Early answers on Chip's Eagles

YOU HAD AN inkling, but you couldn't tell.

When the Reid regime ended and the Roseman era begun, there was no way to forecast what Howie's Heroes would be.

Was new Eagles coach Chip Kelly as smart as he seemed?

Could the offensive players, particularly the line, handle Kelly's collegiate pace?

Would Michael Vick re-reinvent himself?

Should running back LeSean McCoy be an MVP candidate in the Machine Gun Kelly scheme?

Did the defense have any viable personnel?

How much would they miss Jeremy Maclin?

After three games in 11 days, there appear to be early answers to those questions.

Kelly is indisputably witty but, more significantly, he is wise. His wisdom lies less in his considerable ability to innovate; but, rather, in his remarkable capacity to admit an ignorance and learn from an error.

For instance: Kelly audaciously went for two points Thursday night while trailing, 10-6, in the first quarter. As if he was slipped a soggy PAT chart; as if he channeled Andy Reid from the opposite sideline; Kelly opted for a statement play instead of a conventional one. The Chiefs' formation gave the Eagles an advantage. The play might have worked with better blocking. Still, it was the wrong play.

The next afternoon, asked why he did it, Kelly replied, "I think you pick and choose it."

Consider it picked, chosen, and history. He won't risk that sort of embarrassment again. It costs him credibility with his peers, which is bad; and with his players, which is worse.

Kelly runs an ADD offense that endangers quarterbacks and exposes his own defenses to overwork. He has begun the joust. He needs no more windmills. He's smart enough to realize this.

He was smart enough to admit after Game 2 he didn't know he could have called a timeout in order to keep his quarterback on the field. He was humble enough to admit after Games 1 and 2 that he and his team are inefficient at milking time off the clock late in games.

Full marks, then, for candor and honesty and humility; all of which, when added with sufficient intelligence, combine to equal wisdom.

So, it will be interesting to see how Kelly handles his eroding offensive line.

On Thursday night, right guard Todd Herremans spent more time in Vick's backfield than McCoy. Center Jason Kelce, usually as focused as a sniper, fired two poor snaps, one into his own tailbone; he seemed downright detached. Left tackle Jason Peters, the most athletic lineman of his generation, looked robotic and slow.

These are earmarks of exhaustion.

You can monitor sleep, chart biorhythms and pump players full of calorically optimal protein concoctions; but you cannot expect 325-pound men to function crisply at turbo speed three times in 11 days.

Kelce and Herremans denied that fatigue played a factor in their worst performance since they, Peters and Evan Mathis came together midway through the 2011 season. Kelce and Herremans also looked sheepish; not of losing, nor of being outplayed; but of being helpless.

Vick, sacked five times Thursday and hit at least as many more, wasn't sure they weren't just tired.

"I don't know," said Vick. "If that was the case, I think those guys just have to be honest in terms of what needs to be done to help this football team move forward. If there is an opportunity to maybe back off a little bit, then maybe we have to, and I think one of the leaders of that group has to step up and say it."

Peters, Mathis and Herremans are workout addicts and physical anomalies for linemen . . . but all are over 30, too. The Eagles don't face a condensed schedule again this season, but they do play at mile-high Denver on Sunday. They have 9 days of rest between games. They can use every minute.

Similarly, Vick needs to kick back, too. He hurt both ankles Thursday. He appeared to be limping after the opener at Washington, and he left Game 2 against the Chargers after a hard hit.

He is releasing the ball faster . . . most of the time. He is making quick decisions . . . most of the time.

But he is Michael Vick, the best scrambler and the best running quarterback the game has ever seen, valiant and thrilling, often to a fault. When he extends plays, it sometimes leads to huge chunks of positive yardage. It also sometimes leads to turnovers, such as the three he committed Thursday.

In times of stress, Vick will revert: He will lock on receivers (one interception); fail to reset his feet (the other interception); carelessly carry the ball (his fumble).

So, no, Vick never will fully reinvent himself. Kelly will live with that, or Vick will sit.

McCoy won't sit.

After three games, he is on a pace for more than 2,100 rushing yards and more than 600 receiving yards, which would obliterate the current record for yards from scrimmage. In his fifth season, McCoy has learned patience for his blockers without compromising his amazing instinct for reversing direction. He even picks up blitzes.

This might be possible in any offense. The Machine Gun's pace and its tendency to spread defenses create space for McCoy. He doesn't need much.

One of the few NFL players capable of corralling McCoy plays across from him in practices. Inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks is a blur sideline-to-sideline. He was a promising rookie at outside linebacker in the 4-3 last season, but he can be a star in the 3-4.

So can free-agent outside linebacker Connor Barwin, but that is why he was signed. Free agents Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher combine with second-year nickel corner Brandon Boykin to create a passable trio of cornerbacks. Given the chance, pass rushers Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry will make plays; but then, getting the chance has been their issues since becoming Eagles.

Even converted end Trent Cole, now an outside linebacker, has flashed. Certainly, he still gives more effort than anyone else on the field. So do the safeties; but, as expected, they have been the team's worst unit. Just like last season.

What often went overlooked last season (really, since he was drafted in 2009) was the contribution, the professionalism and the production of Maclin, who was lost for this season to a knee injury in training camp. Last season, Maclin led the team in all receiving categories. He led in catches in 2011, and led in touchdown catches in 2010. He performed brilliantly in tandem with DeSean Jackson.

The Chiefs on Thursday decided they would give safety help to whoever covered Jackson, since Jackson was the best receiver in the league the first 2 weeks. Jackson caught three passes Thursday. The Eagles scored 16 points and lost.

Maclin's replacement, Riley Cooper, has drawn the single-coverage that often helped Maclin. Cooper has been a nonfactor. Maclin could have been the difference in both Eagles losses.

He is that important.

Blog: ph.ly/DNL