Chip Kelly on WIP: ‘Great confidence’ in Vick

By Peter Mucha

This morning, a surprisingly upbeat Chip Kelly faulted his offense in several ways, but expressed “great confidence” in quarterback Michael Vick.

In during his weekly radio interview on 94 WIP, the head coach also said no roster moves were planned -- - although that answer prompted immediate skepticism.

Despite Sunday’s 52-20 trouncing by Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, Kelly didn’t sound anywhere near as depressed as some Eagles fans.

“Shocked? No,” he said, when morning show host Angelo Cataldi asked if Kelly anticipated that coming to the NFL from college could be this tough.

“It's definitely a transition and I relish the opportunity,” Kelly said. “I knew that going in. That's the part that's so exciting. You're going to get a challenge every single day."

He said he was looking forward to playing the New York Giants – and not just because the Giant’s loss Sunday to Andy Reid’s Kansas Chiefs left the NFC East rival 0-4 for the season.

That the Eagles defense fared miserably was obvious from the score, but Kelly also faulted his other units.

“I was really disappointed in our special teams,” Kelly said, adding that any team that gives up two touchdowns in the kicking game, as the Eagles did, is setting itself up for failure in the NFL.

The struggles of kicker Alex Henery, who missed a field, were “a little surprising,” Kelly said. “We'll talk to Alex about where he's pushing it."

The offense may accumulated 450 yards, but Kelly wasn’t happy that it repeatedly failed to get in the end zone because of mistakes, like “key drops” and penalties.

“We're hurting ourselves,” Kelly said. “... We gotta fix that."

He said he didn’t know why star running back LeSean McCoy seemed to be the only Eagles player complaining of trouble breathing in the thin air of Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

What bothered Kell the most was the third quarter, when Manning let the Broncos on three touchdown drives, turning a 21-13 competitive game into a 42-13 rout.

“We gotta go out offensively and put something together and match them,” Kelly said.

“Going in, we didn't have any delusions that we were going to shut Peyton Manning out,” he said.

The playing of Nick Foles late in the game was no slight to Vick.

"Mike had gotten some hits throwing the ball, and I wanted to make sure we preserved him. I still have great confidence in Mike,” Kelly said.

When Cataldi asked if any major lineup or roster moves were planned, Kelly hesitated, then simply said, “No.”

“That was a long pause,” said cohost Rhea Hughes.

“That was a yes,” said cohost Al Morganti.

Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.

Chip Kelly on WIP: ‘Great confidence’ in Vick

By Peter Mucha

This morning, a surprisingly upbeat Chip Kelly faulted his offense in several ways, but expressed “great confidence” in quarterback Michael Vick.

In during his weekly radio interview on 94 WIP, the head coach also said no roster moves were planned -- - although that answer prompted immediate skepticism.

Despite Sunday’s 52-20 trouncing by Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, Kelly didn’t sound anywhere near as depressed as some Eagles fans.

“Shocked? No,” he said, when morning show host Angelo Cataldi asked if Kelly anticipated that coming to the NFL from college could be this tough.

“It's definitely a transition and I relish the opportunity,” Kelly said. “I knew that going in. That's the part that's so exciting. You're going to get a challenge every single day."

He said he was looking forward to playing the New York Giants – and not just because the Giant’s loss Sunday to Andy Reid’s Kansas Chiefs left the NFC East rival 0-4 for the season.

That the Eagles defense fared miserably was obvious from the score, but Kelly also faulted his other units.

“I was really disappointed in our special teams,” Kelly said, adding that any team that gives up two touchdowns in the kicking game, as the Eagles did, is setting itself up for failure in the NFL.

The struggles of kicker Alex Henery, who missed a field, were “a little surprising,” Kelly said. “We'll talk to Alex about where he's pushing it."

The offense may accumulated 450 yards, but Kelly wasn’t happy that it repeatedly failed to get in the end zone because of mistakes, like “key drops” and penalties.

“We're hurting ourselves,” Kelly said. “... We gotta fix that."

He said he didn’t know why star running back LeSean McCoy seemed to be the only Eagles player complaining of trouble breathing in the thin air of Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

What bothered Kell the most was the third quarter, when Manning let the Broncos on three touchdown drives, turning a 21-13 competitive game into a 42-13 rout.

“We gotta go out offensively and put something together and match them,” Kelly said.

“Going in, we didn't have any delusions that we were going to shut Peyton Manning out,” he said.

The playing of Nick Foles late in the game was no slight to Vick.

"Mike had gotten some hits throwing the ball, and I wanted to make sure we preserved him. I still have great confidence in Mike,” Kelly said.

When Cataldi asked if any major lineup or roster moves were planned, Kelly hesitated, then simply said, “No.”

“That was a long pause,” said cohost Rhea Hughes.

“That was a yes,” said cohost Al Morganti.

Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.