Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles face long offseason after disappointing season

Published Dec. 27, 2015 1:56 p.m. ET

foxsports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Chip Kelly has plenty of time to figure out where things went wrong for the Philadelphia Eagles.

After consecutive 10-win seasons in Kelly's first two years, the Eagles had lofty aspirations.

They entered the season tied with Indianapolis for third-best odds (17:2) to win the Super Bowl behind Seattle and Green Bay and ahead of New England.

But nothing went right from the start and Philadelphia was eliminated from playoff contention with a 38-24 loss to Washington on Saturday night.

The Eagles (6-9) needed to beat the Redskins and Giants in the final two games to win a mediocre division, but lost to a team that had won just two of its previous 14 road games.

Kelly said he takes the blame for missing the playoffs two years in a row.

''That's all on my shoulders,'' he said. ''It's unacceptable. We have got to find a way to do a better job, and we have to put these guys in a better position to make plays.''

Perhaps Kelly should focus on coaching and let someone else handle GM duties.

Kelly assumed control of personnel decisions after only two seasons in the NFL and overhauled the roster because he said 10-6 is no better than 4-12.

His bold moves didn't pan out.

Kelly traded two-time All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy and 2013 Pro Bowl quarterback Nick Foles in March a year after releasing three-time Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson.

He didn't re-sign 2014 Pro Bowl wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. He released two-time Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis along with longtime starting guard Todd Herremans and two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Trent Cole. His first bold move came after the 2013 season when he released three-time Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson, who ended up with the Redskins.

Kelly acquired Sam Bradford and linebacker Kiko Alonso and gave a ton of money to DeMarco Murray and cornerback Byron Maxwell in free agency.

Murray and Alonso were busts. Maxwell didn't play like the shutdown player he got paid to be. Bradford was inconsistent and it's uncertain whether he's the long-term solution at quarterback.

''There are a lot of things,'' Kelly said when asked what went wrong. ''This isn't the time for it.

Kelly's dynamic offense that set several franchise records in 2013 with Foles, McCoy and Jackson leading the way has trended downward. The defense has been awful throughout Kelly's tenure. It could end up costing defensive coordinator Bill Davis his job.

''That's for other men to decide,'' Davis said when asked about his job. ''What I think about is how I'm going to get this group of men to play next week. That's all I've done every day and that's all I'll do.

''I've been down this road where you have seasons that are disappointing and everybody is looking for the blame game. As a team, we have to make sure that we hang together and take all the accountability that we need. The city of Philadelphia, we have to give them better. I've got to do a better job and everybody has to look at themselves and see how they can do a better job.''

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