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EAGLES HEAD COACH CHIP KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE AUGUST 18, 2015
 
Eagles preparing for practice and play with the Baltimore Ravens
           

Q.  What did you see from the offensive line?
             
COACH KELLY:  Well, you played a lot of different groupings so I think a lot of guys got an opportunity to play.  I thought the first group did a decent job, especially in protection.  We were pretty clean except for one play that [QB] Mark [Sanchez] ended up slipping underneath the linebacker and getting a first down actually scrambling for it.  The first line did a good job of keeping the quarterback clean.
             
We had a little too much push in our second and third group.  I thought the pocket collapsed a little bit on both [QB] Matt [Barkley] and on [QB] Timmy [Tebow] a little bit.  So those are some things we have to correct.  But overall, I thought the communication was good and they knew what they were doing from an assignment standpoint.  There’s a lot of technical things we need to continue to work on.
 
Q.  Will LB Kiko Alonso be out there?
             
COACH KELLY:  Kiko will be out there today, yeah.  He’ll be running around. He’s kind of coming on. We’ll ease him back in.  He’s missed a few things.  He won’t go through the full practice but he’ll start going through agilities and things like that.
 
Q.  G/T Matt Tobin played on the left side. Is that something you plan on doing?
             
COACH KELLY:  He’s played there before.  [Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland] Stout is just mixing and matching those guys.  Again, I’ve said it ‑‑ I know I say it a lot but it’s the same thing – your versatility, you have to be a guard-tackle or you have to be a center-guard.  [G/T] Dennis Kelly played a couple different slots.  Dennis played left and right.  I think anybody in that second group kind of moved around a little bit except for maybe [G John] Moffitt just at right guard.  [C/G] Julian [Vandervelde] and [C David] Molk switched off a little bit at center and guard.  That’s just what we always do with our second group.
 
Q.  Do you expect to see LB DeMeco Ryans today?
             
COACH KELLY:  DeMeco will be back tomorrow.
 
Q.  S Jerome Couplin?
             
COACH KELLY:  Couplin is back today.
 
Q.  Will QB Sam Bradford and RB DeMarco Murray be a part of those practices when the Ravens come in?
             
COACH KELLY:  Yeah. They are full go.
 
Q.  Any takeaways from the nickel position?
             
COACH KELLY:  We actually used [DB Eric] Rowe, [DB Jaylen] Watkins and [CB] Denzel [Rice].  I think all those guys had some really good plays.  Eric made a nice play on a fumble strip near our sideline.  Also caused another fumble.  When [S Chris] Maragos came in, they ended up ‑‑ Indianapolis ended up recovering it.
             
But I thought he ‑‑ for the first time in there, because he’s only been there for the least amount of time — we just moved those corners in there — we were pleased with him, and Jaylen did some nice things in there.  So it’s still an ongoing process but we were pleased how the nickels played.

Q.  Watching the tape, what did you see from QB Matt Barkley and QB Tim Tebow?
             
COACH KELLY:  I thought both of them played well but I think on both of their occasions there’s a couple missed communications where some things broke down that were not their fault.  So they have to kind of make some adjustments on it.  But I thought they both, when they had time, threw the ball very well, were accurate with their throws.
             
Matt got a little bit more throws than Timmy had in terms of just play calling but that wasn’t by design. It was just kind of how the game expressed itself but I thought they both took advantage of their opportunities.
 
Q.  A guy like Kiko, does he have some catching up to do after two weeks?
             
COACH KELLY:  I think mentally he’s good but he has been out for two weeks.  He’ll go through agilities and individual drills today and maybe just a little seven‑on‑seven.  I don’t know if they are going put him in in team but he should be good to go by the end of the week.
 
Q.  With the Ravens, what would you like to see that you can’t see when it’s just your team?
             
COACH KELLY:  I just think it’s different competition. Number one, a different offense.  They will see a little bit more two‑back.  We didn’t see much two‑back.  We got a little, just a little from the Colts, but they did it with an extra tight end in the backfield playing with a true fullback.  Schematically, I think there are some different things that I think our defense is excited to get a chance to see.
             
I think any time you get a chance to compete against another team, when you have players like [Ravens WR] Steve Smith out there at receiver and [Ravens QB] Joe Flacco, who is one of the best in the league; that’s always the great thing when we got a chance to go against the Patriots, you got to play against [Patriots QB] Tom Brady.  We get a chance to go play against Flacco.  You’ve got [Ravens OLB Terrell] Suggs and [OLB Elvis] Dumervil and that group on the outside linebackers and defensive line in terms of pass rush.  So that will be some good matchups with our offensive line.  I think the competition part of it is what we are real excited about.
 
Q.  You talked last year about WR Josh Huff’s consistency. What have you seen in camp so far to tell you he’s made strides in that regard?
             
