Chip Kelly: 'We're Excited About Playing Dallas'
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — Chip Kelly was in literal mode Monday, as the Eagles prepare for their NFC East showdown with the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
There are some points of concern, however, like whether or not linebacker Emmanuel Acho will be able to go against Dallas, after suffering a groin injury in Sunday's 43-24 win over Tennessee. If Acho can't play, it leaves the Eagles in a precarious spot at inside linebacker with Casey Matthews taking all of the snaps and seldom used first-round draft choice Marcus Smith as his backup.
"Casey is a steady-eddy in there, Casey has been consistent when he's played for us," Kelly said. "Casey has to; Casey is ready to play football for us.
"We're going to see where Acho is. Don't write Acho off as dead yet. We're going to see what he can do and we'll figure it out as we get going."
Kelly said a big key for the Dallas game is execution. Will the Eagles try and stop the Dallas running game with an exotic scheme? Not according to Kelly.
"Sometimes when you switch it up you may screw yourself up," Kelly said. "You're going to be comfortable with what you do and what you practice and what you train for. So to go out and say it would be a great scheme to run 6-2 stack monster this week, well if they have any reps doing that or two or three reps during the week and then expect to go out and execute on Sunday, then I think you're fooling yourself.
"Especially, at this point in time, the Dallas Cowboys are going to do what they do and we're going to do what we do and we're going to see who the best team is on Thursday. I don't anticipate that all of a sudden that they're going to come out and do anything drastically do anything different offensively, defensively, special teams, and neither are we. It's the team that executes the best on any given day. I think sometimes coaches really outthink themselves if they're going to out scheme someone in this league. I don't think that happens at all. I think it's the team that executes best winds up winning the football game."
Stopping the Cowboys' DeMarco Murray, the NFL's leading rusher, is a main priority. Murray has rushed for 1,354 on a league-high 268 carries. He averaged 24.4 carries a game, 5.1 yards per carry and 123.1 yards a game. Houston's Arian Foster is the closest to Murray in yards per game, with 102.8 yards a game.
"I think our run defense has been good," Kelly said. "I think it will be a good matchup between our guys going up against their guys. We feel our run defense is a strength, and obviously it's been strength of theirs offensively. It will be interested that whole chess match that goes on between their offense and our defense."
The Eagles are 17th in the NFL against the run, giving up an average of 109 yards a game, but 10th in the NFL in yards per carry, which is 3.9. Dallas is second in the NFL in rushing, averaging 150.1 yards a game. In 11 games this year, Murray has only been held to under 100 yards once, in a 28-17 loss to Arizona on Nov. 2. That game also tied a season low in carries for Murray, with 19.
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