Don't worry about Chip Kelly putting Bradford and Murray on ice
Two of the Eagles most watched newbies, quarterback Sam Bradford and running back DeMarco Murray, are sitting out, put on ice by a risk-taking coach who cares more about Sept. 14 than he does Aug. 16.
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What a bittersweet day for Eagles fans.
Yes, football is finally back, and although today's game didn''t mean anything, it was first opportunity for fans get to see many of the new acquisitions brought in by Chip Kelly during the offseason.
Unfortunately, two of the most watched newbies, quarterback Sam Bradford and running back DeMarco Murray, sat out of the team's first preseason game, put on ice by a risk-taking coach who cares more about Sept. 14 than he does Aug. 16.
Not giving Bradford some reps during the team's first preseason game makes a lot of sense. Despite all the talk from the coaching staff about how great Bradford has looked (he hasn't missed a single practice this summer), giving the oft-injured quarterback an extra week off will go a long way to keeping him healthy. Plus there's nothing to indicate there is any concern among the coaching staff about Bradford's knee.
More of a head-scratcher is the absence of Murray, who has missed some practice time due to hydration problems and illness. So far, he's spent more time watching practice than actually participating, and Kelly's vague answers about his absence have let to speculation about the running back's health.
Other players have taken note of Murray's absence. During Thursday's practice, Malcolm Jenkins gave the running back a not-so-subtle jab when he grabbed a chair and jokingly offered it to the resting running back.
According to Running Backs Coach Duce Staley, there's no reason to panic. He said that not only is Murray "full go with everything," he noted the former Cowboy "knows the playbook inside and out." This despite the fact Murray didn't take part in any team drills during their final walkthrough yesterday.
In reality, as long as there are no lingering problems the team is hiding, Murray will be fine regardless how many preseason carries he gets. In four preseason games for the Cowboys last season, Murray had a grand total of 14 carries. He went on to carry the ball 392 times that season - the seventh-most in NFL history. So I think missing one meaningless game shouldn't be cause to press the panic button.
Linebacker Kiko Alonso, who hasn't practiced in two weeks, was also held out of Sunday's game, as were Mychal Kendricks and DeMeco Ryans. Safety Early Wolff also remained sidelined.
Regardless, none of this is uncommon for preseason games. As Zach Berman notes:
In 2013, Jason Peters, LeSean McCoy, and Cary Williams each missed the preseason opener. Each one started every game that season. In 2014, Bennie Logan and Riley Cooper missed the preseason opener before starting all 16 games.
…In 2013, McCoy had a knee injury that limited him until the day before the preseason game, but Kelly kept him out. In 2014, Logan had a hamstring injury that was fine by the time the Eagles played their second preseason game.