Chip Kelly Talks About Foles' Huge Day With Angelo Cataldi
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Eagles did not score an offensive touchdown in two games, and there was some cause for concern in Philadelphia. So they made up for it on Sunday, scoring seven touchdowns, all on passes from Nick Foles.
Yes, that Nick Foles. The same Nick Foles who had a game so bad against the Cowboys that people were searching for just how it could happen.
The game to game change in Foles is something head coach Chip Kelly can't quite explain.
"I don't know if there is an explanation, I just know that Nick [Foles] had a really, really good week of preparation getting ready for this game. That was the big question for us. I know he was cleared on Tuesday, but really wanted to see him out there and what he was like. He was sharp last Tuesday and he built upon that. He worked really hard studying film, he worked really hard looking at tendencies, he worked really hard on the field, and it paid off for him," Kelly told 94WIP's Angelo Cataldi on Monday. "We didn't sit down and have one-on-one's and hold hands and kind of chant or anything like that [after the Dallas game]. Let's just go play. Let's just stop thinking about it. For six games we had one of the most productive offenses in NFL history, for two games we didn't play very well."
The offense, which has stalled in three games this season, has been exceptional in the six other contests. They struggled against the top ranked defense in the NFL against the Chiefs, and then quarterback issues were mostly to blame for the losses to the Cowboys and Giants. The consistency that Kelly desires at QB seems like it is coming with Foles. LISTEN: Angelo Cataldi interviews Chip Kelly
The failure of the Eagles offense over the last couple of games brought Kelly's critics out en masse.
"What people say on the outside, whether you are winning or whether you are losing, it's always going to be different, but I think if you listen to those people than that means you value their opinion more than you value your own opinion. And I've said it a lot and I'll say it again, is that, praise and blame is all the same," Kelly said. "You can't listen to them when you are having a lot of success and saying 'boy those guys are really smart', and then when you're not having success saying, 'boys those guys don't know what they're talking about.' Because if you do, you live your life based on what other people think about you. Some days you are going to have a good day, like today, and other days you are going to have a bad day. The key to being consistent is to be the same person every day and have the same conviction."
The other side of the ball has improved too, with the Eagles holding opponents to 18.6 points per game over the last five games.
"There's no better example to look then the formula for success, is how has are defense done things," Kelly said. "After the first couple of games our defense was very maligned, but we didn't change anything we were doing on defense. We got better and sounder at the fundamentals of the game and that's what the game is all about. It's a performance based game."
All in all, Kelly says the best course of action is not to listen to outside voices.
"[Sixers coach]Brett Brown is a good friend of mine and I think if he had listened to what people had talked about before the season started, he should be fired right now for being 3-0, because he's supposed to be tanking," Kelly said.
