Former Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame wide receiver and current NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin knows what it takes to win the Super Bowl and does not believe that former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly will come close to hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Kelly was relieved of his duties as Eagles' head coach Tuesday night, and Irvin said he would not offer Kelly an endorsement to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones should his former team move on from head coach Jason Garrett.
"God, no," Irvin said Wednesday during a radio interview with Anthony Gargano on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. "I wish the best for Chip. Absolutely not. Not right now. No, no, no. I don't think it works here. It doesn't work here.
"I don't know Chip personally. I know he had great success in college. You're dealing with grown men here in the NFL. It's a lot different leading men in the NFL than leading boys in college that are growing into men."
Irvin was a member of three Super Bowl championships while playing under coach Jimmy Johnson and alongside fellow Hall of Famers -- quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith. He says that Kelly was missing a critical ingredient in his first stop as an NFL head coach.
THE NO-HUDDLE SHOW, Ep. 23: Eagles fire Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman might be to blame
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.
"It's about getting everybody on the same accord and taking ownership in a team," Irvin said. "That's why it doesn't work if you feel like it's all about you. You have to have guys take ownership of a football team.
"It didn't work with the Eagles' dream team because people didn't take ownership. You have to let guys say, 'This is my team,' not just Chip's team, not just Jimmy Johnson's team. Bill Belichick does a great job of it. Bill has all the fear in the world and all the respect in the world because people see the results of his methods. You can't only live by fear without that respect and for Chip, that's how it played out."
JEREMIAH TROTTER: Chip Kelly lost his team long before he lost his job
Kelly failed to win a playoff game in his three seasons with the Eagles and, as a result, players tuned out his methodology this season as a chasm developed between the head coach's office and the locker room.
"The game is too difficult to try and do everything all by yourself in this game," Irvin said. "That's what I felt was going on with Chip Kelly. It just didn't work out.
"In this game, fear can work for awhile, but if fear doesn't turn into respect, you've got nothing. People will listen to you at first, but if it doesn't turn into respect, you're going to have a bad situation, and I think that's what Chip had."
Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardo975. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.