Chip Freaking Kelly!

Posted: January 16th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 152 Comments »

The Eagles have hired Chip Kelly as the new head coach.  This per Chris Mortensen, Jay Glazer, and other national sources.  PE.com has the headline up so that means this is legit.

Great move.  High risk, but high reward.  Chip is the guy I wanted all along.  I’ll take full credit if he wins and blame Howie Roseman if he doesn’t.  Joe Banner taught me well.  Speaking of Joe…has anyone checked up on him?

More later.

Wild development.


152 Comments on “Chip Freaking Kelly!”

  1. 1 Cam_T said at 12:16 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Rick Flair *woooooooooooooo!!!!!* This came out of NOWHERE wow, really thought this was fake when I saw it on twitter

  2. 2 Steven Dileo said at 12:16 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    F. U. PETER KING!

  3. 3 new coach said at 12:17 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    dont agree with cursing, but what did he say

  4. 4 Ark87 said at 2:15 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    He has a recurring piece called “things I think” or something of the like. Basically he decided the Eagles are trash because 3 college coaches met with the Eagles and all stayed in school. That was the crux of his arguement, from which he decided that nobody respects Howie, we have no QB, Philly is a cesspool of negative emotions. Nobody wants to coach there! Well Chip signed, so his whole argument crumbles. Eat it PK! Hah!

  5. 5 new coach said at 12:17 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Maybe
    1) Chip Kelly wanted to wait until after National SIgning Day to accept. But, Eagles met Gus, told Chip “We like Gus. IF you can’t commit we’re going to go with him” and Kelly relented?
    2) maybe bringing in all of these candidates was free consulting about a staff, hpw to beat/plan against Kapernick, RGIII, etc

  6. 6 CalSFro said at 12:22 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    This move makes the earlier PFT report about the Eagles already having specific D-Coordinators in mind make a lot more sense.

  7. 7 TommyLawlor said at 12:26 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    That was PE.com writing about something Ian Rappaport said on Twitter. Just speculation as far as I know.

  8. 8 Cvd52 said at 12:17 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    eagles always someohow get what they want. i kind of feel like its roseman. he seems like he always finds a way to pull it off. gotta give them credit

    im sure they are gonna give him a boatload of $

  9. 9 tad said at 12:19 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Is there something in this brownie??

  10. 10 deg0ey said at 3:26 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I know what isn’t in this (cleveland) brownie!

  11. 11 Cvd52 said at 12:19 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    foles just threw up

  12. 12 T_S_O_P said at 12:20 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Wow!

  13. 13 Khidr9 said at 12:21 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    how did this happen? When is the 30 for 30 on this hiring process?

  14. 14 TommyLawlor said at 12:26 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Ha. I’ll watch that.

  15. 15 ShadyCrockett said at 12:22 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Bring back the Kelly Greens!!!!

  16. 16 ACViking said at 12:32 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    YES!

  17. 17 deg0ey said at 3:37 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Is that just the nostalgia talking, because, as a recent fan with no attachment to the old uniforms, I think Kelly Green is a horrible colour.

  18. 18 ShadyCrockett said at 4:09 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    yeah, its mostly nostalgia but midnight green is also quite possibly the least imposing color in the history of the NFL. We are one shade away from turquoise.

  19. 19 new coach said at 12:23 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I don’t know if I want Geno SMith. But.. Foles, a #2014 2nd and our #1 for the Raiders pick, and we take Geno? (Assuming he isnt taken before then)

  20. 20 xeynon said at 12:30 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    That’s an insane amount to give up to move up one slot to pick a guy who may be no better than Foles. NO THANKS.

  21. 21 brza said at 1:19 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    No way we have to move up for Smith. If Smith is who they want then they’d most likely be moving down or else moving up from the 2nd round to the back end of the first.

    Smith is also not a runner, FYI. He only had 151 rushing yards last year. And only 342 in his career.

  22. 22 RC5000 said at 1:29 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Yuck you gotta be kidding. Why waste the 4th pick on another pocket QB if you want someone who can run?

  23. 23 deg0ey said at 4:17 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    If Kelly wants a new QB, I’d hope he doesn’t use our #4 to get him. I still wouldn’t object to taking a mid-late round flyer on EJ Manuel as an alternative to Foles (assuming he lasts that long). 6’5, 240ish lbs and reportedly runs a 4.6. Still a bit of a project, I think, so I wouldn’t be wanting to take him in the first two rounds, but 3rd or later and he might be worth a look…

  24. 24 CalSFro said at 12:25 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Wow. What a crazy, awesome development.

