Chip Kelly: 'We Were 1-3 Two Years Ago'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- For Philadelphia Eagles fans, the sky is falling and the season is over. The once beloved Chip Kelly is now being mocked.
However for Kelly himself, he's not panicking. In fact, the Eagles started 1-3 in Kelly's first season as head coach, before turning it around to finish 10-6 and become 2013 NFC East champions.
"We were 1-3 two years ago," Kelly told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Monday, the morning after his team's 23-20 loss to the Redskins.
Listen: Chip Kelly on the 94WIP Morning Show
"Last season, I don't look at---seasons don't string on for us," Kelly explained. We were 1-3 at this point in time two years ago coming back from getting our pants pulled down and our hineys whacked in Denver. Have we been through this before? Yeah. We need to continue to work, we need to continue to execute at a higher level. Your one play away from, two games here, of winning and then you're 3-1.
"We don't make excuses. We own what we are right now. We're 1-3 and what we know as a group is that this group will continue to work and dig our way out of the hole that we put ourselves in right now, but that's what this league is all about. Every week is gonna be a challenge. You got a Saints team that's coming off a big win over Dallas last night. So we've got to be ready to go this Sunday."
Kelly has been criticized for the controversial moves he made this past offseason, his first with personnel control, none bigger than the signing of running back DeMarco Murray.
In just three games played, Murray has a mere 47 yards on 29 carries.
"You gotta stay on the field on third down," Kelly explained. "So if third down gets you a first down, now we can run the football. We're not converting third downs and that's the biggest problem with us offensively right now."
Murray had eight carries for 36 yards in Sunday's loss and admitted publicly after the game that he wants the ball more.
"Yeah, everybody needs the ball more," Kelly admitted. "I've got no issue with that [comment]. We need to play more on offense. That's the bottom line. We're getting off the field on third and most of the time when we're off the field on third down it's our fault. We're not getting stopped. We're doing it to ourselves."
Another major problem that has haunted the Eagles this season is their kicking game. Cody Parkey, who missed a fourth-quarter 44-yard crucial field-goal during the Eagles' two-point loss at the Falcons in Week 1, is out for the season with a groin injury. However, the team's replacement---at least for Week 4 that is---Caleb Sturgis, missed a 33-yard field-goal and an extra-point in Sunday's three-point loss.
Time to look for another kicker now?
"I think you always have to do it after this [game], but the state of the National Football League kicking is not very good," Kelly said. "You watch the end of the Saints game last night, they should have won the game in regulation, they hit the upright. There's been more missed kicks this year, it seems like---I don't have the statistics in front of me---that I can remember. I don't think it's---overall, it's not good throughout the league, therefore I don't think the pool of people to pick from is fantastic either."