|
|
"What is Chip Kelly doing?"That's the question running through the minds of fans after watching the coach orchestrate a series of personnel moves that completely flipped the starting lineup and Jaxson Hayes Jersey removed three players (, and ) from the squad. While change is certainly inevitable in the NFL, the surprising decisions of the wily Kelly have led many to question the ' viability as NFC contenders. After taking some time to sort through the moves and using to investigate how the pieces of the puzzle could fit in Philadelphia, I've come up with three reasons to believe the ' offense is in better position to make a legitimate title run in 2015:1) DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews fit Chip Kelly's system better.It's crazy to suggest someone who racked up 2,926 rushing yards over the past two seasons with the -- collecting a rushing title in 2013, to boot -- is a poor fit for Kelly's system, but 's jitterbug running style certainly didn't match the "north-south" premise of Philly's running game. Kelly employs a zone-based running scheme that places a premium on decisivene s and efficiency at the point of attack. Runners within the scheme are expected to adhere to a "one-cut" rule (that is, they are limited to taking one cut in the backfield before attacking the crease at the line of scrimmage), to reduce the chances of a negative run. While McCoy provided a handful of splash plays with the , his tendency to dance around the backfield led to negative plays that put the offense behind the chains. Kelly, of course, is bent on revving the pace of his attack by stringing together positive plays. McCoy's undisciplined style also occasionally prevented the team from playing at warp speed. Thus, it made sense and .Murray and Mathews have the patience and discipline to attack creases between the tackles. Each runner goes at the line of scrimmage with burst while also exhibiting the poise, body control and balance to slide to another hole if the original lane is clogged. Most importantly, Murray and Mathews routinely hit the hole with their shoulders square to the line, allowing them to jump into open lanes or run through defenders at the point of attack. As a result, Murray and Mathews have picked up 4-plus yards per attempt over their careers (4.8 for Murray and 4.4 for Mathews), with each notching two 1,000-yard seasons (over four years with the for Murray and five with the for Mathews). Those numbers are certainly on par with McCoy's production during his time in Philadelphia (McCoy posted four 1,000-yard seasons and averaged 4.6 yards per attempt in six years).Let's look more closely at what Murray and Mathews have to offer EMARCO MURRAYThe reigning NFL rushing champ is a no-nonsense runner with outstanding vision, anticipation and balance. He is slippery at the point attack, but he also flashes the strength and power to run through contact in the hole. Murray's ability to run out of tackles is rarely discu sed as one of his strengths, but I believe it is critical to his succe s as a "one-cut" runner. In an offense designed to give runners multiple tracks at the line of scrimmage, Murray's combination of body control, vision and power will make him a first-down machine as the designated workhorse of a zone-based running scheme.In the play depicted below, from the ' over the last season, Murray takes a handoff on an outside zone play heading to the right. He attacks the inside leg of the right tackle, then decides whether to cut or bounce based on the reaction of the defensive front. Spotting a crease on the interior, Murray makes a hard cut and scoots to the second level, with his eyes on the blocks of the center and right guard. Murray slips through the seam and powers through a tackle in the secondary on the way to a touchdown. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):Here's more evidence of the potential Murray has to thrive in the ' zone-based running scheme. In the play depicted below, from over the in Week 6 last season, Murray is aligned as the tailback in an I-formation and takes the handoff on the outside zone heading to the right. At the point of attack, he sees the flow of the defense flowing quickly to the outside, leaving a crease on the interior. Murray makes a quick cut to the left, explodes through the hole and runs through an arm tackle en route to a 15-yard score. Murray's combination of vision, quickne s and power again produce a positive gain in the red zone, which is critical to scoring points against elite defenses. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):RYAN MATHEWSThe sixth-year pro is a nifty runner with outstanding vision, quickne s and burst. He displays explosive pitter-pat in the hole, and he's also a disciplined runner adept at finding creases on downhill runs. Though he appears to be a fine se runner at first glance, Mathews flashes enough strength and power to run through arm tackles at the second level on the way to big runs on the perimeter. With Mathews also showing the determination and grit needed to excel between the tackles on inside zones and draws from one-back sets, he appears to be a great fit for the ' scheme, particularly regarding their nickel run package from spread formations.After reviewing Mathews' 32-yard touchdown run in the ' , I can envision the frequently giving the former runner touches on a variety of inside zone runs and deception plays between the tackles. On that particular play, which you can see in the video to the right, Mathews is aligned at halfback in the dubs formation. The are running a draw play, with Mathews delaying for a count before taking the handoff from quarterback . The delayed action prompts the ' defensive line to fly up the field, leaving a huge lane for Mathews in the middle. He works to the second level and makes a move on a pair of defenders in the secondary before scooting to the end zone. The decision to trade away McCoy certainly provoked the ire of ' fans and sparked quizzical looks from observers, but Murray and Mathews will make it easier for Kelly to do what he wants on offense.2) Sam Bradford will excel directing an "inside-out" pa sing game.Teams don't often trade away quarterbacks who have produced at an MVP level, but that didn't stop the -- whose open-mindedne s was further illustrated by -- from . Bradford is a talented pa ser with outstanding anticipation, awarene s and instincts within the pocket. The former No. 1 overall pick throws the ball in rhythm at the top of his drops and routinely leads receivers into open areas with his throws. Injuries forced Bradford to mi s 31 games over the past five seasons, including much of 2013 and all of 2014. But the addition of an accurate, pinpoint pa ser could help Philly's pa sing game soar behind an "inside-out" approach. After all, Bradford did win the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year award while working with current offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in St. Louis, thriving in a "dink-and-dunk" attack constructed on West Coast offensive principles. If healthy, Bradford should return to All-Star levels.Considering the ' recent personnel moves, I believe the team is building a pa sing game around tight ends, running backs and slot receivers. Of course, the focal point could change with the signing of a marquee free-agent pa s catcher or the addition of a dynamic young receiver in the draft. Neverthele s, Philly has a sembled a collection of playmakers between the hashes that should help the oft-injured pa ser drive opposing defensive coordinators nuts. Let's take a look at the lineup:TEs ZACH ERTZ AND BRENT CELEKThe sport one of the NFL's most dangerous tight-end tandems in Ertz and Celek, who have the athleticism to pose problems for linebackers and safeties in space. Ertz in particular is a dynamic pa s catcher with the speed and burst to work down the seam; he excels at blowing past defenders on vertica Wenyen Gabriel Jersey |
|