Chipmania Still On Hold

Posted: January 6th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 95 Comments »

I’ve been hesitating on posting something since I just knew Chip would make an announcement at any second.  Hasn’t happened.  Here are the reports as of now.  Chris Mortensen said that the Browns are out and the decision is down to Oregon and the Eagles.  Peter King confirmed that.  Jason Cole said he’s heard that the Browns are probably out, but the situation remains fluid.

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The feeling among most writers is that Kelly is leaning toward staying at Oregon.  Say what?  It does make some sense.  Kelly makes around $4M per year right now.  He’s worshiped by much of the state.  He has no owner or GM to answer to.  His players aren’t millionaires with a sense of entitlement.  If Chip doesn’t like a player now, he can bench him and go with the young guy.  That won’t kill you vs Washington State.  You can’t do that in the NFL.

Chip also may feel there is unfinished business in terms of winning a national title.  He lost to Auburn in the title game a couple of years back.  His team this year lost just one game and that was in overtime.  He’s got a stud Freshman QB and the future looks good.

I don’t think Chip’s hesitation is due to not wanting to come to the Eagles.  Sure sounds like Jeff Lurie and Howie Roseman got his attention yesterday.  When a lunch meeting turns into a 9-hour marathon session, you can bet that the 2 parties are getting along and things are going pretty well.

We can only guess at why Chip is hesitating.  This is a huge decision for him and I don’t blame him for taking some time.  I’d have been nervous if he chose a team early yesterday.  You want Chip to make a sound decision and one that he can remain committed to.  Guys like Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino took NFL jobs and quickly realized they wanted to go back to college.

In an ideal world, you’d give Chip a few days to make up his mind.  Unfortunately, I don’t think that works.  The interviews between the Eagles and candidates have to be affected by Kelly’s non-committal.  You’d really like to have an answer by tonight so you can make your plans accordingly.  I also wonder if Chip being hesitant makes you question whether he does want to head to the NFL.  Everyone expects him to go to the NFL, but he’s got to make that move because he truly wants to and it’s not just to see how his ideas would work there.

I don’t know how this will turn out.  Or when it will end.  Stay tuned.

* * * * *

Someone had a report up that the Eagles were trying to lure Kelly to Philly by talking about Vick and the speedy receivers being such a good fit for his offense.  I hope to god that is a bogus report.  If they’re selling Chip on that, we’re in trouble.

Chip has had big WRs in Oregon, not speed guys.  His receivers must block and catch the ball downfield.  As for Vick, I’ve covered him a lot already in regard to Kelly.  Chip would love his mobility, but that doesn’t mean he’s an ideal fit.  Chip needs more than just a mobile guy.

* * * * *

The Eagles have left Arizona and are in Denver today to meet with Broncos OC Mike McCoy.

That’s gotta be a little bit weird since the Kelly situation remains up in the air.  The two sides have to proceed as if the situation is wide open.

* * * * *

Doug Marrone is off the board.  The Bills hired him this morning.  Great move by them.

* * * * *

SEA vs WAS.  We can’t lose.  If the Skins win, we’re free to totally chase after Gus Bradley at our convenience.  If the Skins lose…the Skins lose.  We can still talk to Bradley, but his schedule would be much more restricted.

  • bdbd20

    As fans we want a decision quickly because it doesn’t affect our personal lives, just our passion.

    We do have to remember that lots of people are affected by Chip’s decision. Families have to relocate. Kids have to change schools. Not an easy transition. I admire the guy for taking his time.

    For all we know, his family may be very comfortable in Oregon and they may not want to come to Philly or Cleveland.

    • TommyLawlor

      Chip is a bachelor.

      Maybe he’s trying to convince 10 or 12 sorority girls to move east.

      • bdbd20

        Really? Didn’t even think of that.

        Very interesting. There’s a lot of jokes going through my head right now relating to speed dating.

      • xeynon

        Even though he doesn’t have a family, I still think bdbd20 has a point. Kelly may really love it in Oregon, have friends there, etc. and leaving may be more than just a professional decision. As long as he makes up his mind by tonight and doesn’t drag things on forever, I’m okay with him taking a day or so to mull the decision. As you say, we want a guy who’s coming because he’s decided he wants to take a crack at being a great NFL coach, not a guy who only comes for the money/prestige and bails to go back to college at the first sign of adversity (see Saban, Petrino).

        • D3Keith

          I agree, it’s a huge, life-changing decision for a lot of people, you definitely want to think it through. At the same time, it’s not like this has been a total surprise, and even if he kept it out of his mind since the bowl game, he’s had more than just last night to consider the big-picture stuff, like what it would take to get him to leave Oregon, and whether or not he really wants this NFL thing.

