Author: backinphilly

The Making of the Chip Kelly Era

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Obviously, as a huge NFL fan, I would love to cover the games that happened today. However, I believe that since we have a full two weeks before any meaningful NFL action, that can all wait until next week sometime. I have wanted to publicly address Chip Kelly, the new Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach for a few days and never got the chance.

So, here goes.

As the reports had shown two weeks ago, Chip Kelly, then the head coach of the University of Oregon, had decided to decline the jump to the NFL and stay in college. 10 days later, Chip was hired as the Eagles coach. I was ecstatic to say the least. He was my pick to replace Andy Reid since day 1 of interviews. I wanted him even while we still had Andy on the payroll.

I strongly believe in this man as our head coach in Philly. He has so far built a very reasonable staff chock full of NFL experience, including our new offensive coordinator and former Browns’ head coach Pat Shurmur.

While a lot of skeptics don’t particularly care much about the signing, I love the move.

Shurmur is a former Eagles QB coach and very skilled in the West Coast offensive formations, meaning that Chip, who brings the run and spread options to the NFL, is willing to compromise and is open to many different mentalities. I also like the fact that we now have two head coaches on our staff. Chip and Pat both have that type of experience.

I will be talking about a certain theory I have in the upcoming week. It pertains to Alabama coach Nick Saban and DC Kirby Smart, who is a leading candidate in the Eagles’ DC search.

Keep on reading! I’m very close to something huge!

Missing Piece

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Ever feel like you’ve lost something that you simply can’t ever replace or recover?

Not something really, someone. Losing someone that close that knew so much and wanted a better human being instead of a monster.

One who rather be feared and respected than loved. What kind of animal is this? This maniac never evolved fully. A heart and soul were left undeveloped from the vessel that wreaks havoc on all those who care. Pushing away, more interested in achieving his desired power than achieving relationships with those that wanted to be there.

Denial was never the answer for him. Hiding in the shadows, he tried to hide himself from everyone because he couldn’t stand causing the hurt anymore. The pain he forced upon himself and the world around him was unorthodox. Everything and everyone that he thought he loved was all a lie. He wasn’t capable of love or allowing people to love him. He wanted to learn, but didn’t know how. His power was declining.

Is there more than just raw power? Is there emotion in this cold life he lives? Is there any way to achieve happiness?

What an outrageous concept. He so greatly craves love. But he can’t feel it. He had it.

But she was always his missing piece. She never saw what he did. She was incredible to him and he loved her. But when the missing piece fell to the floor, she dragged his heart with her, never allowing love again.

As much as he wants to hate her, he can’t. He still loves his missing piece.

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Finals-Honestly, kill me now

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So now the end is near huh? The semester is ending and people are cramming like some hung over college kid for the bar exam. It’s chaos on the hill, and really it all begs the question, “Who are we kidding?”

There’s no way in hell that this weekend is enough to prepare a student for an exam based on an entire semester’s information. People think that studying this hard for an exam is going to help them.

I’ve got news for all of you. You’re better off not studying at all at this point rather than try and cram. You’re just going to confuse yourself with facts. There IS such a thing as too much studying.

Some guys have been holed up in their rooms this weekend in order to study, only coming out to use the bathroom. They even bring their books in the bathroom to study some more.

Dude, seriously you’re not gonna learn anymore by taking your textbook into the bathroom. Give yourself a minute and a half to use the toilet and go back if u wanna.

I just don’t get the obsession to study like a maniac.

My roommate just told me a saying that his region of China lives by.

“If you have a small test, have a little fun. If you have a big test, have a lot of fun.”

Words of Wisdom from OVS.

Everyone just needs some time off.

Worst Person #26-Gregg Williams

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Well, the Saints’ bounty gate case has been resolved, and each person involved has been freed from his suspension.

That doesn’t really matter now that the season is 3 games away from concluding. However, the Saints still have a slight mathematical shot to reach the playoffs. So anything is possible. Sean Payton might come back.

But there’s still one more guy that hasn’t been relieved of his suspension.

That man is Gregg Williams, the head of the entire bounty operation.

Well, the reason he’s bad this time around isn’t because he decided to pay Jonathan Vilma to break someone in half.

He decided to say that Joe Vitt was the mastermind and wouldn’t allow him to stop the bounty system.

This just sounds like another excuse he came up with to try and get back in the league.

As an athlete myself, I understand that taking benefits to break someone is unacceptable.

While I do not condone the actions taken by Gregg Williams, I also believe that this is part of the game. This isn’t just the Saints. Each team has their own type of bounty system set up. These players are glorified criminals. I love this league, but the players are maniacs. I love the league because of it.

