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Posts Tagged ‘Chip Kelly’

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“View from the Philly Pressbox” – Do the Eagles have a Secret Weapon?

In Philadelphia Eagles on December 18, 2013 at 9:35 am

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As the Eagles head in to the final two games of the season and, hopefully, in to the playoffs is it time to see if they truly have a secret weapon as part of their team?

We all know that as you enter the playoff run that the defenses get better, well maybe not the Dallas Cowboys, and offenses have to be on top of their game. We know that the Eagles defense can be suspect itself so keeping the offense operating on all cylinders is critical. The Minnesota Viking exposed some weaknesses in the Eagles offense by rushing Nick Foles relentlessly throughout the game. The O-Line struggled some for the first time in several weeks and Foles looked a bit rattled early before settling in while playing from behind. Whether it be the Vikings defense or Chip Kelly’s play calling the running game disappeared with LeSean McCoy getting only 8 carries for 38 yards and Foles 5 carries for 41, a whopping total of 79 yards rushing. It’s safe to say the leading rusher in the NFL needs 18-25 carries and he will get 100 yards.

Nick Foles has done an outstanding job of running the Eagles offense, making good decisions, and maybe most importantly protecting the football.  Foles biggest weakness in the read option offense is his inability to run the ball well. He’s made the best of the situation and done nothing wrong while he’s running the ball but there could be more. That brings us to Michael Vick, the secret weapon! It’s time to have a read option package for Vick, from time to time, against these tough defenses. If nothing else the defense will have to respect him running the football. If keeping one man home gives McCoy more space to run or allows the O-Line to get a better match up then why not. If no one stays home then Vick can run for a lot more yards than Foles and open the field up for the rest of the offense.

Don’t get me wrong, Nick Foles is the starting QB. What I’m talking about is maybe 5-7 situational snaps per game. I don’t want Vick in there throwing the ball and being reckless. Foles has handled everything that’s been thrown his way so I don’t see this as a distraction to him or a break in his consistency but rather utilizing all the talent you have available on the 53 man roster.

Going down the stretch don’t be surprised to see #7 on the field. It won’t be a bad thing!!

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Why Chip Kelly is the Wrong Guy for the Eagles

In Philadelphia Eagles on February 2, 2013 at 4:46 pm

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Lets start out by saying, don’t get me wrong about being an Eagles fan. I’ve been a fan for nearly 50 years and will continue to watch, attend games and root for the Birds to win the Super Bowl. Coach Kelly is saying all of the right things. He’s a football junkie that is going to work as hard as his job as anybody else. He even showed up at Wing Bowl. With that said, Chip Kelly was the wrong choice to turn this team around. For all of you who disagree we ask you this simple question, “why can Chip Kelly succeed in pro football when Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban and Pete Carroll couldn’t?”

Let’s compare the careers of the four.

Spurrier:

In his 12 years at Florida prior to going to the Redskins Spurrier was 122-27-1 overall and 87-12 in the SEC. He never lost more than 4 games in a season.  This was after taking over an awful Duke program and in 3 seasons finishing tied for 1st place in the ACC. He was 20-13-1 at Duke.

Prior to Duke, Spurrier was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits in the USFL going 35-19. The USFL was a far cry from the NFL. Following his great success at Florida, Spurrier became head coach of the Washington Redskins and lasted only 2 years. He compiled a 12-20 record and went back to college ball at the University of South Carolina where he has rebuilt the program in to a national power.

Spurrier has an overall college record of 208-77-2, with 1 national championship, and an NFL record of 12-20.

Saban:

At this point Saban is considered the best coach in college football. He has won 4 national championships in the last 8 college football seasons with LSU and Alabama. Saban had a 1 year stop as head coach at Toledo (9-2) and a 5 year stop at Michigan State (34-24-1) before become the boss at LSU. Saban’s success in 5 years at LSU, (48-16 and a National Championship) led to an opportunity in the NFL as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He lasted only 2 seasons in the NFL finishing 15-17.  Saban returned to college at Alabama and has dominated college football over the last 6 seasons, winning 3 national championships.

Saban has an overall college record of 154-55-1 with 4 national championships and a pro record of 15-17.

Carroll:

Pete Carroll’s situation is somewhat different, however still relevant to the discussion. Carroll was a head coach in the NFL before he was a head coach in college. He started as the head coach of the New York Jets for one season, (6-10) before moving to New England for 3 seasons. (27-21). The Patriots did finish 1st in Caroll’s first season there. Overall he was 33-31 in his first shot at the NFL.

Carroll moved to the college ranks at the University of Southern California and quickly built a powerhouse. In 9 seasons at USC the Trojans went 97-19, never losing more than 2 games for 7 straight seasons.

Carroll returned to the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks where he has gone 25-23 in 3 seasons.

Carroll has an overall college record of 97-19 with 2 national championships and an NFL record of 58-54.

That brings us to Chip Kelly.

Kelly:

Chip Kelly has never been in the NFL as a player or an assistant coach. He has been the head coach of the Oregon Ducks for 4 seasons. While at Oregon, Kelly compiled a 46-7 record with no national championships.

So why are these guys so much more successful in college football than in the NFL? It’s simple, all are great recruiters!! Each worked at locations that have great facilities with seemingly endless amounts of money being infused in to the programs. In Oregon’s case its Nike money that has turned their athletic program in to a powerhouse. In the NFL you don’t get to stockpile rosters with young recruits that are waiting for their turn to make it to the big time. A coach has to take players that are now professionals and meld them together through the draft and free agency. It’s building a team one position at a time with guys that you don’t necessarily have control of. It’s their job not their life. To make it worse, when you’re successful you get to pick further down in the draft giving you even less opportunity of selecting a “franchise player”. When new Temple coach Matt Rhule was hired after just one season in the NFL, as an assistant offensive line coach working for Tom Coughlin, he said it was like earning a PhD after spending a lifetime as a coach and player.  There’s nothing like experience and Chip Kelly doesn’t have it.

That brings us back to the question from above, “why can Chip Kelly succeed in pro football when Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban and Pete Carroll couldn’t?”

We wish Coach Kelly the best with the Eagles; however, the numbers don’t bode well for him.

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