August 04, 2015
Chip Kelly didn’t talk to the media before Day 2 of training camp got underway. That “honor” (the Chippah would likely refer to with another term) belonged to defensive coordinator Billy Davis. We did get some new Kelly material, though, courtesy of NFL.com’s Albert Breer. In what was a well-done piece, Kelly talked about a lot of things. For example, here is Chip on his ex-wife:
"She's awesome," Kelly said of ex-wife Jennifer Jenkins. "She's a good person. And I was married for a while. And I never tried to hide that -- it was in the University of New Hampshire media guide, just like it always was. And I was never asked the question before. No one ever said that, so I don't know why it's a revelation. Not a revelation to me. Everybody in my life -- my family, my parents, her family, my girlfriend now -- they all know what my life is all about. I'm not a People Magazine or an US Magazine guy."
It’s relieving to know that Chip doesn’t read Us Weekly. Those voters can be brutal.
Kelly also went into some detail on how he used to observe pro practices when Oregon had bye weeks. Being up in the Pacific Northwest, he checked out the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks:
"A lot of guys helped in sharing with me, even when they visited," Kelly said. "Marvin Lewis was a guy, when he came out on a pro day to talk to us, talk to me about the league. ... You can always get something from somebody, and the great thing about our profession, most coaches, unless you're gonna play them, are pretty open. At that time, I wasn't playing Jim or Pete. Those two guys are great."
The whole thing is worth a read. There is a “big people beat up little people” quote, some insight on Sam Bradford/Mark Sanchez, and Chip being annoyed about anyone else’s interest in his personal life.
1. From Jimmy’s practice notes, we learned that Jordan Matthews is a beast, the quarterback play improved from Sunday, Donnie Football’s punts had are testing the limits of hangtime, and plenty of more good stuff.
2. DeMarco Murray is 100 percent healthy, but he isn’t quite sure why he was held out of practice on Sunday. Just a guess, but it might have a little something to do with the 10,000 carries (approximate) he had last season.
3. Davis appears to be leading a pretty solid defense heading into the season, but many are still questioning how good the secondary really is. Literally, that is what a lot of the questions thrown his way were concerning on Monday.
4. Very good column from Mullin on Kelly and Brandon Boykin’s comments.
5. TEEEBOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!
6. Who do the rookies try to pattern their game after? Maybe it’s simply because he said a pretty unique name, but I liked Eric Rowe’s answer (safety version).
Travis Long Suffers Torn ACL: Sheil Kapadia, Birds 24/7
Poor guy can’t catch a break. Kapadia says this injury means that last year’s first-round pick will have a huge opportunity:
It's a tough blow for Long and puts the spotlight directly on Marcus Smith. Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham will be the starting outside linebackers, but the Eagles need someone to step into the No. 3 role. Last year, when Trent Cole started and Graham was the No. 3 OLB, Graham played 43 percent of the snaps.
Smith was a non-factor as a rookie, but the 2014 first-round pick has an opportunity to contribute. He would have been competing with Long for that No. 3 OLB role, but now the door is wide open for Smith.
With Long Down, Smith Now In Spotlight: Bo Wulf, PhiladelphiaEagles.com
We just talked about Smith, and he talked about himself a little bit on Monday after putting in some extra work after practice with Connor Barwin:
"To be honest, I think it was all mental," Smith said Monday, reflecting on his tough rookie season. "Everything. Because I can play. I can rush the passer. I can do all the things they need me to do. The mental state – you play around with yourself and you start asking yourself, ‘Are you good enough to play in the NFL?' That's one thing; I had to revert to what I did in college. I feel like I'm a great player, I can rush and do all those things. So when I came back, I was ready."
Eagles coach Chip Kelly has a growing image problem as ex-players sound off: Jarrett Bell, USA Today
Bell chimed in on the subject of race and Kelly’s personnel moves:
Chip Kelly has a big problem. It's called perception.
When a third former member of Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles publicly calls out the coach and suspects that race or culture plays a role in how the team is run, it is more than a sour grapes coincidence.
And finally, Fletcher Cox is a beast in real life and virtually (well, kind of):
.@fcoxx_91 does not go around you. He goes THROUGH you. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/BzzIzknH87
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 3, 2015
@fcoxx_91 seems like a high risk/low reward kind of play. Love the effort though. pic.twitter.com/kLyVmW0AlH
— Daniel Walsh (@Dan_Walsh18) August 3, 2015
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
