Kelly the coach gets little help from Kelly the GM

The first game of the rest of Chip Kelly's coaching career with the Eagles takes place in the Jerry Jones Halfway House and Pole-Dancing Emporium on Sunday night and it would be only a short stretch to say Kelly's entire tenure could be defined by what remains on the schedule this season, starting with the Cowboys.

There are two schools of thought and two directions the team can take. Either Kelly has been victimized by some bad luck and by the normal settling-in period that a lot of change requires, or he has made an utter hash of the roster that will take years, not weeks, to repair. In the former scenario, the Eagles can shake off a 3-4 start, blitz through an unimpressive list of opponents, and become a dangerous team in the postseason. In the latter, well, that doesn't happen.

Kelly and the Eagles returned from the brief hiatus of the bye last week and the coach came back with a demeanor that was snippy and impatient even compared with his normal standards, which are exceedingly snippy and impatient. The coach particularly had no time for questions about quarterback Sam Bradford, simply saying Bradford had done a "good job" this season. That isn't a bucket that holds much elaboration, so he left it at that, despite repeated and futile prodding.

Bradford, whose play has ranged from awful to occasionally acceptable, has not done a good job and he is actually the first to cop to it. His statistical rankings are all near the bottom of the league, his average gain per completion bears the mark of an uncertain check-down specialist, and he has a penchant for game-killing interceptions. Aside from that, he's been a $13 million bargain.

It's true that Bradford has suffered through a number of dropped passes, but some dropped passes are partially the fault of the quarterback. Beyond that, dropped passes happen in the NFL. The Eagles are one of eight teams whose receivers have dropped 5 percent or more of their targeted passes, according to sportingcharts.com. Only three of those teams have losing records, including guess who.

Kelly's mood might have been dictated by having a full week to review and digest the state of his team. Bradford is only one fire that resulted from an offseason spent playing with matches. In his new role as de facto general manager, Kelly took a so-far unrewarded risk with Bradford in place of Nick Foles, a solid B-student who will never make dean's list, and he also appears to have badly miscalculated the effect of losing Jeremy Maclin among the receivers and that of losing Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans on the offensive line. The rest of his tinkering - including replacing LeSean McCoy with DeMarco Murray and spending big to sign cornerback Byron Maxwell - can be debated, but leaving your offensive line, receiving corps, and quarterback position in a shaky state is pretty much the trinity of NFL offensive boo-boos.

Chip Kelly, the coach, hasn't been able to consistently offset the work of his general manager. The Eagles still play fast, but fewer defenses are taken by surprise as the league adjusts to a quicker pace. (Of the 10 lowest time/snap teams in the NFL, according to Football Outsiders, just one has a winning record: New England.) Without that advantage, the Eagles have become predictable. Bradford rarely throws deep, the receivers don't demand more than single coverage, and opponents concentrate on stopping the run.

In the last three games, as the Eagles have gone increasingly to two-tight-end formations in order to shore up the sagging offensive line, the rushing production has improved, but the offense has become less explosive with one fewer split or slot receiver on the field. Against the Cowboys, it appears likely that career backup Dennis Kelly will get his first start at offensive tackle since 2012, and two tight ends still might not be enough to mask that unfortunate circumstance.

It's no wonder Chip Kelly wasn't in a chatty mood, even though a win on Sunday night against a wounded and reeling team would begin a post-bye stretch in which the Eagles could make hay against nine remaining opponents, only two of which have winning records. Piling up wins during the regular season isn't what impresses Kelly, however. Having a team capable of doing so in the games that follow is what he wants.

Last season, the Eagles were 10-6 - and if somehow they pick all the low-hanging fruit before them, they could be again - but Kelly saw a team that overachieved with help from a freakishly high 11 return touchdowns and despite two quarterbacks who combined to lead the league in interceptions.

What would the coach's assessment be this season, even if the team finishes with a winning record and qualifies for the postseason? More than likely, it wouldn't be any more favorable than a year ago. Once again, he would think the general manager hadn't done him any favors. Of course, this time he also ties the general manager's shoes.

bford@phillynews.com

@bobfordsports

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