    It’s gonna be a fun year.

  25. 25 IamSam said at 12:26 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    wow!!! let the kelly mania begin 🙂

  26. 26 xeynon said at 12:28 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Holy crap. It’s been reported for a week that Kelly was back at Oregon and was out of the picture. Did he change his mind? Were the reports wrong, but Kelly wanted to wait to reveal his interest for some reason? It’s going to be interesting to hear the story behind this.

    I am very psyched though. Kelly seems like a really smart, visionary football mind and the fact that Bill freaking Belichick felt like he could learn something about football from him is about as big of an endorsement as you can get.

    Looks like quite a few people in the media have some egg on their faces as well.

  27. 27 new coach said at 12:32 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    other option is Kelly wanted x amount of dollars. We didnt offer that. After interviewing everyone, and discussing Kelly’s scheme with them, Lurie decided Kelly was worth it and they came to an agreement

  28. 28 austinfan said at 12:43 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Or Lurie made it clear that Kelly would not be given complete control, that he’d have to work with Howie.

    Kelly went home, thought about it, blinked and called Jeff.

  29. 29 austinfan said at 12:29 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Let’s see who he hires as assistant coaches and what he says about his plans before assuming he’s just bringing his Oregon offense to Philly.

    In fact, I suspect that was one of the things that got heavy discussion, how he’d adjust to the NFL, was he rigid or could he adapt to different personnel and a different environment. Belichick has a fast paced, high power offense using some of Chip’s ideas, but with a QB as slow as Foles.

    To me, Geno lacks the mental toughness to justify a pick in the top 20, no matter what system you run. So that run option isn’t a sure thing here.

  30. 30 ACViking said at 12:30 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Austinfan . . . you nailed it in 25 words.

    Hear, hear

  31. 31 A Roy said at 12:54 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Which 25 apply out of the 100+ he wrote? 🙂

  32. 32 ACViking said at 12:57 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    A puzzle to do while we wait for more info.

  33. 33 A Roy said at 1:18 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Hope we only have to spend a 4th to trade for a backup that fits Kelly’s system.

  34. 34 D3FB said at 1:16 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Only way I see him doing that is if he goes out and brings in Dennis Dixon, and even then he’s gonna have to sell it.

  35. 35 new coach said at 12:30 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I think I nailed this one. Chip Kelly spent 9 hours with the Eagles, and basically told them he wants the job, but needs more time. National signing day is the first week in Feb. If he stayed as Oregon coach until then, that would help them in recruiting.

    Enter Gus. He comes in and the staff is impressed. An offer is not made, as they still want Chip.

    Chip is given the following choice: We like Gus a lot. We can see him as our coach. We want you more though,. But we cannot wait. We do not want to lose out on both of you. By the way, we have done a lot of research and know good assistants for your staff after interviewing the whole NFL.

    Chip takes it, as he wanted the job all along.

  36. 36 xeynon said at 12:34 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Interesting. IIRC, Kelly did not give a statement to the press along the lines of those given by O’Brien and Brian Kelly in which he said “after considering opportunities at the NFL level I have decided to stay at my current post, blah blah blah” – it was just widely reported secondhand that that’s what he’d decided. Evidence for your theory.

  37. 37 brza said at 1:13 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I think Chip also got inside info about the probable sanctions headed for Oregon and reconsidered jumping ship while he still had a chance.

  38. 38 eagles2zc said at 1:27 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Instead of the popular media angle that the Eagles are unattractive, I think Lurie and Co. never made any offers until now. They wanted to cover all their bases and interview as many candidates as possible

  39. 39 ACViking said at 12:31 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: Dan Marino

    He took the Dolphins’ GM job. Everyone was happy as a lark.

    He quit the next week.

    I hope Kelly’s not going to change his mind again.

  40. 40 xeynon said at 12:35 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    We don’t even know that he DID change his mind – he never came out and said directly that he wanted to stay at Oregon, it was just widely reported that that’s what he was thinking. Perhaps he really wanted the Eagles job but was playing his cards close to the vest for some reason. We have to wait to see the story come out.

  41. 41 ACViking said at 12:37 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I wasn’t clear. (Shouldn’t have used “again.”)

    What I meant is, I hope Kelly doesn’t wake up next week and say, “gee, I’m going back to Oregon.”

  42. 42 holeplug said at 3:34 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I always thought it was freaking hilarious that they even offered Marino the job. He takes the job then realizes he has no idea what he’s doing and *gosh* a football GM is hard work! So he quits a week later lol.

