And the award goes to ...
Over the past few weeks, the Eagles have been on the receiving end of more than a few NFL awards. Here is a compilation of all the different honors that the Eagles have taken home, to this point:
Chip Kelly
Awards: Maxwell Football Club's Earle "Greasy" Neale Award for Professional Coach of the Year.
After Kelly was hired just over a year ago, questions abounded about how the University of Oregon coach with no NFL experience could transition to the professional ranks. All of those questions were answered, and in typical Kelly fashion, they were answered quickly. In the Eagles' Monday night opener against Washington, the Eagles came flying out of the gates, running 53 total plays, racking up 322 net yards and scoring 26 points in the first half alone. That early success was the start of a record-breaking season for the Eagles, as the team set new franchise marks in total points (442) and touchdowns (53).
In only one season, Kelly took the Eagles from a 4-12 team, sitting in the basement of the NFC East standings, to a 10-6 division-winning team. The best part for Eagles fans? That this is only the beginning.
Jon Dorenbos
Award: USA Football's All-Fundamentals Team
The Eagles special teams garnered a good amount of praise in 2013. While most of that praise went to Donnie Jones and the great season he had punting the ball, let's not forget where every special teams play started. Dorenbos snapped the ball perfectly all season long. Whether it was on punts, field goal attempts or extra points, Dorenbos never once had a poor snap.
Nick Foles
Awards: Pro Bowl selection
When the Eagles began the regular season at Washington, Nick Foles watched from the sidelines. Michael Vick had won the starting quarterback job in the preseason and it appeared as if 2013 was going to be a chance for Foles to watch and learn while the veteran quarterback led the Eagles offense.
Chip Kelly again and again professed that Foles, like all backup players, was just a chinstrap away from getting his chance, and that's exactly how the situation played out. After Vick was sidelined with a hamstring injury at MetLife Stadium, Foles entered the starting lineup, and the University of Arizona product went on to take the NFL by storm.
Foles' 2013 campaign was marked by his incredible decision-making ability, as he threw 19 touchdown passes before blizzard-like conditions helped account for his first interception of the season. Eagles fans will never forget Foles' record-tying seven-touchdown performance against Oakland, just one of the many remarkable performances from the now 25-year-old. Foles led the NFL in passer rating (119.2) and his touchdown-to-interception ratio (27/2) was the best in NFL history. Foles became the only quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 20 touchdown passes in a season while throwing two interceptions or fewer.
For his efforts, Foles is headed to the first Pro Bowl of his young career.
DeSean Jackson
Award: Pro Bowl selection
Jackson proved to be a hand-in-glove fit for Kelly's offense. Jackson had his best season as a professional in 2013, hauling in 82 catches for 1,332 yards. Jackson challenged Mike Quick's single-season record of 1,409 receiving yards, set in 1983. The Eagles playmaker has always been known as an over-the-top threat, but in 2013 he became a much more complete receiver.
Jason Kelce
Awards: Pro Football Focus' All-Pro team, 2013 Ed Block Courage Award
Though he wasn't named to the Pro Bowl or the Associated Press' All-Pro team, Kelce's role in the Eagles' success this season is immeasurable. Like Peters, Kelce came back from a brutal knee injury to have the best season of his young career. Tasked with calling the protection at the line of scrimmage, Kelce emerged as a leader of the offense in 2013, earning the team's Ed Block Courage Award in the process. According to Pro Football Focus, Kelce was one of the best run blockers in the league, and it's certain that there aren't many NFL centers who can get out and move like he can.
Evan Mathis
Awards: Pro Bowl selection, first-team All-Pro selection, Pro Football Focus' All-Pro Team, Pro Football Focus' Bruce Matthews Award (best NFL offensive lineman), Professional Football Writers of America's All-NFL selection
By all accounts, Evan Mathis was a journeyman when he signed with Philadelphia before the 2011 season. Originally a third-round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2005, Mathis bounced from Carolina to Miami and then to Cincinnati before signing with the Eagles. The Eagles made a big splash in 2011's free agency period, and with that, Mathis' signing fell under the radar. Now, Mathis has proven to be the best pickup from that year, and he has solidified himself as the best guard in the NFL.
LeSean McCoy
Awards: Pro Bowl selection, first-team All-Pro selection, Kansas City Committee of 101's NFC Offensive Player of the Year Award, Professional Football Writers of America's All-NFL selection, Pro Football Focus' All-Pro Team, FedEx Ground Player of the Year nominee
Just like the Bruce Springsteen album, the 2013 Eagles were born to run, and McCoy was up to task. He started his season off in an exceptional manner, rushing for 184 yards and a touchdown in the Monday night opener. In a season highlighted by seven games of 100 or more rushing yards, including a franchise-record 217 against the Detroit Lions in the Snow Bowl, McCoy was as dominant as ever. He finished the season as the NFL's leading rusher with 1,607 yards, setting the Eagles' single-season rushing record in the process.
Jason Peters
Awards: Pro Bowl selection, first-team All-Pro selection, Professional Football Writers of America's All-NFC Team
Recovering from an Achilles injury can be tough. Recovering from two Achilles injuries is an even greater accomplishment, and that is exactly what Jason Peters did in 2013. After missing the entire 2012 season while recovering, Peters bounced back to All-Pro form this season. Known was one of the elite pass-protectors in the game, Peters did a consistently excellent job of protecting the Eagles quarterbacks in 2013.
