Chip Kelly--What's at Steak (By Brian)

Mr. Chip Kelly,

Welcome to Philadelphia.  Your hire hasn’t left much of the NFC East (Kelly) green with envy.  The consensus seems to be that your offense is gimmicky and that your heart isn’t really in it.  If that’s so I really couldn’t blame you.  It’s hard to believe that a few million dollars more would be enough to leave A Great City for the Arts and Outdoors for a cold, anguished city whose biggest claim to fame happened over 235 years ago. 

Still if you’re planning to stick around a little longer than some of your college-to-pro predecessors like Petrino and Saban, maybe you can take off the Nike cross trainers, put down the organic fruits and vegetable and partake in the local cuisine.  A couple of cheese steaks won’t kill you.  And even if you put on a few pounds I’m sure that the Eagles still have lying around a few of those oversized unitards that Andy Reid used to don on the sidelines.

Admittedly I might not be the best guy to give you advice on where to get the best sliced rib eye with whiz.  I’ve only been to four of the local establishments.  But I am as good a guy as any to give you some clarity on what awaits you in the NFC East.  For brevity’s sake, let’s try to kill both of these two birds with one stone.

Geno’s: Dallas Cowboys

Founded in the 1960’s, it reached meteoric heights in a relatively short period of time, rendering much older competition to scramble to compete.  Don’t let the past fool you.  Today they are living on reputation alone.  For all the flashy lights and the extreme bravado, they haven’t been relevant in a couple of decades.  The out-of-towners love it.  The locals know better.

Pat’s King of Steak’s: Washington Redskins

Founded in the 1930’s, it has served as the natural rival to its competitor above.  Unfortunately it has become as big of a relic of another time (much like the logo on the Redskins helmet although at least a Pat’s cheese steak isn’t an absolute affront to our nation’s native citizens).  The so-called experts are predicting a comeback.  The locals will believe it when they see it.

Jim’s: New York Giants

Founded decades ago, the place has been packed since at least the FDR administration.  The fans are believers and are willing to stand in line for hours in the harshest of weather to partake.  Still, reviews are all over the place.  The country has at times viewed it as elite but the locals find it to be too inconsistent.   

Tony Luke’s: Philadelphia Eagles

Housed, ironically, on East Oregon Avenue, Tony Luke’s is “The real taste of South Philly.”  The staff and patrons might be unfriendly but they have more or less owned the competition for the past decade, even as they struggle to win national recognition.  But while the talent is undeniable it continues to search for an identity.  Is this a cheese steak restaurant or a roast pork place?  The locals are begging for an answer.        

That is where you come in.  I wish you all the best in Philadelphia.  I’d advise you to take some antacid now and look to rent, not buy.    

Talking Myself into Chip

My first post for this blog dealt with the Eagles coaching search. Here's what I wrote about Chip Kelly: 

"They are interviewing Chip Kelly as we speak but it looks (hopefully) like he’s going to Cleveland. They can have him...he may be the next Jimmy Johnson but we need more of a sure thing. Also, there aren’t any Tennessee Tech’s on the schedule in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Oregon actually played them this year--I looked it up)."


The first thing to remember when reading this blog is that I don't know anything (this also extends to the NBA draft--ask my cousin Mike about Acie Law IV. I also may or may not have wanted Ty Lawson over Jrue Holiday, who is now already my third favorite Sixer of all time and climbing quickly).  Now--I am an intelligent, thoughtful Eagles fan and I watch all the games but just like the vast majority of the talking heads on TV I will likely be wrong more than I'm right. By a large margin. 

That holds true now as much as it did before the Kelly hire. But--and this is important--before they hired him I had done zero research on him and held many of the same misconceptions that others did regarding his body of work. His offensive philosophy is actually based on creating mismatches and not just throwing the ball all over the field. His offenses at Oregon were consistently among the national leaders in rushing. He does have experience on the defensive side of the ball (as defensive coordinator at Johns Hopkins; I'm not totally sure this counts as I actually had no idea they had a football team). 

Apparently they do.


But most of all, what I've read about Chip Kelly is that he adapts. This is something I have not seen an Eagles coach do since Bill Clinton was president. One writer mentioned how--if a team was playing their safeties deep--he would make them pay by running the ball. What a concept! Whereas the previous coach (I have decided his name will never again be mentioned in this blog) would continue to throw and throw and throw some more if that's what his pre-game scouting called for. The only thing he adjusted over 14 years here was his pant size.

Anyway, people have been asking me what I think of the Chip Kelly hire and this is how I sum it up for them: so far, I like what I've read and I like how he comes off. But we won't truly know until we see what this team looks like on the field. 

