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Kelly has no plans to leave Eagles

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) Chip Kelly's honeymoon period in Philadelphia ended when the Eagles collapsed in December and were eliminated from the playoff race before Week 17.

Don't expect Kelly to skip town now that the heat's on.

''I love it,'' Kelly said Monday when asked how much he liked coaching in the NFL. ''You've got to get with a bunch of people that think the way you think and have the same vision that you have. I can't thank our players enough. I've said it a million times and I'll continue to do it. We have a great bunch of guys here, and I love our coaching staff, and I really enjoy it a lot.''

Kelly was the talk of the town last year when he arrived from Oregon and led the Eagles to the NFC East title after a 4-12 finish in 2012. He had fans in the palm of his hand this year after the Eagles whipped Dallas on the road on Thanksgiving to improve to 9-3.

But three straight losses knocked Philadelphia out of first place and out of the playoffs. That makes 54 years without a championship for the Eagles (10-6).

Now, Kelly has come under scrutiny for everything from his playcalling to his personnel decisions. So some have wondered if he'll jump ship and head back to college.

''I don't deal with hypotheticals,'' he said. ''When you get two sources that say I'm going to a school, write the story.''

Kelly made it clear he's happy where he is right now - except for missing the playoffs.

''I think it's drastically a different game,'' Kelly said, comparing the NFL to college football. ''It's a different setup. It's a different work day. It's a different everything. But the chance to compete and to play at this level is extremely intriguing to me because every single game, no matter who you play, when you play it, where you play it, you have no idea if you're going to win or lose. I think that's a tough deal when you really look at it.

''But in college, it's not that way. There are going to be games no matter what you do, you go into it and you're a 35-point favorite and you're thinking about playing your thirds and fourths and how you develop your depth. But in this league, every single game, no matter who it is, it's a battle. If you're a competitor and you love competition, there is no better place in any league.''

Kelly wouldn't commit to much in his final news conference of the season. He said he wants four-time Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy back and hopes wide receiver Jeremy Maclin returns after a career year. He wouldn't say Nick Foles is his starting quarterback and left mostly everything up in the air.

Kelly did say he's not planning any changes on his coaching staff, though he won't prevent anyone from taking a job somewhere else. That means defensive coordinator Billy Davis is safe despite his unit's struggles.

''I thought Billy did a really good job,'' Kelly said. ''I thought our defense improved in a lot of categories. There are still things we need to clean up.''

After the Eagles lost a home game to New Orleans in the first round of the playoffs last year, Kelly gave himself a grade of 58.8 percent - the team's winning percentage - for his rookie season.

As for this year?

''You're all measured by one thing: Did you win a Super Bowl or did you not win a Super Bowl? So, we didn't make the playoffs and don't have an opportunity to compete for the Super Bowl,'' he said.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org

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