          I’d be fine letting him take all the time he needs, except that the Bills have pounced on Marrone (good fit since he barely has to move, and has roots upstate), and McCoy is meeting with the Bears. If Kelly takes a few days, then says he’s going back to school, we could be left holding our … uh, less-desirable candidates.

          • xeynon

            A few days may be too long. The Eagles need to meet with a few more of their top candidates (McCoy, Bradley, whoever), and let Kelly know if they haven’t already that if he doesn’t have a decision for them and they find a good fit with someone else they’re going to move on without him.

          • D3Keith

            Exactly.

            For all we know, there is a deadline, or Kelly has self-imposed one, and we just don’t know what it is.

            The team has to strike that balance between wanting to move quickly and decisively, and not getting its feet stuck in the mud, as Plans B and C go elsewhere while your A dithers.

      • SteveH

        I actually like the fact that he is a bachelor. NFL HC and family life are completely incompatible, and I’d rather not see another Andy Reid situation.

    • deg0ey

      Whilst not relevant to Chip’s decision, the people I feel the most sympathy for in all of this are the coaching staff that Reid leaves behind. Kelly would’ve had the choice of moving his family (if he actually had one) to Philly or Cleveland or staying put. Reid was fired, but had his pick of 6 other cities to move to.

      Guys like Culley or Caldwell or Zordich are basically at the whim of the new coach. They’ve spent the last week going into work with no idea whether or not they’re about to be released, through no real fault of their own, just because the new HC has some people he already knows that he’d rather bring in. They’re also not established enough names that they’ll have a whole bunch of options when it comes to finding another job. If they’re lucky, a team will make them an offer and they’ll either have to pick up their whole family and move to wherever that may be or risk being unemployed again.

  • http://twitter.com/MFlicker Mike Flick

    This situation is the most anticipation since the wait to see if Miami would match Troy Vincent’s offer sheet.

    • TommyLawlor

      That worked out very well for us.

  • shah8

    As for those reports about Kelly luring with Vick…

    /me shrugs

    I’m watching a Flacco that has not really played very well be effective because he can get the ball there and let the guy make the play.

    But then, my judgement always was that Vick is viable. Certainly more so than Dalton, Schaub, etc. If you want a Super Bowl, you have to make plays. Guys that can’t just turn it on gets shut down, unless you have the other QB messing up even worse. A Vick that can get hot is useful.

    And those tweets sounded like Vick has substantial control over his fate. I don’t know if either of that Vick is used as a lure, or that Vick has the luxury to be “patient” about seeing whether Chip is available can be true. Gossip, I think.

    • ACViking

      Helps to have PHYSICAL wide receivers.

      The Eagles, except for one-and-a-half seasons of Terrell Owens, haven’t had a physical WR since Harold Carmichael (’71-’82).

      • deg0ey

        Maybe if Kelly comes here we’ll finally draft that big-bodied guy fans have been calling for all this time.

        • laeagle

          Or a big back. Or Urlacher.

      • shah8

        There are not that many of those. As a Vikings fan, sorta, part of the excuse-making for Ponder is the lack of physical WRs. Arod only has Finley, who they are about to release. Most of these super-athletic TE have friggin’ terrible hands–Pettigrew, Greshem, Davis, etc…

        Tom Brady is so lucky to have the TEs he has…

        Brandon Coleman out of Rutgers could be interesting in the draft.

        • D3Keith

          There aren’t many who fit the traditional description. But if you just mean guys who are willing to block downfield … even the Redskins, everytime Alfred Morris or RGIII busts a big run, Josh Morgan and Pierre Garcon are manhandling some poor DB. Those aren’t guys who look “physical” but if the OC drills into them that running is the bread and butter and WRs don’t eat if they don’t work … you can teach 200-pounders to block.

          • shah8

            yup, DJax actually does this, if you pay attention. Avant does this. I do not think Cooper is very good at being physical. Maclin will do it on occasion, but he keeps effing trying to take plays off, and all of a sudden that extra effort might have been for six. A better TE would be great for us. Celek is alright, but not quite good enough at any one thing…

          • xeynon

            Cooper is the most physical WR on the team. Not the most talented, but he’s definitely physical. Watch the block he put on the TB defensive back on Foles’ TD run against the Bucs – he just pancaked the guy.

          • shah8

            Well, it’s his size. Anyone with his size can just block if they get the hands on. Thing is, he’s not on the field enough in the first place, and initial blocking, seems to me, is based around Clay Harbor and Avant.

          • xeynon

            He’s not as good a blocker as Harbor, who is a good blocker for a tight end, or Avant, who is the best blocking WR on the team. But I’d say he’s definitely above average as blocker for a WR.

