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Eagles owner Lurie outlines why Kelly was fired

Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie knew he was taking a risk earlier this year when he handed Chip Kelly complete control of his team. And when he saw that the change led to “mediocrity” and a team that was trending downward, he made the decision to fire Kelly.

“This was really a three-year evaluation of where we’re heading, what is the trajectory, what is the progress or lack thereof and what do I foresee for the future. That’s why the decision was made,” Lurie said Wednesday, a day after releasing Kelly from his job as head coach.

Lurie admitted it was a “bold move” to give Kelly personnel control after a pair of 10-6 seasons, but Lurie believed in Kelly’s vision at the time. Lurie said he wanted to maximize Kelly’s potential, but to do so, he had to give him the power to pick his players.

But move after move failed – from big-ticket free agent signings DeMarco Murray and Byron Maxwell, both busts, to the departure of stars like LeSean McCoy (via trade), Jeremy Maclin (in free agency) and Evan Mathis (released), and the team is 6-9 heading into Week 17.

“You were either all-in or you should find a new coach in terms of the trust. So the choice was, let’s see if that’s going to work,” Lurie said. “In terms of the results? That’s why we’re here today.”

The timing of the decision to fire Kelly on Tuesday evening, with one game remaining in his third season, was unorthodox, but Lurie said it was an easy choice for him once he had decided that Kelly would not return in 2016. By letting Kelly go a week before the end of the regular season, the Eagles will get a head start on their coaching search.

But most important in the timing of the decision was that by making the move now, Lurie will have plenty of time to meet with Eagles players before they depart for the offseason. He said there was a players-only meeting on Wednesday morning and he will meet individually with some players later in the day. He is planning to hold another meeting on Monday, following the team’s season finale against the New York Giants.

Among the topics he has and will continue to discuss with players is what leadership should look like in the current NFL.

Lurie said he did not believe Kelly had lost the support of his players, but he did say the way the new head coach communicates and interacts with his players will be important. That Lurie used the phrase “emotional intelligence” and said a coach needs to “open his heart” was a revealing critique of the way Kelly managed his team.

“I would like to think we’d always be on the progressive side of how to lead,” Lurie said.

Lurie said he will look at NFL head coaches, coordinators as well as college coaches – like Kelly was when he was hired in 2013 – in the search for a new head coach. The next head coach, Lurie said, will work in collaboration with executive vice president Howie Roseman and the personnel department.

“Sometimes there is a culture within an organization and with players that create momentum and energy and create a fluidity. We never achieved that. It was too inconsistent,” Lurie said. “The difference between winning the division or not might have been slight, but this was not a strong division. You’ve got to look at things outside of just winning the NFC East. It’s a bigger situation than that.”

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.

 

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