5 Most Disappointing Eagles' Players In 2015
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- On August 31st, 2015 -- less than 48 hours after the Eagles' impressive preseason massacre of the Packers -- Vegas Insider shortened the Eagles' Super Bowl odds to 10-1.
At that point, they were Vegas Insider's fourth most likely team to win the Super Bowl behind only the Seahawks (7-1), Packers (15-2), and Colts (9-1) -- as Tom Brady's suspension still loomed for the defending champion Patriots.
Think about that. The Eagles' were projected by Vegas as the fourth best team in the NFL. My oh my, how times have changed. Fast-forward four months later, and the 6-9 Eagles will travel to the 6-9 Giants on Sunday for a meaningless regular-season finale.
While most of the blame -- and deservedly so -- falls on head coach (and pseudo-GM) Chip Kelly, the players deserve their fair share of criticism as well.
Disappointment is directly related to expectation. We're so disappointed in the Eagles because of their expectations. Chip Kelly's job is on the line because of expectation and disappointment, while Brett Brown received a contract extension this season despite coaching a historically bad NBA team.
So, with that in mind, here are the five most disappointing Eagles' players in 2015.
5. Mychal Kendricks
The Eagles signed Kendricks to a four-year deal worth $29 million ($16.4M guaranteed) during the offseason, a move that excited the entire fan base after speculation of Kendricks' departure began to circulate. But the 25-year-old linebacker disappointed in 2015. Kendricks missed three games to injury and has just 77 tackles, one forced fumble, and no interceptions in 12 games. He hasn't been the impact player we thought he'd be and he has certainly not made the leap from good-to-great.
4. Nelson Agholor
"But he's a rookie! How could he be on this list?!"
I don't care if he's a rookie. He's a first-round pick and we -- and I think Chip Kelly did too -- expected big things from the USC standout.
In 2014 Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins, Kelvin Benjamin, John Brown, Brandin Cooks, Allen Robinson, Jordan Matthews, Martavis Bryant, Jarvis Landry, and Allen Hurns were rookies too.
I mean 21 catches? 21 catches. Agholor has 21 catches for 260 yards and ONE touchdown in 12 NFL games. Yikes.
I didn't expect him to replace 100-percent of Jeremy Maclin's production, but I think 50 or 60-percent is relatively reasonable.
3. Kiko Alonso
Remember how excited we were about Kiko Alonso? Sure, he missed the 2014 season with an ACL injury, but in 2013 he had 159 tackles, four interceptions, two sacks, and a forced fumble as a rookie!
Alonso suffered a knee-injury in Week 2 and missed five games. He has just 34 tackles in 10 games, one interception (Week 1), no sacks, no forced fumbles, no fumble recoveries, and one pass deflection.
2. DeMarco Murray
How does one player go from being the NFL's rushing champion (392 carries - 1,845 yards) to slowly becoming a team's third or fourth RB option (181 carries - 633 yards)?
"The Cowboys' offensive line, that's how!"
"Chip Kelly didn't use him correctly!"
I don't care how good the Cowboys' o-line was, or how bad the Eagles' o-line is, or how the coach used him, or any of it for that matter -- 633 yards rushing in 14 games! That's absurd. A bad year is one thing, but this is incomprehensibly atrocious. What the heck happened?
1. Jason Kelce
Kelce, coming off his first Pro Bowl season in 2014, is all of the sudden a bad center? He can't snap, he can't block, and he can't stop holding. He has been an Eagle his whole career, he hasn't dealt with many injuries, he's only 28, he's been a leader, and he's vocally supported Chip Kelly.
If there was one player we were sure we could count on heading into the season, it was Kelce. But he let us down.
Why I left Byron Maxwell off the list
The bar was set unfairly too high for Maxwell due to his six-year, $63M contract. And I don't think he had nearly as bad of a season as the perception is. Was it a sound year for Maxwell? Certainly not. But it wasn't horrendous either.
He played well vs. Odell Beckham Jr., Dez Bryant, and Sammy Watkins. In 14 games, Maxwell tallied two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and 10 pass deflections.
Why I left Jason Peters off the list
Peters turns 34 in three weeks. I know he's a seven-time -- excuse me, eight-time now -- Pro Bowl left-tackle, but the writing was on the wall. We saw him deteriorating and some even suspected it. It's the cycle of life. You can't dominate forever.
To Peters' credit, he battled through injury all-season long and played well at times. He gutted it out. And somehow, he made the Pro Bowl again.
Why I left Zach Ertz off the list
Statistically, Ertz had a strong season: 66 catches, 701 yards, and two touchdowns. His 66 catches were actually ninth best among NFL tight ends. But the drops, fumbles, and his inability to develop into a reliable and consistent option prompted me to consider the third-year TE for the list. Ultimately, I left him off. Going forward, the idea of Ertz blossoming into an elite player has been eliminated from my mind.