            It’s true that he’s not capable of using his size to dominate battles for the ball a la Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, or A.J. Green, but I think that’s due more to inferior physical talent than a lack of willingness to be physical.

      • Anders

        I think Cooper would start under Kelly. He is the best blocking WR on the team

  • lonfident

    I’m really starting to question Chip. If, in fact, he wants to be the best he can be, it should be a no brainer to go go to the NFL. If he thinks he’s so special he can afford to wait for the absolutely perfect situation, he’s an egomaniac. IMO, if he doesn’t accept an NFL job this year, he may never even get another interview.

    As far as taking his sweet time to decide, that’s not the way it works in the world of sports. It just isn’t. And as far as family goes, he’s not married and has no children.

    Of course, there could be factors here we know nothing about. I may have sounded a bit harsh- I’m not trying to bury the guy, but his behavior is baffling to me. I know it hasn’t been very long, but I’m kind of sick of hearing about him.

    • D3Keith

      He interviewed *yesterday.*

      I don’t think he can take a week any more than the team can take a week to let its coaching candidatesknow what it wants to do. But a day or two is okay.

      Maybe it took a while to get Lovie Smith on the horn and convince him to come along as DC. /wishfulthinking

      • lonfident

        JMO, but I think the fact it only took 24 hours to decide to go back to Oregon only reinforces the idea his mind was already made up not to take any NFL job. Of course, I could be wrong, but it sure seems that way to me.

  • shah8

    They are replaying Torrey Smith doing a great job blocking downfield and allowing big plays to happen. Maclin, WATCH THIS

  • Baloophi

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    of the month to scout draft prospects, snoop on coaches, peddle his sunglasses, and lay waste to Lower Alabama’s precious PBR and pudding supplies. To help our fearless leader in his quest to constantly inundate us with the latest on high-valued hamstrings, I’d like to help defray his Senior Bowl costs.

    CHALLENGE: If we can generate 15 donations of any value, I will cover the cost of Tommy’s airfare to and fro the Senior Bowl (economy… and he’s on his own for checked bags and 6 oz. Bloody Mary’s). You might be asking yourself, “Does Mrs. Baloophi support this?” I can only assume wholeheartedly.

    Any donation, large or small, will go a long way to helping Tommy out. Think of it as buying him a beer or a case of beers in exchange for his on-the-ground, Eagles-centric reporting. Without him, we’d have to rely on Michael Lombardi, Michael Irvin and “Primetime” for our information. Once you’ve finished cleaning the vomit off your keyboard, simply click on the “Donate” button along the right hand banner of the page if you’d like to contribute. No need to post how much you gave, simply that you have.

    Let’s pull together as Iggles-crazed fans and get Tommy to Mobile!

    ******************
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    • lonfident

      Bloody Marys? No PBR?

      • Baloophi

        Show me an airline that serves PBR and I’ll fly them for the rest of my life.

        • A_T_G

          If said airline selects engine parts with the same eye for quality with which they choose beverages, that might not be as long as you hope.

          • Baloophi

            On Lawlor Air we’ll be so jazzed up on our PBR’s and complimentary Funyuns that we won’t even notice when the DC-3 goes down.

  • SleepingDuck

    Could his agent be leaking that he’s leaning towards staying with Oregon?

    Rapport is saying that he’s hearing that Kelly is in transit to Oregon right now, but he was the guy who reported the Cards/ Reid and Browns/ Kelly, so I don’t think his sources are that reliable.

    • xeynon

      Rapoport has been off-base with basically every report he’s made so far… so whatever he says, I basically assume the opposite to be correct.

      • ACViking

        You mean ones like the “Eagles Entice Kelly with Injury-prone 33-year old Vick and Smallish, Non-Blocking Receivers”?

        You’re dead on . . . Rapoport’s a barometer for what’s NOT happening.

        • SleepingDuck

          I’m not trying to defend him, but I believe Jason Cole from Yahoo Sports tweeted that then Rapport retweeted it.

          • D3Keith

            Free agency and coaching moves … Believe nothing you hear. Everyone who would leak information has a reason to lie (agents and GMs primarily) and the people who would tell the truth (the coaches themselves, sources close to them) have every reason to keep quiet (not wanting to limit their options, offend a fanbase at a place they might not leave, mess up their leverage and money possibilities)

            So basically even in this day and age, as we hunger for info, most of what we’re gonna get is bad info.

    • deg0ey

      “Rapport is saying that he’s hearing that Kelly is in transit to Oregon right now, but he was the guy who reported the Cards/ Reid and Browns/ Kelly, so I don’t think his sources are that reliable.”

