Chip Kelly: 'I Want LeSean Back'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- LeSean McCoy rushed for over 1,300 yards, was named to his third Pro Bowl, and became the Eagles' all-time leading rusher in 2014. However, McCoy, is set to make $9.75 million next season and after Sunday's game he said, while he hopes everything works out, he understands the business nature of the National Football League.
Well, how involved is head coach Chip Kelly in the decision to retain McCoy?
"I'm involved," Kelly told Howard Eskin Monday and Hollis Thomas during his season-finale Monday morning call-in with the 94WIP Morning Show. "I think everybody weighs in and ultimately makes a decision what's best for the organization, but I want LeSean back."
Listen: Chip Kelly on the 94WIP Morning Show
"Everybody knows," Kelly continued. "It's a business for me too. We all rent our lockers here, whether you're a coach or you're a player. No one is gonna be here forever. I'm not gonna be here forever, the players are never gonna be here forever. It's the same for everyone involved here. Unless you own the team, you're not going to be here forever."
The most important position in football, arguably all of sports, is quarterback and the Eagles will certainly have some decisions to make there as well. Nick Foles, coming back from a broken collarbone, will enter 2015 in the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. Mark Sanchez, who went 4-4 as a starter after taking over for Foles, will be a free agent.
The Eagles led the NFL with 21 interceptions thrown.
"We've got two quality guys that have won a lot of football games," Kelly said. "They've both played very, very well at times, but we also threw too many interceptions. But when I really, truly look at it, not every interception is the quarterback's fault. There could be protection breakdowns, there's interceptions that went straight through receivers' hands."
Only three NFC teams have won ten or more games in each of the last two seasons---the Seahawks, the Cardinals, and the Eagles. For Kelly and his Birds, they will not be participating in the 2015 playoffs, unlike the other two teams.
"You're not happy that you're not in the playoffs," Kelly said. "You're not happy with how the situation unfolded, but we didn't do a good enough job to put ourselves in. It was a year where---last year 10-6 got you in, but this year 12-4 won our division and 11-5 got the wildcard. So, we didn't win enough games. We knew the rules of engagement before the season starter. We didn't play well enough as a team overall to put ourselves in the playoffs."
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