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*Official 2015 Philadelphia Eagles* - Winning when it doesnt count (2 Viewers)

Ron_Mexico said:
unckeyherb said:
Sorry but I really don't believe that sam Bradford is the guy chip needs to run his offense. There was a ton of speculation that chip would "sell the farm" to get up to 1-2 for Mariota. So far he's jetisoned Foles and a 2nd. My guess is that they will restructure bradfords contract, take the cap hit internally to take that issue away (they have the space to do so) and package him and a few picks to Tampa-who may very well not like what they see in Mariotas play or Winstons character. Bradford was the number one a few years ago-granted the dude hasn't been able to stay healthy but when he last played he did well with nothing. Him throwing to mike Evans makes that team infinitely better than last year and Lovie doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that wants to deal with a rookie qb. Just my $0.02- this is far from over-Bradford will never put on the midnight.
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Bradford won't restructure. Unfortunately, Philly is stuck with him and his bloated contract.
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Although I'm afraid to type this - he will if it is part of an extension. :scared:

 
McClane: #Eagles scheduled player media availability today: Brandon Graham (1 pm), Byron Maxwell (5:30 pm) and Sam Bradford (5:45 pm).

8:54am - 11 Mar 15

 
Ok, I was shocked and sick to my stomach when I heard the news just like everyone else -

But at least when he WAS actually healthy, Bradford has played pretty well, no?

Sure seems like NFL GMs have a much higher opinion of him than the public.

Trying my best to be optomistic over here...

 
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Bigboy10182000 said:
Snotbubbles said:
Ash said:
Snotbubbles said:
Gonna be tough for any QB to replicate the number Foles put up in 2014. Don't know how the Eagles will survive without Foles.

Since we're comparing Foles to Brady I think we should do a more apples to apples comparision.

Foles 2014: 8 GS, 311 pass attempts, 59.8 comp %, 13 TD, 10 INT, 7.0 Y/A, 11.6 Y/C, 81.4 rate, 62.21 QBR

Sanchez 2014: 8 GS, 309 pass attempts, 64.1 comp %, 14 TD, 11, INT, 7.8 Y/A, 12.2 Y/C, 88.4 rate, 58.24 QBR

In 3 years, Nick Foles trade will look like the Kevin Kolb trade. Both traded players will suck and either be out of the league or playing for other teams.
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It's fair to be critical of Foles play at times in 2014, but to call that an "apples to apples" comparison is disingenuous. In Foles 7 complete starts the team had most of their OL injuries and ensuing problems with the running game as well as Lane Johnson's suspension. Foles was still 5-2 in those games, giving Sanchez credit for the W against the Texans which is fair since he played the majority of the game. Sanchez went 5-4 with the OL coming mostly back to stability and the running game functioning much better than early in the season. He still looked worse and worse the more he played, and the team collapsed down the stretch with him at the helm.

He did an OK job for a backup QB, but let's not pretend the circumstances were anything like the same.
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Foles lovers continue to hang onto W-L records as some sort of affirmation of Foles greatness. He faced some the weakest competition I've ever seen over a two-year stretch.

Sanchez played much tougher competition. @Green Bay is an impossible place to win against Rodgers. Seattle was unbeatable down the stretch and Dallas twice. If you count Carolina, Sanchez played against 5 games against playoff teams. Foles faced 2 teams that made the playoffs.

And if we're using OL woes to somehow prop up Foles suckiness of 2014, then you must love Sam Bradford who had almost no surrounding talent in STL yet still managed to put up some pretty decent numbers.
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You never cease to amaze meHere, take a look at the DECENT #'s since that whole winning thing doesn't mean much

Only 2 QBs have a worse QBR over the last 5 seasons than Sam Bradford (40.7). Chad Henne (36.9) & Mark Sanchez(40.4)

Foles people look at stats (some of the best in his 24 starts), wins and loses and even his toughness playing through injuries.

