PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Chip Kelly may have been an offensive savant. He may have helped pave the road to a new way of coaching in the NFL. But his fall from grace left a sour taste in the mouth of Eagles fans, many of whom continue to wonder why he received the keys to a franchise he was driving into the ditch.
The fall of coach Kelly started in 2014, with a month to go in the NFL season. Kelly had coaching the Eagles for less than two years, and he looked to be setting Philadelphia up for a potential Super Bowl run. Everything seemed to be going great.
But the run never happened.
The Eagles dropped three must-win games — to the Seahawks, Cowboys, and Redskins — falling out of contention and the playoffs.
While some would consider the 2014 implosion a failure, Eagles owner Jeffery Lurie decided to instead give Kelly full control over the franchise, leading to an even bigger implosion the following season, which would see the head coach depart from his position before the final regular season game.
Almost a decade after the end of his tenure, Eagles fans still don’t remember the Kelly era positively — but he does.
“I think people think that if things don't go well somewhere, there’s supposed to be animosity, but I loved my time [in Philadelphia],” Kelly said.
Looking back at his bombastic years in the NFL, some, like former Eagles coach and Kelly’s more successful predecessor Doug Pederson, echoed the sentiment that not everyone is fit for football’s biggest stage, and that’s okay.
“Some guys are college guys, and they thrive in college ... so I think all of that has to do with success or failure,” Pederson said.
With his quick rise to power came an even quicker fall from grace, but Kelly says he holds no hard feelings toward anyone, even the man who fired him.
“He’s always been a class act,” Kelly said. “He’s always been straightforward, honest. Jeffrey gave me an opportunity to coach in the NFL, so I’m a big Jeffrey Lurie fan.”
Listen to ‘unCovering the Birds’ Episode Four: Chip Kelly - Part II: The Fall
New episodes of “unCovering the Birds” drop every Friday. Listen in the Audacy app or wherever you get your podcasts. “unCovering the Birds” is sponsored by Wawa.
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