  43. 43 new coach said at 12:35 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Prediciton- DC- Lovie Smith. watch for it. Lovie isnt getting a HC job. He needs to “redeem” himself. Sitting on the shelt wont help him. Lurie will happily overpay for experience. Plus Lovie knows people around the league and will help with staff building

  44. 44 ACViking said at 12:35 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: National Signing Day

    If Kelly stayed at Oregon to induce recruits to sign a binding letter of intent on the false assumption that he’d be the coach, then Kelly’s not much better than common Wall Street fraudster.

    I hope that’s not the case, as it puts Kelly’s integrity in a very poor light — in my opinion, obviously.

  45. 45 new coach said at 12:38 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    true. But, he would be putting Oregon first, and his last act as their coach would have been to keep a good class in oregon going forward. but I see your point. And my whole theory may be wrong anyhow

  46. 46 D3FB said at 1:13 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Signing day isnt until February 6. Also I believe that in the past the NCAA has been a little more lenient with letting kids out of those if the coach skips out after signing day.

  47. 47 jrparky said at 12:36 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Wow, that is a great move, have to admit thought his ship had truly sailed, but never say never in this game

  48. 48 ACViking said at 12:40 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: Staff

    It’s all about the STAFF. Who’s the DC? Who’s the OC? Who’re the position coaches.

    Having interviewed so many people, the Eagles must know a good deal about the lesser stars of the coaching profession in the NFL (pointed out below by “new coach”).

  49. 49 CalSFro said at 12:43 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    This really was the perfect opportunity for them to pick the brains of a myriad of knowledgable people around the league. Hopefully it helps in future decision making, staff especially.

  50. 50 poetx99 said at 12:41 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    wow. i’m good with it. i was kind of underwhelmed at all the retreads they were looking at. this has high boom / bust potential. but eff it. make it interesting.

  51. 51 ACViking said at 12:45 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: the Defense

    Hmmm, Rob Ryan could run the kind of 3-4 hybrid that Kelly used in Oregon.

    Of course, reading between the lines of Casey Matthews’ interview about Kelly, he actually didn’t know much about the defense at all. Except they use 11 guys, too.

    I wonder how Casey’s feeling, too.

  52. 52 Stephen Stempo said at 12:47 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    yes if Rob Ryan where good.

  53. 53 T_S_O_P said at 12:51 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I want no part of that dufus

  54. 54 ACViking said at 12:54 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Not sure that Rob’s as much of a dufus as Kotite.

    I’m just having some fun.

  55. 55 Cvd52 said at 1:04 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    i would be ok with rob ryan

  56. 56 T_S_O_P said at 1:33 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I hope Chip is as good at hiring a DC as Kotite was. By far his greatest achievement as an Eagle HC.

  57. 57 fran35 said at 1:52 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Ditto this thought. There is no way Lurie agrees to one of the Ryan brothers in Philly.

  58. 58 BobSmith77 said at 1:20 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I want Rob Ryan as Swoop next year with some obvious costume alterations.

  59. 59 Bob Brewer said at 12:46 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Florio’s comments are complete buffoonery.

    @ProFootballTalk “First reaction — when Jeffrey Lurie sensed his search was creating the
    perception of disarray, he decided to go all in for Chip Kelly.”

    “Desperation apparently can get you to do things like outbid Phil Knight.”

  60. 60 Cvd52 said at 1:03 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    florio always seems like he has a problem with teh eagles.

  61. 61 JulzPE said at 1:07 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Florio is generally a freakin’ idiot, wouldn’t pay all that much attention to him.

  62. 62 Cvd52 said at 12:47 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    “it’s fair to wonder if Kelly received new information regarding potential NCAA
    sanctions in the last week”
    just read this on the net. makes sense

  63. 63 Stephen Stempo said at 12:49 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Might be. Lurie might also have just added a 0 to the offer too.

  64. 64 Cvd52 said at 1:02 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    the eagles could have been really disapointed in the rest of the possible coaches, so they called kelly and said name ur price. maybe gus was the last guy that they felt good about and then his interview didnt totally sell them so they called kelly and said u got whatever u want. but i kind of feel like he could have had whatever he wanted from the start. i woudl love to konw the real story

  65. 65 ACViking said at 12:51 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    That mean Kelly’s fleeing Oregon. And the Eagles are a nice landing spot.

    I’d rather the sanctions have no role in his decision. Then we know it’s *true love*.

