PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles’ commitment to sports science didn’t get tossed from the NovaCare Complex along with head coach Chip Kelly.

Shaun Huls, Kelly’s sports-science coordinator, still works for the Eagles. New head coach Doug Pederson told reporters at the Senior Bowl that he was open to using sports science as a tool to help players get into shape and remain fit.

“It's something I want to dive more into,” Pederson said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We used it obviously in Kansas City. It can be a benefit to monitor your players. It's a good way for players to recover with all the nutrition, diet, and exercise that they do.

“But at the end of the day, it's football, they're football players, and whatever we can do to get the most out of them."

That last part is the key. With Kelly, the sports-science aspect was a cornerstone of his entire operation, along with his no-huddle offense. There was a strong sense that players had to “buy in” to Kelly’s entire program or risk becoming ex-Eagles.

Heck, there was even speculation that some players did become ex-Eagles because they didn’t buy in sufficiently. DeSean Jackson, anyone?

The Eagles will be better off if the sports-science aspects are tools that players can use rather than acid tests for their level of commitment. That became an issue under Kelly because of his absolute belief in certain ways of doing things.

So it’s refreshing to hear Pederson talk about doing “whatever we can do to get the most” out of players. That suggests a more pragmatic approach to the whole thing, rather than the true-believer aspect that was part of Kelly’s program.

Ironically, the Eagles might actually get more benefit from the program this way. If it’s available but not forced on them, players might be more open to it. If they are hearing from teammates that something really works, rather than hearing from a coach that it’s mandatory, they might feel better about trying it.

It’s also important that players who did fully buy in to Kelly’s program don’t feel as if they are seen as suckers. Veteran tight end Brent Celek was frequently mentioned by Kelly as an example of a player who was committed to the sports-science initiatives.

If the Eagles had dropped the entire program, they would have risked making Celek feel like he was duped. This way, Celek gets to continue doing what he believes in and deriving the benefits, while players who weren’t as convinced can pick and choose what works for them.

It’s a win/win for the players, which could lead to some wins for the team.