Chip Speaks
Posted: July 30th, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 56 Comments »One of the big differences in Andy Reid and Chip Kelly is communication. Chip simply does a better job of explaining his ideas. Andy would go on and on about how you need to throw the ball to win. He would talk about doing studies that backed up his ideas, but you always felt this was like a politician who was skewing data to support the conclusion he wanted. Chip comes across as though he has no agenda. He wants to win and doesn’t care how that happens. His ideas are results based, as opposed to trying to mesh what he wants to do with random conclusions.
Ross Tucker and Bill Polian talked to Chip for Sirius XM the other day. Tucker posted the interview in his podcast. You’ll want to listen to this. There isn’t anything groundbreaking, but Chip is always insightful and Tucker and Polian asked him good questions.
The most interesting comment to me came in regard to Justin Peelle. He is now the assistant TEs coach, but was playing in the league as recently as 2011. Peelle spent a decade in the NFL so Chip picked his brain on certain things. He talked to Peelle about how players would respond to the new practices, both in terms of tempo and schedule. Peelle gave him a great answer. He told Chip that how the players felt would be the most important thing. The coaches could tell them how great the system was, but if the players didn’t feel good, they weren’t going to buy in to the system. Chip explained that longtime vets like Herremans, Cole and Ryans all told him they felt better in December than they ever had.
The players are the best salesmen for Kelly’s ideas.
Veterans from last year can explain to rookies and new players how things work and why things work. Chip and the staff will do that as well, but there are no salesmen better than your peers.
Chip talked about the speed of the offense. He was asked if the goal is to run more plays this year. Chip responded that the number of plays just isn’t important to him. He then talked about how the team had to slow down in the 2nd half of some games last year when they were working with a lead. He talked about going into the 4-minute offense in the 3rd quarter. I’ve never heard a coach say that before.
The 4-minute offense is when a team wants to keep possession of the ball and work the clock. In the 2-minute offense, you hurry to move the ball and score points. The goal of the 4-minute offense is to eat up time. Yards and points are a bonus. The key is to keep possession and keep the clock ticking. At a certain point, football becomes math. How many possessions are left in a game? Can the other team get the ball enough to catch us?
Most coaches talk about the 4-minute offense in regard to the final 10 minutes of the game. It was interesting to hear an aggressive coach like Chip talk about using it in the 3rd quarter. We did see some games last year where the Eagles slowed down in the 2nd half. The offense was almost too conservative at times. It will be interesting to see how the team adjusts this year.
Really good interview with Chip. Make sure you listen.
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Chip also had a PC on Monday. One thing he talked about there and in the interview was Jordan Matthews as the slot receiver. Chip made the point that he likes having a bigger guy in the slot. First, the player can make a difference as a blocker in the run game. Chip mentioned what a great job Jason Avant did last year. Do you think a guy like Wes Welker would be as effective a blocker in there?
Matthews is big, athletic and talented. Just being big and a good run blocker isn’t enough. You must have someone who has the skill set to play on the inside. Most times you are going to have a smaller guy inside so he can get lost in traffic and use quickness to get open. Matthews is big, but also quick. He won’t get lost in traffic, but will give the QB a bigger target. In the podcast, Chip did point out that Matthews has impressed the coaches this offseason.
Chip was asked about whether teams will crowd the LOS without DeSean as a field-stretcher. This is an issue brought up by people all of the time. Chip talked about how defenses already played a lot of aggressive man coverage last year in order to stop the run game. Teams couldn’t sit back in Cover 2 or the Eagles would run on them. One Safety would stay deep, the other would help vs the run. No one disputes that DeSean got the extra help the majority of the time. He was the best receiver. This year Mac will get that extra help to his side most of the time. He’s more of a threat than Riley Cooper.
But this is where the beauty of Chip’s offense comes in. The old adage in baseball is “hit ’em where they ain’t”. Chip attacks “where they ain’t”. If the D is playing tight, throw deep. If they back off, throw short. Mix in screens to the RBs and TEs. Run the ball every chance you get. Find the vulnerability and attack that spot.
Chip’s offense spreads the field horizontally and vertically. He’s taken the ideas of Bill Walsh and Sid Gillman and put his twist on them. Chip has good “space players”. Get the ball to the skill players in space and let them create big plays on their own. You can throw the ball 40 yards downfield for a big play or throw it 10 and let the player run for 40. With the right players and plays, you can create big plays on a regular basis. It goes from being luck to the proper execution of the offense.
You don’t need an elite speedster like DeSean to stretch the field. You must be able to throw the ball effectively downfield. Mac is a good deep receiver. Coop was surprisingly good at that last year. Matthews made some deep catches at Vandy. Ertz is a good vertical threat for a TE. And both Shady and Sproles can catch the ball downfield.