  66. 66 Cvd52 said at 1:00 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    im amped either way. its defintley true love for the eagles.
    maybe eagles knew he wasnt totally out of it and thats why they were taking so long to make a decision. maybe chip even told them it all depends on what the sanctions are so the eagles loved him enough to take the chance and wait

  67. 67 ACViking said at 12:50 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: The Roseman/Eagles stories of late

    I wonder if those stories were being sourced by, say, Joe Banner because the *Kelly to Philadelphia* possibility was becoming more real. And he knew it.

    So put the crap out there do discourage Kelly.

    I have to think Kelly wanted time to do his own due diligence on the what he heard from the Eagles.

    That’s what potential CEOs do before taking over a billion dollar company, right?

  68. 68 D3Keith said at 3:15 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    It was always Banner or Licht, right? Someone who lost a power struggle to Howie.

    If Joe and Jeff are still friends, it might be low of him to slander, especially after his team had hired its guy.

  69. 69 The_Reddgie said at 12:50 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Tommy, are we ever going to know EXACTLY what happened during this process? I have been defending this process, but I am more confused by this than the plot of Inception. Mind = Blown.

  70. 70 D3FB said at 1:21 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I’d imagine over the next few years its gonna be alot of company line. Once people start to move on from the orginization you may start to hear whispers of what actually happened, but we may never know exactly what happens, until Howie releases his memoir “Kiss the Rings, How I built the teams that won 9 Super Bowls in 5 years…”

  71. 71 deg0ey said at 4:50 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Hell, I’d settle for 5 Super Bowls in 9 years. Let’s not get greedy now 😉

  72. 72 Vinícius Gonçalves said at 12:54 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Wow.. Lurie and Howie with a great Play Action Play!!!!
    Can´t be any happier..
    I will buy an Eagles visor and ship it to Brasil!!!

  73. 73 ACViking said at 12:55 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    So did Bradley get sent packing last night because Kelly called at about 8pm and said “I do”?

  74. 74 Stephen Stempo said at 12:56 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Good. Now go hire Lovie Smith Chip.

  75. 75 RC5000 said at 12:56 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Not an immediate need but Tavon Austin popped into my head.

  76. 76 ACViking said at 1:03 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    How ’bout Russell Wilson?

    He’d look great in green.

  77. 77 deg0ey said at 4:52 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Oh that’d be lovely! If only there was some way to make it happen. To be honest, with today’s news, I don’t think the birds could do anything to surprise me anymore.

  78. 78 ACViking said at 12:57 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: Next Season

    I hope Kelly comes in here with a chain saw and cuts down all the deadwood and gets it out of here.

    If the Eagles go 5-11, that’s fine with me. As long as the team gets faster, younger, and — most important — tougher. Much, much tougher.

  79. 79 Stephen Stempo said at 12:58 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    They can’t get a whole lot younger. aside from nnamdi and vick. I agree on the tougher. Training Camp is gonna be a blast.

  80. 80 ACViking said at 1:11 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Maybe a better choice of words than “younger” is *NEW*.

    Lots and lots of NEW players.

    That includes at WR. Give me a couple of big targets who can RAC.

    And, thank you, no Mike Vick. He’s a band-aid. I’d rather the team build from the ground up.

  81. 81 Stephen Stempo said at 1:57 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I agree no vick. Desean might do really well under kelly.

  82. 82 The_Reddgie said at 1:21 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Aren’t they already pretty young?

  83. 83 Mike Flick said at 12:59 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Dang! That was out of the blue!

    I thought he was so last week….

  84. 84 Anthony Hart said at 1:00 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    And now we’re on to the next crazy search. Tommy, thoughts on some good DC candidates? Lovie Smith, Winston Moss come to mind for me although I don’t know how likely those are.

  85. 85 Stephen Stempo said at 1:05 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    If Lovie doesn’t get a HC job I hope Lurie or Chip make him the highest payed DC in the league.

  86. 86 Anthony Hart said at 1:48 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Having a vet, former head coach could be really nice for Chip.

  87. 87 Stephen Stempo said at 1:58 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    having a Defence that’s at the top of the league in takeaways wont hurt either.

  88. 88 Ben Hessel said at 1:05 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    You know he really wants to be here after waiting… waiting… can’t say no

  89. 89 Daniel said at 1:07 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I’m not sure how to feel about this now…you kept saying Chip was the prettiest girl at prom, Tommy.

    With this flip flopping, I’m beginning to think we just hired a teenage girl. Really hope he has the gall and drive for the NFL. Was really like Bradley. I wonder if we can steal him for DC in some magical way.

  90. 90 Stephen Stempo said at 1:11 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I Don’t think Gus can leave Seattle except for a promotion. Shame. Going to be so interesting. I think(hope) chip pulls an andy reid and get’s a DC who can be the head coach of the Defense.