At this point he is the EXACT opposite of Bradford.
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Foles quite frankly faced a gauntlet of some of the easiest competition the NFL could have given him in 2013 and 2014. If he would have asked to hand pick which teams he wanted to face, I don't think he would have changed an opponent. Whenever someone brings up 2014 concerning Foles, all we hear is "OLine injuries". Yet when people look at Bradford they don't even consider the surrounding talent. Of course his 5 year QBR is bad, his first two years were horrendous. Look at the talent he had. In 2010 his offensive line consisted of such studs as Hank Fraley and Jason Smith (and those are the guys who have name recognitition). Danny Amendola was his best WR. In 2011 I can't even name a guy who you might now on the offensive line. Brandon Lloyd was their best WR. It's a bit different when you have a 3 ProBowlers on the Offensive line and DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin to throw to. I think that was apparent by Foles dropoff in 2014 how important the line is. So please, spare me with your 5 year comparisions and W-L records. Foles' numbers are a production of competition and surrounding talent.

 
Insein said:
12punch said:
Insein said:
Bigboy10182000 said:
@EliotShorrParks: Bradford trade is same principal as allowing Chip to trade multiple picks for Mariota: have to let him get HIS qb, no matter the price/logic
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Same principle but one is 8 years older and has been injured multiple times on top of showing very mediocre prowess in the league. At least MM we don't know he sucks yet.Can't wait for all the top 5 teams beating our door down for Bradford now.
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The Browns reportedly tried trading for Sam Bradford before he was shipped to the Eagles in the Nick Foles deal.
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Yea they probably were offering a couple of 3rds when Chip Kelly called and Fisher said "I'm sorry, Clev GM, you're not going to believe what Kelly is giving me."

To which the Cleveland GM started laughing and said "Damn, yea I'm sorry I ain't that desperate you gotta take that."
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Don't you guys see the big picture?

Now we trade Bradford to Cleveland for John Manziel.

 
I will say this about the moves the Eagles have made thus far: In the real-life NFL as in fantasy, talented guys with injury histories are often undervalued. I'd rather Chip invest in guys who can be studs when healthy and try to keep them healthy than invest in ironmen who are replacement-level talents and try to coach them up.

Yes, this approach is higher-risk, especially at the skill positions. But if we wanted another decade of "coached-up" mediocrities getting us to 10-6 records and no Lombardis, we might as well have stuck with Fat Andy.

I still can't wrap my head around the Bradford trade, though.

 
@EliotShorrParks: Ok, here is my attempt to make sense of Bradford trade, & why it might not be the horrible move everyone thinks it is http://t.co/zpmz4PVcZP

The Eagles made a blockbuster move for a quarterback on Tuesday, but it wasn't the quarterback everyone was hoping for.

Gone is Nick Foles, but instead of welcoming in Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, the team is apparently ready to usher in the Sam Bradford era.

The move left plenty of fans (and media members) scratching their heads, wondering if there was another move to come, or if head coach/general manager Chip Kelly was really hitching his wagon to Bradford.

Here is this reporter's best attempt at making sense of the trade.

Why did they trade for Bradford?

That answer is easy to get rid of Foles.

It's been clear for months that the team wasn't committed to Foles, and they were going to trade him. As reported by NJ Advance Media, the team was shopping Foles at the Senior Bowl back in January. They didn't find many suitors, but the Rams were one of them.

Swapping Bradford for Foles was a deal that allowed both teams to get rid of a quarterback that no longer fit their plans, with limited financial risk on either side, as both only have one year remaining on their deals.

But why did they give up a second-round pick?

That is the part that is hard to understand, but it might be just a harsh reality.

You would think that Foles, who is younger than Bradford and has had just as much success if not more, would be enough to make the trade happen.

Instead, the Eagles had to send both a 2016 second-round pick and a 2015 fourth-round pick along with Foles to acquire a veteran quarterback making $12.9 million and coming off of not one, but two ACL tears.

A sign that Foles didn't have the kind of value fans thought he might.

Do they really want Sam Bradford?

That is certainly want the team wants you to believe. While Kelly has been predictably silent on the trade, the team's website is already selling Bradford's jersey and touting him as the team's new quarterback.

Merchandise aside, Bradford does make some sense on the field for the Eagles.

When the Eagles' offense really clicked up Kelly back in 2013, it was when Foles was deadly accurate, made the right decisions and executed Kelly's plays. In 2014, Foles took a major step back.

