Coaching Rumor Du Jour

Posted: November 28th, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 59 Comments »

What’s the coaching rumor du jour?  It’s the coaching rumor of the day (a few of you will get that reference).

Check  out this blurb from Pro Football Weekly’s Insider column a few days ago:

• “I’ve heard talk about (Eagles GM) Howie Roseman already meeting with (Oregon head coach) Chip Kelly. Obviously, there are no rules preventing a GM from talking to a college coach during a (school) visit.  I think San Diego would be a better fit for Kelly, myself. The run-and-shoot (scheme) worked at first back in the 1990s, and the Lions drafted Andre Ware and were plucking players to run it. NFL staffs were pulling out all the stops to figure out how to stop it, and once they did, it fell hard and hasn’t worked since. If you want the blueprint for how to stop Kelly in the NFL, watch the Stanford game. I guarantee you NFL coaches are calling up (Stanford head coach David) Shaw and saying, ‘Send me that tape.’ With Oregon’s running game trickling to the NFL, (NFL coaches) need to snuff it out.”

So what do we make of this?

Howie Roseman does make scouting trips during the year.  He easily could have simply gone to Oregon to check out players and met with Chip Kelly while there.  Howie could have picked Kelly’s brain about a number of things.  It is possible he talked about the Eagles job, but it would have likely been a casual conversation rather than anything serious.  Roseman could have been gauging Kelly’s interest in the NFL.  He could have also talked to him about how the Oregon offense would function in the NFL.  Maybe they talked about QBs or draft strategy or defensive philosophies.

If Howie was out in Eugene, I’m sure he did meet with Chip and do some talking.  You’d be a fool not to, if you had any interest in pursuing him. Making the transition from college to pro football isn’t easy so in order to make that hire you need to be 100 percent comfortable with the  coaching candidate.  Every minute you can talk to the guy should help, especially when it isn’t in a formal interview setting.

As for the second part of the blurb…about the Run ‘n Shoot…I have no idea what that has to do with Chip Kelly.  His offense isn’t the Run ‘n Shoot.  Kelly’s offense is based on running the ball.

Also, there are elements of the Run ‘n Shoot still in the league.  The Giants passing game uses some of them and has had big time success.

I will write about Chip Kelly some time in the near future.  He is a fascinating guy.  That means good and bad things.  Some people are down on him for being a gimmicky coach.  He really is a lot more of a fundamentally sound guy than most people realize.  Chip wants to run.  He just doesn’t believe in lining up power on power.  He’d rather spread you out and attack you creatively, but with his ground attack.  His QB has only thrown more than 28 passes in a game 4 times, with a high of 37.  The QB has thrown 25 or fewer passes 6 times this year.

I’m not pushing you to like him, but don’t fall into the trap that Kelly is a finesse coach that would throw the ball 50 times a game.  Oregon is 4th nationally in rushing this year. Were 5th each of the 2 previous seasons.  He is a much more complicated subject than some people realize and that’s why I’m hesitant to dismiss him too quickly.

* * * * *

Jason Babin is a Jacksonville Jaguar.  They were 1 of 3 teams that claimed him, the others being Washington and Buffalo.  I know a lot of Eagles fans hate the guy.  I’ve given him a hard time the last couple of days, but I don’t have anything against him personally.  Won’t bother me in the least if he gets back on track down there.

* * * * *

Oakland may cut MLB Rolando McClain.  He posted earlier tonight that he was done as a Raider and couldn’t wait to play for a real team.  The posts have since been deleted.  It sounds like the Raiders may very well cut him.

I loved McClain coming out of Alabama, but he’s been a disappointing NFL player.  Reuben Frank says the Eagles are watching tape to see if they should be interested, in case he does get cut.

I don’t have an informed opinion of him as a pro.  I’ve not watched much of the Raiders in the last couple of years.  Rolando posted big time stats last year, but I don’t know the context they came in.  He had 5 sacks, 14 pass deflections, and 3 TFLs.  Sounds good, but you would need to watch the tape to see how legit they were.

If the Eagles did put in a claim for him (once he’s cut), this would be about the future.  McClain was a Top 10 pick for a reason.  He is a gifted player.  The Raiders are disappointed in his play and he’s got some character issues as well.  McClain could be a MLB, ILB, or possibly SAM depending on the system used by the Eagles in 2013.  One of the benefits of being 3-8 is that you don’t have to wait long in the waiver system.  If McClain is cut, the Eagles have a legit shot at him…if they are interested.  Stay tuned.

