Expect Philadelphia Eagles To Follow Andy Reid Blueprint

Dec 27, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watches against the Cleveland Browns in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won the game 17-13. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Chip Kelly was fired because he didn’t win enough games in 2015 and he clearly mismanaged things with the Philadelphia Eagles.  That is why team owner Jeff Lurie pulled the plug, and now questions abound on where the team is headed.  Of course a new head coach is at the top of the list.

"“I wanted to make Chip accountable for everything he wanted to happen,” Lurie said.Lurie said that Kelly was not offered a chance to return without personnel control.He opened his press conference by essentially admitting it was time to cut bait. The Kelly experiment was supposed to lift the team from a 10-win, borderline playoff club to a Super Bowl champion. It ended in the Eagles bottoming out on prime time against the Redskins with the playoffs on the line.Over the next week, the owner plans on meeting with all of his players, a process that he said has already started with a players-only meeting on Wednesday. Though Lurie would not say that Kelly lost the locker room, he stressed the importance of learning what kind of coach his players want.”"

This can mean they’ll go any number of ways, but if history is any indication, don’t expect Lurie to stray too far from the formula.  If there is one thing Eagles fans and the national media are betting right now, it’s that the owner is regretting his impulsive decision to fire former head coach Andy Reid following the 2012 season.  The team finished 4-12 that year and many felt the veteran head coach was done.

Clearly that was not the case.  Since leaving Philadelphia, he has gotten the Kansas City Chiefs to the playoffs twice in three seasons.  It’s fair to wonder if the decision to fire him was a tad impulsive based on a disappointing 4-12 finish to his last season with the Eagles.

Regardless, Lurie is not likely to change the approach that has brought his franchise so much success.  He’ll want somebody like Reid running things, an offensive mind who understands the quarterback position and has the plan to build a competent staff to help.  Kelly was in the mold, but he proved to be a tad too radical an attempt.

Expect a more traditional approach this time around, whether they be a retread like Josh McDaniels or rising star like Adam Gase.  Unless somebody from another phase of the game hits a home run in interviews, this is likely the way the Philadelphia Eagles will do it.