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Philadelphia Eagles’ Decision To Alienate Chip Kelly Could Be Detrimental

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Make no mistake about it. There is something fishy going on within the front office of the Philadelphia Eagles.

It seems eerily similar to a situation that occurred just under one year ago, when Philadelphia felt they were forced to release wide receiver DeSean Jackson. During that event, subtle media reports began to come out about how the Eagles were ready to move on from Jackson, which eventually led to more and more chatter that the team did not confirm or deny. And the rest, as we know it, is history.

Now we have another occurrence where there is a clear divide between head coach Chip Kelly and general manager Howie Roseman. Shortly after he was hired in 2013, Kelly made it a point to bring on board his friend and well-respected personnel man, Tom Gamble. While Roseman officially hired Gamble to work side-by-side with him, it was clearly a move that the head coach pushed for.

During his season-ending press conference on Monday, Kelly went out of his way to declare Gamble an “outstanding football man” and that he did a “great job” this season. When asked about his relationship with Roseman, Kelly responded, “Good.”

Naturally, Gamble was fired and escorted out of the Novacare Complex on Wednesday.

It was made clear when Kelly was hired, that he would be given control and final say on all roster decisions. Roseman is now apparently tired of his role and wants to be more involved in the product that is being put on the field, as opposed to managing the cap and negotiating contracts. However unhappy he may be, though, should Roseman really be making a power play?

Kelly is one of the most sought after coaches almost every year, not just in the NFL, but college as well. He is 20-12 in his first two professional seasons and simply has opposing teams afraid of him. His offensive system is deadly when it is clicking on all cylinders, and on top of that Kelly has yet to fulfill all the pieces he wants to make the unit the best it could be.

There is no way that the public knows the full story as to what is going on between Kelly and Roseman and even owner Jeffrey Lurie. Gamble being fired had to have been approved by Lurie, and in doing so it showed that he sided with the general manager.

Lurie’s decision could prove to be a massive mistake.

Even if Roseman wants more say in personnel, he is still heavily involved in the draft process, and throughout the four drafts he has been a part of (two before Kelly arrived), one only player has made the Pro Bowl (Nick Foles).

Not much of a track record.

It is very unlikely that Kelly will not be coaching the Eagles in 2015, but the tension between him and Roseman could lead to a similar outcome that Jim Harbaugh had with the San Francisco 49ers.

If Philadelphia’s head coach and general manager can’t figure out a way to work together, then there is a legitimate chance Kelly could be gone after next season. And if that is really a possibility, Roseman must ask himself, “Did I make my decisions for the good of the team and the city? Or did I do what was best for me?”

Max Zelenko is a Philadelphia Eagles/NFL writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on twitter @maxzelenko, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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