_

59 Comments on “Coaching Rumor Du Jour”

  1. 1 mcud said at 11:16 PM on November 28th, 2012:

    Coach of the day huh? That sounds good. I’ll have that…

    Count me in on McClain.

  2. 2 TommyLawlor said at 11:27 PM on November 28th, 2012:

    I knew I could count on you for getting the reference.

  3. 3 Brett Smith said at 11:25 PM on November 28th, 2012:

    Great stuff as always.

    Looking forward to the Chip Kelly story. Not sure I can handle another “Finesse” coach so if the guy like to run and we build a Defense I am all in. I will miss the long ball though… oh well winning would be sufficient for me.

    On Babin. Never liked him. Can’t stand me first guys and he strikes me as one.
    The best part about the Jaguars grabbing him is he doesn’t get to be on a contender! I know that is harsh…

    I would hope McClain would be the opposite of E Simms if we pick him up. I would be joyous over a LB that tackles the opponent instead of the guy trailing the play (that has been rampant this year as well).

  4. 4 Ty-Philly said at 11:44 PM on November 28th, 2012:

    We have early waiver priority and 2 spots open, couldn’t hurt to put in a claim.

  5. 5 47_Ronin said at 12:26 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Wow Rolando McClain washing out in Oakland. I thought he was a sensible first round pick for that dysfunctional franchise. He is definitely worth taking a look, only problem with putting a waiver claim on him is that the birds would be responsible for the remainder of his contract. His salary is $900K this year jumping to 4m in 2013 and 5m in 2014.

  6. 6 SleepingDuck said at 12:33 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    I’m pretty intrigued by McClain if/when he gets cut, but Caplan and McLane seem to think it’s unlikely that the Eagles will claim him.

  7. 7 Cal Setar said at 12:51 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    “Kick his ass, Seabass!”

    This is why I come to this blog.

    Oh and yes to Rolando McClain. He’s too talented to not take a chance.

  8. 8 TommyLawlor said at 1:49 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    And you have to love Seabass’s hat: “Wine ’em, Dine ’em, 69’em”.

  9. 9 eagles2zc said at 1:01 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Can’t wait for the Kelly post Tommy. I’m ready for an innovative coach. Not sure either where the idea of Kelly being a gimmicky up-tempo coach came from. His offense is far from a no-huddle one-trick pony. They speed up and slow down to dictate the tempo depending on the situation. With the emergency of Brown, I would love to see Kelly create some plays having both him and Shady share the backfield, especially since Shady can still be a dangerous receiver if motioned wide

  10. 10 Kristopher Cebula said at 1:07 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    thanks for clearing this up tommy. i was under the impression that kelly was a finesse coach mainly because everyone talks about his affinity for speedy players. personally i’d like to see this team get tougher and more physical. would love to know if that is the kind of team he would look to build

  11. 11 duckfan said at 1:32 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    I’ve been watching oregon play since before Chip Kelly became the HC. One of his motto’s is “Fast. Hard. Finish.” He without a doubt wants his teams to play hard from whistle to whistle. He loves spreading the run game around, but on a consistent basis runs up the middle. The oregon offense pulls guard, centers on draws all the time. Don’t believe all the talk about his offense until you’ve seen them play. Plus in the NFL he wouldn’t have to worry about having to recruit players to the NW.

  12. 12 eagles2zc said at 11:10 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    If Kelly comes, I see him sticking with a Mudd type of Oline, which I’ll be more than happy enough to have. Why throw away Kelce when you just found a diamond in the rough

  13. 13 BobSmith77 said at 2:15 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Run and Shoot that Houston ran with Moon and the Smurfs was one of my all favorite offenses to watch when they were on a nationally televised game. Especially when it was in the Astrodome.

    Just always managed to lose close games in the playoffs though in the late 80s/early 90s.

    Still thought Moon threw one of the most picturesque spirals around and oddly did it in well into his late 30s.

  14. 14 Mark Sitko said at 3:05 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    that sounds good, I’ll have that

  15. 15 Virgile - Bubqr said at 5:22 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Re Chip Kelly:

    Set apart the scheme talk for a second, and focus on how Chip Kelly is running his team: They play AND TRAIN fast, hard, they want to outpace every team they are facing and unlike what people are thinking, it is very much based on execution (simple plays executed perfectly) – Exactly the opposite of what the Eagles are about this year, and in my mind, exactly what the Eagles should go for: Stop trying to outsmart opponents (Andy/Marty), we have good players, just find ways to line up, play hard, fast, disciplined football. Then worry about outscheming the opponent. But don’t do it the other way around.

