2014 In the Eyes of Philadelphia

2013 was a resounding success for Chip Kelly, and his offensive system. He chose the right group of guys, and set off in search of wins. Throughout the season there were doubts over what he could actually achieve "at the NFL level", and he answered his detractors at every turn.

2013 Recap:

The Eagles end of season numbers didn't blow everyone away. What they did was prove the elegability of a college style, up tempo offense that many people doubted would transfer to the show. What Kelly did was take a dynamic group of players and create excitement around the offense, where only DeSean Jackson was creating a buzz in prior seasons. To that end, the offense has become so successful that Jackson seemed too expensive, and excess to the team needs.

I watched the Eagles play Detroit on a snow covered field in Philadelphia, and struggled to see what was happening. I then watched their destruction of a defenceless Chicago team, as well as having watched their season opener.

2014 Prospects:

Foles has a defining season ahead.

Nick Foles: I know there seems to be a misconception that Foles is on his way to greatness already. What I saw was a good player who was made to look better thanks to the quality that surrounded him. If he can continue in the same vein throughout this coming season then I have no doubt he can become the franchise QB that the Eagles need, however that isn't guaranteed.


Brandon Boykin: This is truly the season for Boykin to step up and become a key part of this Eagles defense, and the team in general. He got a lot more action this past season, and really proved himself as capable at the pro level. Now he has the next stage of that process to build on.

Riley Cooper: How this guy grew into Phillie's second receiver is a bit of a oddity. He was slated as their number three, behind DJax and Jeremy Maclin. Maclin was injured and thus Cooper had to cover for him. Through the year it became apparent that Cooper could handle the role thrust upon him, and he's now very much in contention with Maclin for the #1 spot. I don't know whether either of them has the skillset to make them a true superstar receiver, but only time will tell.

Missing Pieces:

Philadelphia can see their position as being similar to the Bears, in that their offense can do no wrong but their team is not yet championship calibre. That means that defense must be the order of the day.

Linebacker: Michael Kendricks is an excellent young player. He doesn't however, have an all star cast around him. Philadelphia would do well to pick up a couple of linebackers through the draft, if not early on, at least to challenge for positions on this team around Kendricks.

Secondary: The Eagles are not yet ready to combat strong passing teams, and this was evidenced in their game against the Bears. Although they won, this was on virtue of their offensive explosion rather than preventing the Bears from scoring. 

How They Improve:

There's very little left for the Eagles to improve on offense. Certainly you could make the case for another tight end, due to Zack Ertz being their top man in that position. Cases could also be made across the o-line but that's simply because the other areas of this group are so strong.

No, Philadelphia's real need is on the other side of the ball. They have the danger of becoming like Denver were in this past season, great on offense and good enough on defense. This lead to Denver winning, while scoring 30+ points, where they rarely shut out their opponents. That meant that a team who could crack Peyton's offense could keep it close and push for a win. And if they were Seattle, completely shut down one of the best QBs of all time and run away with an NFL championship as their reward.

Chip Kelly's great Philadelphia experiment continues for another season, and as long as he can vary his approach and adapt to a league that now knows his system

Prediction:

There's certainly space for an improvement on defense for the Eagles. The struggle will be in keeping up the production on the other side of the ball. I don't see the Eagles pushing past the 10-6 mark from 2013, but that would put them back into the playoffs. And once they hit January anything goes!