For Eagles coaches, Year 3 has been wild

HAS THIS offseason been interesting? Absolutely.

Has it been unprecedented? Not at all.

The Daily News went back to the Dick Vermeil days and found that Eagles coaches' third offseasons have generally been an adventure. Star running backs have been traded. Front office coups have been pulled. Players have retired because of the weather.

Heck, in 1985, the starting quarterback ripped the owner. In 1993, another silently mocked the coach.

Forget about the Kool-Aid, the 1978 team will tell you, don't drink the water!

Without further pause, here is a look at the six Eagles coaches prior to Chip Kelly, the headlines the team made in the offseason and how that season eventually turned out.

Big changes: The NFL increased its regular season from 14 games to 16, decreasing most teams' preseason slate from six games to four. Most teams . . . The Baltimore Colts made a hard push to acquire Bill Bergey in a trade, but the Eagles declined. Vermeil thinks he could have gotten a first- and second-round pick for his 33-year-old linebacker ... Added John Ralston as offensive coordinator for just this season. Ralston won two Rose Bowls with Stanford and was the college coach of Jim Plunkett, the quarterback who beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl after the 1980 season.

Training camp was . . . : Long. And hot. The Eagles played five preseason games, including the Hall of Fame Game against Miami when instant replay was first tested. They also participated in the first NFL contest in Mexico when the Birds lost to the Saints. The Eagles took 40 cases of vitamin water to the game because they were concerned about ingesting anything contaminated.

Quote of note: "The players will be advised not to drink anything out of an open container" in Mexico, said trainer Otho Davis. "And they'll eat all their food in the hotel. They'll start taking anti-diarrhea pills on Friday. If they go down there and get sick, it'll take two weeks to get over it and two more weeks to recover."

Season synopsis: The Birds went 9-7 - including the "Miracle at the Meadowlands" win - and made it to the postseason for the first time since 1960. They lost to Atlanta in a wild-card game.

Big changes: Norman Braman bought the club from longtime owner Leonard Tose, who was generally very popular with the players. More on that in a moment . . . The Birds added Reggie White as the USFL began to collapse . . . Drafted their quarterback of the future, Randall Cunningham, in the second round after starter Ron Jaworski broke his leg late in the previous season . . . Traded all-time leading rusher Wilbert Montgomery . . . Also drafted Kevin Allen, one of the all-time busts, at No. 9 overall. Jerry Rice went seven picks later.

Training camp was . . . : An absolute circus. Players such as Mike Quick, Jerry Robinson and first-round pick Allen were holding out for new contracts. Montgomery, also looking for a new deal, was dealt to Detroit for linebacker Garry Cobb (sounds a little like LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso) . . . Offensive lineman Dean Miraldi asked for his release because Philadelphia was too humid . . . Jaworski ripped the new owner, who was vacationing in the south of France.

Quote of note: "The problem players have is he seems to be making a lot of decisions, but he's never around to see what's going on," Jaworski said. " . . . He seems to be a non-football person getting involved with the running of a football program, which may lead to some problems down the road." Jaworski apologized the next day for his pointed, if not accurate, comments.

Season synopsis: After a 1-4 start, the Eagles climbed back to 6-5 and were in playoff contention until a four-game losing streak sank the season and cost Campbell his job.

Big changes: Rookie draft picks Keith Jackson (tight end) and Eric Allen (cornerback) became regular starters . . . Safety Wes Hopkins returned after missing most of 1986 and all of the 1987 season with a left knee injury. Hopkins played and started all 16 games.

Training camp was . . . : Mostly quiet, especially after the Eagles signed starting quarterback Randall Cunningham to a $4 million contract on the first day. A protracted hold-out wouldn't have been good . . . The offensive line suffered a bunch of injuries, including starting guard Ron Baker cutting a tendon in his right foot during a freak accident in the shower.

Quote of note: "We've had so much change over the past two years that only now are we seeing the benefits of it," Ryan said. "Football is a real team sport, and it takes time. It's not like basketball where you can get Doctor J in there and you'll win."

Season synopsis: Were a disappointing 4-5 heading into November, but closed by winning six of seven. They got into the postseason on the final day of the season on a tiebreaker when the Giants lost. It probably saved the job of the coach, who was a thorn in Braman's side. The Birds lost at Chicago in the playoffs in the "Fog Bowl."

