, it was a head-scratching decision to watch unfold on prime-time television. But it’s too early to make any bold statements regarding Kelly and the Eagles. After all, they had overcome a 17-point deficit to lead midway through the fourth quarter, and if they would have pulled it out, the storylines would be vastly different.
“I watched every play [of the Eagles game], and I was really impressed overall,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on his radio show.
“They’re formidable offensively. And I certainly thought the quarterback [Bradford] played well for his first outing. But I was impressed all the way … Certainly, they’re going to be really a big challenge for us this weekend.”
That shouldn’t come as a surprise.Kelly has had success in his young NFL career, winning 10 games and the NFC East title in his first season. He won 10 games last year, too, but didn’t make the postseason.
Briefly
▪ The Eagles and Cowboys are meeting for the 113th time on Sunday with Dallas leading the series, 63-49. Only the Washington Redskins have more all-time wins (65) against the Eagles than the Cowboys.
▪ The Eagles won their first six home games last season before losing their final two to Seattle and Dallas.
He said it
“The second half was a blast. Once we got things rolling and we took the lead, I don’t know if I’ve been that excited in a long time. It’s good to get that feeling. Now maybe next week, we can start a little faster.” – QB Sam Bradford after his Eagles debut
Telling number
6 tackles by linebacker Kiko Alonso, who made his Eagles debut Monday. Alonso, acquired in the LeSean McCoy deal, also made a spectacular one-handed, falling, end zone interception.
Drew Davison: 817-390-7760, @drewdavison
This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Cowboys Extra: With control in Philly, Kelly pushes chips all in."