If NFL defensive coordinators were getting concerned as they saw new Eagles coach Chip Kelly’s fast-paced offense rack up 322 yards and 21 first downs on 53 plays in the first half on Monday night, Kelly has some bad news for them.
“I felt like it was slow,” Kelly said Tuesday.
The Eagles’ offense in the first half was about as fast-paced as anyone has ever seen in the NFL. Surely, Kelly must be joking when he says it was too slow, right?
“I’m not joking,” Kelly said. “We need to do a better job. We left the ball on the ground too much. We didn’t get the ball to the officials. We could have sped things up from a process in between plays. That’s something we need to work on.”
If Kelly’s offense can move the ball down the field even faster than it did in the first half of Monday night’s game, that’s scary for opposing defenses. But it’s also a big “if.” As tiring as it is for opposing defenses to contend with an offense that moves the ball that quickly, it’s also tiring for the players on the Eagles’ offense. And if Michael Vick gets hit every game as much as he got hit on Monday night, he may not last 16 weeks.
So it’s no sure thing that Kelly’s offense is going to take the NFL by storm. But it sure will be fun to watch him try.