Sam Bradford

ChipWreck: Is This Chip Kelly’s Last Year in Philly?

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The Eagles have landed. In a year where the NFC East was ripe for the taking, the Philadelphia Eagles 2015 season has been a disaster. After

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After two 10 win seasons, Kelly’s Eagles are 4-6 in 2015

back-to-back 10 win seasons Chip Kelly was the toast in the city of brotherly love. Now, those same fans who once praised Kelly are sharpening their pitchforks to run the third year coach out of town.

At 4-6 the Eagles are still in the NFC East, but after rookie quarterback Jameis Winston threw five touchdowns and Doug Martin ran for over 200 yards, the Eagles playoff chances are fading fast. This tension has been building in Philadelphia since Kelly took over football operations. In that time Kelly has let successful players such as Lesean McCoy, Desean Jackson, Nick Foles, and Jeremy Maclin go while bringing in players that made the Philly faithful scratch their heads. While Nick Foles played at a pro-bowl level, Kelly brought in the extremely fragile and unproved Sam Bradford who shockingly couldn’t make it through another NFL season.

The main problem? Kelly’s once dominant and playmaking offense is

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Desean Jackson (left) and Lesean McCoy (right) were shipped out of town and since their departure the Eagles offense hasn’t recovered.

staler then a two week old cheesesteak. Chip’s confidence that his system was greater then the players has come back to haunt him as the Eagles have struggled to move the ball all season while his former players are making splashes in their new NFL homes. Fans have to wonder what kind of team the Eagles would be if those players still donned the green.

So what now? It would shock me if the Eagles fired Chip Kelly especially one year into giving him complete control. However, I predict that Chip Kelly will leave Philly at the end of this season. Why? He’s always been an opportunist, and their are just too many great opportunities out there. Don’t believe me?

Consider this. Chip Kelly was dying to get Marcus Mariota in this past draft and couldn’t pull off a deal. The Titans need a new coach and would probably give Chip full control if he became the coach. Also given the state of the AFC South, Kelly could see an easier road to the playoffs as well.

Still, there’s always college. With so many great college jobs that are available, or may become available he may go back to college football and

Colorado v USC

Could Kelly return to the PAC 12 as the Head Coach at USC? (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

look to win a National Championship. Possible jobs that could open include Texas and LSU while jobs that are already enticing include USC and the University of Miami. We know that Kelly can coach in college, and in recent years coaches like Saban and Harbaugh have thrived in their returns to the NCAA.

Could the Eagles make the playoffs? Sure. Could Kelly return next season? Of course. Still the way this season has gone and how the team has appeared to quit on Kelly, or at least the defense in the game against Tampa Bay, all eyes will been on Philadelphia as the soap opera plays itself out. Once thing is for certain, it certainly isn’t sunny in Philadelphia right now.

 

 

Falling Star: Sam Bradford on trading block?

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The Rams are looking to move Bradford

The Rams are looking to move Bradford

After bring the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft it looked like Sam Bradford was poised to be the Rams’ franchise quarterback. After signing the largest rookie deal in league history, $78 million dollars over six years, Bradford backed this up by winning the NFL Rookie of the Year in 2010. However, in the spring of 2014, the Rams maybe looking to move their franchise quarterback and Draft his replacement in the upcoming draft.

When healthy, there is no question that Bradford is a talented quarterback, but injury issues and his massive contract may have become to large of a burden for St. Louis to bear. With $27 million dollars owed over the next two seasons in guaranteed money, it’s hard for the Rams to have faith in Bradford’s health. In the Rams last 48 games, Bradford has only started 33 of those games. With the Rams culminating a plethora of young talent the past three off seasons, they could be just a quarterback away from competing in the talented NFC West.

Sources from Rams camp have said this week that the club is looking to trade Bradford and that St. Louis is seriously considering taking Johnny Manziel with their number 2 pick. While this may seem high, there has also been talks that the Rams could also wait at pick 13 in the hopes that Manziel or Bortles could fall to them. While this is a plausible scenario, the big question is can the Rams trade Bradford and will there be a market for him?

There are teams that are desperately looking for quarterbacks, but the Rams will probably not get a high return on Bradford because of his injury history and contract. Even if the Rams agree to swallow a significant portion of the contract, they still at best would fetch maybe a mid round selection or two for Bradford. I propose that the Rams keep Bradford and draft a quarterback. In that scenario you get a talented backup to Bradford who can sit and learn while Bradford can hopefully stay healthy. If he gets hurt, then the Rams have a viable backup to take over. If Bradford plays all, then he will be easier to trade and command a higher value after next offseason. Worst case scenario, Bradford is terrible or hurt, and the Rams go their first round quarterback to take over. While there is still a lot that can happen before the Draft, this is one story we will have to keep our eyes on.