COACH KELLY:  I think he’s been very consistent in camp.  Caught everything.  He’s done a really nice job from that standpoint.  Didn’t have any targets on Sunday, but that’s just kind of how it expressed itself.  You can’t predict all the time where the ball is going depending how the coverage is in terms of when you’re calling plays.  But I think Josh has really matured and been really consistent really since April.
 
Q.  DT Bennie Logan had a handful of impactful plays despite only being in there for nine snaps —
             
COACH KELLY:  He was, he was in there nine snaps and had three tackles.  If we played him for 30 snaps, he would have had ‑‑ we can just extrapolate it ‑‑
 
Q.  It would be ten.
             
COACH KELLY:  It would be ten?  [Comcast Sportsnet reporter Reuben Frank] Roob, you’re the math guy. 
 
Q.  Is that something that you saw coming on from Logan?
             
COACH KELLY:  We were pleased, really pleased with him.  I thought he played really, really well.  His knowledge and understanding of blocking schemes now, going into year three for him, really sharp. Made some real just not only were they physical, tough plays but he knew what plays they were running based upon what was happening.  He back‑doored once on a power play when the center blocked back on him and came deep around the center and made a tackle in the backfield.  They tried to cut him off once when he was at nose, but the right guard couldn’t get to him so he stayed flat on the center and flattened him down and then made another play in the backfield.  And another one, it was a little twist game inside but again recognized the blocking scheme immediately and then came off of it.  We were really pleased with him and how he played on Sunday.
 
Q.  When your second team defensive line comes into the game, it seems like you don’t miss a beat. Is that a tribute to the coaching of Defensive Line Coach Jerry Azzinaro?
             
COACH KELLY:  I think it’s a combination of both.  There’s also really good personnel.  There’s a lot of people that coach the same things to their ones and twos but there’s a drop off because of the talent level.  When you have the ability to bring [DE] Vinny [Curry] and [DT] Beau Allen and [DE] Taylor Hart and [DE] Brandon Bair in that next group, there’s not a big dropoff.  And that’s one of the things we look for because of how tough it is to play defensive line and how much effort we ask our players to exert.  It’s great that you have the opportunity to spell those guys, so [DE Fletcher Cox] Fletch and [DE Cedric Thornton] Ced and Bennie can go play ten snaps and then get a rest for three or four and then those guys can come back and they end up being fresher than the guys they are lined up against because if you are an offensive tackle, Fletch is further center, Bennie is out of the game, good, here comes Beau Allen.
             
There’s not a big dropoff, but I think because of how we rotate those guys and what we demand of them from a practice standpoint and then their individual skills really fits to what we are trying to do.
 
Q.  In your first two years here, WRs DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin took a lot of the snaps at wide receiver. Now you have a little more depth this year. Do you envision the snaps being spread out a little more evenly? The game dictates how you roll guys in and out, but —
           
COACH KELLY:  We would like to, and it’s the same thing — our plan is to have more depth there so we don’t have to have a guy in for 60 or 70 snaps at one position, whether it be running back or receiver. But that was kind of our thoughts, to spread it around, because we asked our guys to run so much in what we do, that you need more bodies to do it. Barring injury, that’s what we are looking forward to: rotating more at the receiver spot because I think we have upgraded the bottom part of the receiver spot.
 
Q.  You said T/G Andrew Gardner is not necessarily the lead horse at right guard, he just happened to be the first guy in. What have you seen from him since the end of last year?  Do you see him trying to seize this and do everything he can?
           
COACH KELLY:  Yeah, I do, and I think Stout [offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland] feels the same way.  The one thing about Andrew is he’s very consistent and you know what you’re getting.  He’s extremely intelligent, knows how to run angles and knows where he’s going on every play. He does what you ask him to do.  He’s not a flashy guy that’s going to go out there and you’re going to see him drive some guy back 15 yards and put him on his back and pancake him, but he always seems to be in the right spot and I think he’s worked really hard at it.
 
Q.  When look at your options at the right guard spot, and knowing that you like athleticism there, is he right up there?
           
COACH KELLY:  Yeah, he’s up there with those other guys.
 
Q.  Will S Earl Wolff go today?
           
COACH KELLY:  Earl will not go today.  I think it’s Earl, DeMeco and Ertz [TE Zach Ertz], will be the guys that are not going today. 
 
Q.  Is Wolff’s knee still flaring up?
           
COACH KELLY:  Yeah, he says he can’t run with his knee.
 
Q.  S Jerome Couplin, S Chris Prosinski, RB Kenjon Barner and a couple other guys were here last year, but didn’t play at all or didn’t play much.  How much of an advantage —
           
COACH KELLY:  Prosinski played though.  He was a real good special teams for us last year.  Barner was on the practice squad, so he wasn’t eligible to play.
 
