Chip Kelly’s innovative approach to coaching football goes beyond his offensive system. It also includes a focus on rest, recovery, proper nutrition and hiring a sports science coordinator. And Kelly says his approach is working.
The Eagles listed just three players on this week’s injury report, the fewest in the NFL, and Kelly says the Eagles are healthier than other teams in part because they’re doing things other teams aren’t doing.
“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” Kelly said, via ESPN.com, “but I think part of what our sports science aspect of things is, is to make sure that time lost is the biggest thing you’re trying to prevent. Just the little things: are we getting enough sleep, eating the right way, doing the other things. That contributes to it.”
Kelly knows that some injuries can’t be prevented, but he believes a lot of injuries can be prevented by the right approach.
“We don’t do that just for the sake of doing it,” Kelly said. “We do that because we think there’s a benefit to it. Obviously, the big issues you look at are the soft tissue injures, because those are preventable. If someone breaks a leg, someone breaks a leg. There’s not much from a sports science standpoint or preparation standpoint that goes into the prevention of breaking a bone.”
It’s possible that the Eagles have simply been lucky with injuries this season, just as they were unlucky when multiple players tore their ACLs early in training camp. But it’s also possible that Kelly’s sports science staff is making a difference. If so, expect a lot of other teams to follow Kelly’s lead.