Chip Kelly Takes Responsibility for Clock Management Late in Game
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – With the way the Chargers offenses was moving the ball, it seemed close to certain that they could score any time they had possession of the ball. So when the Eagles were driving the field late in the game, and Chip Kelly's offense did not run more time off the clock before scoring, it left the Chargers enough time to move down the field to get in position for the winning field goal.
It was a mistake, and Chip Kelly is taking responsibility for it.
"I was trying to score---that's all on me," Kelly told Angelo Cataldi and The 94WIP Morning Show on Monday. "That was my call, trying to get a touchdown. I didn't want it to leave it in the hands of, it's a tie ballgame. If you score, you're up four so then they've got to drive the length of the field to try to score a touchdown. When you look at it in hindsight, maybe we should have bled the clock and not giving them enough time to come back into it. You learn from those situations, but we were trying to score seven, not three. We felt like we had three, and just thought we had the opportunity to put one in there, and we didn't get it. We didn't capitalize."
Still, it wasn't the offense that was the problem on Sunday, even when it was moving too fast. The defense allowed Philip Rivers to have a career day, and move the ball at will. It's a problem that the Eagles looked like they'd have coming into the year, and seems like it's a reality.
"You played a good quarterback [Phillip Rivers]. I think you got to do give him credit for what he did. When you watched him play I think he was as sharp as he could be, but we didn't generate a pass rush well enough, get him out of his comfort zone. If we were playing zone, the ball was coming out late and he was picking us apart and if we blitzed him and got after him the ball came out quick and he hit the open receivers, so it's a combination of coverage and rush," Kelly said. "When you play against a really good quarterback like Phillip [Rivers], you got to get to him and we did not get to him in our rush and that's the biggest thing. So is it an advantage that Coach [Ken] Whisenhunt spent time with Billy [Davis]? Yeah, I mean I'm sure he understands Billy, but we still have to go out and execute though."
Kelly did say they would look at possibly changing personnel before the next game.
"Umm, we'll look at everything. We'll go through it and see where we are, first thing health wise. What do we come back from a health stand point. Everybody is on their way in this morning, everybody is here right now. We'll look at everything," Kelly said. "We'll go through it and see where we are. First thing is health-wise, where do we come back from a health standpoint. Those are the first decisions we make, based on what's coming out of the training room and where we are from a practice standpoint. But we obviously have to play better and if someone can help us play better, we will."
There isn't much time to dwell on the loss, or make changes to fix the problems. The Eagles have a quick turnaround, and will face Andy Reid and the 2-0 Chiefs on Thursday night.
"Yes, it's the biggest game we play, and it a chance to get back. You got a bad taste in your mouth after what we did yesterday and it's a chance to get back in a very quick manner. A week ago at this time, when me and you [Angelo Cataldi] were talking, we hadn't even played a game yet," Kelly said. "We've already got two under our belt and the third one coming up here in the next couple of days. The only thing we know how to do is, we got to go back to work. We got to correct the mistakes we've made in the game and just keep pounding this thing, and keep working at it. That's what competitors do and we'll come back out and play on Thursday."
