Throughout the Eagles' 4-5 start to the season, Chip Kelly loyalists have noted a slightly slower pace to his offense -- but are they right?
A year ago, the Eagles averaged 70.44 plays per game, this year, with Bradford under center, they are averaging 70.78.
Bradford, who, according to Kelly has not cleared concussion protocol along with Ryan Mathews and Josh Andrews, is making some mistakes and missing some throws. That compounds the nostalgia from a year ago and now we're left wondering if Mark Sanchez is the better man for the job.
Here's offensive tackle Lane Johnson who, by the way, is not saying that:
"Mark's probably a little bit more conscious of the tempo," Johnson said, via CSN Philly. "He may go a little bit faster pace than what Sam is, so other than that, probably just the tempo may be a little bit faster."
We'll see if the snaps per game average changes much, though I wouldn't expect it to. Perhaps tempo has different meanings to different people and could be just as simple as Sanchez spending more time in Kelly's system. Calling the plays faster or moving to a check quicker or selecting another option in a bundled play package could make it feel like the offense is running in a different way.
Either way, it will be interesting to see what happens if some Eagles fans get their wish and Sanchez gets a start. Sanchez played well at times a year ago and could very well still be developing at quarterback. Heck, Ryan Fitzpatrick is having his best season at 32.