      I’d maybe re-word that as “After spending 16+ hours at interviews over the last two days, with teams that are no longer in the city, Chip Kelly goes home.”

      I mean really, is anyone surprised that the guy isn’t just sitting around in Arizona?

  • ACViking

    The whole Kelly saga makes no sense.

    He spends about 18 hours in total with the Browns and Eagles front-office folks.

    The Brownies returned to Cleveland.

    The Eagles have gone to Denver to see McCoy.

    So . . . did Kelly get cold feet?

    Is Oregon owner Phil Knight doing exactly what Kelly always planned . . . getting more of Knight’s money to stay where Chippy never wanted to leave?

    Are the Eagles’ people really serious — despite 9+ hours of chit-chat with Kelly — that they wanted to talk to some more coaches?

    Did the Browns really cut bait with Kelly?

    Are the Eagles and Browns calling Kelly’s bluff on the amount of money he wants? Or some other issue?

    Did Kelly talk to Belichick and hear that not only is Roseman toxic, but so is Banner? (If you buy the previously reported rumor.)

    Or are the lawyers hammering out the language of a contract right now? (Least likely, since the AR contract language from 1999 would be easily tweaked to fit Kelly.)

    In the immortal words of Perry White, “Crazy, just crazy.”

  • nopain23

    I hope Kelly goes back to Oregon. Count me as one the guys who wanted Cleveland to get him off the market. The only college coach I wanted was David Shaw (he’s staying put). We better sign McCoy( Sean Payton 2.0) or this could get UGLY really fast. But it seems obvious now that Kelly is Lurie and Howie’s number one guy. I just hope they get a chance to talk to McCoy before they have to make a decision on Kelly. I hope Denver is one and done in the playoffs so we can sign McCoy ASAP which allows him to get his staff together quickly.

    Also I think Andy’s gonna draft Luke with the no. one pick so I hope Star falls to 4th.Is it just me but I;m watchin WAS vs SEA and other than Wilson that team just looks MONOLITHIC( those boys are huge). I like what Pete has done with SEA. He had a vision and now the team is reaping the benefit of that vision. As an Iggles fan I’m envious.

    • D3Keith

      I wanted Shaw the most too. But after reading about Kelly, how he’s not just a gimmick guy, but a leader, an innovator and a student of the game, I’m real excited about the chance to get him. With Roseman staying on personnel, I don’t think Kelly would fail. I think he’d be a huge get for the Browns too.

      McCoy might be the wiser pick; Shaw had that steady leader thing going on too. Kelly is the high-upside draft pick who could also be a bust.

      McCoy and the Eagles are meeting today, according to most reports. In Denver on the Eagles’ way home from Hanging with Mr. Chip in Arizona.

    • xeynon

      I don’t get this. How do you know McCoy is going to be the next Payton? None of us has any access to the Denver locker room or knows how much impact McCoy has really had on their offensive success. I’m not saying he’d be a bad hire, but for any of us to either praise or pan him or Kelly before the team plays a game under them is ridiculous. Andy Reid was not a popular hire and turned out to be a much better coach than, among others, Haslett, who was much more in demand among the fanbase at the time.

      As for the draft, couldn’t disagree with you more. Star is a big guy with a lot of talent but he’s inconsistent and may be lacking in motivation and guys with that profile flame out in the NFL all the time (see Darrell Russell, Johnathan Sullivan, Glenn Dorsey, Amobi Okoye, Dewayne Robertson, and others). Joeckel I read one scout rate as the top offensive tackle prospect in the past DECADE. I have no way of knowing if that’s true (I’m not a professional talent evaluator), but if you have a chance to draft a rock solid A+ cornerstone-of-your-O-line-for-ten-years left tackle, you take him over a boom-or-bust defensive tackle every day of the week.

      • nopain23

        The reviews on Luke are all over the place and trust me I’ve watched a lot of texas A&M games this year, he is not the best tackle to come out in a decade.Plus unless we trade up we won’t have a chance at him ’cause we all know AR loves his linemen.There is NO QB worth the 1st pick in 2013 draft. What we do know is when motivated Star is the most dominant player on the field. That’s where hiring the right HC and DC ( maybe Lovie) comes into play.It’s well known that Kelly does not get involved in any aspect of the defense.His own DC said so. That worries me a bit.

        An NFL coach has to be involved in every aspect of the team.McCoy has a track record of getting players to play above their talent level (see Tebow and Delhomme) and tailoring his scheme to his players not forcing his guys into his scheme( looking at u AR). I don’t hate the idea of hiring Kelly.McCoy for me is a known NFL product while Kell isy a known NCAA project. Peyton Manning thinks McCoy is ready to be a HC. Take that for what it’s worth but anybody who has a work ethic that matches Eli’s brother is worth a shot to me.

