From the Desk of Eagles Outsider Barry Bowe
Call me Nostradamus.
On October 30 – or almost two months ago to the day – I called Jon Johnson on WIP and predicted – on the air – that Chip Kelly would not return as coach of the Eagles for the 2016 season.
At that time, several high-profile NCAA jobs were suddenly becoming available. I believed that Chip was coming to the realization that he couldn’t cut it in the NFL and was craving a return to the college ranks. I could see Chip Kelly – carpetbagger that I perceived him to be – leaving the Eagles to take one of those plum jobs.
Jon disagreed with me for two reasons:
- Chip had two years remaining on his contract and Jon couldn’t see Chip walking away from two more years of handsome paychecks.
- Based on the way Jeff Lurie procrastinated cutting ties with Andy Reid, Jon couldn’t see Lurie firing Chip Kelly after only three years on the job.
But I stuck to my guns for three reasons:
- Chip Kelly was a bad GM.
- As such, Chip Kelly destroyed the Eagles roster.
- Chip Kelly wasn’t even a good NFL coach.
Moreover, the way I saw it, Chip was both grossly over-matched and too stubborn to adapt his failing ways. You see, I’d soured on Chip during the middle of the 2014 season and said so in print quite often. He, at times, seemed to be sub-human in dealing with people. Such a person will never get his players to go to the limits for him on a long-term basis. They might do it for themselves – but not for him.
Chip Kelly had to go as coach of the Eagles.
FLASHBACK #2
Now, going back two days prior to my call to Jon Johnson, I submitted my résumé to Jeff Lurie. I was applying for the position of general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles. That date was October 28.
Of course such a notion was pie-in-the-sky and would go nowhere. I was trying to go from being an Eagles Outsider to Eagles GM in the blink of an eye. But, trust me, there’s no doubt in my mind that I could be a better general manager than Chip Kelly. And if hired, my first move would be firing Chip Kelly and hiring a new coach.
My search would be aimed at finding someone in the mold of a Don Shula, a Bill Walsh, or a Dick Vermeil.
THE ART OF DISCUSSION
As Jon and I continued to talk that night, he wavered somewhat.
Jon believed that Chip’s passion to coach Marcus Mariota was so great, he could see Chip leaving the Eagles to be reunited with Mariota as coach of the Tennessee Titans. That opened my eyes to such a possibility. But Ken Whisenhunt was still the Titans coach. The Titans would have to fire Whisenhunt to grease the wheels for such a move.
Later that night, I tweeted Jon:
Just four days later, the Titans fired Whisenhunt – suddenly bolstering Jon’s hypothetical.
ABOUT LAST NIGHT
And, now, just last night, Jeff Lurie fired Chip Kelly. I don’t know if Chip’s going to Tennessee or not – and pardon my French – but I don’t give a shit. He’s no longer the coach of the Eagles. It didn’t go exactly the way I called it, but Chip’s gone. That’s all that matters. Now the Birds have a chance to get back on the road to respectability.
- Call me Nostradamus and remember you heard it from me first back on October 30.
- Give Jon Johnson an assist.
- GO EAGLES.
- And, Jeff Lurie, give me a call. Don’t do to me what you did to Bruce Arians. Think: Super Bowl. I’m available on short notice,
In addition to being the official Eagles Outsider for BlameMyFather.com, Barry Bowe is also the author of:
- Born to Be Wild
- 1964 – The Year the Phillies Blew the Pennant
- 12 Best Eagles QBs
- Birth of the Birds
- Soon-to-be-published sexy, police procedural Caribbean Queen
- Soon-to-be-published novel Stosh Wadzinski
- Soon-to-be-published novel Polish Widow
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