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the legend of Chip Kelly

feelflows : 8/1/2014 12:06 pm
Chip Kelly is Vince Lombardi. At least that's what you'd think if you lived in the metro-Philadelphia area.

Kelly has been the Eagles coach for one season, where he brought a team from 4 wins to 10 wins and a playoff appearance. This team was one of the least injured teams in NFL history, but in the end still won regular season games when it counted.

Eagles fans, reporters and "talk show" personalities are both enamored and mesmerized by the legend known as Chip Kelly. Things commonly heard are "Phillies suck, but at least we have Chip". "NFC East teams vastly improved this offseason, but the Eagles have Chip Kelly".

So my conversation is, how much of the Eagles success last year is on the shoulders of Chip Kelly? Do you think teams will catch up to his scheme this year and the Eagles come down to Earth? Do you think he's a legit NFL mastermind?

Obviously their expectations are based on hope. For decades the city of Philadelphia has had nothing (minus a brief run by the Phillies). Their football team has never won it, their NBA team is a joke. Phillies are now in a hopeless hole. It's NATURAL to cling onto hope, whether it be a person or persons. But is this hope legit??
I've been impressed  
Blue Baller : 8/1/2014 12:08 pm : link
from what I have seen from him so far.

Not that I follow the Eagles all that closely but he seems like a good innovative coach
If Foles can continue his level of performance  
Ben in Tampa : 8/1/2014 12:15 pm : link
from 2013, then they are a team that could be very hard to beat.

lets be honest,  
Gordo : 8/1/2014 12:15 pm : link
that team is built around mccoy, if he goes down , so will the eagles, their defense is still a joke and im not a believer in napolean dynamite, they lost desean, and really only have riley and an recovering maclin.. lets see how he does, im not sold on anything
well we only have one year to go on  
Enzo : 8/1/2014 12:15 pm : link
but in that one year they were second in yardage and a FG away from being second in points. And the immortal Nick Foles put up 27 TDs against only 2 INTs (third best INT% season of all time). I'd say Eagles fans have reason to be happy with him so far.
Kelly  
SLIM : 8/1/2014 12:16 pm : link
A lot of NFL coaches were talking to him about concepts and had offered him positions prior to the head coaching gig with the Eagles. He is respected around the league.

He had a 6 game turnaround which happens a decent amount of time. The Eagles were very healthy last year and had the element of surprise with their offense which is different than the rest of the league.

The year before that, the team basically tanked.

Couple all of that with a last place schedule in a very weakened division last year and the rookie record isn't anything that impresses me. It is obviously better than 6-10 or 8-8 but this is the year that he starts proving if his methods work.
Unfortunately...  
Chris in Philly : 8/1/2014 12:19 pm : link
I don't see any reason that they shouldn't be optimistic. I think Kelly is the real deal. Is it being overdone? Maybe. But there's no question that he is bringing some innovative ideas to the NFL. And I don't just mean offensively, I mean fully embracing sports science. They were the least injured team. Is that a coincidence or did their training and methods of preparation contribute to that. He's doing things that will be commonplace 10 years from now. I only hope he gets tired of the NFL and looks to find a college gig in the next few years.

They have a great OL, perhaps the best RB in the league, and some decent receiving options, especially at TE. Their defense won't be very good but they will score a lot of points. The one place I can see a struggle, and the one guy that I personally think is being massively overvalued, is Foles. Let's see how he responds this year. I hope he falls on his face, but that is admittedly wishful thinking.
Give credit  
OldPolack : 8/1/2014 12:20 pm : link
where is due. CHIP looks like a winner.
much was made of Kelly bringing an insane  
mfsd : 8/1/2014 12:21 pm : link
Navy SEAL-type training program to the Eagles...and in the end, Vick was the only big injury that hit them throughout the season (which ended up being a good thing for them as Foles was better)

So, I'd say he's earned some credit

And in a sports town where their biggest heroes are a fake boxer from a movie and a bartender who covered kickoffs for a few years, I'd say they are a little desperate.

OK, I'll give them Dr J too, even though he was from New York...
I was listening to Ross Tucker interview him at Eagles camp recently  
FranknWeezer : 8/1/2014 12:25 pm : link
and he came away realizing that in practice, the Eagles run 3 plays in 60 seconds, whereas most teams get off one play in :60. That's some serious pace.
I think Chip Kelly is a good coach, and after Reid got fired,  
Exit 172 : 8/1/2014 12:31 pm : link
Kelly was the one guy I actively hoped they wouldn't get.

And then they got him. Ugh.