What Foles did in 2013, Bradford should be able to do on a much higher level make the right read before the snap, get the ball out and deliver a nice accurate pass. If Bradford can reach the potential he showed to make him the No. 1 pick back in 2010, it isn't hard to see him having success under Kelly.

But isn't he injury prone?

That is the major red flag surrounding Bradford.

The veteran has twice torn his ACL, and a lower body injury in 2011 caused him to miss six games. In fact, over his five-year career, Bradford has played in 49 games and missed 31.

A trend that doesn't exactly go with Kelly's saying that "durability is the best ability."

Is Bradford now the "franchise quarterback"?

That answer is no, and getting that straighter out really helps to understand the trade.

Kelly wouldn't commit to Foles after the quarterback won him an NFC East title, a Pro Bowl MVP and threw 27 touchdowns and two interceptions. He wouldn't commit to DeSean Jackson after a 1,332 yard season, and he wouldn't commit to LeSean McCoy after becoming the franchise's all-time leading rusher.

So, no Kelly likely isn't handing the keys to the franchise over to Bradford, or tying his coaching career to him, before even one practice.

Why did they pay Mark Sanchez?

Bradford has trouble staying healthy, just like Foles did, and just like most quarterbacks do. Kelly has been clear since coming to the Eagles that he wants two quarterbacks he can trust on his roster. It's why he didn't trade Sanchez last summer when his value was sky-high after an impressive training camp.

By paying Sanchez a guaranteed $5.5 million to stick around, Kelly gets a guy he can trust both on the field and in the locker room. Money well spent for any team.

So does this mean no Marcus Mariota?

That is the million-dollar question.

The two things that really stick out about the Bradford trade the big salary and the draft pick are both explained away pretty easily. Bradford can be cut and the team doesn't have to pay him a dime. The pick is a second-rounder two years from now. Throw in the fact that Kelly didn't like Foles, and the Eagles actually didn't give up much for Bradford.

With that in mind, the Eagles' attempt to go up to get Mariota might not have been impacted very much. If he falls to a point where they can get him, Bradford being on the roster won't stop him. Perhaps this makes them a little more less desperate, but that might be a good thing, especially when negotiating with another team.

In fact, considering there were reportedly a few teams in on Bradford, and the Eagles had very little interest in Foles, acquiring him might actually help.

So was it a good trade?

Actually, yes.

The Eagles gave up a player in Foles they didn't want and had little-to-no trade value around the NFL. Don't let his 14-5 record under Kelly fool you. The line to trade for Foles was a short one.

The real asset traded was the second-round pick in 2016. It's possible trading that pick comes back to bite them, but with such a massive hole at quarterback, it's a small price to pay.

In return for the pick, the Eagles get a quarterback that would have been the top free agent at his position if he was released by the Rams. That might say more about the quality of quarterbacks available, but it is still a reality. The Eagles locked him up, get to take a look at him for a few months, and decide if he is worth the $12 million check he is owed next season.

Bradford may never play a snap for the Eagles. He might play a few then get hurt, or he might turn into the player that made him the No. 1 overall pick. He might end up being a trade chip for Mariota. Any outcome is possible.

For the small price tag, however, it was worth it for the Eagles to at least get their hands on Bradford, and figure the rest out from there
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WTF is Chip doing? Trading for an inferior QB (Foles for Bradford) AND giving up picks???

Chip's gathering the All-ACL Team (Bradford, Alonso, Walter Thurmond, Maxwell). And if that isn't bad enough, Mr. Glass (Ryan Matthews) is coming in for a visit. Bet on Matthews getting signed.

This has all the makings of a monumental disaster.

 
Thunderlips said:
Balco said:
Are there any Eagles fans who are confident heading into next season?
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I'm relatively confident that the team will be contending for a playoff spot like last year and the year before.

Mathews, Alonzo, Bradford.....they all have legit talent. Just haven't been healthy. What's on the line this year isn't Kelly's playcalling or personal decisions....it's the workout/lifestyle regime he puts in place for his players....Hoping those smoothies and 12 hours of sleep will get these boys ready to play!
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Agreed. I think Chip is confident in his offensive scheme, is getting players he feels will: 1) Be competent in running it, and 2) Will buy in wholeheartedly, which is important for it to work most effectively. He definitely has shown that he believes it IS the system and it doesn't require too much above-average talent to pull it off. He is focused on improving the defense, thinking that is the key to having the overall team better (more time with offense having ball = plenty of points to outscore any opponent).

