Chip hints Lee absence might be biggest
Most of the national media attention on the Dallas Cowboys this week has concerned the status of Tony Romo, but Chip Kelly noted that LB Sean Lee, also injured, was "all over the field" in the last meeting.
Chip Kelly said he doesn't think Dallas's offense will change that much if Kyle Orton quarterbacks, as expected, instead of Tony Romo, who has a back injury. Kelly seemed to indicate that the loss of linebacker Sean Lee, with a neck injury, might make a bigger difference.
"Obviously, he's one of the top linebackers there is in this league," Kelly said Thursday. "In (11) games, he's got 99 tackles and four interceptions...Seeing him up close and personal when we played in October, he was all over the field."
Dallas, which now has the NFL's 27th-ranked run defense, held LeSean McCoy to 55 yards on 18 carries when the Cowboys defeated the Eagles, 17-3, on Oct. 20.
Kelly said the Eagles watch the reports on Romo, but his status does not affect their preparation.
Kelly was asked if he is curious how his team will respond to a win-or-go-home situation
"I don't think 'curious' is the word," he said. "I think 'excited' is the word. I think we're all excited about going down there, with what's at stake and what we can do. I'm not Curious George, wondering how we're going to show up or if we're going to show up. We're excited about playing a really, really good team that beat us the last time we played 'em."
Kelly said backup center Julian Vandervelde is dealing with a back problem, but it's too early to say if Vandervelde will be sidelined. Evan Mathis has played center in the NFL previously, should something happen to Jason Kelce and Vandervelde not be able to play.