    Good article on Chip Kelly by Chris Brown (who has been along with Tommy on of my must-reads for years):

    http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8631595/the-success-chip-kelly-oregon-ducks-offense-more-familiar-seems

    Rolando: I’ve read things about him being slower than expected, maybe even a bit out of shape, and not all that great in coverage. Still, I remember loving him coming out of Alabama (as many Eagles fans back then).

  16. 16 ohitsdom said at 11:43 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    I’d rather watch a Chip Kelly team practice than an Andy Reid team play a game.

  17. 17 Anders said at 7:24 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    McClain at SAM, Ryans in the middle and Kendricks at Will, would be a lb trio with huge potential.

    I wonder if McClain could play strong side OLB in a 3-4? He seems to have the size and skill set to do it

  18. 18 ohitsdom said at 11:42 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Goodbye, Jordan.

  19. 19 Ark87 said at 8:04 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    “Chip wants to run. He just doesn’t believe in lining up power on power.” That’s the part that spooks Philly fans I think. Brilliant offensive mind. The Andy Reid of the running game? Finesse running game? Knowing very little about Chip, the stuff we are hearing, even in praise, after 14 years of Andy is going to produce groans.

    I have little doubt that he could be wildly successful here with the backfield that he would inherit. It’s just these descriptions….need to be reworded with our fragile psyches in mind.

  20. 20 NoDecaf said at 8:44 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    I’m thinking run-starved fans would embrace him, especially with our stable of RBs.

  21. 21 Anders said at 9:29 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Look how the Bills and Pats run the football or even us and mix in some of the read option and you have Kelly’s offense.

  22. 22 ohitsdom said at 11:41 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Chip loves running the football. Not sure where I read it, but someone asked him about his system and he said it fits his players. He said that if he had the personnel to run the power I, he’d do it. I think he’s more creative and flexible than people think. If he came to the NFL, he wouldn’t implement a carbon copy of Oregon’s offense. I think he’s worth the risk.

  23. 23 Iskar36 said at 12:06 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    I know only what I have read on here about Chip Kelly, but would he swing the offensive balance of run/pass ratio to the opposite extreme from AR? I think we need a better balanced offense, but at the end of the day, the NFL is a passing league, and from what I have read, it seems like Kelly is a coach who prefers the run. Is that kind of offense going to have sustainable success in today’s NFL?

  24. 24 Ark87 said at 12:06 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    What I’m mostly wondering is in short yardage situation, does he try to get cute? That’s what I’ve seen enough of. Power on power please!

  25. 25 Steven DiLeo said at 8:07 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    What’s your opinion of Vic Fangio?
    Rolando McClain- I doubt that Eagles will be able to get him on the waiver wire. Too many teams ahead of the Eagles will be interested.

  26. 26 Kristopher Cebula said at 9:29 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    only 4 teams ahead of the eagles

  27. 27 Anthony Hart said at 9:43 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Actually, only the Cheifs and Jaguars are ahead of us.

  28. 28 Steven DiLeo said at 10:30 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Not bad. It’s still a long shot.

  29. 29 nopain23 said at 8:43 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Vic Fangio, HC of the Eagles.You dont have to talk yourself into liking that idea.With Chip I feel like you have to try and convince yourself he’ll be a good NFL coach. Our locker room is in disarray.We need a leader of men not boys.Vic is an NFL ready coach.Kelly is still a question mark.

  30. 30 dandynator said at 11:49 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    After seing what fangio offense did to the bears D a couple weeks ago, I’m in ! They just didn’t knew what hit em. Per Gruden thats what they did : 3 TE, 2 TE, Zone run, Read Options, Speed Options, Trap plays, Bizarre toss play, gap scheme, Vinage west coast runs, unbalanced line, shifts, pistol formation, dummy snap count. etc.. They even line up Big leonard Davis out Wide ! I’m no expert scheme wise but this certainly keep the D on theirs heals

  31. 31 Eric Weaver said at 1:24 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    Huh? Fangio is a defensive coordinator.

  32. 32 dandynator said at 1:39 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    Thx for the correction, i meant the OC of the 9ers

  33. 33 quest4fire said at 8:50 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Kelly’s system wont work in NFL. His system is spread based with speed guys spreading out to open up lanes for the running game with quick outs passes. His system is used by many teams (UF, Mizzou, etc). The key word here is speed. NFL uses a variation of his system in some of their packages, in fact the Ravens ran it last week with the 4th and 29 play. Shaw is more NFL ready than Kelly, IMHO.

  34. 34 disqus_NrwjpBNpt0 said at 9:36 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Any way McClain is Ernie Sims II?

  35. 35 Matthew Verhoog said at 9:45 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    There could only be only be one Ernie

  36. 36 Mac said at 11:01 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Agreed. McClain is too tall to be Ernie.