It kind of sucks that they had Jim "No Desire To Be a Head Coach" Johnson for all those years and now have a very good head coach to succeed Reid's long, winning tenure.
he might be a great coach  
Moondwg : 8/1/2014 12:34 pm : link
but i remember when Schiano was also an exciting, transformative figure.
They should be the favorite to win the division.  
BrettNYG10 : 8/1/2014 12:35 pm : link
I really wanted him to go elsewhere because I wanted to see his style succeed. But he went to the fucking Eagles.
RE: he might be a great coach  
BrettNYG10 : 8/1/2014 12:36 pm : link
In comment 11789958 Moondwg said:
Quote:
but i remember when Schiano was also an exciting, transformative figure.


When was that? They finished last in their division both years. And I recall his hiring being wildly criticized.
Fans always overreact, positively and negatively, to small samples,  
Mad Mike : 8/1/2014 12:37 pm : link
but there's certainly plenty of reason to be optimistic about him. If we had the last two seasons that they did, there'd be enough traffic here praising him to kill the hamster on a near-daily basis.
I don't know yet but  
Jimmy Googs : 8/1/2014 12:38 pm : link
when your QB puts up a 27-2 Td/Int ratio, all five O-Lineman play all 16 games, and your team has the least amount of injuries in the league, your team probably will have a good season.

Have Chip Kelly start James Brewer, Jim Cordle and David Diehl and lets see what happens...

Schiano?  
Mad Mike : 8/1/2014 12:38 pm : link
That's not analogous at all.
___________  
Ninja : 8/1/2014 12:40 pm : link
Hating on Chip Kelly is sour grapes. You call it gimmicky, I call it innovation. Im not saying we or anyone needs to go full hog and run 25 plays a quarter, but to suggest that their success last year wasnt due to his direction is unfair.
Kelly for all the props he gets  
BigBlueCane : 8/1/2014 12:41 pm : link
didn't win a championship in college and got thoroughly out coached and out played by teams in the post season.

Anyone can look like a genius one year. It's how they react to the league going forward that tells the story.
sustainability  
area junc : 8/1/2014 12:41 pm : link
why the praise? he's done nothing yet and now it really gets tough w/defensive coordinators having a handle on what he's doing

year 2 for a new guy is the make or break.

you'd think people would realize that after the rg3 nonsense but some never learn. this is the big leagues
sorry bigbluecane  
area junc : 8/1/2014 12:42 pm : link
you beat me to it

go canes
The Giants  
Chip : 8/1/2014 12:42 pm : link
have been influenced by him they are certainly trying to go to a more hurry up offense. At UNH his goal was always to get the play off before the 35 second clock got to 20. If you didn't he would start pacing up and down the sideline. The combination of Ricky Santos to David Ball kinda of made him because of there success. He gave David a shot with the Eagles last year and first day pulled a hamstring.
He seems to be a very good head coach.  
Ira : 8/1/2014 12:44 pm : link
But other teams will be better prepared to defend his offense and may use some of his methods against him.
RE: ___________  
Mad Mike : 8/1/2014 12:45 pm : link
In comment 11789979 Ninja said:
Quote:
Hating on Chip Kelly is sour grapes. You call it gimmicky, I call it innovation. Im not saying we or anyone needs to go full hog and run 25 plays a quarter, but to suggest that their success last year wasnt due to his direction is unfair.

I agree it would be unfair to say his direction didn't play a part, but Googs' point is valid as well. They were historically healthy, which helps tremendously. And their QB had a stunning season which he's not going to duplicate, no matter how talented he may be and how offensively gifted Kelly is as a coach. That doesn't mean he's not a good coach and the team will do poorly this year, but there were some very positive factors that shouldn't be attributed to Kelly.
up tempo  
area junc : 8/1/2014 12:45 pm : link
wasnt invented by chip kelly. the giants are running a scheme and tempo from the walsh days
he also  
feelflows : 8/1/2014 12:53 pm : link
helped change the culture there. Reid was an excellent coach, but players got comfortable.

It's like when Coughlin came in, it went from lax to focused. It seems like he focuses on a team first mentality (hence the departure of Vick and Jackson).

I'm excited to see how opposing DCs adjust to Kelly's game.
I think the case can be made  
mattlawson : 8/1/2014 12:57 pm : link
That he was one of the top coaches last year. He brought with him a conditioning program, a nutrition plan, if you were injuries, a more progressive system, the faster system, I no-nonsense approach and the culture changes that emerged were pretty hard to ignore. Not only that but their offense looks like they're playing a video game at times just ridiculous. I think they have some pieces that are very hard to defend against but that said They did not win the Super Bowl either

I'm impressed so far -- let's not go overboard
I think the problem with sports writing  
Essex : 8/1/2014 1:17 pm : link
It is all or nothing. You are either the next Lombardi if you have a great first season or the next Handley if you don't.

