Williams: We Were Exhausted, Got Outcoached

Cary Williams wasn’t afraid to speak his mind when he was in Philadelphia.

And that’s continued now that he’s a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

During an interview with ESPN 710 in Seattle, Williams sounded off about Chip Kelly’s methods and what doomed the Eagles down the stretch last season. He was asked specifically about what was going through the players’ minds before their December matchup against the Seahawks.

“We were talking about the fact that our conditioning and things like that were going to kick in because we worked harder than everybody in the National Football League with the Chip Kelly thing,” Williams said. “When we got out there, we got our teeth kicked in, so all that conditioning didn’t necessarily work. The preparation wasn’t necessarily the greatest that week. So when you’re going up against teams that prepare, practice well, coach well, it’s difficult in games like that. And I think towards the end of the year, we were exhausted, and we got outcoached the majority of the games.

“One, they were fresher. Two, they were more physical. And I think in the National Football League, physicality is huge. And you need that physicality in order to win games. And coaching is a part of it too.”

When Williams was here, he complained about the way the Eagles practiced and expressed concern that guys didn’t have their legs on gameday.

The Eagles started off 9-3 last year before losing three of four down the stretch.

What’s interesting about Williams’ comments is that he doesn’t seem to have anything bad to say about Kelly personally. But he clearly doesn’t agree with the methods of his former coach.

Asked about the culture in Seattle, Williams said it reminded him of his time in Baltimore and his first year in Tennessee, conveniently leaving out the Eagles.

“I enjoyed my teammates,” he said. “I enjoyed some of the coaches. Ultimately, we didn’t get the job done. And there was reasoning for that. Within whatever it is they’re creating, I didn’t believe it. So we went to one playoff game. We had a home playoff game, and we lost that. It was his first year. I understand that. I think he’s a great coach, a tremendous coach. I just think that what’s going on there isn’t necessarily the right way of doing things, of winning games. I mean, he’s won games. But when you’re going against elite talent, elite players, elite teams, elite schemes, we weren’t able to get the job done.”

It’s unlikely we’ll hear anyone in the Eagles locker room echo Williams’ sentiments. They are, after all, fighting for their jobs. And while some here obviously have bought in completely to Kelly and probably disagree with Williams, it’s fair to question whether other veterans might feel the same way he does.