After Chip Kelly Was Hired, the Cowboys, Giants & Redskins All Pursued Former Ducks Defensive Guru Nick Aliotti

As soon as the Eagles hired the offensive wizards from the Oregon Ducks, the other three teams in the NFC East – Cowboys, Giants and Redskins – all made calls to Kelly’s former defensive coordinator, Nick Aliotti.

"“I have been asked by everybody in the NFC East…” the retired Aliotti said on Monday. “The Giants asked me to come back when Chip got the first job. I didn’t feel right doing that. Some teams have called when they’re getting ready to play the Eagles and they call and have certain questions on the thing. Unless I know the guy and he’s a good friend, I don’t get involved with that.”"

While the Philly offense has been impressive under Kelly, it hasn’t been as devastating as it was when he was in Oregon with a mobile QB. Is this the offseason Kelly adds one?

The Eagles are in a pivotal Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys, with first place on the line in the NFC East. The scary part is that the loser is in jeopardy of missing the playoffs because the NFC is such a cluster (more on that later).

The line opened at Dallas -2.5 but is at 3 and almost certainly will go up. Philadelphia is a completely different defense on the road vs. at home, and the Cowboys have arguably the best offensive line in football. The Eagles don’t have a formidable run defense, and the secondary that was lit up by rookie Zach Mettenberger last week now faces Dez Bryant.