I think we all knew he believed this, but he is putting his money (Lurie's money, anyway) where his mouth is. He just doesn't realize he could do this for much lower offers, contracts, etc... which is a big flaw he needs someone in place who will make him listen prior to making these decisions.

In for a dime, in for a dollar, isn't that the saying? I think the Eagles (and us) are all in for a dollar (maybe $1.25) whether we like it or not. If it works, it will really put him on a par with Bellichek and the few others who didn't listen to any naysayers and did it their way. If it doesn't work, well, it definitely won't be something we haven't dealt with before as long-suffering Eagles fans!

Edited to add: Also, if it doesn't work, Chipper won't be here left to deal with the consequences. You have to think Lurie had to know this was a possibility when the offseason change in power structure took place.. but let's hope that structure and any animosity in the organization against Chip from that do not destroy the team from within.

:banned: Here's to hoping I'm wrong about his flaw with the trade disparities, and that 'the other shoe' is out there waiting to fall in this two-part (or three part) deal for Bradford. Can't think that Kelly would be pick this guy, out of everyone, to lead the team going forward, no matter what he thought of Foles. Any Jets or Titans fans know something that we don't with either of your teams having a fetish for Bradford?? Please tell me he is 'trade fodder'?

 
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@SharpFootball: Chip Kelly has a "type" this offseason:

Games Missed in 2014:

Bradford: 16

Alonso: 16

Thurmond: 14

Mathews: 8

Maxwell: 3

=Missed 71% of gms

 
Wonder if Chip will be cutting back on the pro days this year? Might be safer to just hole up in the bunker.

After the Oregon day, why bother with any others?

 
@AlbertBreer: Eagles QB Sam Bradford was rehabbing at the Rams facility daily leading up to the trade. He's running now. Expected to be throwing by OTAs.

 
We have seen this time and time again. A coach is convinced he would be a better GM than anyone else. So he muscles his way in to control over player personnel. Once he is in control he does a number of stupid things that get him fired. Chip Kelly has taken his first steps towards a new job. I blame this on Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcels. They were two guys who were able to be terrific coaches, but they were also very good at talent evaluation. In almost every case since then no matter how brilliant a coach is, he falls very short as a talent evaluator. But you have to give Kelly credit, he has made the free agency period this season very exciting.

 
@GeoffMosherCSN: Mentioned this on @CSNPhilly last night. If you're looking for silver lining..Oklahoma runs up tempo, spread offense. Practice very fast.

 
twistd said:
We have seen this time and time again. A coach is convinced he would be a better GM than anyone else. So he muscles his way in to control over player personnel. Once he is in control he does a number of stupid things that get him fired. Chip Kelly has taken his first steps towards a new job. I blame this on Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcels. They were two guys who were able to be terrific coaches, but they were also very good at talent evaluation. In almost every case since then no matter how brilliant a coach is, he falls very short as a talent evaluator. But you have to give Kelly credit, he has made the free agency period this season very exciting.
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Devils advocate

What if he wins 10 again?

IFFF his offense is what he says it can be we could be fine.

They're continuing the defensive improvement as well

 
@SheilKapadia: Three active QBs have attempted 1,700 passes, completed worse than 59% and have a YPA under 6.7: Bradford, Sanchez and Matt Cassel.

 
Its OK to take a chance on an injured player coming back. Maybe even two but 4 all at prominent positions including the most important?

And I'm so looking forward to the Foles haters piling on for he next 6 months how terrible he was. Just remember, the only QB to even take us to a playoff game in the last 4 seasons is Nick Foles. Remember that when the sanchize is starting 8 games again this year.

 
@GeoffMosherCSN: Bradford excelled in that scheme and he's a good athlete -- well, he was one -- has quick trigger, accuracy and understands fast offense.

@GeoffMosherCSN: That's for the silver lining crowd. I'm not endorsing the trade. I was a nick foles advocate, just rationalizing why chip preferred Sam.

