A New Regime, A New Year!

Rejoice, Eagles fans!

The season is right around the corner. I have read a handful of articles recently by beat writers and bloggers that characterize this Eagles team as "not exciting." There are some arguments for that; this is more or less a placeholder year at the QB position, the team is lacking in the skill position department, the defense will likely go through some bumps in the road in the transition from the 2-gap 3-4 to Jim Schwartz's 4-3 attack style defense, etc. However, I think most fans will be able to find enjoyment in the week to week as we see the Doug Pederson offense be installed and grow from week to week. For what it's worth, Doug may not be a super exciting guy, but if you make a point to watch last years Kansas City games, the offense is actually pretty fun. Gasp! I know, that doesn't fit the narrative, but seriously, I mean it.

I hope to write throughout the season this year, whereas I failed in that aspect last year. There were several reasons for that. Personal reasons, which don't matter to any of you so I won't bore you. But also, it was an incredibly frustrating and boring year to catalog and follow the Philadelphia Eagles. The offense was stagnant, any articles I could've written had been written ten times before, and probably masterfully by Sheil Kapadia back when he worked for Birds 24/7. This is because the team really didn't change at all from the fall of 2013 to the fall of 2015. Moreover, the team was hard to watch, let alone write about.

I loved what Chip Kelly brought to the team in his first year, but his total lack of ability to adapt and make necessary, albeit painful, changes at key times led to his demise. To make a point of just how poorly Chip was performing on and off the field, Jeffrey Lurie fired him after three seasons. Billy Davis said recently just how shocked he was by that, considering Lurie's reputation for having a long-leash, hands off approach to the team. For what it's worth, the best article I've read this offseason is this one, where Billy Davis genuinely opens up and gives honest answers about his thoughts on last season. Check it out if you have a minute.

So, the real reason I'm so excited about this coming year? At the very fundamental, the offense is not going to be the Chip Kelly offense. For better or for worse, the change will be refreshing to see, and give me loads to analyze and write about. I will make a point to write at least once a week throughout this season, bringing high brow football analysis to you in language anyone can follow.

Go Eagles!