NFL

Chip Kelly says DeMarco Murray’s ‘meeting’ with Jeffrey Lurie never happened

Chip Kelly says DeMarco Murray’s ‘meeting’ with Jeffrey Lurie never happened
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Remember when Ed Werder, an ESPN reporter revealed that DeMarco Murray met with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to complain about his playing time after the Patriots game Sunday?

Well, Chip Kelly says it didn’t happen.

“That’s not what happened,” Kelly told the press Wednesday. “He sat next to Mr. Lurie on the plane on the ride home. They were both sitting in first class and talked about the game and what happened with it. And then I’ve talked to DeMarco since then.

“He didn’t go and request a meeting with the owner; I don’t know where that came from or how it was. But all of our players sit in first class when we travel, and when Mr. Lurie travels with us he sits in first class, so they were sitting next to each other.”

The media has been painting Murray as a diva, complaining about his playing time and possibly becoming a distraction to the team. But Kelly doesn’t see things that way.

“I’ve had a meeting with DeMarco, yeah. He’s frustrated because he didn’t get the ball a lot on Sunday, which most running backs are frustrated from that aspect. But he’s not frustrated that we beat the New England Patriots and we had a big win in New England.

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“I think everybody is that way. Every receiver wants the ball; every running back wants the ball; every quarterback would like to throw every single time we have an opportunity. But the one thing I know about DeMarco [is] he’s about winning.”

Kelly went on to argue that several things have been working against Murray this season. According to the coach, there has not been an intentional decision to limit the running back’s carries. Instead, the Eagles have been playing from behind a lot (as they were down 14 to the Patriots Sunday). That have also had a battered and make-shift offensive line, and have had to battle through not having Ryan Mathews for four games.

Murray, in Kelly’s opinion, is exactly who the Eagles wanted when they offered him his mega-contract this past offseason.

“He played 14 snaps in this last game, because again, we had 50 snaps overall,” Kelly said.”We didn’t have the third quarter that we normally have. When we go in every other game we’ve had, he has been the leading ball carrier. So we’re going to make game plans this week that are going to help us win the Buffalo Bills game, and there is not much else I can say about that.”