In the interim I will watch and see what happens and withhold judgement until next September. I won't question the Pat Shurmur hire even though he was a disciple of the West Coast Offense for 8 years under the Coach That Shall Not Be Named. I won't assume Kelly's offense is a gimmick and I won't worry about whether he can successfully transition from a cushy Oregon situation where he was the undisputed king into the bubbling cauldron of psychosis, paranoia and Whiz (capital and lower case) in which Eagles nation eternally stews. Because the last few years have been so utterly miserable; because I won't have to hear anyone clearing their throat or taking full responsibility anymore; because I won't have to watch a rookie or backup QB throw 55 passes while the All-Pro running back practices blitz pickup because "we saw some things on tape that made us believe we could throw on these guys". For these reasons and many, MANY more, Chip Kelly has my unconditional support for now. 

P.S. I am still reeling that the head coach of this reeking turd of a team as well as ALL THREE OF HIS COORDINATORS (including special teams coach Bobby April) got the same jobs with other NFL teams. Did these teams actually watch the Eagles play this year? They regularly and spectacularly failed in all three facets of the game. The team CLEARLY quit despite what the head coach and his apologists on TV and talk radio would have you believe. And still, all of them got hired mere weeks after this disgrace of a season mercifully ended. The only one I would even consider is Bowles because I think he got a raw deal with the Washburn fiasco. Hell I'd hire Juan Castillo to coach my offensive line before I'd hire any of these guys. The NFL is so dumb sometimes. 

Giant Stages of Grief--Brian

I’m progressing through the five stages of football grief. 

Denial (December 16^th – December 29th) – The Giants still have something left in the tank.  Forget those miserable losses in Atlanta and Baltimore.  Giants will beat the Eagles, Green Bay and Washington will take care of business and the Lions will figure out a way to beat an aging and depleted Chicago Bears team.

Anger (December 30^th at 4:17PM) – I hate you Detroit.

Bargaining (December 30^th at 4:18PM) - Teams that win two Super Bowls in five years deserve a grace period.  It could be worse.  Just look 90 miles south of New York City.

Depression (December 30^th at 4:19PM - TBD) – It’s over.  No meaningful football for nine months.  Didn’t this season just start?  I should have become a baseball fan.  162 games.  The Giants are about the extent of my social life these days.  Do I really have to go nine months until I see those guys we tailgate with again? 

Acceptance (Getting there…)

It just wasn’t their year.  They never figured out how to stop the run.  Their third down defense was atrocious.  They were never able to protect Eli despite giving up an astonishingly low number of sacks.  Teams that don’t control the line of scrimmage don’t win in this league. 

Windows of opportunities just close too quickly in this league.  As I said in my last post, the core of the last two Super Bowl runs appears to have gotten old all at the exact same moment.  Still, there is a lot of talent on this roster to rebuild and reload. 

For now, I’ll kick back this weekend and watch stress-free football and take some solace from the fact that deep down Packers and Niners and Patriots fans are thrilled that their road to the SB doesn’t have to go through the NY Football Giants.  On the bright side at least the rest of the NFC East is sitting at home too.   

The View from Dallas (via Long Island)

The carousel of defensive coordinators being let go by the Cowboys continues.  Rob Ryan is the latest victim. He was a brash character that basically didn't get it done.  Over the two years with him on staff, the defense did show improvement going from 31st in total team defense to 14th in 2011 and then dropped to 19th in 2012. Facts are facts--no NFL team would want to finish up a year either 14th or 19th. I'm sure Rob Ryan will get back on his feet somewhere but will it be as a defensive coordinator or will it be a specialty position under someone else?  Stat of the day: teams with Ryan at Defensive Coordinator are 41-87. 

Was Rob Ryan set up for failure with the Boys?  The answer is yes. This guy didn't get a fair shake.  His first year on the job was playing catch up after a long and stressful work stoppage. His 3-4 system is very complicated and is meant to keep offenses off balance and guessing. In order for players to learn a system of this magnitude they need a full camp and full season to work out the kinks.  Strike 1.  The second strike is something that no defensive coordinator or head coach or team owner can control and that is injuries.  This is not a plea for sympathy here because no NFL fan feels sorry for the Dallas Cowboys and their fans.  But lets face it--the team had 5 starters lost for most of this year. Every team deals with injuries but this defense was decimated.  The linebacking corps had so much promise in 2012 with Linebacker U's own Sean Lee coming off a super sophomore season. Broken wrist and all he is a playmaker. Unfortunately a bad turf toe did him in and he was lost early in the season. Then rookie phenom Bruce Carter took control of the defense and made some great plays until he was sidelined for the rest of 2012 on Thanksgiving Day with an elbow injury.  Losing two starting middle LB's and a starting strong safety for the year is impossible to rebound from.  

