Eagles focused on beating Giants

It could very well be the first meaningless game for Chip Kelly since he was in New Hampshire.

The Eagles have nothing left to play for, with a winning record assured and playoff hopes just a memory. But Kelly refuses to look toward 2015 yet.

“Let’s get that straight. We’re going to win the football game,” Kelly said. “There’s no, ‘Hey, let’s go see what we can do.’ Our job is to go up and play the New York Giants and we’re going to do everything we can to beat the New York Giants.”

There will be no opportunity to get a look at what Matt Barkley can do. And the same for Marcus Smith and Jaylen Watkins. It will be the starters on the field at MetLife Stadium Sunday — the guys who have worked hard all season to earn the right to take the field for an NFL squad.

“You earn playing time here,” Kelly told the media. “You’re not just awarded playing time based on how you came into here because that’s not the way we operate. It’s not fair to anybody else. ‘Hey, I know you’re playing really well, I know you’re doing everything we are asking you to do in practice, but I’m going to give this other guy a chance even though he’s not doing anything better than you’re doing.’”

Kelly sounded Bitter in his press conference early this week, and why shouldn’t he be? The coach saw his 9-3, first place squad fall apart and miss the playoffs before the season even ended.

“Every ending is sudden and disappointing unless you win the championship,” the coach said. “I lost the national championship on a field goal at the end of the game. That was sudden. That was really disappointing.

“I mean, anytime you don’t get to the ultimate goal, that’s the way you feel, whether you were close or far or whatever. I think it’s always that way”