PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A glaring weakness for the Philadelphia Eagles the past three seasons, special teams looks to be a strength under Chip Kelly.
Sure, it’s a small sampling. But the Eagles have to start somewhere.
Under Kelly, and his first-year assistant special teams coach Dave Fipp, Philadelphia set a standard vs. Washington in the season opener. Punter Donnie Jones, signed as a free agent in the offseason, had four of his six punts downed inside the 20, and three inside the 10. The Eagles also held the Redskins to an 18.7-yard kickoff return average, and only two of the Redskins’ 13 possessions began beyond their 21.
Not bad.
“The best thing they did was they all played together,” Fipp said, referring to Monday’s 33-26 win. “We had 11 guys playing together as one, from the kicker, the punter to the gunners, everyone. When you have team coverage, good things happen.”
Philadelphia (1-0) plays host to San Diego (0-1) on Sunday.