        • xeynon

          I’d also be fine with McCoy, if that’s who they hire. He has a fine resume, and very well might turn out to be a great coach. Kelly has a good resume too, is all I’m saying.

          With the draft – Joeckel may not be that good, you’re right. But if he is a franchise LT, I still say go for him (I don’t think any of the three teams ahead of us will take him because left tackle is not a screaming need for them). As for Star, the key words in your post are when motivated. Those words scare the crap out of me wrt a high first round pick. If a guy can’t get motivated to bust his butt BEFORE he gets paid a multimillion dollar signing bonus, why should we expect him to get/remain motivated after getting paid? Don’t we have enough talented but inconsistent, low character guys on this defense already?

          • D3Keith

            Yes. Yes we do, xeynon.

            Joeckel is not the sexy pick, but he’s looking like the smart one at the moment. Of course, there’s settling on a coach, cuts, free agency and the combine before we really know what’s smart.

          • D3FB

            Yea but Tommy has said a couple times that his notes on Star are very similar to the notes he had on Ngata. Very boom or bust.

          • xeynon

            So Ngata is one sometimes undermotivated physical stud DT who worked out. What about all the ones I mentioned above (Russell, Robertson, Sullivan, Okoye, etc.) who didn’t? The only highly touted left tackle prospect I can think of who didn’t work out in the last ten years was Jason Smith. History indicates it’s a pretty safe pick to take a top-shelf OT.

            I’ve seen Joeckel compared to Joe Thomas recently. Would you rather have Ngata than Joe Thomas? I think they’re pretty much of equal value to a winning team – Ngata just plays a position that is sexier, as D3Keith points out.

          • D3FB

            Oh don’t get me wrong I have Joeckel ahead of Star. I was simply pointing out that Star shouldn’t be discounted because Joeckel may be off the board. I also am reminded of a LT joe, but for me its Staley not Thomas.

          • http://www.facebook.com/michael.w.cho Michael Winter Cho

            Regarded as “the best lineman to come out of college in years”,[1] Gallery was selected with the second overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. With a perfect 9.0 Draft Prospect Rating, the highest for any offensive lineman, he became the second offensive lineman in University of Iowa history to be drafted in the first round.[2]

          • xeynon

            Forgot about Gallery. You’re right, he was a bust. So that’s two. Mike Williams who went to the Bills from Texas a few years back is three.

            Still, there are many more successes than failures – Thomas, Kalil, Long, McKinnie, Ogden, Pace, Trent Williams, Okung, Staley, Ferguson, Andre Smith, Clady… probably more I’m forgetting about. It may not be foolproof but the percentages are pretty good.

  • Baloophi

    Through secret channels, I was able to obtain the Eagles’ agenda for
    Chip Kelly’s 9 hour lunch interview. Again, this was the plan that
    owner Jeff Lurie, General Manager Howie Roseman, and President Don
    Smolenski were supposed to follow. Given that we know it went for 9
    hours, it seems like they all did their part. Here it is:

    PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – AGENDA FOR CHIP KELLY INTERVIEW – SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 2013 – CHANDLER, ARIZONA

    12:30 pm – Greet Coach Kelly in the private room of Shula’s Steakhouse in Chandler. Ask if it’s okay to call him “Chip” – even though he’s a
    grown man. Congratulate him on his Fiesta Bowl victory, exchange
    pleasantries, jokes about how the valet may have been Cliff Harris and
    how it’s good to see he found a job, etc. Howie sets Jeff up for his
    comment about how – off the top of his head – he can’t think of a chain of restaurants named after any college coaches…

    12:45 pm – Order cocktails. Secretly inform the server to double
    all of Kelly’s drink orders and keep them coming… in fact, instruct
    bartender to just keep pouring drink after drink – he can go over his
    technique later while watching film, but it’s better use of time to just keep getting repetitions.

    12:50 pm – Jeff starts his quick sales pitch. Keywords: “synergy,”
    “foster,” “gold standard.” Words to avoid: “Spadaro,” “Asomugha,”
    “Giants, Redskins, Cowboys.”

    2:45 pm – Jeff finishes his pitch.

    2:50 pm – Order food. Howie asks Smolenski if it’s okay to order the
    filet. Smolenski: “Of course!” Howie: “Sorry. Guess I’m just used to Joe Banner tyrannically refusing to let us spend any money.”

    3:00 pm – Roseman notes that they’re not far from Tucson, where Nick
    Foles played college ball. Gauge Kelly’s reaction: If he praises Foles, quickly laud his development and future. If he just shrugs, pick up the phone and cut him.

