What They’re Saying About The Eagles

The Eagles face the Cowboys this Sunday in a key NFC East matchup. Here’s a sampling of what’s being said about the Birds around the league and the internet in advance of the Sunday Night showdown.

NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha explains why he thinks each team in the NFC East can or can’t win the division, including the Eagles.

They’re actually playing pretty good defense. The Eagles rank 11th in the league in scoring D (allowing 19.6 points per game) and they gave up just 24 points total in back-to-back wins over the Giants and Saints in early October.

Defensive end Fletcher Cox has performed like a Pro Bowler (with five sacks) and the return of linebacker Kiko Alonso (who’s been sidelined with a knee injury) will bolster the front seven even more. Head coach Chip Kelly has never been known for playing to his defense — he prefers to wear opponents out by running his fast-paced offense — but this is the best thing about the Eagles right now.

Kelly also should make Ryan Mathews the lead back over DeMarco Murray. Mathews leads the team in rushing (on 32 fewer carries than Murray) and has looked like a better fit in that offense since Day 1. More touches for Mathews could make life easier for everyone around the Eagles’ backfield.

USA Today’s Nate Davis bumps Chip Kelly up a pair of spots in this week’s edition of the site’s ‘Coaches on the Hot Seat’ rankings.

4. Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles: He emerges from a bye week that afforded time to tinker with this team’s faulty transmission. Now the scrutiny mounts with the Eagles needing to stack wins, starting Sunday in Dallas. And, of course, with Whisenhunt fired, there will be all kinds of questions about Kelly to Tennessee to reunite with QB Marcus Mariota.

According to a report from Howard Eskin, Sam Bradford turned down a four-year deal worth $18 million per year from the Eagles, writes CBS Philly’s Ray Boyd.

94WIP’s Howard Eskin joined The Josh Innes Show on Monday to discuss the Eagles’ feelings toward [Colin] Kaepernick and toward their own quarterback in Bradford.

If you’re rooting for the Eagles to pursue Kaepernick, Eskin may have some bad news for you.

“They’re not big fans of Kaepernick,” Eskin said of the Eagles. Eskin added that the distaste for Kaepernick does not mean the team is incredibly high on Bradford either.

“They were big fans of Bradford,” Eskin explained. “They’re not as big of fans of Bradford because obviously they will not sign him to the contract that he turned down which was about $18 million a year.”

Fox Sports’s Dan Schneier hands out his midseason NFC East grades, which includes Jordan Hicks as best rookie, Walter Thurmond as best offseason acquisition, and the Eagles as disappointment of the year.

Given free rein to execute a major roster overhaul, Eagles head coach/general manager Chip Kelly built a roster in his vision to fit his system.

In the process, neglected to address the offensive line in the draft or free agency. The Eagles were left with two new starting guards after releasing one of NFL’s best left guards, Evan Mathis, and injuries along the interior have further weakened the group up front.

Sam Bradford is a rhythm thrower with limited mobility, but he has been careless with the football and inaccurate on intermediate pass attempts.