Head coach Chip Kelly has the Eagles right where they need to be.
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To Eagles fans, and even NFL fans, it’s pretty easy to see when a coach should challenge a play on the field.
Viewers at home on television get a multitude of camera angles along with analysis from former players and NFL experts.
But Chip Kelly — who is coaching his Eagles in real time along with an entire staff of coaches, playcallers and other team assistants — doesn’t have the same luxury as a fan holding a remote.
“We don’t get the same feed all the time that the people on TV get,” Kelly said, who recently added a replay man to his staff. “So when you get, hey, you should have challenged that because on TV they got that. We’re governed by the feed that we get in the box.”
The Eagles are set to play a big game against the Colts in enemy territory Monday night. And it seems like on the road is where Kelly has the most trouble making a replay decision.
“There have been some games I’ve asked should we challenge, and the guys in the box say we haven’t seen a replay yet,” the coach said. “And it always seems like it happens when we’re on the road. I don’t know how that happens.”
With big decisions to make regarding what is and is not a catch, and what is and is not a touchdown, Kelly and the rest of the NFL’s coaches are without the same technology fans have in the stands and at home.
“Maybe someone should have their phone on and they can text them from home,” Kelly said. “But there are a lot of times after the game, ‘why didn’t you challenge it?’ Well, you talk to the guys in booth, that’s not what they saw. That’s not the feed they were given all the time, and it’s not always the same as it is on television.”
