Kelly deflects questions on NFL

One of the first questions Oregon coach Chip Kelly - perhaps the front-runner to take over as coach of the Eagles - was asked after arriving in Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl was about the possibility of coaching in the NFL.

The are-you-going-to-the-NFL questions haven't let up in the five days since, and only figure to pick up after seven coaches were fired Monday.

Deflection has been Kelly's defense since the rumors started and it was no different after all those NFL openings cropped up.

"I've got a game to play," Kelly said during the Fiesta Bowl's media day Monday. "We're playing in the Fiesta Bowl. That's the biggest thing in my life. If I allowed other things to get into my life, then they would be distractions."

The 49-year-old coach is known as an offensive innovator, and his fast-paced, high-scoring offense has led to the most successful stretch in Oregon's history.

The fifth-ranked Ducks have gone to four straight BCS bowl games, a run that includes a trip to the 2011 national championship game, Oregon's first Rose Bowl win in 95 years last season, and Thursday night's Fiesta Bowl against No. 7 Kansas State.

The speculation over the last few years has been that Kelly has his eye on an NFL job; he even talked to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year before saying he had unfinished business in Eugene. And his program faces possible sanctions this spring after an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations.

One reason that Kelly's stock is so high is that NFL teams are starting to embrace the hurry-all-the-time offense he has nearly perfected in Eugene.

In college, coaches have latched onto the no-huddle offense, with teams across the country employing a version of it.

NFL teams have always seemed to be reluctant to borrow from the college ranks, sticking to smashmouth football for years even while college offenses had unprecedented success with the spread.

That has changed over the last few years as teams have looked for ways to get ahead of the defenses. Several NFL teams have gone the high-octane route on offense, including New England, Seattle, and Washington.

Kelly has been the standard-bearer for the redline approach in college. His Ducks have ranked no lower than sixth in the country in rushing yards since he became offensive coordinator in 2007 and have been in the top 10 in scoring and total offense every year but one.

Kelly is reported to be the top candidate to replace Pat Shurmur with the Cleveland Browns and would be a popular choice for the Eagles now that Andy Reid is gone. Arizona, Buffalo, Chicago, San Diego, and Kansas City also are without coaches and could come calling on Kelly as well.

Whatever Kelly does behind the scenes, he's tried to make sure it doesn't become a distraction for his team as it prepares to play another team that had national-championship hopes that lasted deep into the season.

"They understand what the task is at hand. I don't think about it. They don't think about it," Kelly said.

So far, it seems to be working.

"It's not really distracting," Oregon running back DeAnthony Thomas said. "Our main focus is just winning this game right now and just celebrating as a team."