    3:15 pm – After Kelly’s ninth gin and tonic, he’ll excuse himself to the restroom. Howie will take the opportunity to text Jeff McLane a bunch of BS while Smolenski removes the battery from Kelly’s cell phone.

    3:30 pm – Before entrees arrive, “Pat” and “Geno” enter and introduce themselves to Chip. Jeff flew them out here on a private jet so Chip could taste an actual Philly cheese steak (the same finishing move he used on Reid 14 years earlier). Does Kelly have to know they’re not “Pat” or “Geno” but in fact two local mechanics happy to make a quick $50, or that the steaks came from the Subway around the corner? Of course not.

    3:45 pm – Eat. Remind Smolenski to chew with his mouth closed – it’s a problem when he’s excited.

    4:15 pm – Howie cues up tape to show Kelly all the talent currently in place on the offense (NOTE! Only use footage from 2010, 2004, and 1960… hopefully he won’t notice).

    4:16 pm – Howie now loudly cues up the defensive tape. As he does
    so, Smolenski furtively unplugs the flat-screen. Howie says it looks
    like they’re having technical difficulties, but to trust him – the defense is loaded with potential (be sure to avoid contact with each other at this juncture). If Chip doubts this by reminding them of Casey Matthews, just deny that he’s on the team.

    4:20 pm – Pull out the Eagles-shaped bong… in case Oregon has really made an impression on Kelly.

    4:30 pm – Ask Kelly what his football philosophy is, whether he values time outs, and how we should make out the check.

    5:00 pm – Smolenski returns from the restroom and makes an off-color remark about how he heated it up worse than a Nike sweat shop. Lurie apologizes and reminds Howie that Phil Knight – the co-founder of Nike and giant Oregon booster – is one of Kelly’s good friends. Smolenski asks if he’s the guy behind all of the imminent NCAA sanctions.

    6:00 pm – Lurie presents Kelly with the solid gold Eagles’ visor custom made for the occasion at the Franklin Mint (NOTE: we should have plastic copies of this ready to sell on the website the instant Kelly signs… $49.95?).

    6:30 pm – Dessert orders. Sheepish discussion of Tastykakes and Hersheypark.

    7:00 pm – Flip on the end of the Vikings – Packers Wild Card game. As Kelly jokes about how it looks like Joe Webb couldn’t beat an egg for an
    omelette, everyone laugh and pretend they’ve never heard of him before.

    7:30 pm – Roseman reminds Kelly that the Eagles have the 4th
    pick in the draft. No need to tell him that we plan to blow it on a 30
    year old guard that nobody’s ever heard of.

    8:00 pm – Hypothetical discussions about Kelly’s coaching staff. Lurie reminds Kelly that he let Reid hire Castillo as Defensive Coordinator, so if he wants to bring Puddles the Oregon Duck on to coach the special teams, he’d support it 100%. Smolenski jokes that Puddles would be an immediate improvement over Bobby April. Roseman quickly hushes him.

    8:30 pm – $$$ talk. Lurie opens a metal valise filled with stacks of hundreds (we can just use Hollywood money for now since apparently we still have to pay Nnamdi).

    9:00 pm – Lurie opens a second metal valise.

    9:15 pm – The third.

    9:30 pm – Hopefully use one of the pens in Roseman’s pocket protector to sign Chip Kelly as the next head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. If
    not… PANIC!!!!!

    • A_T_G

      See, this is the kind of scoop that those ESPN types need to produce. How hard would it be to implant a microphone in Chip’s molar while he sleeps and give us all a live feed?

    • http://twitter.com/alex_karklins Alex Karklins

      Smolenski as the guy who can’t hold his liquor (or his tongue) was brilliant. I’m dying right now.

      http://www.thestate.ae/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/olivia-gif-5.gif

    • http://twitter.com/sjampendk Patrick

      This….Is….AWESOME!!!!

    • D3Keith

      Outstanding.

      The time elements were a nice touch. Lurie’s two-hour quick pitch, the one minute of offensive footage, and firing up at 4:20.

    • TommyLawlor

      Awesome stuff.

    • D3FB

      And this is why Iggles Blitz is by far the best website on the planet.

  • austinfan

    Screw Kelly, if he didn’t know he wanted to be a NFL coach, he never should have started this merry-go-round. If he has to “think” about it, just say no.

    • lonfident

      Could not agree more.

      • MichaelFloyd84

        I also agree. This bum shouldn’t have started wasting peoples valuable time if he wasn’t sure and was going to puss out and stay in college.

