The Philadelphia Eagles bid goodbye to Chip Kelly following a devastating performance this NFL season. Despite the signing of notable football stars, such as ex-St. Louis Rams star Sam Bradford and former Dallas Cowboys player DeMarco Murray, the Darren Sproles squad remained at the bottom of the conference. Moreover, the Philadelphia Eagles roster appeared to have been ripped apart due to the stress and pressure of the season. Even the coaching staff have been exposed to the grueling reality that resulted at the end of their NFL run this time. That is, the unconventional moves of Kelly spelled the end for their Super Bowl dreams.
With the departure of Kelly, the Philadelphia Eagles are now determined to finally set things right for the team. The rumor mill churned out a lot of names in connection with the vacated coaching job and Jon Gruden was included. The 52-year-old former NFL quarterback had been reported earlier to be interested in the Philadelphia Eagles head coach post. A current ESPN broadcaster, Gruden was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the football team won the Super Bowl XXXVII. His team beat the Oakland Raiders, where Gruden was the head coach the previous year.
Twenty-four hours after the news of Gruden's interest in the Philadelphia Eagles broke, the sports analyst slammed the rumors. Taking the denial via social media, sportscasters were immediately given the real scoop behind the purported coaching job.
"Philly.com story reported Jon Gruden had interest in becoming #Eagles HC," noted Howard Eskin on Twitter. The Fox radio and TV affiliate added, "Got response from Gruden 2night. 'I'm not interested.'" Jason La Canfora, an NFL insider for CBS Sports, also rejected the idea. He shared, "This Jon Gruden interest in the Eagles stuff is ridiculous. Not happening and not discussed."
Meanwhile, the departure of Kelly saw mixed reactions in the Philadelphia Eagles. Tony Romo's ex-teammate, Murray, is anticipated to break out next NFL season. It had been no secret that the running back had a difficult time adjusting to the Kelly squad. In fact, reports of rifts among the coaching staff and the football star plagued the Philadelphia Eagles. However, a fresh start might be awaiting Murray this time around.
"Murray's contract would make it very difficult for salary cap purposes to part with him this year," noted Phil Sheridan of ESPN. He went on to state, "He is very likely to be on the team. And that means a new head coach will be very motivated to get the most out of Murray. If that means building a running game around Murray's style, then that is likely to happen. Because of that, and because his relative lack of use in 2015 should make him fresher going into the 2016 season, Murray should have every opportunity to thrive now that Kelly is gone."