I think you have to give Kelly the benefit of any doubt. He has always been successful. With that said, I am not sure that last year's results are necessarily indicative of much more than playing in a weak division, against a weak schedule, getting their offensive line back, and remaining injury free (I don't think they put one player on IR after camp). Playing a similar schedule down the stretch, we went 7-3. Did we look like a 7-3 team? We will see this year how it turns out, especially if they lose key players, unlike last year.
Kelly is a very good coach  
BillT : 8/1/2014 1:20 pm : link
But there were four things critical to their success last year. New scheme, new QB, McCoy and Jackson. Three of them won't be there this year. I think they're the team to beat but it's a not going to be the same for them this year.
RE: RE: he might be a great coach  
Moondwg : 8/1/2014 1:26 pm : link
In comment 11789968 BrettNYG10 said:
Quote:
In comment 11789958 Moondwg said:


Quote:


but i remember when Schiano was also an exciting, transformative figure.



When was that? They finished last in their division both years. And I recall his hiring being wildly criticized.


Maybe I don't remember that well, I guess. But I thought I remembered reading that his young, hungry, passionate approach was blah, blah, blah.

I'm not ready to call him a great coach yet  
USAF NYG Fan : 8/1/2014 1:39 pm : link
I think Reid was the better coach and I'm glad they let him go.

KC went from 2-15 to 11-5 while the Eagles went from 4-12 to 10-6.

I think teams are more familiar with what Reid put out there than what Kelly put out there yet Reid had the better record. He didn't have the surprise factor.

Also, Reid was in a tougher division than ours last year. Naturally not the Raiders but the Chargers and Broncos were better than the Skins, Girls, and us.

This is another fresh offensive look for the NFL that comes out of the gate hot but teams will figure it out (i.e. wildcat, read option, etc).

Unless he stays innovative, fresh, unpredictable, etc, I'm not concerned. They were better off with Reid and Reid is better off without them.

Shady is that team.
McCoy is great  
djm : 8/1/2014 1:40 pm : link
but the guy I am watching very closely is Foles. He looked awesome last year. Let me see him (and Chip) do it again after teams watched film all year long. But I won't lie Foles scares me.

I like Chip and think he brings a breath of fresh air to the NFL  
Bockman : 8/1/2014 1:45 pm : link
More plays run = more potential points. Seems logical to me.

I actually think he chickened out a bit last year by not going for it on 4th down nearly as often as he should have. I thought that Chip would be the first coach to never punt and was slightly disapointed.
RE: Kelly  
MetsAreBack : 8/1/2014 1:47 pm : link
In comment 11789920 SLIM said:
Quote:

Couple all of that with a last place schedule in a very weakened division last year and the rookie record isn't anything that impresses me. It is obviously better than 6-10 or 8-8 but this is the year that he starts proving if his methods work.



Last place schedule? You mean the whopping two games... which were against Arizona (10-6) and Tampa? Yeah... no.
on the other end  
feelflows : 8/1/2014 1:49 pm : link
long sustainable drives = more time for your defense to rest.

it could be why the Eagles defense is so poor.
He's  
dorgan : 8/1/2014 2:11 pm : link
a good coach who does embrace sports science, looks for ever edge and isn't afraid to go out on a limb.

Other than the complete adoption of sports sciences and all that comes with that adoption, I don't see a great deal of innovation. Coupling a zone running game with option isn't new, hurry up offense isn't new and their passing game isn't unique.

I'm not finding any fault with him, I just don't find the schemes all that innovative.

I think he'll have a long successful career. Wish it was in the AFC.

I think Foles....  
BillKo : 8/1/2014 2:35 pm : link
downfall will be he doesn't have a fastball......

However, watching a lot of their games, the scheme calls for an insanely amount of easy throws..............

Teams will adjust, and it will be up to Kelly to re-adjust........let's see who wins.
I also believe.....  
BillKo : 8/1/2014 2:35 pm : link
he'll return to college, eventually.

My gut feeling is this is just a pit stop.
SI article states Seahawks  
COLT46 : 8/1/2014 2:44 pm : link
wanted to avoid Eagles.
Link - ( New Window )
I think Foles is a bigger difference maker for that team  
Some Fan : 8/1/2014 2:48 pm : link
than Chip Kelly. That Tom Petty lookalike is pretty damn good and I would not be surprised if he plays as well this coming year. We need to start banging him around now.
imo this is one of the reasons  
eli4life : 8/1/2014 3:02 pm : link
We went and got one of the best secondaries in the league. Lock them up man to man on the outside and that gives us more options to stop shady
there's a difference  
BigBlueCane : 8/1/2014 3:27 pm : link
between successful and sustainability.

