On Wednesday, The MMQB on Sports Illustrated, named Eagles head coach Chip Kelly the third most influential person in the NFL.
The article, which features quotes from legendary Cowboys coach and FOX analyst Jimmy Johnson, focuses on Kelly's radical offseason, changing several parts while keeping the goal the same.
What you are really seeing is a similar structure to just about every other team in the city – hold for the Phillies, per usual. There are two team, who ironically share the same building, that are focusing on a youth movement, the turning of a page in the franchise's history book.
For one team, that journey is more of an odyssey. For the other, success may be closing in.
That's where the Philadelphia Eagles come in. Chip Kelly doesn't have a team that is far away from playoff contention or in a rebuild. But he used the offseason to rebuild the team, make it his own and now he has to stand by that team.
Yes, it is impressive the way Kelly has drafted over the previous two seasons. He traded up to select Jordan Matthews, who looks to be a fixture of the offense this season. He used his top two picks this year to address two glaring needs for the team: wide receiver and cornerback.
He made several strong acquisitions in free agency and via trade. A defense that feature a group of average-at-best secondary members now has Malcolm Jenkins and Byron Maxwell. He padded an already strong linebacker group with Kiko Alonso. He retained all of the key pieces at linebacker and defensive line.
He took a glaring weakness of the team and vastly improved it on paper, even if it probably still has a few holes.
Offensively, he is now out to prove once and for all if his offense is really as plug-and-play as it feels.
Sam Bradford hasn't been fully healthy in nearly two years. He'll need to prove his ability never waivered and his health is back.
LeSean McCoy out. DeMarco Murray in. And he's joined by two other backs that should prove to be fits in Kelly's system: Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles.
A pair of young wide receivers – Matthews in his second season and Nelson Agholor in his rookie season – could headline the receiving game along with tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek.
Some of the pieces remain the same. But for the most part, this is a completely new team with no real change in ability, at least not on paper.
Here's the interesting thing about Chip Kelly. He's asking for something you don't have a lot of right now. Patience.
The Eagles have certainly become a younger team this offseason. And yet at the same time, they have valuable experience at essentially every position. The biggest risk is the potential injury that many of these new acquisitions face. It most notably is at quarterback. But really, if one linebacker goes down, if a safety like Jenkins is forced to miss time, the team could crumble, sending its playoff hopes to the ground.
But Johnson offers a great point, from one coach to another, about taking those risks.
"Here’s the big question: Do you want to play it safe and be good, or do you want to take a chance and be great?" Johnson said. "If you’re not afraid to fail, you can do some great things in this league. But most people are afraid to fail, so they play it safe.
"I always liked to take risks because I was always confident in my abilities. I think – no, I know - Chip is confident in his abilities, too."
Kelly has indeed stood by his choices, his moves through the offseason and assured that everything is strictly business, nothing personal, all for the good of the team. He's trying to achieve greatness in Philadelphia the way no one has before. He's trying to win a Super Bowl.
No matter how crazy and unorthodox his methods may be, and as innovative as he is, he's just like the rest of his colleagues. He's trying to build a winner. And he's doing it his way.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
