MOBILE, Ala. -- Chip Kellys first major step toward rebuilding the Eagles and putting his stamp on the team begins Monday as he, general manager Howie Roseman and the teams army of talent evaluators gather here for Senior Bowl week.
Day 1 begins with a 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CST practice (2:30 to 4:30 p.m. for folks back East) for the South Team, which is where the Eagles contingent will convene. The North Team practices from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Practices run through Thursday morning and conclude with a Friday walk-through and Saturday game.
Its unlikely that the Eagles will find their next first-round pick here, as several of the top-rated seniors (Geno Smith, Matt Barkley and Manti Teo) have decided that the game isnt worth their time or can improve their draft stock.
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For the first time ever, two juniors who fulfilled four years of college were permitted to attend, including Alabama 335-pound offensive tackle D.J. Fluker, a second-team All America, and Syracuse offensive tackle Justin Pugh (6-5, 297). Both are projected first-rounders.
Here are some developing storylines for the Eagles as Senior Bowl weeks gets ready to start.
Defensive coordinator, please?
Chip Kelly is still assembling his staff, and for some reason the Eagles are still not even admitting that theyve hired anyone other than Kelly. As far as we know, Kelly hasnt yet found a defensive coordinator. Giants linebacker coach Jim Hermann reportedly just pulled his name out of the ring (see story), so the search goes back to Square 1.
Pat Shurmur. Explain.
The pairing of Kelly and new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur seems a little awkward given Shurmurs pedigree in the West Coast offense and Kellys expertise with the spread. Plus, any prior connection between the two coaches is unknown. Its not yet known if Shurmur will be here in Mobile, but perhaps Kelly can make sense of the hire when we get the chance to chat with him.
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4-3 or 3-4?
When he met the media last week Kelly said he hadnt yet evaluated the personnel on the roster and therefore couldnt make any judgments on what kind of defensive alignment he plans to employ. Now that hes had some time to watch tape and pick the brains of Eagles staff (both outgoing and incoming), he might have a better idea (see 3-4 draft options).
Name that quarterback
Nick Foles? Mike Vick? Geno Smith? Alex Smith? BuellerBuellerIts important that Kelly has an idea of where he wants to go at the games most important position and whether not that franchise cornerstone is currently on the roster. E.J. Manuel, from Florida State, is one of the more mobile quarterbacks here in Mobile that Kelly might be eyeing closely. North Carolina State quarterback Mike Glennon is apparently one to watch this week.
Judgment Day
This is a monumental offseason for Roseman, who for the first time in his front-office career has to evaluate players with an eye toward Kellys philosophy rather than Andy Reids. Roseman and Kelly dont have much time to get on the same page about the kind of players Kelly needs for his system so you can rest assured that the two will huddling up very frequently from now until draft day.
E-mail Geoff Mosher at gmosher@comcastsportsnet.com