The Cowboys need to focus on their two lines. We will only be talking about the defensive line today. Demarcus Ware had a disappointing season finishing with only 11.5 sacks. The double teams and injuries to his shoulder and elbow really limited him this year. The pass rush was non-existent towards the end of the year. The one bright spot on the Cowboys defense were the performances of their Cornerbacks.  Rookie CB Morris Claiborne drafted # 6 overall did a solid job his in his first season.  He needs to be a little more physical off the line to contend with larger athletic WR's like Hakeem Nicks and Calvin Johnson.  Free agent signing Brandon Carr had a great year. The highlight of his season was when Carr picked off Big Ben on the Steelers' first series in OT to secure a must win for the Cowboys and defensive player of the week.  His 3 INTS, 1 for a TD and almost 50 tackles is a bright spot for this team. 

Going into 2013 the Cowboys have a ton of questions on Defense: Who will take over as their coordinator? If Lovie Smith doesn't land another HC job, he would be a great hire. Ex- Cowboy Ray Horton has made no name players on the Arizona Cardinals defense into stars. Although Arizona fell apart the second half of the season, their defense was not the reason their season was a disaster.  Former Eagle Defensive Line coach Jim Washburn is out there as well but based on his relationship with Castillo, I wouldn't want him. How about Mike Singletary? If he doesn't get hired as a HC he would be another guy to consider. He is largely responsible for making the 49er defense into what it is today. 

It will be exciting to see the chemistry between Carr and Claiborne grow as well as middle LB's Lee and Carter will be ball hawks for this defense. A healthy Jay Ratliff will make a difference plugging up the middle. Can these players stay healthy?  Has Demarcus Ware seen better days rushing the QB? What will the team do in the draft to assist Ware and gang to wreak havoc on NFC East QB's--especially Eli-- in 2013?   Let's hope with a new Defensive Coordinator and healthy personnel, the Dallas Cowboys can set a course for success on defense.  -Adam

Peace out, NFC East

Thoughts on the Redskins-Seahawks game...

1. Hate to see RGIII go down like that. If he can stay healthy he's the evolutionary Steve Young

2. Marshawn Lynch is a BEAST, that fumble notwithstanding

3. Earl Thomas...god dammit. At least Brandon Graham showed flashes this year. But a Pro Bowl safety would be nice instead of yet another undersized defensive lineman. Or really any NFL-caliber safety...or a decent Division 1 safety...

4. Is it me or is Golden Tate pretty good? 

5. This Shanahan/Dr. James Andrews thing should be interesting http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/redskins/2013/01/06/dr-james-andrews-disputes-coach-mike-shanahans-version-of-washington-redskins-quarterback-robert-griffin-iii-knee-injury/1811689/

6. Those are some bangs on Russell Wilson. Maybe showing 2 inches of forehead. Maybe.

7. I'd still take RGIII's knees over Andrew Bynum's  

Anyway, at least no one else in the division will win a title this year. By the way, I was at that game where Osi made Justice his girlfriend. Only one of the 7 or 8 Eagles games I've been to at the Meadowlands that the Giants won. That includes the Desean game and the one last year won by the immortal Vince Young. They were a Dream Team that day, my friend.

P.S. I am F'ING TERRIFIED of Eddie Money.  Can't decide if he looks like the Heath Ledger Joker without the makeup or Curt Schilling on a meth bender.  That commercial is brutal.

Brian's first Post

Thanks for getting this started.  I was partial to a podcast if only to hear our idiot Cowboy fan friend get into arguments that he couldn’t find his way out of but I’m perfectly willing to put pen to paper so long as the wife and kids allow it.  Let me be among the first to wish Coach Reid a good life in the AFC.  I echo your comments that the only people happier than Eagles fans to see Reid thrown out of town are Giants fans.  The last time the Giants owned the Eagles they had a drunk racist quitter at QB, Jason Sehorn was relevant, and Jim Fassell was better known for pushing his chips to the middle of the table rather than those two William Hanbrecht Championships he won with Las Vegas Locomotive.

I would have rather seen Reid take a year off if only because the Giants will be going to Arrowhead in 2013.  Why not take a year?  If I’m him I reintroduce myself to my family, do a little P90X, eat a piece of lettuce, and play a little Madden 2013 to learn how to run the ball and use timeouts and challenges appropriately. Eagles have to pay him anyway.  Maybe he can do good things with the Chiefs.  As always, it will all come down to QB play.  At least Matt Cassell doesn’t kill dogs or throw up in the middle of big games but still I’m not sure that he is the answer.

