If there's one thing we've learned about the Philadelphia Eagles, it's that coach Chip Kelly has an interesting way of doing things. See his busy and unpredictable offseason for example. The offensive mastermind has raised quite a few eyebrows on his way to making the Eagles the talk of the offseason after dealing 3-time Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for former Oregon Duck -- Kiko Alonso, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL. Kelly then looked to fill the void left by McCoy with the acquisition of Frank Gore who after agreeing to terms with Philadelphia, chose to sign with the Indianapolis Colts instead. Kelly didn't panic, however, and instead countered by finding his man in the much younger DeMarco Murray who he managed to snag from the rival Cowboys with the help of a college teammate. However, the biggest head-scratcher is what Kelly has done with the Eagles' quarterback position.
Two days after re-signing Mark Sanchez who won over the Eagles' starting QB job following an injury to Nick Foles midway through the season, Philly shipped Foles to the St. Louis Rams in return for the often injured Sam Bradford. Murray and Bradford spent three seasons together at the University of Oklahoma which played a role in Murray jumping ship in Dallas to sign with the Eagles. Not to mention the 5-year, $42 Million contract offer that Philadelphia proposed to the league's top rusher in 2014 which had to have made the decision a bit easier. But just when you thought Kelly's madness had come to an end, he makes yet another questionable decision. The latest reports have the Eagles expected to sign 27-year old QB Tim Tebow to a deal just in time for the start of the team's offseason program which begins on Monday. The former Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Florida is more than two years removed from appearing in his last regular season game with the New York Jets after spending a brief and unsuccessful stint with the New England Patriots who cut him after the 2013 preseason. After being asked by coach Kelly to workout for the team in March, Tebow will now join a crowded QB roster which includes Matt Barkley as well as the aforementioned Bradford and Sanchez.
For Tebow, who is still in search of the respect of an NFL quarterback with a playoff win under his belt while a member of the Denver Broncos, teaming up with an offensive genius in Kelly could very well benefit him and help revive his career in the same way it did for his former Jets teammate Mark Sanchez a season ago. That's assuming Tebow can make the squad of course, something his deal does not guarantee. The signing of Tebow is one of low risk and high reward as Kelly hopes to groom one of college's most decorated QB's into a more well-rounded player at the professional level. But after speculation began to swirl regarding the Eagles reportedly being interested in moving up in this month's NFL Draft to land another former Duck, could Kelly's latest move be an indication that he's throwing in the towel on trying to acquire the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota whom he recruited at the University of Oregon? While it doesn't exactly shoot down the possibility, it has to at least put a dent in those chances.
The signing of Tebow would give the Eagles two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks and three QBs taken in the first round. Unfortunately, it would also give them three of the five worst QBs in the league over the last five years from a Quarterback Rating standpoint with a minimum of 30 games at the position. Lets see if Chip Kelly can work his magic with this new batch of Quarterbacks as the Eagles look to rebound from a disappointing season in which they failed to make the playoffs after a 7-2 start before ultimately finishing the year with a record of 10-6.
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With the San Francisco 49ers coming off their bye week, Sunday's meeting against the division rival St. Louis Rams was expected to be just another day at the office for Jim Harbaugh's squad. Instead it would turn out to be anything but as both teams struggled to best one another in a game that would surpass the 4-hour mark and head to overtime. But even an extra quarter wouldn't be enough to help decide a winner as the Rams and 49ers became the latest teams to have their game end in a tie.
With St. Louis also fresh off a bye week, the 49ers looked as if they were still on theirs in the game's early going as the Rams jumped out to an early 14-0 lead. Former number one overall draft pick Sam Bradford showed no signs of intimidation against the league's number one ranked defense as he and Pro Bowl running back Stephen Jackson who eclipsed the 100-yard mark, marched down the field with ease on St. Louis' first two drives on offense. After being shutout in the first quarter, Alex Smith and the 49ers offense began to show signs of life as Smith found a wide-open Michael Crabtree for a 14-yard touchdown to put San Francisco on the board. But not before Smith had his bell rung with a shot to the head a few plays earlier when trying to scramble for a first down. Though Smith managed to complete the drive, he showed signs of discomfort while on the sideline and was escorted to the medical facility where he was later treated for a concussion.
With the NFL's ruling on concussions and blows to the head as strict as ever, Smith would be unable to return and saw his day come to an early end as backup Colin Kaepernick prepared to take over the quarterback duties. After a successful college career for the Nevada Wolf Pack where he had just as much success running the ball as he did passing, Kaepernick would showcase his running ability in the fourth quarter. Trailing 17-7, coach Harbaugh drew up a run play for his second year QB who ran it in from 7-yards out to bring his team within a field goal. Having played 3+ quarters of turnover-free football, the game would then see its first hiccup from either team as the Rams fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, setting up San Francisco for a chance to take their first lead of the game. On the very next play Frank Gore would do just that, dashing into the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown run to put his team on top, 21-17.
After a miraculous turn of events that saw everything including the momentum shift in San Francisco's favor, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher would then go to his bag of tricks. With San Francisco awaiting a punt, Fisher had other plans as St. Louis' special team burnt that of the 49ers by converting on not one but two fake punts in the ball game, the second coming with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. Several plays after their display of trickery, Bradford found a wide-open Austin Pettis in the back of the end zone to reclaim the lead. In need of a field goal to tie or a touchdown to win, Kaepernick would be called upon to put together some late-game heroics with just over a minute remaining. And with a number of short passes and runs of his own, Kaepernick would setup kicker David Akers for a 33-yard field goal to send the game into overtime tied, 24-24.
But it would be in overtime where both teams struggled to put anymore points across the board as both team's kickers had chances at winning the game with field goals but failed. Greg Zuerlein who missed from 58 yards out after earlier knocking down a 27 yarder and David Akers who with the exception of his week 1 performance against Green Bay has been a ghost of his 2011 self, having missed six field goals already this season including a 41 yard try in OT which is usually a chip shot for him, would both fail to get their team a win on Sunday. With both teams unable to score in overtime, the 49ers and Rams would play to the NFL's first tie in 4 years (first since Eagles vs Bengals in 2008), an oddity in today's game. While the 49ers remain atop the NFC West at 6-2-1, a game ahead of the 6-4 Seattle Seahawks, the Rams sit at 3-5-1 behind the 4-5 Arizona Cardinals.
Week 11 Preview: With the exception of their week 7 meeting with the Seattle Seahawks, the 49ers have yet to run into a team that's better known for their defense than they are for their offense. That's exactly what they'll see in week 11 against the visiting 7-2 Chicago Bears on ESPN's Monday Night Football in a battle of NFC heavyweights. While defense is expected to steal the spotlight, the game could very well be a face off between backup QB's. Though it's currently unknown as to whether or not 49ers QB Alex Smith will be cleared by doctors to play on Monday, Chicago will be without quarterback Jay Cutler who also suffered a concussion last week and will be replaced by backup Jason Campbell. But unlike Campbell who's been a starter in the league for the past six seasons, Kaepernick is inexperienced outside of the handful of snaps he's taken this year and has yet to face a defense of this caliber. With the Bears defense leading the league with 30 turnovers and 19 interceptions, the second-round pick out of Nevada could be in for a long day if he's given the nod. But if Smith gets the green light, I like the 49ers chances of bouncing back from their sloppy performance on Sunday and coming out on top, 20-10.
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