After dropping two of his first three NFL games, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly must right the ship to silence critics, restore confidence with his players.
Needless to say, it's been a rough ten days for Chip Kelly.
The first-year Philadelphia Eagles head coach lost more games in four days than he did all of last season while coaching the University of Oregon.
Adding insult to injury, plenty of the shock value of his offense's success in the season opener has worn off thanks in large part to a helter-skelter performance in week three and the revelation that the Washington Redskins are a shell of the team that won the NFC East division championship a year ago.
Then there's the impending road trip to Sports Authority Field and Sunday date with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos looming large.
After dropping two straight at home, insuring it will be at least 13 months between the Eagles most recent victory at Lincoln Financial Field and their next one, how Kelly adjusts and tinkers with both personnel and philosophy will be tantamount towards saving a season that both gives opportunity towards winning a hapless division but also is perilously close to skidding off the tracks.
A survey around the abandoned locker room following last Thursday's home defeat to Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs yielded a group of veterans dangerously close to eschewing the same methodology that they bought into upon Kelly's January arrival and following their 33-27 season opening victory.
Slowing Manning will be no simple task for Kelly or his staff, but it's becoming evident that the status quo already is in need of adjusting.
“I think you draw on the positives,” Kelly said Friday afternoon. “You know, what did you do well? And then look at what correctable mistakes occurred in the game and address them. That's what I talked about in the locker room after the game with our guys.”
The scrutiny thrust upon Kelly following him not knowing the NFL rules allowing an injured player to return to action if a timeout is called following his injury was merited after he admitted to not knowing the rules which led to the Birds dropping week two's matchup with the San Diego Chargers in heartbreaking fashion. After electing to go for two with a 'swinging-gate' formation in week three against the Chiefs while trailing 10-6, it's fair to wonder if all hands are still on deck in the Eagles locker room.
Teams look for their head coach to lead them through adversity and navigate troubled waters. After losing 12 of their last 20 games heading into this season, Kelly was supposed to navigate this team to more tranquil seas.
That has not been the case the last two weeks.
Make no mistake, these next two games against the Broncos and New York Giants could define the direction of the season. The outcomes could determine whether the Eagles ratchet up their pursuit of a division title beginning week six in Tampa Bay or commence evaluation mode for 2014 and beyond against the Buccaneers.
It's been a trying ten days, but how Kelly handles the next ten leading up to Denver is his first legitimate challenge as an NFL head coach.
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
