Embarrassing. Slow. Funny. Injuries. Confused. Fumble. Interception. Sack. Nick Foles. These are all words that were related to the Philadelphia Eagles' offense last year. A potential playoff/Super Bowl team after a disappointing 2011-12 campaign, they continued their decline in 2012-13 by going 4-12 despite having talent across the board on their team.
DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, Nnamdi Asomugha, DeMeco Ryans. These are not scrub players by any stretch of the imagination and yet they finished last in their division, and were front runners for the most disappointing team of the year award. Despite these concerns, I believe that their offense next year could be historic. There's a good chance I'll look like a fool on this prediction given how the past two seasons have gone, but there are positive signs to consider.
Quack Attack
The first of these signs is new head coach Chip Kelly. Kelly was an offensive genius at Oregon, as his teams ranked in the top 10 in offense every year he was there except for 2009 (he was offensive coordinator from 2007-2008, head coach from 2009-2012). Last year, he turned an unproven freshman quarterback into an offensive machine as Marcus Mariota threw for 2677 yards, ran for 752 yards, and accumulated 37 total TDs. He was able to utilize De'Anthony Thomas, one of the most dynamic players in college football, very effectively as he got the ball to him in space and let him blow by everyone. His offense was highly up tempo with no huddle being the norm. He used option reads, trickery, and play action as the main ways he would attack a defense. This style led him to three Pac 10/12 titles, the 2010 Coach of the Year award, and a BCS bowl game every year he was a head coach. There is some debate about whether or not his college style will translate to the NFL game as evidenced by these coaches, but I think Kelly will find better success for a few reasons.
See: 49ers, Panthers, Tim Tebow, Washington Redskins
Like it or not, this gimmicky, college football style read option offense has hit the NFL. And it has hit the NFL running. The 49ers were able to get all the way to the Super Bowl with it, and came darn close to winning it. While Kelly's system will differ a bit from the 49ers, which will differ from the Panthers, etc., it's essentially the same idea. The concept is to create mismatches, force defenses to make quick decisions, then use speed to exploit their mistake. I look at a guy like Robert Griffin III and can just imagine him playing for Oregon in a Kelly system. Yikes!
These offenses have proven that this system can be effective. Since Kelly was hired so quickly, he will have time to evaluate the current Eagles roster as well as the incoming draft class, and find the best fit for his system. I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to take some of his Ducks with him. In fact, one of his former Ducks, LaMichael James, was on the 49ers squad this year and excelled at times this year due to the familiarity with the system. This read option stuff is here to stay football fans, and Kelly plans to reinforce the message.
Michael Vick
Vick is the linchpin in this whole prediction. If he gets injured or continues to play poorly, then this offense and team will fail. They will finish at the bottom of the NFC East again and Kelly will be under pressure after only one year of NFL coaching. Injuries are part of the game, and there is really no way to predict them. Yes, Vick has recently made injuries a habit, but I think that was more so due to what he was asked to do. I watched a few Eagles games this year and I noticed that many of the big shots he was taking were coming from being in the pocket, looking to pass. That is not Vick's game.
Consider that in 2004, arguably his best season in Atlanta, Vick played 15 games and threw the ball 321 times. In 2012, despite playing 5 games less than in 2004, Vick threw more times with 351 pass attempts. I understand that Vick is older now and may have lost a step when it comes to running, but no one would ever mistake him for being a prolific passer. They may have needed to throw late in games because they were losing, but at 35 pass attempts per game, it sounds like Andy Reid simply abandoned the run game and asked Vick to throw them to victory. Not going to happen. Despite his age, I think that Kelly can unleash the beast that was Vick. Remember the "No Using Vick" rule in Madden? Kelly could make that relevant again. He's no RG3 or Cam Newton, but I guarantee there's still some speed and amazing plays left in those legs. Kelly simply has to tap into that and turn him loose.
Remember When...We Were Good?
The final thing Kelly has going for him is that this offense, I believe, is actually stacked with talent. Some coaches inherit truly bad teams with players who just can't perform, but this Eagles team is different. They have simply under performed due to the coach, circumstance, you name it. In a vacuum, if you gave me Vick, Maclin, Jackson, and McCoy on offense, I'd say you have a real good chance to put up numbers. Despite their poor record, they finished middle of the pack in both rushing yards per game (13th) and passing yards per game (13th). Once McCoy got injured, Bryce Brown filled in admirably for him, although hanging onto the ball became an issue. With all these weapons at his disposal, I believe Kelly can transform this team into something special.
Vick is now his Mariota, Dennis Dixon, or Darron Thomas. A guy with an average arm, but legs that can kill a defense. Vick seems eager to learn, even under Reid, so this new system will challenge him, but it will be for the better. McCoy is a special player regardless of system, but will absolutely love this read option style attack. He has great quickness and can read the defense very well; two keys in this type of attack. Kelly will find a multitude of ways to get Jackson involved and into space, allowing him to use that great speed of his. I've always thought Jackson was a sub par "pure" receiver, but his play making ability has never been doubted. Maclin, although not as fast as Jackson, is a better route runner and has better hands. He will be relied upon to get into the open spaces and give Vick a reliable target to throw to. This team has more offensive studs than the majority of teams in the NFL. All it takes is a little execution and these Eagles should be flying.
The potential for this offense is amazing. It's going to be different from a historical perspective because the kind of system I believe Kelly will put in place is predicated on the run. The two greatest offenses I've ever seen, the Rams Greatest Show on Turf and the 2007 New England Patriots, were all about throwing the ball around and lighting up the scoreboard. While they may not put up the video game numbers that those two offenses did, they will be leaving defenses asking the same question they did of those two teams, "How do we stop them?" Kelly and Eagles fans nationwide are hoping the answer is, "You can't."
Matty O
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