Chip Kelly: Harold Carmichael's 1984 retirement is killing the 2013 Eagles

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In 14 NFL seasons, 13 of which he spent with the Philadelphia Eagles, Harold Carmichael caught 590 passes for 8,985 yards and 79 touchdowns.

After spending the final year of his career with Dallas in 1984, Carmichael retired from the game. And that decision is just killing the Eagles' offense right now.

Geoff Mosher has a piece on CSNPhilly.com in which Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks points out that the Eagles are missing "their No. 1 receiver," referring to the injured Jeremy Maclin.

Through four games, the receiving corps has clearly become an issue, as secondaries have rotated extra help in containing DeSean Jackson, and Riley Cooper has escaped his offseason troubles long enough to remind everyone he's not particularly good at football anyway. The lackluster offensive performances of the last two weeks have led to plenty of talk about A) what this offense would like with a healthy Jeremy Maclin and B) the ever-present criticism that the Eagles need a playmaker with some height on the outside.

Asked to respond to part A -- what the Eagles would look like with Maclin -- Chip punted:

“I don't really think of it that way,” Kelly said. “He's not here. We're missing [Harold] Carmichael, too. The guys that aren't here, we don't look at our things and say, ‘If this guy wasn't here, if that guy wasn't there.’

“Jeremy hasn't been here since camp.  It is unfortunate, he's training his tail off every day.  I see him every day in here. We never look at it if we had Jeremy Maclin it's a different situation. I don't think it's productive to think about it that way. It's not going to change. Mac isn't coming back till next year.”

Assuming Mac comes back at all. He'll be a free agent this offseason.

Carmichael, however, is the Eagles' director of player development. And he's 6-foot-8. And by all accounts a very young 64.

Link:
>>Giants' Nicks: Eagles still scary without 'No. 1' WR

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