People in college started figuring out Kelly's schemes and tendencies fairly soon. And Oregon started losing games in conference play they probably shouldn't.

It will be the same in NFL I think. The league tends to catch up to 'gurus' very fast.
A few things  
InTikiITrust : 8/1/2014 6:22 pm : link
Philly sports radio is really all about Chip, but there is a sense of "But he has to do it again." They are very optimistic and with good reason I think, but most guys admit he and Foles have to do it again.

We'll see how healthy they stay this year. The NFL is a tough sport. And if the Eagles do stay healthy, expect most other teams to copy what the Eagles are doing.

Defense will still be suspect but they have some talented young players.

Philly sports radio also really thinks the Giants will be garbage this year.
RE: there's a difference  
Amtoft : 8/1/2014 8:07 pm : link
In comment 11790252 BigBlueCane said:
Quote:
between successful and sustainability.

People in college started figuring out Kelly's schemes and tendencies fairly soon. And Oregon started losing games in conference play they probably shouldn't.

It will be the same in NFL I think. The league tends to catch up to 'gurus' very fast.


What are you talking about?

2009 (Chip Kelly's first year as HC) they 10-3 with losses to #14 Boise State, Stanford, and to #5 Ohio State in the Rose bowl

2010 Went undefeated all the way to the National championship game where they ran into a stacked Auburn team and only lost 22-19 finished 12-1

2011 Lost to #4 LSU and #18 USC while beating Wisconsin in the Rose bowl to finish 12-2

2012 Lost to #14 Stanford in OT on the way to winning the Fiesta Bowl over Kansas State to finish 12-1

10-3, 12-1, 12-2, and 12-1 including winning both their last 2 BCS bowl games... 46-7 including 36-4 his last 3 years. There isn't a coach or team outside of Nick Saban who did that well (FYI Alabama 14-0, 10-3, 12-1, 13-1... 49-5 Chips last 3 seasons Saban went 35-5)

They did not figure out Chip Kelly fairly soon or even fairly late. He only lost to one non-ranked team and that was an Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh Stanford.

Side note... Urban Meyer during that time went 13-1, 8-5 (wasn't full strength), didn't coach, 12-0 ... 33-6
The Giants loaded up with defensive backs this off-season to  
GeofromNJ : 8/1/2014 8:58 pm : link
primarily counter Kelly's offense, though the Giants also worry about RGIII. Given that the Eagles were a 10 win team with a weak schedule and a new look offense, and the Giants were a 7 win team because they had no tight end for the entire year, no middle linebacker for half the season, and a hobbled #1 receiver, I see no reason why the Giants can't win the division, despite Noles' talent and Kelly's leadership and innovation.
InTiki  
feelflows : 8/2/2014 8:04 am : link
Philly sports radio is such garbage.

Regarding Chip, they act like he's the Messiah. Its almost eery.

Not that NY radio is that much better. But ay least Francesca gets good interviews.
RE: I don't know yet but  
Mike in Philly : 8/2/2014 8:19 am : link
In comment 11789974 Jimmy Googs said:
Quote:
when your QB puts up a 27-2 Td/Int ratio, all five O-Lineman play all 16 games, and your team has the least amount of injuries in the league, your team probably will have a good season.

Have Chip Kelly start James Brewer, Jim Cordle and David Diehl and lets see what happens...

This. And let us not forget that this "guru" did not select the all pro QB as his starter coming out of training camp, he went with Mike Vick. Yea, he's a genius alright.
RE: InTiki  
Essex : 8/2/2014 8:25 am : link
In comment 11790725 feelflows said:
Quote:
Philly sports radio is such garbage.

Regarding Chip, they act like he's the Messiah. Its almost eery.

Not that NY radio is that much better. But ay least Francesca gets good interviews.


Jet fans sort of treated Rex like the messiah his first two years here.
RE: InTiki  
InTikiITrust : 8/2/2014 9:13 am : link
In comment 11790725 feelflows said:
Quote:
Philly sports radio is such garbage.

Regarding Chip, they act like he's the Messiah. Its almost eery.

Not that NY radio is that much better. But ay least Francesca gets good interviews.


Trust me, I agree. It's quite bad. They love Chip...but at least they usually admit he needs to do it again.
I was impressed with CK's job in his first year.  
Big Blue '56 : 8/2/2014 9:23 am : link
College coaches fail at the pro level more than they succeed, at least as HCs, imv...Even those who were successful, quickly fizzled out.

Not predicting that for CK as he might be the "Jim Harbaugh" goods, but I will reserve overall judgement(as I did with Harbaugh) for another year, possibly two
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