Chip Kelly To Brandon Boykin: 'Thanks For Saving My Ass'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – When the lead hit 24-0, an Eagles win seemed like it was a forgone conclusion. But much like the season opener against Washington, the Eagles offense stalled in the second half, and Robert Griffin III was engineering a bit of a comeback.
With the score 24-16, Griffin launched a ball to the back of the endzone, that felt softly into the hands of Eagles cornerback Brandon Boykin, and that was the game.
Kelly had some choice words for Boykin after the game.
"Thanks for saving my ass," Kelly said he told Boykin after the game. Kelly discussed the win, and the Eagles 6-5 record going into the bye week with Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Monday. "Really, I thought our guys should a lot of character. They play hard, it's not always pretty, but it's a great bunch to be around right now. I think they're all in and we're going to play some meaningful football in December and we'll pick our heads up on the 29th of December and see where we are."
As the lead began to erode, there appeared to be a bit of dissention on the sidelines, as running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver Riley Cooper were involved in a animated discussion.
"I think they're just discussing about making plays and I think, they're competitive and they all want to win and sometimes things get heated," Kelly said. "We all love each other, and it's not like---this isn't going to Kumbaya and we all hug and kiss all the time. I mean I think you've got some highly competitive athletes that are talking about making plays or not making plays and sometimes that gets you dander up. I look at it as a good thing."
The offense putting points on the board and an improved defense were themes that held up once again against Washington. Unfortunately, the Eagles not challenging a call on the field that replay indicates they should have continued as well. Washington running back Alfred Morris clearly stepped out of bounds, but was allowed to rush for eight additional yards. The Eagles did not challenge, and the play stood.
"Pat [Shurmur] told me to challenge it and I didn't get enough confirmation," Kelly said. "He saw it clean before it even went to replay and he said, 'He's out of bounds, you got to challenge that.' And I asked him what the replay said and they were hustling to the line of scrimmage. So I just didn't pull the trigger fast enough, but I think we're getting the right information. It was like me, I made a mistake. It's kind of like you saying you're not going to deliver pies. Are you going to jump off the ship on us?"
Ah, the pies. Cataldi delivered Kelly a pecan pie prior to the game against the Packers, and the Eagles won. He delivered pies once again prior to the Washington game, and another win. Cataldi is refusing to deliver pies for a third straight game.
"Well, I look at is this way. Anything that we can do to help us win---I know you're a die hard Eagles fan and I think you are going to get blamed if we don't win and you don't deliver the pies, so I'm looking out for your best interest. I don't want you to be a Steve Bartman," Kelly said.
