INSIDE SLANT

Chip Kelly has brought some very different approaches to training and conditioning with him from the University of Oregon to the Philadelphia Eagles. And for the most part, his players have bought into The Chip Kelly Way, which has included everything from fast-paced practices with blaring music to Tuesday in-season practices to stretching before bed to wearing sleep monitors to having their hydration levels constantly checked.

But after Sunday’s 37-34 come-from-behind victory over the Washington Redskins, there were sounds of discord from veteran cornerback Cary Williams. Williams contends Kelly works his team too hard, and that’s the reason the defense has struggled in the first half this season.

“A lot of guys had no legs,” he said. “A lot of guys, coming in here, were in a dogfight before the game even started. We’ve got to start taking care of our guys during the week in order for us to be productive and have more energy on Sunday. We’ve got to be smart — as a coaching staff and as players.”

Kelly talked with Williams on Monday. He said he thought the cornerback’s comments were spoken out of frustration over both his injury and the way he played in Sunday’s win. Williams was burned by former Eagle DeSean Jackson for an 81-yard touchdown.

Kelly said he had no issues with Williams.

“I know we ask our guys to run a lot during practice,” Kelly said. “I met with Cary a little while ago. I think he was frustrated, and I understand that. Cary’s a competitor, and I have no issues with that.”

Kelly said he and his training and sports science staff monitor and assess each player individually.

“We assess everybody daily,” he said. “So they all tell us (how they’re feeling), and we monitor every player daily. You’ll see some guys that aren’t going full on some days, and other guys that are going full. We take care of everybody from that standpoint.”

Williams’ argument would carry a little more legitimacy if the Eagles hadn’t rebounded from each of their slow starts and played better in the second half, including Sunday against the Redskins. The Eagles have won each of their first three games.

The Redskins ran 45 offensive plays against Williams and the defense in the first half. Bill Davis’ unit should’ve been road kill in the second half.

But the defense sucked it up and played much better in the final 30 minutes.

The Redskins converted just 1 of 6 third-down opportunities in the second half.

And when the Eagles needed a big play, they got it, whether it was safety Malcolm Jenkins’ interception that set up Cody Parkey’s game-deciding 51-yard field goal, or Brandon Boykin’s diving third-and-10 pass breakup on the Redskins’ final possession.

The Eagles were coming off a short week after beating the Colts on Monday night. But Williams said the short week wasn’t the problem.

“I’m going to be honest with you,” he said. “It didn’t matter whether we had a short week or a long week, because it’s been the same thing.

“Something has to change in order for us to be more productive. It’s hard to go out there and fight for 60 minutes when you’re fighting throughout the week to make it through one practice.

“When you don’t have legs. Period. It shows up in a game. Period. Throughout the game. Period.”

Williams said he’s not the only Eagles player who thinks Kelly’s pedal-to-the-medal approach is counterproductive.

“I’m just one who’s man enough let you guys know that we’re not a fresh team; we’re not the freshest team out there,” he said. “And it’s an issue in our (poor) starts.”

In each of their games, the Eagles have spotted their opponents double-digit leads.

On Sunday, the Eagles were torched for 427 passing yards by Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, who was making just his fifth NFL start.

“It’s tough, it’s tough,” Williams said after the game. “We’ve got to start taking care of our guys, taking care of our players. And doing the right thing from there, man.”

But, but, but, Cary, you’re 3-0.

“It’s awesome that we’re 3-0,” he said. “It’s great. It’s tremendous. It just shows the resilience of this team. The fight in this team. It shows everybody’s heart. It shows that even though we might not be 100 percent out there, when the ball is kicked off, we play with all of the energy we have.

“It’s about guys finding a way to get it done. We’ve been able to get it done. But to be honest with you, starting with low energy isn’t conducive to a winning program.”

NOTES, QUOTES

Quarterback Nick Foles was leveled by Redskins nose tackle Chris Baker early in the fourth quarter following an apparent interception by cornerback Bashaud Breeland (the play was later reviewed and changed to an incompletion because the ball hit the ground).

The hit got Baker thrown out of the game and triggered a sideline confrontation that also got Eagles left tackle Jason Peters tossed after he retaliated and hit Baker.

Foles was on the ground for about three minutes before finally getting up and returning to the huddle. He didn’t miss a snap.

“I’m going to get up for those guys,” Foles said of his teammates. “That’s my mindset. It’s not a pride thing, where I have to be a tough guy. I know those guys are depending on me, so I’m going to get up and keep fighting for them.

“They’re going to see me up and keep fighting.”

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

PLAYER NOTES

–Rookie wide receiver Jordan Matthews caught his first NFL touchdown pass in the first quarter Sunday, an 11-yarder from Foles. He didn’t ask official for the ball, but a thoughtful Foles retrieved it and handed the ball to Matthews on the sideline.

–LeSean McCoy, who ran away with the league rushing title last season, is struggling this year. He’s rushed for just 175 yards in the first three games and is averaging a puny 2.9 yards per carry. Against the Redskins, he had just 22 yards on 20 carries. The 22 yards equaled the lowest total of his career in a game in which he had at least 10 carries.

REPORT CARD

RUSHING OFFENSE: F — Tough day at the office for LeSean McCoy. He averaged a miniscule 1.1 yards per carry, gaining just 22 yards on 20 carries. Had just 12 yards on seven carries before Jason Kelce got hurt, and only 10 yards on 13 carries after that. The Eagles had just three rushing first downs.

PASSING OFFENSE: B-plus — Nick Foles, who had poor starts in the Eagles’ first two games, completed 12 of 14 passes in the first half, including a pair of touchdown throws to rookie Jordan Matthews. Matthews and the rest of the Eagles’ wide receivers, who had been relatively quiet in the first two games, combined for 21 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

RUN DEFENSE: B-plus — Even without injured linebacker Mychal Kendricks, the Eagles did a good job of neutralizing Alfred Morris and the Redskins’ stretch run plays. Morris finished with just 77 yards on 23 carries. He got 18 of those yards on Washington’s first possession. Averaged just 3.1 yards per carry the rest of the game.

PASS DEFENSE: D — The Eagles gave up too many yards and too many big plays. Kirk Cousins sat in the pocket and had plenty of time to throw for 427 yards and three touchdowns, including an 81-yarder to DeSean Jackson in the third quarter. The Eagles did make two big defensive plays late though — an interception by Malcolm Jenkins that set up a Cody Parkey field goal and a clutch diving pass breakup by Brandon Boykin on a third-and-10 with less than two minute left in the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A — Chris Polk replaced Nolan Carroll on kickoff returns and took one back 102 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. He also had a 39-yard return. Cody Parkey hit all three of his field goal attempts, including a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter that gave the Eagles a 10-point lead.

COACHING: B-plus — Defensive coordinator Bill Davis again made some halftime adjustments that helped his unit hold Washington to one third-down conversion in the second half. Chip Kelly hired a replay consultant two weeks ago and the Eagles won all three of their replay challenges Sunday.