Gregg Williams, take your blame and don’t throw the blame on someone like Vitt who had nothing to do with the continuation of the program.

Something Happened? Guess I gotta write about it

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So I know I said that I wasn’t going to talk Eagles anymore after last week. The team has been completely deflated and it was just a waste of time to talk about these guys. Well, this week is a different story.

The Eagles actually won a game today.

Going into today’s game, the Eagles’ last win was on September 30th, which is over 2 months ago. That’s a long time in the NFL. The last 2 months have been increasingly depressing. Loss after loss, the Eagles just looked sloppier and sloppier.

Today was our day as rookie QB NICK FOLES (sorry I’m still excited), led the Eagles to a 4th quarter comeback, bringing the team to victory after suffering an 11 point deficit.

There are a lot of things to talk about after a game like today. There were a ton of highlights. Let’s talk about them.

First, I want to give the defensive player of the game to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha, who looked like the players we thought they were when they came to Philly. The two gelled very well today as the team has completely eliminated the wide 9 formation from their playbook. The only times I saw either get seriously beat was on zone coverage once again. However, on man coverage, the two were superhuman. DRC didn’t allow many catches today at all. Nnamdi allowed another touchdown pass, but he needed to make a split decision on his coverage. He made the right call, but noticed it just a bit too late. He also suffered a neck injury early in the game. He returned later on and finished up.

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Friends Down the Drain

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I don’t even know what to say anymore. I’m at a loss for words at this point. Always tryin’ to keep up with everyone else just gets so tiring now and I’m just sick and tired of everything. I don’t care about them anymore since it seems that they don’t really care about me. I’m not sure how much it really matters.

I try to channel the belief of the Honey Badger. The belief that nothing affects me is a lot to take. It’s a huge responsibility.

I’m up to it. I want to not care anymore. But not caring is different than being ignorant. It’s just what I do. It’s me.

I want to be able to persevere through anything that may stand in my way. Any obstacle must become invisible. Nothing can stop me. Yet, emotion always seems to drive me backwards. I don’t understand the struggle of keeping momentum going.

It sucks to lose people because of who you are. It’s inevitable but it sucks. My mentality suits me. It doesn’t always suit those around me. Unfortunately, I can’t change what I know to be me.

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Birds Gettin’ It Goin’ Again

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Well, the Eagles looked pretty good again tonight. I’m very pleasently surprised to see new quarterback Nick Foles play with a LOT of poise in the pocket tonight. He’s made a lot of smart plays and really looks like a seasoned veteran tonight. I wouldn’t change a whole lot that has gone on. The team looks pretty solid. The offensive line is holding their own against a Cowboys defense that doesn’t rush the quarterback all that much, but keep in mind that DeMarcus Ware is still on that defense.

You are never safe on offense with THAT guy on the defense coming to find you.

The Eagles defense looks weak once again. It’s a disgrace. Tonight, however, the problem isn’t Nnamdi Asomugha or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The problem with the passing defense is the zone defense calls and the safeties Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman. These two are complete garbage. To be honest, I’m in complete shock that Coleman has a job. He doesn’t look to be good enough to play for a Pop Warner team. He goes for the big hits and 9 times out of 10 he misses. He’s a disgrace. I’m not as hard on Allen. He has played well for a long time but is completely overshadowed by the disgusting play of Coleman. Kurt Coleman is a big guy but at this point, I’d rather have Gary Coleman over Kurt.

No, there’s no relation.

While the outcome was not a victory, there were some highlights.

Minus his fumble resulting in a Dallas touchdown, Bryce Brown had a flawless night in LeSean McCoy’s absence. We now know that we have two running backs worth playing and third option, Dion Lewis, that could be used in specific situations. We knew coming into the season that the running back core was going to be deep. But we were never certain as to how well Bryce was going to play.

So far so good for the rookie.

Another big play was when another rookie, Damaris Johnson, took a punt all the way to the house. A 98 yard return from a rookie is something I haven’t seen the Eagles do since DeSean’s rookie season.

It was a good night for the most part. Only thing missing was the win. But we will get back at it next year. I only have to bare through four more Eagles games.

Hopefully, next season will be without that fat sack o’ losses we call Andy Reid.

AVGN-Craziest dude on the Internet

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I’m all about nostalgia. I love it when I hear about those old TV shows and books that I used to have in my life. Some that come to mind are the Angry Beavers, Doug, and of course the Captain Underpants books. Those things were the best.