  91. 91 Daniel said at 1:16 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Me too. Maybe Lovie Smith? I’m not a big fan, but he fits the bill.

  92. 92 Stephen Stempo said at 1:59 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I want Lovie smith badly as the DC. But who knows. Say what you want about Lovie the head coach but his defenses were always top 10 anywhere he’s been.

  93. 93 Daniel said at 2:43 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    My concern is more that we’ll have a DC in place and a system for one year and he’ll be off again for a head coaching job. Otherwise, I think he’d be a great DC.

  94. 94 bentheimmigrant said at 4:24 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Would that really be the worst thing ever? Start from a good foundation, maybe an assistant shows the potential to take the reigns…

  95. 95 holeplug said at 3:42 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    On the radio today they had some reporter for the Oregonian on and he said at college Chip basically let his defensive staff run that side of the ball and didn’t meddle very often on defense.

  96. 96 J. Brian Anderson said at 1:29 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    So I think calling this “flip flopping” is a bit of a misnomer. I think when you have a great job that you love and someone comes along and offers you one of the best jobs available in your field of work and you don’t know what you want to do, it’s natural to have some indecision.

    It may not be flip-flopping, it may just be a HARD DECISION. I totally understand why someone might be apprehensive/undecided – he’s picking between two awesome opportunities … that ‘ain’t easy.

  97. 97 bridgecoach said at 1:08 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    YES! YES! YES! Hands down the best decision. Couldn’t be happier!

  98. 98 brza said at 1:11 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Tommy, since Vick and Foles aren’t great fits do you think Chip will bring in either Darron Thomas or Jeremiah Massoli for competition? Neither really got looks in NFL and were in CFL last year but have the advantage that they know his system and performed well in it.

  99. 99 ACViking said at 1:20 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    The NFL is a passing league, at the end of the day. (Yes, Kapernick and Wilson and Griffin can run a pistol offense — but those teams win because all three have NFL-sized arms.)

    Whomever is the Eagles QB is, he has to be able to throw the ball. Not run the option.

  100. 100 D3FB said at 1:22 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I think Dixon is the only Kelly alum that would be even remotely possible

  101. 101 ACViking said at 1:41 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    You may be right.

    But after a couple years, whether it’s Dixon or Kapernick or Wilson or RG-III, a pistol-option QB will be wearing out.

    The QB needs to throw the ball.

    I think — in one word — Kelly is about TEMPO. Not the option.

  102. 102 D3FB said at 1:52 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I agree I think Chip would run an up tempo Wing T if need be.

  103. 103 brza said at 1:53 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Yeah I agree. I honestly don’t know much about his other QBs. I was just wondering if they would have more value for him. They had good passing numbers too so they don’t appear to be just running QBs to me. But I don’t know if they have arm strength/accuracy problems.

  104. 104 Ark87 said at 2:20 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    for me it comes down to this. Running Qb’s get hurt. Running QB’s who are asked to run by design more so. Not a lot of back-up QB’s win superbowls. One of the ones who did is likely to be a legend in 15 years (especially if he comes away with a 4th ring this year).

    So yeah the read option is lighting teams up… but you’re playing with fire, especially the longer these DC’s have to figure it out.

  105. 105 Skeptic_Eagle said at 5:09 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Let me preface this by saying I don’t believe Kelly will run the system he runs at Oregon, but aren’t there a hell of a lot more good read-option QBs around than guys like Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers? The injury angle is relevant, but Read-Option QB =/= NFL Dropback Field General, in terms of irreplaceability.

    Maybe the lifespan of a read-option QB in the league is 6-8 years, as opposed to a classic franchise QB that you hope plays 11-13. If the guy can get a SB in 6-8 years, I’ll take it.

    What I’m interested to see is how teams attempt to stop the read option–and what kind of success they have. It’s funny, but I think the defenses that have the best chance of stopping it are the 4-3 Under, the way Seattle runs it, because of the ability to bring Chancellor down in support, and the physicality of the CB’s, and the Pittsburgh Steelers 3-4 fire-zone system; neither of which appear to be in the cards for the Eagles, because of personnel.

  106. 106 brza said at 2:25 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    By the way, just looked up Thomas’ stats: 62% comp. 33TDs 7 INTs but only 206 rush yards. So he’s definitely not an option QB. Don’t know what the scouting report on him was that kept him from getting a shot at NFL. Masoli was not as successful as a passer though.

