The Philadelphia Eagles’ running game took a major step back in 2015, and a lot of the blame for that has been placed on Chip Kelly. Veteran offensive lineman Jason Kelce does not think that assessment is fair.
Appearing on 94.1 WIP on Monday, Kelce said the dip in rushing production last season was a result offensive linemen — including himself — playing poorly, ineffective scheming and the guy who was carrying the ball.
“I don’t think necessarily we had the best back that we had a few years ago either,” Kelce said, accoridng to Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com.
That was almost certainly a shot at DeMarco Murray, who never got it going with the Eagles after they signed him to a five-year, $42 million contract last offseason. Following his breakout 1,845-yard season with the Dallas Cowboys, Murray managed just 702 on 193 attempts in Philly.
Before Murray joined the Eagles, LeSean McCoy rushed for 1,319 yards in 2015. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry in 2014, finishing with a whopping 1,607 yards. For some reason, Kelly didn’t seem to like McCoy and traded him to the Buffalo Bills, opting to sign Murray instead.
For what it’s worth, Kelce is about as unbiased of an opinion as you will get from the Kelly era in Philadelphia. He actually defended the coach’s methods earlier this offseason and criticized some of his teammates for complaining about them. Kelly made plenty of mistakes, but there were indications Murray was not well-liked in the locker room. Perhaps Kelce’s remark was a reflection of that.
