The Philadelphia Eagles offense was fun to watch Monday night, right? It will probably have NFL fans everywhere tuning in whenever they can get a chance to see Chip Kelly’s high-paced gameplan. However, while the fans may think the offense is fun to watch, NFL players don’t think they can keep it up, according to ESPN.com.
"It's crazy," Seattle Seahawks Linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "They ran 50-something plays in the first half and only 20-something in the second half. It shows you they can't keep that type of pace.
Wagner has a point. After the Eagles came out full speed in the first quarter—picking up 196 yards on 30 plays—they only managed to get 121 yards and five first downs in the last two quarters of the game.
Houston Texans left tackle Duane Brown thinks it’s a good idea but will only succeed if “the linemen are in shape. If they're able to keep that up, they're able to put a lot of pressure on defenses. Washington definitely looked gassed out there."
There’s also the big question of Michael Vick’s health and age. The 33-year old running back is not who he used to be in his Atlanta Falcon days (which by the way would make the Eagles extremely scary to deal with each week) and some don’t think he’ll last in Chip Kelly’s high-speed attack.
"Just watching the game from the outside, you could already see Vick struggling getting off the field every once in a while," Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson said. "The guys are a little older in the league, so they could start breaking down.
"It's going to be a trial and error, and it will be up to their organization and coaching staff to monitor that and see what they do all week in practice to counterbalance it all."
Vick made a commitment this offseason to stay on the field and prove the doubters wrong.
"I've been doing a lot of curls, a lot of bench press this offseason," Vick said during Eagles training camp this summer, according to NFL.com. "Just trying to put my body in the best position possible to withstand the hits. Everybody says I'm injury prone, so I'm trying to fight that.”
For his sake, and the sake of our viewing pleasure, let’s hope he succeeds.
