Kelly: It Wasn’t Always Vick’s Fault In 2012

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During a brief interview with Steve Wyche of NFL Network, Chip Kelly touched on a variety of topics, including Michael Vick, the draft and roster-building.

Nothing earth-shattering, but we thought we’d at least share some highlights.

Asked about Vick, Kelly pointed to the Eagles’ banged-up offensive line in 2012.

“Mike can still play,” he said. “When you evaluate a quarterback, you have to evaluate everything. The losing of three or four offensive linemen for the season, he took a lot of hits. You as a quarterback, when you drop back, hope that guy’s going to be blocked, and when we miss a block and he ends up getting hit, it’s not the quarterback’s fault.”

In other words, that whole “Every sack is the QB’s fault” thing works better in theory than in practice.

Anyone who paid attention last year would have to acknowledge that the offensive line played a major role in the Eagles’ struggles. But Vick had 14 interceptions and 10 fumbles in 13 games in 2011, when the Birds had a really good offensive line.

Kelly said he still believes Vick can be successful under the right circumstances.

“When you sit down and analyze what his skill set is and what he can still do, he can still throw the football, still accurate with his throws, he’s extremely tough. There was no question in my mind that I wanted Michael to be back on this team.”

As for the rest of the roster, Kelly said the Eagles targeted specific types of players in free agency.

“We’ve got some really good guys on our team to begin with, and now it’s, ‘How do we complement them?’ ” he said. “There’s a certain kind of guy we want on our team. The guys we signed fit that DNA.

“I want guys that love playing football, that this game is a passion for them, and it’s not something that is a job. If you approach it as this is just your job and this is what you do and you’re checking in at 9 in the morning, and you’re checking out at 5, then I don’t think those people last over the long haul.”

The Eagles have admitted drafting for need in the past. When they felt they were close to winning a Super Bowl, they targeted specific positions, and it burned them. Kelly echoed Howie Roseman’s sentiment that the team plans on being more disciplined in sticking to its board going forward.

“You look at the history of this, when people make mistakes, it’s when they kind of reach for something that probably isn’t there,” Kelly said. “We feel right now that we don’t have a need like we have to take this. We put ourselves in a position to take the best player that’s available.”

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.

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