Malcolm Jenkins: Chip Kelly's Biggest Downfall Was Lack Of Communication
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Once upon a time, Malcolm Jenkins was Chip Kelly's biggest defender.
The Eagles' Pro Bowl safety even went on the NFL Network last March to debate analyst Heath Evans, expressing his confidence in Kelly's vision amid the Eagles' turbulent offseason.
However, on Tuesday -- about one month after Kelly was fired -- Jenkins was a guest on ESPN's SportsNation and spoke about Kelly's biggest downfall: communication.
"I think it was a tough year man," Jenkins said on SportsNation via CSNPhilly.com. "It was a lot of different things you can point about, but as far as Chip and the biggest reason which he's not in Philadelphia anymore is his ability to communicate with the players. And I think if you ever walk -- or sit him down and talk to him on his own, he's a great guy. He'll listen. I've had multiple conversations with him whether it be good or bad and he's open to listen to his players.
"He's not proactive enough to really get the pulse of the team, especially when you have the offseason that we had last year where he's getting rid of guys and making all of these changes," Jenkins continued. "When you have a situation like that, you have to be able to communicate with your players and instill confidence in them that their jobs are secure, that they can trust you. It just wasn't there."
Jenkins, who won a Super Bowl with New Orleans Saints in 2010, admitted most NFL head coaches are not proactive in their communication with their players. However, when you trade the starting quarterback and team's all-time leading rusher, then fail to re-sign the No. 1 receiver, Jenkins felt like the Eagles' situation deserved special attention.
"Nothing's being said to us, and that's usually how it is — nobody really consults the players when making decisions," Jenkins said. "But when there's a lot of turnover like that, you want to be able to have guys — they need to be able to be comfortable enough to at least say what's on their minds, be able to say what they like and don't like. And especially when you're bringing something new especially to the league, you have to have that communication and it just wasn't there."
