Football, Fun, and the Philadelphia Eagles

Football gets a lot of credit for being action-packed and exciting compared to a slower sport like baseball. In reality, though, that reputation doesn't reflect reality. Football can be wicked boring sometimes. The average play lasts for a few seconds, followed by forty seconds of nothingness until the action resumes. The pace can be infuriating at times, especially when bland offenses are involved. The final minutes of a close NFL game are thrilling because of the drama and uncertainty, sure, but also because the pace finally accelerates from its standard plodding speed. At that point, when there's little-to-no down-time between snaps, football achieves its peak excitement level. For those two minutes at least, football tempo feels a bit like basketball tempo, which is exhilarating.

That's why Chip Kelly's new Eagles offense is so much fun. He's bringing that quick late-game pace to nearly every offensive snap. The result -- at least on Monday night against the Redskins -- was a terrific spectacle. In Philadelphia's first offensive drive of the season, the Eagles ran off 10 plays in just over three minutes, covering seventy yards. Michael Vick typically snapped the ball with at least twenty seconds remaining on the play clock, which is virtually unheard-of. Unlike Peyton Manning's hurry-up offense (in which Manning will get to the line of scrimmage early but stand there barking instructions for twenty seconds), the Eagles were ready to run a play as soon as the officials placed the ball after the previous down. Washington's defense was noticeably exhausted by the lightning-quick pace. By spreading the field, and keeping defenders on their heels, Philadelphia opened up comically huge running lanes, like the ones on this LeSean McCoy touchdown:

That first drive was so exciting that its anticlimactic result (a turnover that Washington's defense returned for a touchdown) was actually a positive. Because we immediately got to watch the Eagles offense again (they promptly drove 51 yards in less than three minutes). The personnel on this team -- Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, and an athletic offensive line -- are such a perfect fit for this style of play. Based on their body language and playful interactions with Chip Kelly on the sidelines, they're having as much fun running this offense as we are watching it. And they're clearly invested in this experiment -- Vick was even spotted blocking downfield. And why wouldn't they be excited and invested? After being restricted by Andy Reid's conservative West Coast offense, these guys are being set loose upon a slower and more-poorly-conditioned world, like pillaging Vikings descending upon an unprotected coastal village. McCoy's 31 carries were a career-high, in only his first game with Kelly in charge. Jackson racked up over 100 yards and a touchdown. Vick looked noticeably more comfortable and effective in a well-protected pocket.

After one game and one win, the numbers are impressive. The Eagles scored at least 26 points just once all of last year; they scored 26 points in the first half against the Redskins. In that half, they also accumulated 21 first downs and ran 53 plays (comparatively, the Panthers had 17 first downs and 50 plays in their entire game on Sunday). Granted, these ridiculous stats were heavily influenced by Washington's insistence on turning the ball over. But by the same token, the Eagles took their foot off the gas in the second half to nurse their 33-7 lead. Ultimately, they ran 77 plays on the day. It shouldn't be surprising if they topped that number in most of the weeks ahead. After the game, Chip Kelly called his team's performance "too slow." A tongue-in-cheek comment, to be sure, but he has a point: Monday night was not this team's ceiling.

I would still bet against the Eagles making the playoffs. Heck, they only beat the incompetent-looking Redskins by six points. Vick will get hurt at some point, and backup Nick Foles won't be nearly as effective. McCoy and Jackson are injury risks, too. The defense won't be great. Maybe opposing teams will figure out ways to stop the onslaught (faking injuries?). But even if they don't win games, the Eagles are the team you should be watching come next Sunday. Sports are fundamentally about entertainment, after all, and the Eagles are obliging.