    • laeagle

      I think the “he doesn’t know if he wants to be an NFL coach” is pure speculation. The guy just had over 16 hours of interviews with teams the 2 days after a bowl win. I think he deserves a bit of time to sit down and think about what his options are. That doesn’t make him an ego case or a head case at all. It’s only been 3 days, for gods sake!

      • austinfan

        Bullshit. He interviewed last year as well. This is not a hot coach who got approached by a pro team with an offer that made him think about leaving, this is an egotistical coach who arranged for bidders to compete for him, and had two marathon interviews. If he didn’t know what he wanted before he started the process, and what he’d probably be offered (not money, but authority), then he is ill prepared to be a NFL coach.

        College coaches who want to coach in the NFL will spend long stretches as NFL assistants, then go to college to get HC experience, because they’re trying to build the skill package to be a NFL HC. If a college coach doesn’t want to do that, chances are that being a NFL coach is more fantasy than reality for them.

        • xeynon

          I think you’re being a bit melodramatic. If Kelly were to string them along for a week or more, then yes, it would be reasonable to accuse him of playing games. But a day or two is not the end of the world. Besides, several of the other top candidates (McCoy, Bradley, etc.) can’t be hired for at least another week in any case.

        • laeagle

          Sorry, respectfully disagree. He’s been in full prep for his bowl game, that finished and then he’s gone all day Friday with the Browns, then all day Saturday with the Eagles. He’s not even home, for heavens sake. I’m not going to give him a hard time for wanting to think about it. Everyone is getting way too wound up about this and not understanding how short a time has passed. This internet information age is really building up people”s sense of entitlement of what schedule public figures are supposed to adhere to.

          • D3FB

            He had a month and a half to prep. Every single bowl game you always hear everytime a trick play is run how “bored” the coaches are. I’m sorry but these guys are used to a a sprint to prepare the amount of time he had between games was more than enough.

          • laeagle

            And he just interviewed with the teams yesterday and the day before. If the interview is important for us to make a decision, isn’t it important for him? This is nonsensical how everyone is mad at a guy for not making such an important decision fast enough to please the info-addicted twitterverse.

          • D3FB

            Fair enough, I just personally feel that a man who you are paying a boatload of money to make split second snap judgements, should be able to make a decision given the information necessary to do so within 24 hours. Kelly has surely thought about this possibility for most of his coaching career, it’s not as if Lurie suddenly offered him the chance to be an astronaut. For me as frustrating as it is to not know, you are correct about the craving for immediate gratification in this electronic age, it is mostly about his decision making process, something which will play a vital role in his success or failure.

  • shah8

    RG3 today reminded me of Vick @ Arizona last year…Coaches need to take guys out of the game earlier than they do. But in every situation, you have a backup with zero prep and few plays available…

    • xeynon

      They really should have given Cousins some practice time if RG’s knee was this gimpy (ditto the Vikings with Joe Webb, though I’m not sure it would have helped in their case).

      RG3′s game reminds me of a slightly slower but more fundamentally sound, football smart, and accurate Vick. Unfortunately he also seems to have Vick’s tendencies to get dinged up and to recklessly take big hits – the play he got injured on was a freak thing but he’d gotten his clock cleaned by refusing to slide or holding onto the ball too long at least three times earlier in that game. He’s a fantastic talent but he won’t last as long as he should in the NFL unless he learns to protect himself better.

      • shah8

        Webb got most of the reps during the last week. Albeit, with some time, I’ve gotten over how Tebow he looked in the first half. Especially since he accumulated stats that makes him not the worst QB in the playoffs (statswise). Aside from the sheer aesthetics of at least looking like a real QB, in the end, close enough only counts in horseshoes and grenades. Still has more TDs than Andrew Luck in the postseason!

        I’ve always known dude was a really raw passer, but he usually was sorta able to make passing plays, sorta like Josh Freeman. It’s just bad news when you have a backup who’s not seen action all year having to perform under the big lights. One week is not enough, usually. While Cousins did fine in his one week and start, that’s the regular season, not the playoffs, when there’s no vanilla at all. I don’t think Cousins would have done well against Seattle, even with the 14 nothing spot.

        • D3Keith

          Agree on RGIII being basically Vick 2.0. So many plays where RGIII escapes and makes something out of nothing and I think “man, I miss when only my team’s QB could do that.”

          Cousins with a 14-point lead and the Redskins committing to pounding the rock … They scored zero doing what they did in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. He couldn’t have done much worse. (Technically could have set up some Seattle scores though).

          Morris got only 16 carries. I read he’s had 22+ every game since Thanksgiving.