 
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Bigboy10182000 said:
@SheilKapadia: Three active QBs have attempted 1,700 passes, completed worse than 59% and have a YPA under 6.7: Bradford, Sanchez and Matt Cassel.
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And yet, for all that, Bradford's advanced passing stats on PFR kind of surprised me:

Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS QBrecAtt Y/A+ NY/A+ AY/A+ ANY/A+ Cmp%+ TD%+ Int%+ Sack%+ Rate+2010 23 STL QB 8 16 16 7-9-0 590 81 84 87 88 98 86 106 106 922011 24 STL QB 8 10 10 1-9-0 357 79 73 86 82 75 71 119 76 822012 25 STL QB 8 16 16 7-8-1 551 92 94 96 97 96 95 107 104 972013 26 STL qb 8 7 7 3-4-0 262 83 89 100 102 96 111 119 108 105There are a surprising number of above-average numbers there ... most notably in the INT and Sack % columns.

In other words, even if he does nothing else well, Bradford's well above-average at avoiding negative plays. I can see why he could be a good "scheme guy".

:trying desperately to find the silver lining here:

 
Bigboy10182000 said:
@caplannfl: #Eagles to host RB Ryan Mathews today, as @MikeGarafolo said. They've been interested in him for a while. Fits offense well.

How many IR spots do NFL teams have?
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Well, the Eagles have been top 5 in starts lost the previous 2 years (in the good way, as in least amount). So they're doing something right under Kelly. They sure are taking on a lot of guys with serious injury histories though.

 
Mr. Irrelevant said:
Bigboy10182000 said:
@SheilKapadia: Three active QBs have attempted 1,700 passes, completed worse than 59% and have a YPA under 6.7: Bradford, Sanchez and Matt Cassel.
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And yet, for all that, Bradford's advanced passing stats on PFR kind of surprised me:

Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS QBrecAtt Y/A+ NY/A+ AY/A+ ANY/A+ Cmp%+ TD%+ Int%+ Sack%+ Rate+2010 23 STL QB 8 16 16 7-9-0 590 81 84 87 88 98 86 106 106 922011 24 STL QB 8 10 10 1-9-0 357 79 73 86 82 75 71 119 76 822012 25 STL QB 8 16 16 7-8-1 551 92 94 96 97 96 95 107 104 972013 26 STL qb 8 7 7 3-4-0 262 83 89 100 102 96 111 119 108 105There are a surprising number of above-average numbers there ... most notably in the INT and Sack % columns. In other words, even if he does nothing else well, Bradford's well above-average at avoiding negative plays. I can see why he could be a good "scheme guy".

:trying desperately to find the silver lining here:
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That's a good pull.

Like I mentioned earlier he seems to have repetive accuracy (Chip loves this) and his arm looks really good.

 
I would be more tolerant of the Bradford move if we still had all the weapons like djax, maclin, mccoy. I think one big thing holding Bradford back, besides injury, has been the lack of other good players around him. But this current eagles offensive roster is avg at best. Not sure it's better than what stl currently has now. Just a completely baffling slew of moves so far

 
Ryan mathews? Yuck.

If we are trying to get the award for signing overhyped guys who stay hurt we are doing a great job. Hate ryan mathews. Offseason keeps getting worse

 
unckeyherb said:
Soulfly3 said:
You think Tampa is gonna prefer Bradford over Winston?

That's... interesting.
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It wouldn't surprise me if they felt like mariota is a scheme guy and after spending the weekend with Winston, think that he is a headcase BEFORE he's given hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bradford is a known quantity and admittedly an injury risk. But if he's healthy he's immediately a huge upgrade to a team that needs some steadiness.
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You're searching for that silver lining like it's a needle in a stack of needles.

Hang 10 said:
unckeyherb said:
Sorry but I really don't believe that sam Bradford is the guy chip needs to run his offense. There was a ton of speculation that chip would "sell the farm" to get up to 1-2 for Mariota. So far he's jetisoned Foles and a 2nd. My guess is that they will restructure bradfords contract, take the cap hit internally to take that issue away (they have the space to do so) and package him and a few picks to Tampa-who may very well not like what they see in Mariotas play or Winstons character. Bradford was the number one a few years ago-granted the dude hasn't been able to stay healthy but when he last played he did well with nothing. Him throwing to mike Evans makes that team infinitely better than last year and Lovie doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that wants to deal with a rookie qb. Just my $0.02- this is far from over-Bradford will never put on the midnight.
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So what would a trade look like to move from 20 to 1?

