The Philadelphia Eagles have outscored opponents 74-24 in the second half of their three games this season.
One of the theories bandied about for that advantage is that coach Chip Kelly's rigorous, fast-paced practices have his troops hitting their stride later in the game while the other team is sucking wind.
Jabbering cornerback Cary Williams takes the opposite viewpoint, complaining after Sunday's 37-34 victory that Kelly's up-tempo practices are to blame for the Eagles' slow starts this season.
"It's hard to go out there and fight for 60 minutes when you're fighting throughout the week to make it through one practice," Williams said, via ESPN.com. "I'm not the only one. I'm just the only one that's man enough to stand up here and talk to y'all. It's obviously, in my opinion, an issue in our starts."
The Eagles actually held a lead at halftime Sunday for the first time this season, but only after falling behind 17-7.
"We've got to start taking care of our guys, taking care of our players," Williams continued. "A lot of guys coming in here had no legs. We've got to start taking care of our guys throughout the week in order for us to be productive and have more energy on Sundays. You've got to be smart, as a coaching staff and as players."
Williams went on to emphasize that the arduous practices are "not conducive to success."
When asked Monday about the cornerback's comments, Kelly noted Williams had visited his office to chat.
"I met with Cary just a little while ago -- he came in on his own today -- to visit with him and I think he was frustrated," Kelly told the media. "And I understand that. Cary's a competitor and I have no issues with Cary."
But did Kelly wish that Williams came to him first instead of the media?
"No, you guys are everywhere," he quipped. "Really, nothing. So that's the world we live with."
"I told him he could come talk to me," he added after a follow-up question. "But I think he knows that; I think he also understands that in some places you can't go talk to the coach. And my door is always open, anybody can come talk to me."
The Eagles are alone in first place at 3-0 after winning the NFC East in Kelly's Philadelphia debut last year. Unless a host of players join Williams in running off at the mouth, we'll defer to Kelly on the recipe for his team's success.
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