Chip Kelly: Offensive Mastermind

When looking at the Philadelphia Eagles, it is hard to look past the tremendous success that first year coach Chip Kelly has had in one short year with the team. After an embarrassing 4-12 last place finish in 2012, the Eagles fired longtime coach Andy Reid and hired Chip Kelly, the offensive mastermind out of Oregon.

Chip Kelly not only transformed the Eagles, but he also became the first ever rookie head coach to win a division title (10-6, NFC East Champs). The success that the Eagles had was in large part due to the breakout performance of second year quarterback Nick Foles.

After Michael Vick went down with a Hamstring injury, Nick Foles became the starter and simply put on a show, ending the year with 29 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions. He also tied Peyton Manning's single game record of 7 touchdown passes in a game (vs. Oakland 11/3/13). Foles threw for 2,891 yards with a passer rating of 119.2.

The Eagles' offense was also led by all-pro running back LeSean McCoy, who had his best season since 2011. Under Kelly's new up-tempo offense, McCoy ran for 1,607 yards with 9 touchdowns, capturing his first rushing title. McCoy had 314 rushing attempts, 41 more than his previous high of 273 in 2011.

Foles also had two very talented wide receivers to throw to, being sixth year pro DeSean Jackson and second year pro Riley Cooper. Cooper became a breakout star in this offense, largely because of an injury to star wide receiver Jeremy Maclin in training camp. Cooper hauled in 47 receptions for 853 yards and 8 touchdowns, making him the Eagles second leading receiver. Jackson, like Cooper, had the best season of his career, ending with 82 receptions for 1,332 yards and 9 touchdowns. He had 20 more receptions than his previous high of 62 in 2008 and 2009.

Jackson has made recent headlines with a request for a raise in his salary after his tremendous performance this season. If you want my opinion, I say he is being a selfish player. He had a breakout year due to the up-tempo offense that Kelly brought to the table. He is set to make $50 million in the next 4 years, and should want his team to use the extra money to go out during free agency and help out the defense.

Chip Kelly is largely responsible for giving this Eagles team new life and making them one of the most exciting teams to watch in football. I am excited for what is to come in the next few years under coach Kelly. Look for the Eagles to be at the top of the NFC East each year.