Eagles place a bet on the future, hire Chip Kelly
Eagles hire Chip Kelly
Eagles place a bet on the future, hire Chip Kelly
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
Up off of the floor, then. A splash of cold water on the face and away we go. Chip Kelly is the new coach of the Eagles. The Gus Bus has left town, replaced by what Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie believes will be the laser-quick offense of the future.
You know it took a big bag of money to pry Kelly away from the clutches of the University of Phil Knight. So this is where the Eagles-are-cheap narrative goes to die an overdue, deserved death.
You know, too, that the Eagles are not settling here, and that they did not bungle their search, and that pretty much everything said and written in the last week about this process has been conversation in search of reality. Well, this is the reality: the guy they wanted all along -- or at least one of the guys, along with Penn State coach Bill O’Brien -- is now theirs.
People who loved the idea of Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley -- mostly because they heard him say “bleep” and yell at his player on a YouTube video -- could very well hate this. People who carry a fondness for old-style NFL football -- who wanted to rekindle something they last felt when Buddy Ryan coached this team -- and who disliked the way Andy Reid spent 14 years trying to outsmart people on offense, could also be in for a disappointment. Because the only certainty here is that Kelly plans to innovate on offense, and then innovate some more.
But in a league where you need to score 30 points even to think about winning most playoff games, and where the Patriots’ fastbreak offensive attack has helped to make them the even-money favorite to win the Super Bowl, the Eagles have grabbed as their coach the most prominent practitioner of hurry-up football in the nation (and the guy who schooled both O’Brien and Pats coach Bill Belichick on the concept).
We do not yet know the details about what happened. We do not know why Kelly walked away from the Eagles after a long interview right after Oregon played in the Fiesta Bowl, or why he has had this change of heart, or how much the Eagles intend to pay him for the privilege.
What does this mean for Nick Foles, the immobile kid quarterback who seems miscast if Kelly wants to play read-option football to go along with the hurry-up? Don’t know. What does it mean for Michael Vick, the expensive, aging quarterback on the roster who moves better than Foles but not as well as he used to move? Don’t know.
There are a million unanswered questions here. The answers will come when they come. Critics will see risk -- in the offense, and how it might translate to the NFL, and in the fact that Kelly has never worked in the league. It is fair to wonder. But to deny the potential upside is to ignore the trends that have been so evident in this NFL playoff season.
There are no certainties here, except one: that a franchise that had grown stale has just placed an enormous bet on the future.
I just heard the most beautiful two words, "Tim Tebow"— JohnnyNight- Bold and positive step. Can't wait to see what his first moves will be. I am not a Howie fan, but have to hand it to them: They got their guy.— RandlBackScrambln
- Rich, you are far and away the best Columnist in Philly period, and top twenty nationwide.— JBP
- As an Eagles fan for 40 years more frustration. i am not in the anything but AR is improvement camp. AR had to g andw ithout a D or special team what the offense does really does not matter. As Buddy used to say, smart, tough and fast in that order. And the Jeff / Howie tag team is not fixed. Adios Boys.— oldBird
- Well Mabel, it sure ain't Rich Kotite...— robinlupe
- Love the upside, but QB is key to playig fast break. When Brady runs it, it's not about him running the football but making quick smart reads. Routes to be precise and offense needs to play faster but QB doesn't have to be a runner. May not be Foles, but really hope it's not Vick. Won't matter if they don't get the defense fixed.— Z-Force
- This comment has been deleted.— Santa Satan
- i agree with that. but he will never take the job. he wants to stay a head coach somewhere
- Everyone - give the guy a chance before you start pissing on his head. Christ. Not one of you know what he has planned. He is the new head coach. Period. Live with it. whining that this move is bad does not change that. just give him a chance and see where it goes. What a bunch of friggin crybabies.
- We're going to need 3 or 4 QBs in this system, because they're all going to get injured.— EmanuelP
- Ground and pound, sheesh. NFL football has changed since Dick Butkus played. Get onboard and strap your chinstraps on.— ATL-iggle
- Vick better not be on this team with this head coach. Foles or someone they draft to build for the future. Let's start off fresh without any felons on the team!
— Pineapple Betafish - hopefully he starts with ignoring the radio dopes and 5:00 fools on CSN— Friend to All
- We pleaded for a much-needed end to the Andy Reid era, and Lurie finally gave it to us. Now it's time for a change, and NONE of us has any clue how this is going to turn out. Chip Kelley could end up being a bust, or he could end up being the best coach this team has ever had. Only time will tell. Until that verdict is in, anybody who calls themselves an Eagles fan owes it to the team, owes it to Jeff Lurie, and owes it to Chip Kelley to give him the benefit of the doubt and rally around this hire. The future may be uncertain, but it always is anyway. And now Eagles fans have something new to be hopeful and excited about. GO EAGLES!!— Squizzy Magee
- so... @ santino et al; when you say running qb or qb with speed to run kelly's spread offense are you implying/inferring or equating this to a black qb?
are 'youse' afraid he might keep vick? what if vick thrives in this offense? will it be translated into perhaps andy and marty didn't properly use their qb's skill(s) set and got him killed running their outmoded scheme(s) behind a porous o-line. hmmm...— ihatenewyorkers
