Chip Kelly Admits He Was More Animated Towards Refs
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Chip Kelly doesn't often wear his emotions on his sleeve, but on Sunday, Kelly wasn't pleased with the officials and you could tell.
Late in the first quarter on a 2nd-and-16 snap, Russell Wilson hit Doug Baldwin along the sideline for a 25-yard completion. During the play, Seahawks guard James Carpenter, No. 77, was about twenty yards down the field, but the officials missed the illegal man down field and they play stood.
Chip Kelly wasn't happy about it.
"Yeah, he's running a post route," Kelly sarcastically told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Monday. "They missed it. I missed plays too. I had big misses too."
Listen to Chip Kelly on the 94WIP Morning Show:
Kelly, who admitted he was more animated than usual towards the officials, was particular agitated during that non-call.
"I'm trying to get the interpretation of what they're calling, so I can explain to our players what we can do and can't do," Kelly explained.
The referee for the game was Bill Vinovich, who had been the ref during four Seahawks' game since 2012 before Sunday---three Seattle blowout wins the previous two seasons, and the 26-20 overtime Seahawks win over the Broncos during Week 3 this year.
Vinovich had officiated three Eagles game since 2012, heading into Sunday's game against the Seahawks. The Eagles were 1-2 on those three games, including their two-point loss in the 2013 playoffs against the Saints.
Furthermore, Vinovich's crew ranks near the bottom in the NFL in penalties called, favorable for a physical Seahawks defense.
"Yeah we have stats on every officials that we've ever had," Kelly said of Vinovich's crew. "We know exactly how many calls they make in situations and---but it doesn't change it [the game plan]. They still ref the way they're going to ref. So it's---all I'm trying to get is an interpretation of why you saw that as not a penalty or why you saw that as a penalty, so I can explain to our players what we can do and can't do."
The Eagles finished the game with just 139 total yards of offense, their lowest output during Kelly's tenure in the NFL. However, Kelly says the officials did not dictate how he called the game.
"No, 'cause you can't hope and guess that, 'Hey I'm gonna call this here hoping I get this call.'"
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