  107. 107 shah8 said at 2:58 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Thomas’s accuracy is not genuinely that good. High percentage is an artifact of spread, much as with Tebow’s high percentage.

  108. 108 holeplug said at 3:53 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Neither Thomas or Masoli(who Kelly kicked off the team btw) are NFL QBs. I think Marcus Mariota will be though but he was only a freshman this year.

  109. 109 Garp said at 1:14 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Much respect to Tommy. He had Chip and Gus #1 and #2 on his coaching list and it turns out they were the top 2 prospects.

  110. 110 BobSmith77 said at 1:18 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Eagles went for the hot blonde cheerleader. Hopefully there is enough substance under the surface.

  111. 111 ACViking said at 1:25 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Good question . . .

    US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was a cheerleader.

    On the other hand, so was Lindsey Lohan.

    It’s a crap-shout out there.

  112. 112 47_Ronin said at 1:45 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    How does a Supreme Court Justice get into a football discussion?!? But I have a degree of separation from the former cheerleader, her late husband, Martin was my tax law professor (great teacher too)

  113. 113 ACViking said at 1:22 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: Roseman’s visit to Eugene in November

    I think they fell in love then.

    All the rest has been getting Chipper to the alter.

  114. 114 eagles2zc said at 1:24 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Chip or Bust!!

  115. 115 Rage114 said at 1:25 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Finally. Now that teh Eagles have a coach, do you have an idea of what they might like to do in the draft?

  116. 116 D3Keith said at 6:36 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    We have all Feb, Mar and Apr to discuss that. Let’s digest this and the coach hires/scheme changes first.

  117. 117 Cvd52 said at 1:28 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    is it possible that Lurie gave chip more power? meaning roseman lost power? maybe gus was the last candidate they were excited about and gus didnt blow them away so lurie decided he would do whatever it takes to get Chip? i doubt it but its possible

  118. 118 D3Keith said at 3:19 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    That makes sense. So does the idea that Gus did impress them and they reached out one last time to Chip.

    It’s definitely not coincidence that the move comes after the Gus interview, whether that gave them leverage, was the end of being thorough or what.

  119. 119 holeplug said at 3:56 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I think its more likely what austinfan said above that they kept in contact with Kelly this whole time and were ready to offer the job to Gus but called Chip just to make sure and he blinked and took the job.

  120. 120 ACViking said at 1:30 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: Kelly’s Red Auerbach connection

    Kelly’s a tempo guy. Not an option guy.

    The first real tempo guy in pro-sports . . . Red Auerbach’s Celtics from ’57-’66. 9 titles in 10 years.

    The key to Auerbach’s fast-break offense was a great defense.

    Just saying.

  121. 121 xeynon said at 1:54 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Football and basketball are different animals though, in that in basketball great defense transitions directly into easier scoring opportunities which are multiplied if you also play at a high tempo on offense. The two phases of the game are much more distinct in football. Not that we don’t need to improve the defense, but I don’t think a dominant defense will be quite as key to a high-scoring offense as you are suggesting (teams have won or competed for Super Bowls in recent years which defenses which weren’t elite – the Saints, Colts, Patriots, etc.)

  122. 122 ACViking said at 2:01 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Yes, a great passing offense will solve lots of defensive problems.

    But only if you have a HOF QB.

  123. 123 Stephen Stempo said at 2:03 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I think that’s an important distinction he’s a tempo guy. That’s not saying that he NEEDS a running QB just a smart one.

  124. 124 holeplug said at 4:02 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Ya I’m fully prepared to eat crow on this when they trade Foles to KC for a 2nd round pick and announce Vick the starter but I think the only thing he is married to no matter where he coaches is the up tempo system. It may be just coach speak but he constantly mentions that he is not a scheme based coach but a coach that designs his schemes around the personnel he has.

  125. 125 D3Keith said at 6:33 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Which is what makes this hire easier to get behind. I love a coach who innovates, but isn’t trying to force the innovation when it doesn’t fit or isn’t working (Reidhinweg) and instead schemes what his personnel does well (Belichick).

  126. 126 Michael Winter Cho said at 1:35 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Awesome, but scary. Could be hire of the decade or a one-year flameout!

  127. 127 47_Ronin said at 1:54 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I’m going save adjectives on Kelly until I see him on the NFL stage. He’ll last for more than one year, but how much time does he get to produce? Two maybe 3 years?

  128. 128 Stephen Stempo said at 2:01 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Lurie is a patient owner so unless he’s an unmitigated disaster I expect him to have a longer leash. 4 years minimum.

