Chip Kelly thanks Eagles for opportunity, regrets lack of championship

— -- Fired Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly said Wednesday night that he was "grateful" and "blessed" to coach the team.

"I'm am deeply grateful to [owner] Jeffrey Lurie for allowing me to coach his Philadelphia Eagles for the past three seasons," Kelly said in a statement. "I deeply regret that we did not bring this great city and its fans the championship they deserve. I was blessed to work with a gifted and hard-working coaching staff every day, and they will succeed wherever they go."

Kelly was fired Tuesday after the Eagles failed to meet lofty expectations in his third season as coach. They had a 6-9 record and were eliminated from playoff contention Saturday. They have one game remaining, Sunday against the New York Giants.

Kelly wished the Eagles well moving forward.

"My players mean the world to me," he said. "I will miss them very much and I will be rooting for them to achieve their dreams. Life is all about responding to challenges and seizing opportunities."

Earlier Wednesday, Lurie addressed the media and called 2015 "one of the most disappointing seasons" in his 21 years as owner.

He said he evaluated the team's record as well as its "trajectory" and concluded that an immediate change was needed. A year ago, he gave Kelly full control over personnel decisions.

"There was a risk involved in allowing Chip to have that kind of say over player transactions," Lurie said. "However, risk/reward -- sometimes the risks don't work. In this case, they didn't."

Lurie said he made the decision to terminate Kelly on Tuesday because he wanted to get started on the process of finding a new coach. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur will serve as interim coach for the season's final game against the Giants. Lurie said he hasn't ruled out Shurmur or any members of the current staff as candidates.

Lurie said he would consider college coaches and retired coaches as well as current NFL head coaches and assistants. Lurie, team president Don Smolenski and executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman will head up the search committee.

Kelly, 52, told Fox Sports on Tuesday night that he didn't fight Lurie's decision to fire him.

Kelly was hired by the Eagles with great fanfare in 2013. He had been head coach at Oregon for just four seasons but had built a reputation as an innovator -- both for the way he ran his uptempo offense and for the sports science-based way he ran his program.

He went 10-6 and won the NFC East title in his first season, although the Eagles lost a home playoff game to the New Orleans Saints.

In 2014, the Eagles were 9-3 through their first 12 games. But Mark Sanchez replaced Nick Foles after Foles broke his collarbone, and from there, they lost three consecutive games and were eliminated from the NFC East race.

Kelly decided at that point that he needed a new quarterback. He talked with Lurie about restructuring the organization to integrate the coaching and scouting staffs. Lurie responded by removing Roseman from the football operation and giving Kelly full control of personnel decisions.

Kelly responded with an aggressive overhaul of the Eagles' roster. Gone were Foles, McCoy, cornerbacks Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher, guards Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans, and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. They were replaced by quarterback Sam Bradford, running backs DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews, cornerback Byron Maxwell and safety Walter Thurmond.

The new-look Eagles lost their first two games to Atlanta and Dallas. They got off to a 1-3 start, then battled back to 4-4 by the midway point of the season.

Faced with three consecutive games against teams with losing records, the Eagles had an opportunity to make a move in the lackluster NFC East race. Instead, they lost 20-19 to Miami, then were blown out by Tampa Bay (45-17) and Detroit (45-14).

At 4-7, the Eagles improbably upset the New England Patriots 35-28. Before that game, Lurie went around the locker room and told players he wanted them to "play angry." The next week, Lurie gave the players T-shirts that said "12 Angry Men." They responded with a victory over McCoy and the Buffalo Bills.

After the game in New England, Murray sat next to Lurie on the flight home. The unhappy running back expressed his frustration with being demoted. Murray carried the ball just eight times in the game.

Over the last two weeks, Kelly's team lost home games to Arizona and Washington by a combined score of 78-41. They were eliminated from the playoff race by Saturday night's loss to Washington.

Three days later, Lurie called Kelly into his office to discuss the state of the franchise. Lurie suggested a new structure, with a general manager who would handle the Eagles' personnel department. Kelly balked at that suggestion and Lurie fired him.

Kelly compiled a 26-21 record. He went 19-9 in his first season and three-quarters. Since Thanksgiving 2014, the Eagles' record is 7-12.

ESPN's Phil Sheridan contributed to this report.