Also, if it does happen I will be excited to see the reaction of bucs fans.
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Considering the Bucs can hand pick their QB of the future and keep him for a minimum of 5 years we'd likely react the same way all of you are.

 
I can't add anything that hasn't already been stated a million times. Wow what an awful move by the Eagles. Furthermore, by not talking to the media, Chip is alienating himself from this fanbase more with each passing day.

 
I can say this for Chip, he's made me not care about any signings we make for free agency. So thanks for that killjoy. :kicksrock:

 
Insein said:
Its OK to take a chance on an injured player coming back. Maybe even two but 4 all at prominent positions including the most important?

And I'm so looking forward to the Foles haters piling on for he next 6 months how terrible he was. Just remember, the only QB to even take us to a playoff game in the last 4 seasons is Nick Foles. Remember that when the sanchize is starting 8 games again this year.
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They shall be silenced when Nick excels in St. Louis, just like he could have in Philly if Chip had stood pat.

R.I.P., Eagles respect/competition within the league for the next 5-10 years.

 
Via Twitter -Jeremy Fowler

"Giving up a 2 in Bradford trade tough for Eagles, but there were echoes at combine the Rams would need two 2s to part with Bradford"

----------

So, this would value Foles as a 2 this year, and of course we give up 2016's.

Hard to believe the going rate for Bradford was two 2's, but apparently a few teams (including Philly) thought he was worth it.

Bradford if healthy (HUGE IF) has the chops to be really good here. Chip thinks he's a better QB than his offense than Foles, and so did Shurmur I imagine or they wouldn't have ponied up. They have a better view than I do from my couch.

 
mquinnjr said:
They shall be silenced when Nick excels in St. Louis, just like he could have in Philly if Chip had stood pat.

R.I.P., Eagles respect/competition within the league for the next 5-10 years.
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I wouldn't hold my breath on either of those predictions...

 
In the super bowl era (49 years), there have been 9 QBs who have won a Super Bowl having not been drafted by that team.

Len Dawson, Jim Plunkett, Doug Williams, Steve Young, Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Drew Brees.

 
What the heck is Chip Kelly doing?

By Danny Kelly @FieldGulls on Mar 11, 2015, 10:33a +

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Chip Kelly has the power in Philadelphia now. Danny Kelly examines just what in the hell he's doing with it.

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Day one of the official NFL free agency period was a doozy. A series of signings and trades changed the landscape of division rivalries and the complexions of many teams going into next season, but no moves were met with more intrigue than the Eagles and Rams' agreement to swap quarterbacks Nick Foles and Sam Bradford (and a few picks). This unexpected and curious trade is just the latest in a flurry by Philadelphia czar Chip Kelly.

I'll get to a dissection of the Foles-Bradford trade and touch on some of Philly's other moves over the past week, but a little background is necessary to set the stage. For Kelly and the Eagles, the writing had been on the wall that major changes were coming. It all started at the end of last season when Kelly executed a coup d'état to take control of personnel from GM Howie Roseman, with whom he's reportedly had a tense relationship.

A little background

Shortly after Chip Kelly took the head coaching position with the Eagles, he hired longtime personnel guru Tom Gamble and the two of them rekindled a close working relationship that had gone back many years. Roseman reportedly viewed their apparent "alliance" as a threat to his job security -- it was widely reported there was tension in the front office and was believed that Kelly simply didn't trust Roseman's football eye, viewing him more as a salary cap expert. After the Eagles finished the season on the outside looking in to the playoffs, Roseman used this failure as leverage and made his move.

He fired Gamble (with consent from owner Jeff Lurie) on New Year's Eve, and it was widely viewed as a victory for the sitting GM. Kelly was furious, and at the time, it was speculated that the situation would soon deteriorate into something akin to what happened in San Francisco with Jed York, Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh. But, that's when Chip went straight-up Frank Underwood.

The details are murky, but what's important in the end is that Chip Kelly was granted almost complete control of football operations while Roseman was stripped his of powers as general manager. Roseman got a new title -- Executive Vice President of Football Operations -- and a contract extension, but it was clear that Kelly was the new sheriff in town.

