The Chip Kelly experiment has failed in Philadelphia.
The amount of control Kelly was given with the Eagles - far more than NFL head coaches usually receive - backfired spectacularly.
After a promising rookie season, Kelly was the star of the NFL coaching world. He was supposed to revolutionize the way football operated, from the implementation of analytics and science into the everyday working of his team, to the up-tempo offense that was meant to take the league by storm.
Unfortunately, Kelly's return on investment dwindled as his time in Philadelphia passed, culminating in a 6-9 season in which everything Kelly built crumbled around him.
With control over coaching and player personnel, Kelly had a lot of freedom to create his vision, but also a lot of room to make mistakes.
These are the three biggest mistakes during his tenure with the Eagles:
Choosing DeMarco Murray over LeSean McCoy
Many will see this as the primary reason for Kelly's firing. It might not have been the entire reason his offense failed in 2015, but it represents everything that went wrong for Kelly.
When McCoy was traded to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso, there was logic behind the move. Kelly believes, more than anything else, in his offensive system and its ability to compensate for a lack of talent.
McCoy wasn't the same running back in 2014 that he was in 2013, and with a $12-million cap hit in 2015, it made sense to focus that money on a position Kelly didn't feel was so easily replaceable.
However, Kelly, after missing out on Frank Gore, appeared to panic with free-agency coming to close, and gave former Dallas Cowboys running back Murray a five-year, $40-million contract.
It was doomed to fail. Murray isn't a "Chip Kelly" running back. From the beginning of the season it was clear Murray wasn't a fit for Kelly's scheme. His one-cut style didn't mesh with Kelly's love of running from the shotgun, and his ineffectiveness crippled the Eagles' offense.
In Buffalo, McCoy showed he still possessed his explosive speed and agility, compounding Kelly's misery.
Letting Jeremy Maclin walk
Letting Maclin walk was another example of Kelly's overconfidence in his offensive scheme.
Maclin had a career-best season in 2014, but was allowed to leave in free agency and sign with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kelly's answer to losing his No. 1 receiver? He thought a combination of Jordan Matthews, rookie Nelson Agholor, and uninspiring veterans like Miles Austin and Riley Cooper would be able to fill the gap and produce because of the advantages his scheme afforded them.
Instead, the Eagles' passing game faltered. They ranked 16th in the NFL in points per game, and 15th in passing yards per game. The big play element of the offense faded away. Philadelphia was first in yards per play in 2013, dropped to 11th in 2014, and 24th in 2015.
It became obvious that without Maclin, the offense couldn't produce the downfield plays that allowed Kelly's system to function.
Kelly's lack of respect for talent was ultimately his undoing.
Taking on player personnel responsibilites
It's obvious Chip Kelly, the general manager, failed Chip Kelly, the head coach, in 2015.
His moves during the draft and in free agency seemed to conflict with his philosophy as a head coach, and they affected his ability to run his scheme successfully.
Every head coach is a control freak. They want to be part of every single aspect of their team, but the best coaches realize that's impossible, that stretching that far dilutes your effectiveness, and delegating is key to success.
Kelly was the Eagles' GM, head coach, and offensive playcaller. In the end, he crumbled under the weight.
It's easy to look back and say Kelly shouldn't have pressed for that kind of power, but Kelly's talent was on the sidelines, and he shouldn't have overreached beyond his area of expertise.
It may not have saved his job, but Kelly would have had a better argument to stay without the mistakes he made while in charge of the Eagles' roster.
