Chip Kelly: There's Still Work To Be Done
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — Chip Kelly addressed a few issues, the many positives when he addressed the media on Tuesday, after the Eagles came back to beat Indianapolis, 30-27, on Monday.
One area was Nick Foles targeting the wide receivers 18 times, and Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper and rookie Jordan Matthews came down with just six receptions. It's not alarming to Kelly. The Eagles lead the NFL in yardage (averaging 439 yards a game) and scoring (averaging 32 points a game).
"We had a few drops and we also had a couple of balls that could have been placed a little bit better, we have to come up with the catches," Kelly said. "People have been pretty straight forward in how they played us the first two games. We got a lot more zone in the Jacksonville game, but that's kind of their MO."
Indianapolis did a good job of mixing man and zone, Kelly said, but it wasn't anything the Eagles had not seen before.
Kelly said a number of things contributed to quarterback Nick Foles looking shaky at times over the first two games this season. Sometimes he's been rushed off his spot, and other times he needs to make better steps in the pocket.
"We're fortunate to be 2-0, coming back in both games, but there's a lot of work in every aspect of the game that we need to work on," Kelly said. "That's the great thing about this group, they understand that."
Kelly also addressed the addition of safety Malcolm Jenkins. Kelly sees a veteran that can set up the defense, with a knack for making big plays.
The defense, overall, has done better, especially in the second half of both games. Is it superior conditioning, making critical adjustments at the right time, or scheme?
"I think it's the combination of everything," Kelly said. "I think it's a feeling-out process, how some people are going to play you. The Colts ran the ball more than we thought in the first half. You have to make some adjustments from that standpoint, but you saw our players grow in confidence."
And there is Darren Sproles. He caught seven passes for a career 152 yards and had a career-best 178 total yards.
"[Sproles] has the ability to go from zero-to-60, so to speak, and a lot of guys it takes some time to get going," Kelly said. "He can find his way into the screen, whether he has to go inside the tackle or outside the tackle. And then be patient enough once he gets the ball to take off. But I think also he has great vision to understand where his blocks are coming from and set them up really, really well. I also think he's difficult to see sometimes."
Joseph Santoliquito is a contributing sports blogger for CBS Philly.
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