  129. 129 Michael Winter Cho said at 3:26 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Right, what I meant was–he seems a little, well, indecisive. College coaches have been known to bail even before the owner kicks them out. If things aren’t working out, he could be the type to just leave.

  130. 130 phillyfan1978 said at 1:40 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    So, he’s presumably going to bring in Coordinators with NFL experience… and Jon Gruden wanted to be his OC at Oregon… what are the chances?

  131. 131 Anders said at 2:53 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Actually Kelly wanted Gruden, but his wife wouldnt let him move that far away. I really think Gruden is a good candidate because philly is alot closer to Florida and Gruden got ties to the Eagles

  132. 132 ACViking said at 1:43 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Tempo, tempo, tempo.

    Fast-break offense.

    The Patriots play it every Sunday.

    We don’t need Mike Vick to do that. He’s 33. Expensive. And plays 10 games per years.

    Let’s get someone to build with. The Eagles don’t have to win the SB next year. They need to start laying the ground-work for a the next 10 years.

  133. 133 TheRealMcCoy said at 1:49 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    First off, yay!

    Okay, now comes the fun stuff, the coordinator discussion. Tommy, I’ll be one of the first to bring up a name that a lot of people are connecting to Chip Kelly as our defensive coordinator, and that is Todd Grantham out of Georgia. Word out is that a transition to a 3-4 defense is likely under Kelly, and Grantham has a good number of years of experience in the NFL, most notably with the Texans. Your thoughts on him?

  134. 134 ACViking said at 1:56 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    The local UGA fans here in Atlanta are not happy with the rumor.

    Grantham completely revamped the ultra-talented Georgia defense when he came here and put them 1 play away from the BCS game.

    But he’s a notorious screamer and caught some flak this past season for exploding on the sideline — and getting a bit too much in one of the kid’s faces.

    Grantham’s also the guy being touted as the one who turned Jarvis Jones into the next DeMarcus Ware.

    _________________

    Grantham was the Cowboys’ D-line coach before joining UGA.

    Grantham learned his defensive scheming from Wade Philips — the best 3-4 coach out there.

  135. 135 SteveH said at 2:08 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Wooooooooow, I didn’t believe this was real the first place I read it. Egg on the face of everyone who claimed this whole process proved the Eagles couldn’t land a top tier HC candidate. Time will tell whether all the hubbub is worth it or not lol.

  136. 136 ACViking said at 2:10 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    T-Law:

    Why haven’t the Eagles announced the staff yet?

    It’s been almost 2 hours since Lurie filled the HC position.

  137. 137 Mike Flick said at 2:19 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Ha, good one.

  138. 138 Ark87 said at 2:10 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I don’t know how Howie does it. Absolutely unexpected signings. Not a whiff from any speculator across the country. He does this sort of thing consistently. Most noteably the Aso signing…..this almost has to turn out better.

    I swear he’s a magician that gets a kick out of blowing the Eagle’s fans’ minds.

  139. 139 ACViking said at 2:12 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Ark87 . . .

    Remember, according to Lurie, Roseman had no responsibility for anything until the 2012 draft.

    So let’s be careful out there.

  140. 140 Ark87 said at 2:25 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I hear ya, and I won’t give Howie all the credit for the mind blowing Aso signing. But Lurie basically drawing the line in the sand just before the popular draft was definitely a PR statement. I know Roseman didn’t make the decision to go get Aso, but I’m pretty sure hes the one who made it happen.

    I’m not blaming him for getting Aso or anyone else for it. Aso was wildly desirable at the time. I don’t know anybody at the time that thought he was anything less than a top 5 CB at the time.

    I’m just saying these out of nowhere type moves, smokeless fire if you will have become something of a trademark of the Eagles as of late (which he may have picked up from Banner). Aside from our other trademark, losing in humiliating fashion

  141. 141 Mac said at 3:26 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I was feeling the vibes on Ark’s post (which i still think may have some legitimacy to it) but this is a good point.

  142. 142 ACViking said at 2:11 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: SHOUT OUT FOR TOMMY

    T-Law’s last pre-CK post spelled out very clearly, without saying so, that something very odd was brewing in Philadelphia.

    Damned great detective work by out host.

  143. 143 ACViking said at 2:30 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Re: QB

    If Brady can execute the Kelly-style *tempo* offense, why can’t Foles?

    If Kelly wants a young guy with more mobility . . . take a look at Syracuse’s QB Ryan Nassib from the Philadelphia area (tutored by new Bills HC Doug Marrone), who’ll be in this year’s draft.