He joined the power elite when it comes to head coaches with full power over decision making -- Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll -- and he hasn't let that newfound authority to waste.

The aftermath

"He thought it was good sport. Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn." -- Alfred Pennyworth, The Dark Knight

I'm kidding using that quote as segue. Kind of.

The uproar that Kelly has created with some of his bold and unpredictable moves over the last few weeks -- including the trade of star running back LeSean McCoy, presumptive starting quarterback Nick Foles, and the failure to re-sign their best receiver in Jeremy Maclin, has been nothing short of momentous.

Kelly has turned the Philadelphia faithful on their their heads and tested their faith in his methods to the point where the headline at time of this writing over at Bleeding Green Nation is literally: "¯\_(ツ)_/¯."

1

At this point, Eagles fans may be right in asking themselves whether they're in the middle of a "Josh McDaniels with the Broncos" style fiasco or perhaps in the infancy of a "Pete Carroll with the Seahawks" style rebirth. Are these death throes or growing pains? I don't know the answer to that -- no one does -- but I'm going to enjoy the hell out of the ride in the meantime, because if nothing else, Chip Kelly as some brass balls.

The moves

The first major dominoes to drop were Kelly's decisions to cut Cary Williams and Trent Cole, both defensible from a cap point of view.

Those minor moves were followed by the jaw-dropping trade of franchise back and 2013 NFL rushing champion LeSean McCoy for promising second-year linebacker Kiko Alonso. Now, this trade may have been shocking, but I don't really think it was terribly illogical. McCoy and Kelly reportedly didn't see eye-to-eye on schematics, and McCoy carried a big cap hit going into 2015, both reasons enough to validate the decision to invest money elsewhere. Like, at cornerback, for instance, which is exactly what Kelly did by signing Byron Maxwell for six years, $60 million with $25 million guaranteed. Maybe an overspend, sure, but a good, maybe great, cornerback is a valuable commodity.

These moves -- whether they work out or not -- were aggressive. Taken together, they planted a seed of doubt and set the foundation for Tuesday's freakout.

A few minutes after the Jimmy Graham-to-Seattle trade was reported, all hell broke loose when it was reported that the Eagles would send Nick Foles, a fourth-round pick and a 2016 second-round pick to the Rams in exchange for Sam Bradford and a fifth-round pick.

(It wasn't reported immediately, but if Bradford plays less than 50 percent of the Eagles snaps next year, Philly gets a fourth-round pick from the Rams, and if he misses the year completely, they get a third-round selection.)

The Internet's reaction went a little like this:

So, just what the ##### is Chip Kelly doing?

The way that most people seem to see it is that this trade could mean one of two things, and both of them seem pretty farfetched.

Scenario A: The Eagles genuinely love Sam Bradford

This, of course, is slightly unbelievable in the fact that Bradford, 27, is due $12.985 million in 2015 and is in the last year of the contract. Oh yeah, and he's coming off of two ACL tears, an ankle injury before that and a shoulder injury before that. Even more notable is his mediocre performance thus far in his career. Why give up on Nick Foles, a guy who had a fantastic 2013 before a less exciting 2014 was cut short by injury? Is it worth it?

These questions coupled with the rumors connecting Chip Kelly and Marcus Mariota meant that the first thought was that this was just part of an elaborate plan to jump up to grab the Oregon quarterback. A few people in the media quickly dumped cold water on that thought though, including Peter King, who tweeted, "Chip came hard after Bradford. That's why this happened." Um, ok then.

The trade-up theory was further poo-pooed by Dave Spadaro on the Eagles' official website, who wrote, "Sam Bradford is the quarterback Kelly thinks can operate this offense to maximum efficiency. That's why he is an Eagle today."

I mean, that doesn't necessarily end the debate, but it's pretty damning to a bigger plot at hand. I mean, come on, there's no way this is the whole story, right?

Spadaro, via the Eagles' website: "A deal was done on Tuesday, one that brings to Philadelphia the quarterback that head coach Chip Kelly wants. He wanted Sam Bradford. He identified Sam Bradford as a special talent who can make this offense soar... It is a gamble, no question about that. Kelly isn't afraid to make difficult, out-of-the-box decisions. But it is a gamble with a lot of upside because the Eagles think Bradford has the goods to be a franchise-type quarterback."

