When it comes to football, Chip Kelly doesn't like to slow down.
So it should come as no surprise that the Eagles' head coach was all smiles Monday morning as he described his staff's tireless late-night efforts following Sunday's win over the Titans. He did't remember what time he went to sleep, and that was alright with him.
"We didn't look at the clock, but we don't look at it as exhausting," Kelly said. "It's just what you've got to do. We're excited to play Dallas."
As the team prepares to face the Dallas Cowboys on a short week, there's no time for taking breaks. They travel on Wednesday for the Thanksgiving showdown. Instead of having the regularly scheduled day off on Monday, the Eagles conducted training and film study. But Kelly and his players aren't complaining; it's all part of the hectic exhiliration that is playing in the NFL.
"You've just got to be ready to go," Kelly explained Monday. "One thing we don't worry about is what we don't control, and we don't have any controlling over the schedule. We've got a plan in place.
"The players were here this morning, excited to have the opportunity with a big game."
Since the players are coming off a game just a day ago, an impressive 43-24 win over the Titans, their bodies need a little time for recovery before training at Kelly's patented pace. So Monday, the head coach explained, is more of a mental day than physical. The players will get to the physical training Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Monday's film and mental training, the Eagles will keep things relatively streamlined. At this point in the season, training sessions are used to review mistakes that stand to be corrected and figuring out what opposing teams do well in order to stop that aspect.
Switching schemes too drastically, Kelly explained, can lead to bad results, especially on a short week like this one. So for the Cowboys, Kelly and the Eagles are keeping it simple.
"I think sometimes when you switch it up, you may screw yourself up," Kelly explained. "You're comfortable in what you do and what you practice and what you train for.
"At this point in time, the Dallas Cowboys are going to do what they do, and we're going to do what we do and we're going to see who the best team is on Thursday. It's the team that executes best on every given day.
"I think coaches sometimes really out-think themselves if they think they're going to out-scheme somebody in this league. I don't think that happens at all. I think it's the team that executes best at winning the football game."
In Dallas' case, that means the Cowboys will be running the ball a lot and relying on their improved offensive line to give quarterback Tony Romo sufficient time in the pocket.
Kelly said he thinks Dallas runs a fairly varied, balanced offense.
"It just makes them a complete team, so you can't gang up on one phase," Kelly explained. "Obviously it's a lot easier if a team is more one-dimensional, but they're very balanced."
And that offensive balance means the Eagles will have to come prepared on Thursday. But while this game is significant, Kelly is doing his best not to overstate the importance of the contest. To him, it's all about perspective and, as always, taking it one game at a time.
"We're not talking about first-place games because they don't crown a champion after Thursday's game," Kelly said. "We're just excited about the opportunity to go play against a really good team."