  37. 37 holeplug said at 9:42 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    McClain has some character concerns I would worry about….

    “McClain, 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, and Jarodiaus Willingham were charged with assaulting Rishard Tapscott, who was a friend of the two, on Nov. 30, 2011. Tapscott testified that the Raiders linebacker pointed a gun at his head and threatened to kill him before firing it beside his ear.”

  38. 38 47_Ronin said at 10:20 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Those charges were dropped
    https://mobile.twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/270194278402240512

  39. 39 Baloophi said at 11:23 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Oh good. Then there’s nothing to worry about.

  40. 40 holeplug said at 12:46 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    They were dropped b/c he paid the guy off. Rich ppl dont go to jail. Alabama judge originally found him guilty of all charges and sentenced him to 180 days in jail but McClain requested a jury trial to allow him to “settle” out of court and avoid going to prison.

  41. 41 Matthew Verhoog said at 9:47 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Unfortunately he said he wanted to play for a real team…. If he didn’t think the great Raiders were a real team, what would he think of us?

  42. 42 Zach Reese said at 10:13 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    One of Tommy’s favorites, Honey Badger, going pro. What do you think his value is at this point?

    http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2013/story/_/id/8689828/honey-badger-tyrann-mathieu-enter-nfl-draft-source-says

  43. 43 ChaosOnion said at 10:33 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    He will probably garner a 1st or 2nd rounder based on 2011. I am not so excited about a 5’9″ 180 Safety. I prefer them in the 6′ 200+ range. If the Eagles take him in the mid-rounds, I would be interested.

  44. 44 Anders said at 11:01 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    If you draft him, you draft him to be a cb/safety/lb hybrid and play some sort of 4-2-5 defense.

  45. 45 Mac said at 10:59 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    dynamic playmaking safety…

    Easy answer a year ago was 1st round talent. Now he’s a risk. But I think it’s a risk worth taking.

    I’d love to hear what Tommy thinks now.

  46. 46 Steven DiLeo said at 10:41 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Soooo…..

    Would you be interested in Alex Smith for next year?

  47. 47 ceteris_paribus1776 said at 11:10 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Was thinking the same thing, especially I’d Gruden is the coach. I think that’s his type of QB

  48. 48 Mac said at 11:32 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Smith would definitely have another chip on his shoulder… My guess is he would have a lot of suitors.

  49. 49 miked718 said at 10:48 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    Shady and Bryce running Kelly’s offense with a mediocre QB manager, win or lose it would be a refreshing change from the Reid years.

  50. 50 Mac said at 11:00 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    makes me wonder what Kelly thinks of our RB stable. Lewis might be a good player in his system as well, and we have Havili and Polk… good stable of RBs on this current squad.

  51. 51 ceteris_paribus1776 said at 11:23 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    This biggest worry about Kelly is that his offense works in the PAC 10 where defense is nearly a mild inconvenience before crossing the goal line. His success rate against the big boys in the SEC where the athlete on that side of the ball are equal in size and strength is less than stellar. Interestingly, Stanford also plays D and we all know what happened there. I’m not sure the high pace spread and run is successful against speed and size on the other side of the ball

  52. 52 holeplug said at 12:38 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    Alot easier to recruit in the south than the pacific northwest. Zone read stuff worked just fine for Auburn when they had Cam and went undefeated in 2010.

  53. 53 47_Ronin said at 12:44 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    Look how the zone read offense is working for the Panthers.

  54. 54 K_Dilkington said at 2:58 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    against the Eagles or the rest of the league?

  55. 55 47_Ronin said at 3:59 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    Lol, when I wrote that I thought I should qualify it by stating something like “against competent defenses” but thanks for laugh.

  56. 56 Baloophi said at 11:29 AM on November 29th, 2012:

    One thing we’re not talking about with Chip Kelly is his defense. If you’re goal is to run 800 plays a game on offense, don’t you need a top-notch defense that can actually get off the field on 3rd down? AND, a defense that is ready to get back on the field after a lot of quick 3 and outs? Seems like you need a dominant defense, and the greatest punter in the world to fully support his hyperactive offense…

  57. 57 K_Dilkington said at 2:53 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    Excuse me, Flo!

  58. 58 SleepingDuck said at 4:30 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    For those interested about Chip Kelly’s offense here’s a video explaining part of his running game. The same user posts several other videos explaining other parts of the offense. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekf3RGWwqMQ

  59. 59 Ian said at 7:36 PM on November 29th, 2012:

    beat me to it Mark Sitko…touche’