Why the hatred for Osi?  Besides that one time that Winston Justice impersonated a garbage can, the Eagles have done quite well running to Osi’s side.  I think Shady is going to miss him terribly.

Speaking of Osi, am I the only one that’s afraid that the Giants Super Bowl core all got old at the exact same moment?  For all the love for Jerry Reese, the core of the last two Giants Super Bowl teams were Ernie Accorsi draft picks.  2003 – Osi and Diehl.  2004 – Eli and Snee.  2005 – Webster, Tuck, and Jacobs.  Reese has had his moments but a lot of his picks have either been busts (Clint Sintim, Ramses Barden, Travis Beckhum, Jerrel Jernigan, Marvin Austin (too soon?) or brittle (Kevin Boss, Kenny Phillips, Jay Alford, Steve Smith, Terrell Thomas).  Others like Barry Cofield and Mario Manningham were lost to free agency.  Don’t get me wrong, Reese has had some great hits but are JPP, Linval, Nicks, Prince, Cruz, ready to be the core of the next championship runs?  The irony of writing this as I watch JJ Watt be the player I expected JPP to be is not lost on me.  Time will tell but let’s not underestimate the aging of the Accorsi core for the latest mid season swoon.  

As for Mike McCoy, I’m guessing it won’t be so easy without Peyton.  At least Bill O’Brien isn’t jumping ship after one season.  Good luck to him on the recruiting trail.  Can’t imagine why PSU would be a tough sell.    

Welcome

Welcome to the initial installment of Blue and Green, a blog where two long time friends who despise each other’s football teams discuss the New York Football Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles in particular, and the NFC East and entire NFL in general. 

Along the way we’ll hear from guest writers, such as our friend who is from the heart of Giants country in North Jersey yet inexplicably roots for the Cowboys. We might hear from a Steeler fan or two (one of us may or may not be married to one), and if we can find a Redskins fan at some point we’ll let him or her chime in. But for the most part, we will be focusing on Big Blue and the Midnight (sadly, no longer Kelly) Green, why each hates the other, and why--in some instances--we hate our own players, coaches, and front office even more.

This idea started as a podcast discussing the NFC east as a whole...we decided that, since both of us have jobs and--again--we don’t know any Redskins fans, that a blog would be easier and probably more likely to actually happen.

Anyway, hopefully we can entertain and enlighten, and maybe even get some readers that aren’t related to us. 

Since we are going to strive to be as topical as possible, the first post will relate to the ongoing search for the next Eagles coach. My thoughts on Andy Reid are a 10,000 word  alcohol-fueled post of their own, but suffice it to say that both of us are glad to see him go. Me because he has done a horrible job for the last 7 or 8 years while maintaining the arrogance of someone who’s actually won something, and my partner because he somehow OWNED the Giants while he was here. They say if you want to know how to get Tom Coughlin to stop masturbating, just put a giant walrus mustache on his dick and he’ll never beat it again. 

I have no idea who I actually want as coach, and--right now--it doesn’t really matter. Honestly ANYONE is better than Andy Reid at this point. Bill O’Brien is headed back to Penn State, albeit with a nice raise; he seems to have been high on their list. They are interviewing Chip Kelly as we speak but it looks (hopefully) like he’s going to Cleveland. They can have him...he may be the next Jimmy Johnson but we need more of a sure thing. Also, there aren’t any Tennessee Tech’s on the schedule in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (Oregon actually played them this year--I looked it up). Just the fact that Cleveland is going to hire him means he’ll probably fail because, well, it’s Cleveland. 

That leaves Mike McCoy, Denver’s offensive coordinator, Gus Bradley, Seattle’s DC, Bruce Arians who is almost as old as my dad, the other Gruden, and the head coach at Syracuse (Doug Marrone). Those are the candidates as of now.

Again, let me be PERFECTLY clear--I don’t really care who they pick because I don’t know the first thing about any of these guys other than none of them are Andy Reid. Ray Didinger likes McCoy and that’s good enough for me. I am not too keen on bringing in a 60 year old (Arians) with no prior head coaching experience but other than that it doesn’t matter. For the first time in years I have my football team back. I will once again enjoy rooting for the Eagles to win more than I enjoy rooting for the Giants to lose. Eagles games have been a miserable chore to sit through for the last few years, and there’s nothing worse than not having fun rooting for your favorite team. 

That’s all I have for now, other than to say suck it Eli and F Umenyiora. God I hate the New York Giants.