Finally, Chip talked about his comment to Peter King in regard to the draft. He told King he was not a fan of all the draft hype. Chip joked with the media that he doesn’t know how fans watch the Combine on TV since he’s fallen asleep while watching it in person. I get where Chip is coming from. I love the NFL draft and have for more than 20 years, but it is weird to some people. Why obsess over a bunch of kids who you know will mostly fail? I can’t really answer that. Either you get it or you don’t.
I do think there is a bit of a similarity to golf. You can go have a lousy round, but all it takes is one good shot to make you want to come back the next week. If you pick one player that your team actually drafts correctly, it can be a magical feeling. Or if you hype a mid-round guy that becomes a star, you suddenly feel like Mr. Draft. You then spend the next offseason studying players, hoping to get another player right.
Chip appreciates the importance of the draft. He just doesn’t get why fans are so enamored by it and why the media covers it so extensively. He said he felt the same way about recruiting while coaching at Oregon. Fans do need something to help get them through the offseason. Following the draft and free agency fills that void.
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Have you ordered your copy of the Eagles Almanac yet? Last year it received the following awards:
Pulitzer prize
Nobel Peace Price
Delaware Editors Blue Ribbon
Tony Award
Peoples Choice Award
If you don’t buy a copy of the Eagles Almanac you are going to miss out on some of the greatest Eagles coverage of the 21st century. It really is that important. I mean, I would never lie to you. Ever. You’re my favorite person on Earth. Yes, you. Not the other guy, but you.
I don’t believe in high pressure sales tactics, but I will say that the hottest rumor at the local truckstop is that ladies are only going out with guys who bought at least one copy. And truckstop rumors are never wrong. Ever. Especially the ones about Jimmy Bama.
_
I didn’t realize that the Delaware Editors had the Blue Ribbon you cared about the most… 🙂
T-Law, (or anyone else that cares to chime in) I’ve been reading back over all my pre draft magazines. Every single one of them had the exact same knock on Jordan Mathews. Essentially they said that he really struggled to gain seperation. Particularly against press man coverage (they also lamented that he wasn’t terribly quick off the line). From what I understand, he’s slated to play primarily slot for us which seems to be a place that getting open quickly is absolutely essential. The trouble he had was against college mooks. That’s what troubles me I guess. How much of a concern is this for you? Is it at all? I know he has superior long speed, but man, don’t those knocks sound an awful lot like a guy named Avant? Just sayin’…..
Going into last year — DJ was a good wr. Cooper was a number 3 at best. Shady was a very good runner. Foles(not my opinion) was someone who can’t run an offense nor can he throw the ball. Enter Chip. DJ/Cooper had career seasons. Shady was ELITE(and I love AP – no question, but give me Shady any day). Foles — off the charts. I don’t care what scouts/magazines etc etc say/said. Mathews meet Chip. Keeping in mind, Mathews isn’t expected to go 80/1000/10 this year. Keep the kid pointed in the right direction is all we need this year.
Matthews got good quickness and slot WRs are rarely pressed, so his separation problem is less of a problem in the slot.
He was.unstoppable at today’s practice,, really good at getting open in the middle of the field..caught a contested TD
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Another stat pointing to how brilliant of an offensive mind Chip is, we had the most yards after catch out of any NFL Team snce like 90’s… This year we added Huff,Jmatt, Sproles who should help us improve after the catch…
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Secondary was really good today
Malcolm Jenkins two INTs(1 on FOles)
Boykin picked off Sanchez in the ENDZONE
Cary picked off Barkley
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I think that with Chip and Nick (and heck, with the league in general), the idea is moving away from having to have 5 yards separation to be open. The good receivers these days tend to be the guys who can be tightly covered and still make plays in tight windows. Run precise routes and get the ball right as you break. Fight for balls and highpoint them.
Listening to Chip’s explanation, this sounds like what he wants with Matthews in the slot. He’s going to be problem for the shorter slot corners to cover with properly thrown, accurate passes. And he’s going to run precise routes where the throw will be an anticipation throw.
Whether he actually can deliver on those goals as a rookie is the question.
Well said…. Chip often talks about “the ability to make contested catches…
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Chip sees the NFL trending towards bigger DBs, so he is staying ahead of the curve by making size a top priority when looking for pass catchers… Teams might have 1-3 DBs with some nice size, but NO roster has the size at DB to be able to match up with ALL the big Body pass catchers that we throw at them…
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Size advantage over the DBs we face also helps improve our run game. Expect shady to break more long runs with all the size we have at WR, being able to block DBs out of the play
He’s faster than Avant (no surprise). His hands are still questionable. Alshon Jeffery/Hakeem Nicks weren’t burners but they were reliable in aspects of coming down with a catch. Matthews will hopefully be in that mold.