Q. With guys like that, how big of an advantage is it to be here and get used to everything coming into this year?  They all came in in the middle of last year.
           
COACH KELLY:  It’s an advantage over the rookies or some of the guys that are brand new to the system and they all know.  We talk about it all the time, if you’re not in that top group of guys, the three ways to make this football team are special teams, special teams and special teams.
           
So that has to stand out for those guys and I think when you watched Kenjon, he did a really nice job in the return game for us the other day.  Chris was an outstanding special teams player for us last year.  Those guys understand what their niche is and what they can do.  But I think having a little bit more experience than those other guy does give them a leg up in some situations.
 
Q.  WR Miles Austin didn’t get in on special teams against the Colts. Does he have a role on special teams?
           
COACH KELLY:  Yeah, I think he has a role, as a wing on punt and there are some things on punt return. It was just kind of how Fipp [special teams coordinator Dave Fipp] was rolling those guys.  There were a lot of different guys and we wanted to get them some snaps. You look at some of the groups at the end, the guys covering kicks, some of those down-the-line tight ends that we had were in there and all those receivers were in there so we could get this things on film. But Miles could contribute from a special teams standpoint.
 
Q.  How do you think G John Moffitt did against the Colts after being out of football for almost two years? He played a lot.
           
COACH KELLY:  He did play a lot.  That whole second group, I think, led us in snaps. Him, [C David] Molk, [C Julian] Vandervelde and those guys, [G/T Matt] Tobin, they were all in the same kind of boat.  He was a little inconsistent.  I think he’ll tell you that.  There’s a little rust or he hasn’t played a live football game in two years. There were some real good things to build upon, though.  There is certainly a skill set there to play offensive line.  You can see it, but there’s also some inconsistencies in terms of sticking on blocks and staying with the guys for a little bit.  But I think that’s more of a rust thing than an athletic ability thing.
 
Q.  At linebacker, your starters are more or less okay, but you’ve changed almost the whole group behind them. You lost another guy today. Is that becoming —
           
COACH KELLY:  Inside or outside?  Because inside they are all the same. Najee [LB Najee Goode] is back, [LB Emmanuel] Acho is back, so that’s the same. Outside it’s just some injuries have put us in a situation.  Obviously Marcus [LB Marcus Smith] and Bryan [LB Bryan Braman] have been here, but by losing Travis [LB Travis Long], we had to bring in a new guy there and then losing Jordan [LB Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo with a high-ankle sprain, it’s just a matter of making sure we’ve got enough bodies in camp to kind of practice the way we want to practice.
           
But at least Bryan and Marcus were here last year, and then at inside linebacker, Acho and Najee have been here for a while. Then you have [LB] Brad Jones who is four, five or six-year veteran in this league, so we think we have some depth from that standpoint.
 
 Q. In the spring you said that your view on two-point conversions hasn’t changed. I think there were 12 attempts this past weekend. Will you try it more in preseason just to have it?
           
COACH KELLY:  No.
 
Q.  Why not?
           
COACH KELLY:  Because they didn’t move the ball up.  I don’t think there is anything to entice us.  The ball has been on the 2‑yard line for the longest time.  So just look at the statistics on trying to get a two‑point play; if they wanted to encourage us to go for two, then they should have moved where we were going from two from, but it’s always been at [the 2-yard line].
 
Q.  The extra point conversion rate is now down three percent —

COACH KELLY:  Three percent.  I’m not hanging my hat on three percent.  It’s three percent on extra points and it drops down to under 50 percent on two‑point plays.  So you know –
 
Q.  But the math would suggest —
COACH KELLY: I would suggest – where is my math guy, Roob? Roob, which one are we going with?  We drop down three percent in extra points, but now we are under 50 percent in two points. [Asks Frank] What are you going to do, math-wise? You’re going to kick it? We are going to kick it.
 
Q.  Teams were 6-of-12 in two-point conversions across the league this weekend —
           
COACH KELLY:  I would say insufficient data. It’s one weekend. Small sample size.
 
Q.  Was increasing the depth at receiver and running back a conscious decision going into this year? Was the thinking that you needed to have more guys that could be a part of the offense?
           
COACH KELLY:  Yes, there were times when you were calling plays and thinking, ‘Who is in the game?’ The play call [may have] changed a little bit.  You watch Ryan [RB Ryan Mathews], he only had two carries, but we think of Ryan as a No. 1 back, we think of DeMarco as a No. 1 back and we think of Darren [RB Darren Sproles] in that situation, too. Then at wide receiver, with the additions of Nelson [WR Nelson Agholor] and Miles, we have some guys to go along with Coop [WR Riley Cooper] and Jordan [WR Jordan Matthews] and Huff [WR Josh Huff]. Then with TuTu [WR Seyi Ajirotutu] and Maehl [WR Jeff Maehl], I think we have a lot more depth than we’ve had at receiver and at running back.