Sep 10, 2013 4 min read

That jaw-dropping, eye-popping frenetic pace the Philadelphia Eagles showed in Chip Kelly’s debut can be even faster.

No, really.

Kelly’s hurry-up offense sparkled in his NFL debut as the Eagles opened the season with a 33-27 win over the defending NFC East-champion Washington Redskins on Monday night.

Michael Vick and Co. executed Kelly’s don’t-stop-for-a-breath offense with precision and efficiency, running 53 plays in the first half and racking up 443 total yards. While the rest of the league and a national television audience watched in awe the way the Eagles moved at lightning speed, Kelly sees room for improvement.

“I felt like it was slow, to be honest with you,” Kelly said Tuesday. “I’m not joking. We’ve got to do a better job. We left the ball on the ground too much. We didn’t get the ball to the officials. We could have sped things up from a process between plays. That’s something we need to continue to work on.” It looked like Kelly was still coaching Oregon against Pac-10 opponents in the first half. The Eagles controlled the ball 20:20 and averaged 2.6 plays per minute. They outgained RG3 and the Redskins 322-75, had a 21-3 edge in first downs and led 26-7. Still, it was the first real test for Philadelphia under Kelly. There’s still a learning process and players should get more familiar with the way he wants the offense to move as they gain experience in it. “I saw a team play their first game,” Kelly said. “I was pleased, but we still have got a lot of work to do. There’s so many things we can continue to work on.”

That should be bad news for other teams.

People wondered for eight months how Kelly would fare at the pro level after having tremendous success at Oregon. When he finally unveiled his high-octane philosophy, Kelly showed off the play designs that earned him a reputation for being an offensive innovator.

The Eagles used numerous formations in Kelly’s read-zone attack, including some that surely have defensive coordinators baffled. Kelly lined up both of his offensive tackles wide for one play and put them on the same side for another. It’s not just the plays that are unique, but also the signals for some of them.

Slow return for Holmes: New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes says he “survived” his return to the playing field Sunday after missing nearly a year with a foot injury.

Holmes had one catch for 13 yards in the Jets’ 18-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while playing 45 snaps on offense. He injured his left foot last Sept. 30 and needed two surgeries to repair it.

Patriots put Vereen on IR: The New England Patriots have placed running back Shane Vereen on injured reserve with a designation to return.

The move means Vereen must miss eight weeks before he is eligible to play in a game. He was injured in Sunday’s 23-21 win over the Buffalo Bills. He had a small break in his left wrist and underwent surgery on Monday, Fox Sports reported. The Patriots said he missed practice on Monday and Tuesday with a wrist injury.

Trial delayed in Redskins’ Taylor case: A trial has been delayed again for the man accused of shooting to death Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor.

A Miami-Dade County courts spokeswoman said Tuesday the trial of 23-year-old Eric Rivera Jr. will not begin Monday because of scheduling conflicts and availability of witnesses.