The Chip Kelly era in Philadelphia is over. How quickly things can change in the world of pro sports.

During this past offseason, expectations and hopes were high for the Philadelphia Eagles organization, as well as, their fans. The team had acquired two new starting running backs, one of them coming off of the NFL rushing title in Dallas. They had added a young starting linebacker who showed promise while in Buffalo. They traded their then starting quarterback for a former Heisman Trophy winner who, when healthy, proved to be a solid signal caller in the league. To cap it off, they invested money to revamp their horrid and lackluster defense, from the years past. This was going to be Philly’s year. At least that was the impression.

Instead of being dominant and explosive on offense, the Eagles proved to be the most inconsistent team in the league. They have lost to one of the worst teams in the NFL, in the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while beating one of the perennial powerhouses in all sports, the New England Patriots. It is very easy for fans to point the finger at the players who make crucial mistakes throughout the course of a game, but the real issue is coaching. The amount of talent that is on the team’s offensive roster is plentiful and the depth is immense. Because of the defense having major question marks all offseason, the offense had to do most of the heavy lifting during the season, which is not unusual amongst the league nowadays. However, the offense has not done so this season, and in turn caused their below average defense to be on the field way too frequently over the course of games. This occurrence causes blame to be on head coach Chip Kelly.

As many remember, Chip Kelly was the maestro behind the incredible program he developed at the University of Oregon. He led his teams to numerous bowl games, almost won a National Championship, coached future NFL players, and, ultimately, put Oregon on the map in the world of College Football. His high tempoed and quick pace offense, without a strong defense, found success at the collegiate level. When he signed on the dotted lines to become the new head coach in Philadelphia in January 2013, he brought with him his same winning formula. The first 2 years his offense was top two in the league in every category, which was due in large part to the top-tier talent at the skill positions. He had DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, Jason Avant, Riley Cooper and Brent Celek. That group of skill players came together to orchestrate a fast paced, high octane offense. Of those players only Riley Cooper and Brent Celek remain with the team.

It is understandable that all of the players mentioned could not be kept here, and eventually would have parted with the team due to salary caps and cap room. The Eagles replaced LeSean McCoy with a Kiko Alonso, a proven starter, and added Demarco Murray and Ryan Mathews for the same price it would have cost to keep McCoy. The Eagles also developed second year receiver Jason Mathews into a sure slot receiver, while making Riley Cooper their number one pass catcher. With first round pick Nelson Agholor’s explosiveness and Brent Celek’s reliability in the pass game, as well as the run game, the offense should have been even better without their past squad. However, that was not the case.

Instead of changing his offense to fit his new acquisitions, he continued to force his fast paced style of offense on players, who seem to fit a more conventional ground and pound, play-action styled scheme. His misuse of Demarco Murray appears to be a waste of money, since he doesn’t even see the field all too often. Ryan Matthews, Darren Sproles, and Kenjon Barner take most of the carries in the backfield. These three tailbacks, coincidentally, fit Chip Kelly’s offense and the demands it brings. Kelly’s offense focuses on edge blocking with outside running backs to make plays from hash mark to sideline. This does not coincide with Demarco Murray’s style of running, with an offensive line who primarily zone blocks to make holes for him to make one cut and go north and south downhill, which inevitably wears a defense out. Kelly’s misuse of Murray, who was supposed to be the savior of the Eagles organization, leaves many to question why he was even signed in the first place.

Chip Kelly’s misuse of the players on his team seem to be cause for the Philadelphia Eagles disappointing 2015 campaign. The Eagles passing offense is 26th in the league, and their rushing offense is 29th. With the loss to the Washington Redskins on Saturday to seal any playoff hope they might have had, their season finale against the New York Giants seems to be an audition among players for their jobs. A bunch of bad coaching decisions and foul ups have caused another season of heartbreak for the Philly faithful.