To me, it’s more a reflection of the differences in scouting criteria between the media’s coverage and Chip. You saw the picture of Chip and J Matt smiling at each other at his workout – don’t forget the Eagles gave up a 5th rounder to trade up for him. With those supposed deficiencies, he was still able to become the all-time leading receiver in SEC history. Honestly, with all the weapons the Eagles line up with, I could see him becoming a primary option facing the likely matchups he’ll encounter in NFC East – Orlando Scandrick DAL 5’10, 195, EJ Biggers WAS 6’0″ 185, Tracy Porter WAS 5’11” 188, Walter Thurmond NYG 5’11’ 190 – Jordan Matthews 6’3″ 212
I hear you on all this, but I just really discount most “all time” records because the truly great players come out early. So it’s a nice record of course, but doesn’t mean he is an elite talent.
I’m on the bandwagon, just saying the record in and of itself is misleading to me.
Agree – just like bball if you’re in 4 years it’s b/c you weren’t good enough to come out and make that $$.
Wes Welker reference is a little carried away. Are you saying you wouldn’t want him on your team? I’m thinking if he was here, he wouldn’t be in the slot. Even if he was — he’s an outstanding player. Not good — outstanding. IF Welker was here, I doubt he’d be sitting the bench because of our WR’s. Welker would not only be a starter, he’d be an upgrade.
I get the love for Avant. He’s an Eagle so we all love him — but he wasn’t the greatest of players. He was a good player.
with the injury to demarcus lawrence. dallas has a glaring need at DE. do you think we could wrestle away at least a 4th RD pick from then for B. Graham, Tommy?
Knock Graham if you want, but he’s at least an average starter whenever he’s had the chance. Not sure that the 4th rd pick is worth letting your division rival have a capable DE.
Do you think the Eagles would make that deal on Draft Day?
I would have. Graham just doesn’t fit what we do. It’s possible he won’t even make the roster, and even if he does he will walk next year.
“It’s possible he won’t even make the roster”.
No, it’s not.
surprised they couldn’t get anything even in a draft with few pass rushers. could we do a straight up trade for mo claiborne?
I think the fact that they haven’t moved him yet is because the Eagles know Graham is worth something, even if he’s only a role player in our scheme. I can’t see them letting that something go to a division rival unless the offer is significantly higher than market value. For example, McNabb for a 2nd rounder seems like robbery in hindsight.
or djax to redskins for free? i think we didn’t move him b/c we had no depth at olb and still our best pass rusher is an interior lineman.
They released him because they couldn’t get anything back. I find it hard to believe they wouldn’t have taken a 7th if it were offered. That would send an even more powerful message.
As far as Washington getting him for free, if you release someone, you can’t control where they go.
We should probably trade him for a 2020 7th rounder if only to keep him out of the division.
if we gave graham to the girls….i would throw something
I bought the Almanac. When will it be ready?
I can’t wrap my head around the fact that next Friday I’ll be watching the eagles…lol this Chip Kelly era is going to make me hate my summers!
“And truckstop rumors are never wrong.”
especially ones involving Cleveland Browns ownership
Any word on how Smith and Watkins are doing?
Smith moved up to the second team. That’s about as good as you could have possibly hoped for at this point.
Step 1 on dethroning Cole.
LOL Smith is not in the same league as Cole, who was a top 5 OLB last year, especially toward the second half of the year.
Also, Smith will be on the left side behind Barwin, not behind Cole.
Aldon Smith, Robert Mathis, Suggs, Junior Galette, Hali, Houston, Orakpo, Matthews. I love Cole. He’s not a top 5 OLB, not even close.
he meant to say “run stopping”.
Did he though? He thinks BG is a superstar who coaches just wont play because they are stupid poopyheads.
Smith looked good today,. I watched him every chance I got.
Nice batted ball at the LOS
…Wolff looks really good. No surprise to see him play with first string, he looks on another level than Nate
Patrick Peterspn got PAID.. Don’t see how he was worth 40mil when we played against Zona…didn’t see how Revis was worth mega bucks either? Rainmaker lot both of them up….can’t wait to watch Ertz BULLY Richard Sherm this year..
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ALL GREAT players I would love to see on the eagles, but I don’t see any being worth 40mil, I don’t see that position being worth 40mill…rather dump that into pass rush…
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Eagles secondary looked really good today.
were you at the practice?
did you see BGN – another big day by Jordan Matthews.
