NFL purists hate Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. They have said the up-tempo offense he ran at Oregon would never work in the National Football League. Kelly is now in his third year and he keeps proving his naysayers wrong.
The Eagles made some bold moves this offseason. They traded their starting quarterback and starting running back and let most of the veterans on the offensive line walk. Kelly uses the ‘next man up’ ideology often used in college. NFL players have a limited shelf-life, so he kicks them to the curb, albeit a little early.
Philly has went 10-6 in both seasons under Kelly. Can they hit or better than mark in 2015?
Here is the 2015 NFL team preview for the Philadelphia Eagles.
2014 Win/Loss Record: 10-6
Key Additions: QB DeMarco Murray, QB Sam Bradford, RB Ryan Mathews, WR Miles Austin, ILB Kiko Alonso, ILB Brad Jones, CB Byron Maxwell, CB Walter Thurmond, CB E.J. Biggers, QB Tim Tebow,
Key Losses: QB Nick Foles, RB LeSean McCoy, WR Jeremy Maclin, OG Evan Mathis, OG Todd Herremans, OLB Trent Coles, ILB Casey Matthews, CB Cary Williams, S Nate Allen, CB Bradley Fletcher, RB Chris Polk, TE James Casey & WR Brad Smith
2015 Draft Picks: WR Nelson Agholor, CB Eric Rowe, ILB Jordan Hicks, CB JaCorey Shepherd, CB Randall Evans & DE Brian Mihalik
Non-Division Schedule: AFC East, NFC South & (Arizona/Dallas)
Fantasy Sleeper: WR Nelson Agholor – The Eagles have a lot of weapons on offense. Bradford will spread the ball around the field and it’s hard to pinpoint one guy who will have a breakout year. Jordan Matthews seems to be that guy, but rookie Agholor will play a role in the offense. He has great hands and will most likely play the slot role. Bradford will be looking to get the ball out quick since his offensive line is a work in progress after letting many of their veterans walk this offseason.
Projected Starters
Offense – QB Sam Bradford, RB DeMarco Murray, WR Jordan Matthews, WR Nelson Agholor, WR Riley Cooper, TE Zach Ertz, LT Jason Peters, LG Allen Barbre, C Jason Kelce, RG Matt Tobin & RT Lane Johnson
Defense – DE Cedric Thornton, DT Bennie Logan, DE Fletcher Cox, LOLB Connor Barwin, ILB DeMeco Ryans, ILB Kiko Alonso, ROLB Brandon Graham, CB Byron Maxwell, CB Eric Rowe, SS Malcolm Jenkins & FS Earl Wolff
Team Analysis: Head coach Chip Kelly has spent the last two offseasons revamping his offense. He needs speed and endurance at every position. The Eagles run the most plays per game and he needs the right guys to run his system. He decided to ship his starting running back LeSean McCoy and starting quarterback Nick Foles off to different teams in order to sign running back DeMarco Murray and get the often-injured quarterback Sam Bradford in return for Foles. It was a risky move to let those guys go, but I guess we need to assume Kelly knows what he’s doing, until he clearly doesn’t. I like Philly a lot this year, but we shall see how well Bradford holds up. Kelly hasn’t been able to keep his quarterback safe in the NFL. It could come to bite him in the ass if he is forced to start Tim Tebow or Matt Barkley late in the season.
2015 Wins Over/Under Line: 9.5 (Prediction: OVER)
2015 Projected Win/Loss Record: 10-6 (2nd in NFC East)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.