          • shah8

            RG3 is truly more comparable to a faster Aaron Rodgers or Colin Kaepernick. Vick, Newton, Webb are together in the Venn diagram–big part of the game is agility on the run and deeper throws with a lower percentage caught.

        • xeynon

          I thought I remember someone on the telecast last night saying Webb had had minimal practice time because they were hoping until right before gametime that Ponder would be able to go, but I could be mixing things up. You follow the Vikings more closely than I do so I’ll take your word for it.

          And yeah, I agree with you, if your starting QB gets hurt right before/in the playoffs, you’re likely screwed no matter what you do. But I have to think a Cousins who’d taken a few more reps with the gameplan this week might not have been so scattershot in that game.

  • SteveH

    The Washington RG3′s are eliminated, all is right with the world.

  • Steven Dileo

    Have you ever taken a girl out to an expensive dinner and she didn’t put out? (I haven’t because I am a gentleman) but I guess that’s the same frustration Lurie is feeling

    • xeynon

      That analogy precisely illustrates why it’s not a big deal if this takes a few days. Hiring a coach is like getting married/moving in together for the next X number of years, not just looking for a quick hookup. We don’t want to end up single again in two years if we can help it.

  • Mark823

    In fairness to Kelly, he never really said much about his plans. Reports before he started interviewing said it was still only 50/50 he leaves Oregon. We all just made the assumption he was going to leave. Kelly actually had the leverage, he knew teams wanted him, and that he could probably return to Oregon and do the whole charade again next year. It seems like he just wanted to test the waters, and see if he liked any of the open jobs.

    • D3Keith

      Why are you writing like it’s over?

      Is it over?

      • D3FB

        I think alot of us are so worn down that a certain defeated attitude has set in to some degree

        • Baloophi

          “Worn down”, or weary with excitement at the prospect of a GoDaddy.Com Bowl/Downton Abbey double-header?!?!?!

      • Mark823

        Fair point, I guess worn down would be the right way to describe it. But according to Jason La Confora’s report multiple sources say he’s going back to Oregon. Plenty of reports have been incorrect but after the many hours of meetings Kelly has had it seems like if he wanted to make the jump he would have by now. Maybe I’m wrong though.

        • D3Keith

          Well … now you can feel free to write like it’s over.

          [cues Whitney] Didn’t we almost have it all?

  • Dragon_Eagle

    Has anyone actually reported/confirmed that the Eagles offered Chip the job? I realize they most likely have, but its also possible they told him they’re greatly interested but will finished a few more interviews first.

  • Yuri

    Also curious, why is everyone meeting everyone else in AZ? Is Arizona the traditional place where teams and HC candidates get together? There’s efficiency in that I suppose.

    • Baloophi

      Arizona is one of two states that gets so confused with daylight savings, that they choose to ignore it. With that said, I’m surprised Reid didn’t want to interview there.

    • http://www.facebook.com/michael.w.cho Michael Winter Cho

      I don’t know and I live here. One could say the weather, but it’s still only in the 50s and a little overcast.

  • goeagles55

    Kelly decided to go back to Oregon per multiple sources(Schefter, Roob)

    • JulzPE

      Cold feet again? Was getting to the point where I was concerned if he was really committed to coming, if he really wanted a job/felt it was a good match the decision would probably have been a bit quicker.

      • JulzPE

        Just to add, I’m not exactly unhappy, but now every other option seems slightly less attractive? I blame Tommy and his excellent write-up (sorry T-law).

      • D3Keith

        Eh I don’t think there’s any correlation between fast decisions and want-to. Hate to bring up Saban and Petrino again but I don’t remember those dragging out … And some successful hires have been made after championship games or Super Bowls.

        I don’t blame anybody for wanting a couple days to check out all the options before making a life-changing move. That said, dude ultimately stayed put. So we can only assume it took Phil Knight an extra day to pull up his account in the Caymans and line Kelly’s pockets with mo’ dough.

    • D3FB

      ;lkjasfd;lkjasfd;ljksfda;jlksdakj;afs;ljksfda;lkasfd;lkjawfe;oijfsdalkxzmaslz;dkfjzsl;dkxjd

      • D3FB

        May David Shaw kick the everliving crap out of Oregon for many years to come.

        • D3Keith

          I’m sayin!

    • xeynon

      No biggie. McCoy is an intriguing candidate. So is Bradley – the way he turned that motley bunch of mediocrities in Seattle into a first class defense is impressive. There are a lot of good coaches out there, not going to lose sleep over losing out on Kelly.

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  • ACViking

    Re: D-Coordinators still unemployed

    T-Law:

    Tucker’s gone. Pagano’s staying.

    Who’s left for the Eagles . . . assuming CK wants a 3-4 guy?