While on youtube one night a long time ago, I came across a new channel that I had never seen before. The title was “JamesNintendoNerd.” Anyone who knows me knows I love video games. I love the new games but there is always place in my heart for the games I played during my youth. There are few people that will tell you that they own a Nintendo 64, but I got one. That thing is great. It introduced me to so many characters like Mario, Link, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and one of my personal favorites, Pokemon. Yes, I’m aware Pokemon isn’t one character. But the franchise has cemented itself into my life. I’m not ashamed to say that I still play Pokemon from time to time. There are certain things you never grow out of.

Anyway, I’m rambling. The channel features a character called the Angry Video Game Nerd. He too prefers the games and consoles from his youth. The Nintendo 64 is rare these days, but an original Atari 2600 or a Nintendo Entertainment System are borderline impossible to find. Most current TVs don’t even provide the proper basic technology to accommodate these prehistoric game systems.

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Random Disney Trip

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As I write this, we are about to leave for a day long trip to Disney. These past couple days away from school have been filled with excitement, heartbreak but most of all, FOOD!

Yesterday we found a place in La Jolla that advertises the sale of a cheesesteak. Before yesterday, the only place I was getting cheesesteaks from in this town was Jersey Mike’s and Philly station. Both of which are somewhat subpar.

Yesterday, the restaurant had the ingredients that we were waiting for.

Amoroso’s rolls? Check!

Provolone and Cheez Whiz? Check!

Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer? Check!

Every thing was falling into place. That was until we found out that the cheesesteaks were made with roast beef.

Now I’m not going to sit here and pretend to have any idea what kind of meat goes into a classic Philly cheesesteak, but it ain’t roast beef. Something about the taste just wasn’t right. We quickly recognized that the meat ruined the sandwich.

But I wanna mention one massive heartbreak from today. The Eagles, once again, lost.

At this point, I’m not surprised. I’m just annoyed and pissed off. I’m disappointed. It was hard to watch my team fall so pathetically. But I digress. We move on. That’s the Philly way.

Well, hopefully Mickey Mouse and all that crap will help me feel better. I’m going to spend tomorrow in Disneyland with my family and my girlfriend.

I hope nothing goes wrong. What could possibly, right?

I sure screwed THAT up!

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In my last blog, I began praising the rookie quarterback Nick Foles for taking the reigns and looking like a pretty solid performer during his first regular season action of his career. Vick went down with a concussion and Foles was looking pretty good. I was really excited. It was now time for the new era to begin.

Foles played great ball, but the Cowboys put up 21 points in less than 3 minutes with a Romo touchdown pass to Dez Bryant, a punt return touchdown and a pick six that I don’t blame on Foles. The ball bounced off BOTH hands of DeSean Jackson. The throw wasn’t great but in the NFL, if you get both hands on the ball, you better flippin’ catch it. We didn’t give him a contract to screw up.

That isn’t me trashing DJax. The guy has played well this year despite the crap going on with his team. But there are definitely problems with this team.

There are only a couple bright spots for the offseason this year.

1) The Eagles are only faced with one player who they may want to resign. Last year, the Eagles resigned just about everyone that needed to be resigned. The Eagles are entering rebuilding mode. But that doesn’t mean losing everyone. Defensively, I’d resign DRC if they can. Is it the end of the world if we don’t? No. But that’s a fast guy with almost sure hands and pretty good vision. Plus, he’s only 26 years old. He’s got time to develop, cut down on penalties and improve his skill set as a top 10 cornerback. He’s got incredible potential. However, the Eagles will be cleaning their defense up this offseason. In my eyes, the only defensive starters I would keep are DRC, Nate Allen, Kurt Coleman, DeMeco Ryans, Mychael Kendricks, Trent Cole and I would bump Fletcher Cox into the starting lineup over Mike Patterson.

A lot of you guys are probably wondering why I left Nnamdi Asomugha, someone I was obsessed with coming into Philadelphia, off the list.

Quick answer, look at his stats over the past two years. Actually look over the past three years.

He’s over 30 and somewhat washed up. If not for how massive his contract is, I’d hold onto him. But he’s scheduled to make about 15 million dollars next season. I believe only 4 million is guaranteed money, and now there are murmurs that Nnamdi might be released if they can’t negotiate his contract. I’m disappointed at this thought, but that’s what you get from being a free agent bust.

2) The Eagles will be under new management. The team is going to have to find a new group of coaches that can mold the new-look Eagles. Andy Reid is finished, that much is for sure. Is Vick gone too though? The answer appears to be yes at this point. Only time will tell. Foles will start this weekend against Washington. It’s his first pro start. I’ll be watching with excitement of course.

That’s all the good we got. There isn’t much else. Nothing to see here. We just suck.