But what about the idea that Bradford doesn't really fit into Kelly's spread out read-option scheme? Don't the quarterbacks need to run?

Spadaro: "The misconception, perhaps, is that the offense the Eagles is one that we saw at Oregon, where the quarterback was mobile and a running threat. That's not what the Eagles are offensively."

Oh.

And, actually, Spadaro isn't making this up -- he's passing on what Chip's said in the past.

"I've said that since Day 1," Kelly said last year when making the switch to Mark Sanchez at quarterback. "Our offense is directed around our quarterback. So tell me who is playing quarterback, and I'll tell you what our offense is going to be and how it's going to look because we can always cater it to the skills of our offense. That's the beauty of what we're doing here."

Regardless, says Spadaro, "Bradford, the Eagles feel, can do it all."

Kelly has always said that part of the beauty of his offense has been that it's "quarterback-friendly." As Eagles offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur, has noted, "We don't bog them down with a lot of silly things, so the ball can come out quicker." Timing and accuracy are the two key attributes they look for in a quarterback, and as long as the quarterback makes sound decisions, he'll be fine. "The No. 1 attribute for a quarterback is being able to make good, solid decisions," he said.

And,Shurmur, who was Bradford's coordinator in St. Louis when Bradford was a rookie, may have a big hand in this. In that system, Bradford hit on 60 percent of his passes and finished with 18 touchdowns to 15 picks, then saw his numbers drop in year two after Shurmur took the head coaching job in Cleveland. Shurmur even tried to trade for Bradford when he was in charge with the Browns.

Additionally, Bradford became the No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma running a version of the spread offense, where tempo and accuracy were key.

So, despite initial shock and dismay, there is tons of logic in believing that Bradford is in fact the actual endgame here.

Scenario B: Waiting for the other shoe to drop

This double, three-team trade scenario seems weird as crap on a logistics level, but from a logic point of view it jibes.

The Rams have reportedly wanted Nick Foles for some time and were connected with him back at the Senior Bowl. So, in this scenario, the Eagles have something that the Rams want. The Eagles don't really want Sam Bradford, his injury history and his enormous contract, but they know some teams that do.

As Bleacher Report's Jason Cole posited back in early February:

"This is really fascinating because there are teams that are sitting at the top of the draft, according to executives that I've talked to, who would believe that they would prefer to have Sam Bradford, who's 27 and coming off basically missing the last year and a half of his career that they would rather have then take a chance on, say, somebody like Marcus Mariota or Jamies Winston because they have seen what Bradford can do. One caveat to this is: is Bradford healthy or not coming off of two ACL surgeries? But the belief is: take a shot with Bradford and save your first round draft pick and take somebody else."

Okaaaaaay, so things are starting to make a little sense. In theory, if one of Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Washington, New York or Chicago really would rather take a shot on Bradford (and a crap load of draft picks in exchange for their high draft pick) than pick Marcus Mariota, the Eagles would be in business. The Rams wouldn't do this move directly because they want a quarterback in Foles, so the unheard-of three-team trade could materialize. How crazy would it be if the NFL started doing this?

Worst case in this scenario for Philly is that if a trade on draft day doesn't materialize, the Eagles have Bradford, who has experience with Shurmur and is in theory more physically talented than Foles from a throwing point of view. Philly is only stuck with Bradford for one year and they're rid of Foles, who wasn't apparently in their future plans. All it costs them is a big chunk of cap space and a second-round pick (and a drop back from the fourth to the fifth round).

Best case under this scenario? The Eagles package Bradford with whatever picks they have left to move up to the first, second, or whatever spot, to pick up Marcus Mariota, who Kelly coached at Oregon.

"He has a gift for playing football," Kelly said of Mariota recently. "He is everything you could want. He can throw the ball, he can run. He is the most talented kid I coached in college." And, in this scenario, he'd be Kelly's franchise quarterback with the Eagles.

Would it be worth it? Time would tell. All I know is it'd be the most convoluted and awesome trade scenario in NFL history and could revolutionize how teams do business.
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