Yeah…loved that it caught a day that the defense played really well… No idea what’s up with BGN but Jordan looked like the best WR on the field
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Jordan and Sanchez should do well together in the preseason.. Liked to see Mathews play with the ones so he can go against boykin
Peterson deal is interesting. I don’t think Chip values any one CB that much, it takes away from other positions. Plus as you point out we are going to run lots of ball catchers at you (WR, TE, RB). We also don’t have a “true” # 1, which deflates the Cardinals value of having a $15M number one killing CB. So you take away Maclin. OK, that’s nice but it’s not like oh no now we’re screwed as if you took away Megatron from us.
Total agreement.. Years ago when teams played two outside WR, a slot and a traditional TE, these expensive CBs had more value..now teams have so many weapons, paying all that money for one CB is crazy..
I don’t think everyone is built like us, maybe only 4-5 teams (us, CHI, DEN…i can’t really think of anyone else with multiple strong WRs and really we don’t have anyone in the same realm as CHI or DEN).
If i’m AZ i’d pay, Peterson right now is the best guy on the team (Fitz is old and playing with CPalm, Washington is out, Badger is young).
Peterson is the ultimate team player, shut down corner, one of the best return guys, could play WR if he really wanted to, one some teams you gotta have a guy — we’re trying not to be like that but our “mentor” the PATS are paying out the nose for CBs right now to get them over the hump.
Two points about Kelly’s draft/hype comments. The 24/7 news cycle hammers away like a tommy gun, and detail is sacrificed on the altar of splash. Secondly, emphasis obliterates context: Kelly’s comical example of a newspaper hiring a writer…Coaches, players and many fans are not stupid, but the media coverage simplifies, reduces and distorts, and the groundswell of social media makes many a half-informed expert.
The main reason I click on this blog everyday is because, Tommy, you are not satisfied by simply re-reporting what you read and learn. You explore beneath the surface and you question others’ opinions as well as explaining your own. I particularly appreciate the even-handed way in which you assess a player’s ability. Your blogs are not hype, in my opinion.
Don’t forget the humor, however silly.
stop kissing tommys butt, you gotta find yourself your own truck stop thots lol
I read some interesting quotes from Vick where he said Chip asked him to talk to Jackson and McCoy to get them on board. And Vick said Jackson was insubordinate at times.
Do you know where, or have a link?
Obviously so at the beginning of the year. Funny read an article where Vick said he left b/c he didn’t want to be a distraction. I do think Vick was a leader for guys like DJ10 and Shady.
Desean extra attention is something I went back and started to look at…
Saints, actually shaded a safety to Coopers side more than Deseans(believe it or not)…most of the time, CBs were lining up 8yards off of Desean. Seeing less Shading to Deseans side than I expected(working my way backwards from saints game)
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Nice to hear Meco talk. he can tell already that we will be a much better different and said: “Malcolm is like that one missing piece that we needed”
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Chip is all about competition, fans are under rating his ability if he is one of the few additions we penciled right into a starting spot. Malcolm was signed to be a QB… No one will even pretend that there is a chance Nate and Wolff can win the jobs and start together. For Chip to sign a guy and give him the starting job, I read that as he is a player we highly coveted, not that he was a cheap alternative to Byrd…
I was watching an NFL guy say that teams put their No. 1 CB on the no. 1 WR and then shade the free safety to the CB with the weaker CB.
Some larger-than-expected contracts are being issued/signed now and the speculation is that the NFL is about to sign an extended deal with DirectTV which will add a lot of money to the salary cap. This enables a team like Dallas the flexibility they need to dig out of the mess they dug themselves into without as much pain as Eagles fans would have hoped.
Having a run play coordinator and a pass play coordinator is enough pain for them to suffer… Romo plays the Rams in week 3, RIP for the season…hello Weedman
Meco and Barwin both told reporters that they are surprised with the way Marcus is coming along and it looks like he will be able to contribute more than people expected this year
Holy shit, Demarcus Lawrence fractured his foot, out 8-12 weeks. Dude’s rookie season is toast. Gonna miss almost the entirety of training camp, won’t be back until 4-7 games in. Is gonna be worthless.
Cowboys defense is just going to be murderously awful.
Maybe we can plant the seeds of discontent in Texas. A few, well placed comments on Dallas blogs, something to the effect of “Where’s the defense? Ware’s the defense.” may be enough to send their fandom over the edge.
Just used that on a Cowboys fan friend of mine… “I wonder Ware the pass rush will come from now?”
Nice, except for the part about having a friend who is a Cowboy fan. I guess one has to accept the flaws in ones friends…
something tells me tommy likes him some truckstop thots