    Hell, bring back Mike Kafka for a look. Damn good runner. He’s unemployed. And he has a big chip on his shoulder.

  144. 144 tad said at 2:33 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Kafka’s on the Patriots as of last week.

  145. 145 ACViking said at 2:48 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Had no idea. On the active roster?

    The kid may fall into a SB ring — courtesy of Howie Roseman and Andy Reid.

    Good for Kafka.

  146. 146 Mac said at 2:49 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I doubt Kafka could run fast with Chip on his shoulders… but who knows, if this info is correct get him back in here stat!

  147. 147 ACViking said at 2:50 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    You got it!!! Nice.

  148. 148 Jason said at 2:35 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    I’d love for Lovie Smith to be the DC, but is it not possible that leading the defense paired with this fast-paced, high scoring offense would be the last place he would want to go to rejuvenate his career? Could the pressure that a Kelly-led defense would face deter other top defensive coordinators from accepting the challenge?

  149. 149 shah8 said at 2:54 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    A couple of notes:

    Understand Fole’s incompatibility this way–he broadly does not make good decisions and pull triggers quickly. With that in mind, I do not think that Geno Smith is radically different than Foles in that crucial respect. Dana Holgerson’s offense is what would suit Foles. Of course, Smith is a far better deep passer, and he is a more accurate passer than Foles. It’s not necessarily Fole’s slow feet, but then, that slow run is essentially disqualifying for any NFL offense. You just can’t be that slow in the NFL and expect to genuinely contend.

    If Kelly brings in a QB, I do not think either Alex Smith or Tarvaris Jackson are eligible. They both think too slow in terms of game speed. Dennis Dixon does not really have a strong arm, and is something of a liability in red-zone passing.

    I do think that Joe Webb is someone he’d like, depending on what he thinks about his teachability in the passing game. Webb and Kaepernick are *extremely* similar prospects. Webb has better touch on his passes, especially his 30-50 yard passes. Kaepernick has a slightly stronger arm. Webb is the superior COD runner and much harder to bring down, Newton-like. Kaepernick gets to cruising speed nicely, but I think he’s also slower than Webb, who has had only one runaway, with the rest of his notable long runs had DBs with better angles. You saw Webb have an absolutely horrible passing half against GB, but that is not quite his usual quality, which isn’t good–roughly a see a guy open, throw it, with a Freeman-like accuracy. Keep in mind however, that Kaepernick also entered the league as a fairly weak passer, and his first preseason passing effort was inferior to Webb’s first preseason. However Webb’s third preseason was worse than either of Kaepernick’s preseasons, though that had to do with a horrible OL, in part. Webb’s mechanics are definitely unreliable, and he has consistently needed to warm up in a bunch of his games.

    Tyrod Taylor would also be a good idea, sorta, but I have no idea of his game speed or his genuine level of passing ability.

    Kelly might want Josh Johnson, but…Johnson has never won any game he’s appeared in, and he has never really been truly effectual, going by his stats. That’s not likely.

    So when you guys look up who you want that’s a backup or college draft pick, you want a (NFL grade athlete–no Mallets, no Leinarts) guy who has a fast and fluid decision-making ability first and foremost. A QB with lots of bang-bang plays, doesn’t matter if he was drop back or option, you want someone who makes decisions *on time* for a Kelly offense.

  150. 150 xeynon said at 3:27 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    If quick, smart decision making is what’s necessary, I don’t see that from Joe Webb. I’ll cut him a bit of slack because he was underprepared for that Green Bay game, but even so he made some of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen a quarterback make (one particular example that sticks in mind was when he held onto the ball too long, decided to try to outrun the defender that was closing on him by going backwards, got caught by the guy and realized he was going to be sacked, and chucked the ball directly up into the air with no Vikings receivers but plenty of defenders all around him in position to pick it off). I don’t watch that much of the Vikings but the guy does not look like a starting NFL quarterback to me.

    Also, I don’t see how you can assert that Foles “broadly does not make good decisions” and still be a fan of the way Vick plays quarterback, but that argument has been hashed to death so I won’t revive it here.

  151. 151 shah8 said at 4:15 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    That was his worst game ever. There is a reason Dungy said “I like Joe!”

  152. 152 D3Keith said at 3:11 PM on January 16th, 2013:

    Wow. Will be very interesting to see how this all came to pass.

    I got to the point where Gus had become a strong 1a to Chip in best candidates out there. Lovie was prob my 3rd.

    Also very redeeming for Lurie and Howie, who took a beating but may laugh last.

    Of course now we all get to wonder what if with Gus if Chip isn’t great.