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Jack McCaffery is the lead sports columnist for the Daily Times and delcotimes.com. He has spent several decades covering everything from the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and Sixers, to college hoops, to high school sports in Delco.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Kelly wants better protection for Vick


The Eagles Scoop/Jack McCaffery

PHILADELPHIA --- While the Eagles are on a three-game losing streak, Chip Kelly is not yet ready to knock Michael Vick out of the lineup.
As for everyone else knocking the quarterback down, that does have the Birds' coach concerned. So expect protecting Vick to be a point of emphasis as the Eagles prepare to play the New York Giants Sunday.
“I'm talking from a protection standpoint,” Kelly said Monday. “I don't even think we had a run play where Mike took off and ran with the ball. But there are times when you're calling seven-man protections and you're varying your protections in terms of where you are, where you don't expect him to get to the top of his drop and have someone in his face.
“There's not one thing, and there's not one answer that if we make 'this' adjustment, then we are going to be good. But all of a sudden someone who has been playing fantastic for 52 plays makes a mistake up front on the 53rdplay. And when you get beat in a one-on-one situation, all of a sudden somebody you expected to get picked up has created some penetration into the backfield.”
So, just to pick a name, how has Lane Johnson been playing?
“I think Lane has gotten better,”Kelly said. “But when you have a young guy like him, there are times when you've just got to go, just trust what it was, understand the line call made by Jason Kelce and don't hesitate.
“Sometimes when you're half a second late and when you're on the guy, all of a sudden he's got your back shoulder. Where I think Lane knows exactly what to do but at times, the game has to happen just a little bit quicker for him.”
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DeSean Jackson had two catches in Denver.
Was it all the Broncos' defense?
“We have seen just a little bit more man, and I think that's overall with everybody,” Kelly said. “But I also think we've been productive moving the football. I still think we're stopping ourselves. We are not getting stopped by a scheme, and we are not getting stopped by a look.
“I think we've been in situations where we've driven the football and we've proven we can drive the football. But, again, we had the penalties. Two weeks ago when we played the Chiefs, it was the turnover situation and the false starts and illegal procedures and those things that handcuffed us as a football team.”
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NOTES: LeSean McCoy's 468 rushing yards are the most ever by an Eagle four games into a season … With 287 career catches, Brent Celek is tied for 11th on the Eagles' all-time list with Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald … Kelly did learn one thing from the Broncos game: “To not let it happen again.” … The Eagles will practice Tuesday at the NovaCare Complex.

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