Chip Kelly won't go to Texas, or rest starters
Chip Kelly's answers about Sunday's 48-30 loss to Minnesota weren't much different today. He did say he won't be coaching the Texas Longhorns, and he won't rest his starters if Dallas wins before the Eagles play the Bears.
There wasn't much Chip Kelly could say Monday that would make Sunday's 48-30 loss to the host Minnesota Vikings any less egregious. Kelly said pretty much what he'd said after the game: he defended the short kickoff strategy, said it's hard to commit to the running game when you can't pick up fourth and half a yard, and downplayed the sideline dispute between DeSean Jackson and wideouts coach Bob Bicknell after Jackson declined to chase Shaun Prater following an interception.
"Sometimes I don't know if (Jackson) knows where the DB is" when Jackson's tracking the ball, Kelly said.
There were two pieces of news, valuable to those of us who don't want to spend the week discussing silly stuff: Kelly said he is not interested in coaching the University of Texas, and he will not rest starters next week, even if the Cowboys beat the Redskins before the Eagles take the field, which would mean the Cowboys-Eagles game the next week would decide the NFC East, regardless of what the Birds do against Chicago.
"I haven't spoken to anybody, nor will I speak to anybody" about a college job, including Texas, Kelly said. He is in the first year of a six-year contract and said he hopes to coach the Eagles for a long time.
Kelly said his team needs to get back on track next week, regardless of what Dallas does. (IEagles seeding would be affected by the Chicago game, even if Dallas wins.)
Kelly said he wants to go over Sunday's game tape with Nick Foles, to see what Foles saw on a day when Foles often held the ball too long, and missed some open receivers, despite throwing for 428 yards.
Kelly said he had no new injury information. Most critical is the "head injury" suffered by Brandon Boykin, the best player in the Eagles' secondary, with a potent Bears attack looming.