Another former Eagle added, “I know there were reports that Chip lost the locker room this season”.
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Very little in the report, however, suggests that this frustration with Kelly’s management had anything to do with on the field performance, contrary to sentiment of the fanbase, which has been gossiping about replacing Kelly due to the team’s 7-9 performance this season.
By interviewing Staley, the team also fulfilled the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires including a minority among head coaching candidates. He won a Super Bowl with the 49ers in 1994 – a goal owner Jed York preached about during his recent press conference.
But the question moving forward is where will Kelly land next season, or will he even have a coaching gig? Owner Jeff Lurie had given Kelly full control over personnel in the offseason, and the failed experiment led to a 6-10 finish in the NFC East, one of the worst divisions in football. He has been the running backs coach since 2013. He didn’t agree with Kelly’s direction and wasn’t pleased with his personality traits.
“I would love to play for him”, Bradford said. Jackson, who has head coaching experience, has not confirmed an interview yet, unlike Lynn, who will visit the 49ers Thursday.
One thing that could keep that from happening is that Mularkey is also considered a candidate, suggesting the team is at least saw enough to think he could continue to do the job. Other than that, it’s impossible to know what the future holds for the Eagles, a team looking for a head coach, a quarterback and an identity now that the book on this season has been sealed.
Bradford was given more freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage. Lurie and his group don’t make quick decisions.
Other than the Eagles opening, the only other current opening belongs to the Dolphins and there is nothing to indicate any interest by the team or Kelly.
The contracts Kelly gave Murray and Maxwell, and the high price of re-signing Bradford, who is a free agent, complicate matters. He completed 30 of 38 passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception. He wanted to stay when Kelly was here. He didn’t fit Kelly’s scheme and prefers to run the ball from deep in the backfield instead of the shotgun formation. Yes, it came with Bradford under center and Murray lined up several yards behind him. While these two run blocking bulldozers were undoubtedly reaching the twilight of their careers, they were a formidable duo, and the Eagles had no answer waiting in the wings should Mathis and Herremans depart.
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Plus, as Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweeted Monday, Baalke and Payton both have a background with former National Football League coach Bill Parcells.
