The Chip Kelly era in Philadelphia is one that Eagles fans would love to forget. It’s also a time that stars such as DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy look back on with disgust.
On their new podcast, Jackson and McCoy took the time to unload on their former head coach, and they didn’t hold back in expressing their true feelings.
DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy Open Up About Chip Kelly
When you listen to Jackson and McCoy talk about Kelly, there certainly doesn’t look to be much hope for reconciliation between them and their former coach. On a teaser for Thursday’s release of the 25/10 Show, the former Eagles stars unleashed on their former coach and criticized him for how he handled each of their departures from the franchise.
It’s time to tell the truth about Chip Kelly…@DeSeanJackson10 & @CutonDime25 tell the raw, unfiltered story about what happened to the Eagles dynasty that could’ve been 🦅 #FlyEaglesFly
Full episode drops tomorrow @ 8am PT // 11am ET ⏰
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— 25/10Show (@2510show) May 8, 2024
The video opens up with Jackson stating, “Bro, you really released me off an allegation, bro, that was a coward ass move,” before McCoy chimes in quickly, stating, “You didn’t send me to Buffalo because you thought it was the best move for the team; you sent me there to die.”
Another clip starts with Jackson claiming, “I never really (was) able to get the benefit of the doubt that I deserved bro, and it was all like off of Chip Kelly.”
McCoy then follows up with, “I’ve never met a coach that was uncomfortable dealing with black players.”
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From there, both pondered about former Eagles QB Michael Vick and how hard times were for him there dealing with Kelly. “Do you remember that time he made Michael Vick cry?” Jackson asks.
“I remember him saying, ‘Bro, I cried more dealing with Chip Kelly and the Eagles bro than I did in prison,” McCoy says of his and Vick’s conversation.
The teaser wraps up with Jackson calling long-time Eagles LT and future Hall of Famer Jason Peters for his take on Kelly, where Peters is heard through the phone into the microphone saying, “A b—– a– guy, man.”
Revisiting Kelly’s Time in Philadelphia
During Kelly’s time in Philadelphia, he compiled a record of 26-21 and was ultimately relieved of his duties in the middle of the 2015 season after the Eagles stumbled to a 6-9 record through the first 15 games.
Expectations for the Kelly era with the Eagles were high, especially after they made the playoffs with a 10-6 record in his first season with the team. But after Jackson’s surprise release, followed by a 1-3 finish after a 9-3 start in 2014, things started to unravel quickly for Kelly.
After compiling a 20-12 combined record in his first two seasons, Kelly won a power struggle with general manager Howie Roseman, as owner Jeffrey Lurie gave him personnel control in addition to his duties as head coach. As a result, Roseman was demoted and heavily less involved.
From there, however, is when Kelly’s tenure in Philadelphia really went south.
As the de facto GM, Kelly made a series of very questionable personnel decisions that eventually backfired. First, he traded McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for Kiko Alonso, then acquired QB Sam Bradford from the St. Louis Rams, and made splashy free agent signings in Byron Maxwell and DeMarco Murray.
The Eagles entered the 2015 season with very high expectations, as they had the third-shortest odds to win the Super Bowl. However, Philadelphia stumbled right out of the gate.
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The Eagles’ blockbuster additions all proved to be major disappointments, leading to Kelly’s dismissal before the end of the season.
While it looked like Kelly was on track to be the next great Eagles head coach in his first season, that era in Philadelphia is one that the fans will look back on with great disgust. The surprise parting of ways with two fan favorites in Jackson and McCoy was the beginning of Kelly’s downfall in Philadelphia, and it’s something two franchise legends and the fan base will never forgive him for.