Big changes: A new CBA in January gave Reggie White, among other NFL players, the right to test free agency. White signed with Green Bay . . . Keith Byars (Miami) also left .. The Eagles signed Erik McMillan to play free safety, which ended up being a disaster . . . They plucked Tim Harris from the 49ers after a 17-sack season, but he got a DUI in the spring and played just four games . . . The Birds also brought in Giants legend Mark Bavaro to play tight end . . . Zeke Bratkowski took over for Kotite as offensive coordinator.

Training camp was . . . : A riot. A real, bleepin' riot . . . Kotite placed a gag order threatening players with fines for saying anything divisive . . . Randall Cunningham usurped the letter of Kotite's law by wearing a hat with S-E-L-G-A-E on the front (Eagles spelled backward) and "Let me be me" on the back . . . The Eagles let go veteran free safety Wes Hopkins, who had microfracture knee surgery in March. However, five days before the season opener and just after Hopkins played a preseason game for the Chiefs, the Eagles signed him to a one-year deal to play strong safety. It was bizarre . . . Rookie Derrick Frazier, one of the compensatory picks for Reggie White, ripped up his knee and missed the season . . . This could go on and on.

Quote of note: Daily News columnist Rich Hofmann was looking at the 1993 season, but it could easily have been written for 2015. "Predictions are tough most years. They are ridiculous this time," Hofmann wrote on Aug. 31, 1993. "So much depends upon the health and production of people whose health and/or production has been suspect in recent years. Who can read that future? Personally, I'm having a terrible time . . . I'm in a 7-and-9ish frame of mind right now, but who really knows?"

Season synopsis: An undefeated start was quickly forgotten when Cunningham and Fred Barnett went out with season-ending injuries in the fourth game. Bubby Brister and Ken O'Brien took turns starting at quarterback in place of Cunningham as the Birds closed 4-8 and just missed out on the playoffs.

P.S.: The game against Dallas, where Kotite's two-point conversion chart got wet, came the following season, his last as Eagles coach.

Big changes: Not much, really. Added center Steve Everitt from Baltimore to help solidify the O-line and brought in Michael Timpson as the third wide receiver . . . Former Cowboy Chris Boniol replaced Gary Anderson as kicker . . . Drafted another bust in the first round, this time defensive end Jon Harris. They did grab Duce Staley in the third round. N.D. Kalu and Koy Detmer also were in that draft class.

Training camp was . . . : A disappointment. Ty Detmer edged out Rodney Peete for the starting quarterback job, but Detmer's mostly mediocre play had some fans clamoring for youngster Bobby Hoying . . . Injuries wracked the offensive line so much that Rhodes called it "a nightmare" . . . The hope was to replace reliable veteran DE William Fuller with Harris, but Harris wasn't ready.

Quote of note: "After winning 10 games in each of the last two seasons, the logical step in the Eagles' evolution would be to win the NFC East and make more than a token appearance in the playoffs," wrote Daily News columnist John Smallwood. "Eagles fans will consider anything less a disappointment and a major step backward."

Season synopsis: The Birds were 6-6-1 heading into December, but ended with a three-game losing streak . . . The Eagles played 42 different starters, including all three of the quarterbacks mentioned above (Ty Detmer, Peete and Hoying) . . . The most dismal moment was when holder Tommy Hutton fumbled the snap on what surely would have been a game-winning field goal at Dallas on a Monday Night game.

Big changes: Moving the offices and practice facilities out of decrepit Veterans Stadium and into the $37 million NovaCare Complex was more than just aesthetics. The Eagles finally had a home they could call their own . . . Like Chip Kelly this most recent January, Andy Reid took over as head of the Eagles after the ouster of executives Tom Modrak and Mike McCartney . . . Personnel-wise, not much. They drafted, among others, Freddie Mitchell, Correll Buckhalter, Derrick Burgess and A.J. Feeley and they released Mike Mamula and wide receiver Charles Johnson . . . One that got away was Priest Holmes, a free agent who visited with the Eagles in March. Holmes eventually signed with Kansas City and averaged 1,500 rushing yards the next three seasons.

Training camp was . . . : Filled with optimism, except for the preseason game against the Ravens that had to be canceled because the turf at Veterans Stadium had more tears and ripped seams than a drunken Mummer's wench outfit on New Year's night.

Quote of note: "We are competing at every level for the best possible people," team executive Joe Banner said at the opening of the NovaCare Complex. "This is a $30-plus million investment that, unto itself, makes a dramatic statement about how we feel about the value of our players, our coaches, our employees."

Season synopsis: The Eagles won their first division title since 1988 and went to the first of four consecutive NFC title games (a loss at St. Louis). They were in the midst of their most successful run in 50 years, one that ended, of course, without a Super Bowl title. Chip Kelly, the time's yours.