Eagles To Meet With Chip Kelly

Posted: January 5th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 62 Comments »

Reports came out Friday night that Chip Kelly was close to signing with the Browns.  It appeared that Joe Banner had worked his magic and landed the Big Kahuna.  I was both relieved and depressed.   

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Chip Kelly is a special college coach.  I’m utterly fascinated by the guy, but he also scares me to death.  I’ve said all along that Kelly is a guy that you have to acknowledge up front can be a great hire or could turn out to be a disaster.  High risk, high reward.  As scary as hiring him is, though, the fear of missing on him and then seeing him become a great coach might be even worse.

So I was relieved when reports hit late on Friday that the Eagles were still going to meet with Kelly.  Good news.  Here’s the best way I can explain the situation.  I will be fine if the Eagles don’t get Kelly, but he’s potentially so good that I think you owe it to yourself to meet with him and see what he’s all about in person.  Chip is a brilliant guy.  He might absolutely blow you away and become someone you must hire.  Or maybe he’s arrogant and turns you off right away.  I’ll be okay either way this situation plays out, but it was important for me that the Eagles meet with him so there wouldn’t be a huge “what if” scenario at play.

I trust Lurie enough that if he meets with Kelly and is blown away, he’ll make it happen.  If Lurie meets with him and isn’t blown away, he’ll continue looking for Mr. Right.  As I’ve said before, the key here isn’t to hire the big name, but rather to find the right coach.  That turned out to be Andy Reid in 1999.  We’re not sure who that is right now.

* * * * *

I’ll be posting my final pecking order a bit later on.

_

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1514128048 Kristopher Cebula

    my sentiments exactly tommy. a part of me is scared that he might be a bust but a part of me has to have him as our coach. this is so difficult. so many choices. can’t we just hire all of them? cover all our bases?

    • TommyLawlor

      We already tried hiring the all star coaching staff. Didn’t work the last 2 years.

  • nopain23

    What if Mccoy is the next Sean Payton( visor not withstanding)?
    can we afford to pass on him?

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1514128048 Kristopher Cebula

      if he is the next shawn payton,,,no we can’t

    • D3Keith

      Let’s have this conversation after Kelly is hired. We will move on to the next hottest girl still at the club.

  • bdbd20

    I kinda think this is like interviewing RG3 when you have no shot at drafting him. He may be on the market in a few years, you never know. It’s certainly possible that Chip will be mediocre in the toughest division in the NFL. He could be available in 2-3 years if ownership is not patient.

    • Rellihcs

      So you’re trusting ESPN speculation which has been clearly proven untrustworthy?

  • http://twitter.com/MKoikkalainen Mikko Koikkalainen

    I was depressed yesterday when the report came that he had signed with the Browns. I don`t want to get my hopes up but Im mildy exctited right now.

  • BC1968

    On the plus side, Ray Rhodes was a decent coach for a while and Andy Reid was an really good coach for a while. That’s Lurie’s two hires. So what happens if we improve on Reid? Woo hoo

  • phillychuck

    Possible candidates with my personal rating:

    Kelly 9 (highest reward potential, but high risk as well–I agree with Tommy)

    BoB 8.5 (off table now, of course)

    McCoy 8.9

    Jay Gruden 7

    Arians 4

    Roman 8

    Marrone 9 (I’ve warmed up to him after reading about him lately)

    Brian Kelly 6.5

    Zimmer 6

    Bradley 8.5

    Lovie Smith 7 (9 with the right OC)

  • http://www.facebook.com/billy.connolly.9 Billy Connolly

    The big name hires never pan out. Look at the history. A good college coach does not translate to a good pro coach. The eagles wont get Kelly, it will be a dark horse that gets the job and we will be better off.

    • TommyLawlor

      You could be right.

  • GermanEagle

    “I’ll be posting my final pecking order a bit later on”.
    Don’t you dare to wait until the Browns have hired Chip Kelly. ;)

  • http://twitter.com/corry_k Corry Henry

    I think a lot of Eagles fans feel the same way about Chip Kelly. On one hand he could be a very innovative coach that runs an amazing offense. On the other hand it could be one gimmick after another and we’re left with a mess after a handful of years. Such a high risk, high reward type of hiring.

    • D3Keith

      So true. But I think Eagles fans would be okay with a high-risk, high-reward move.

  • http://www.facebook.com/billy.connolly.9 Billy Connolly

    High profile coach in a demanding city we live in..the pressure of our expectations may be too much for any coach to wanna take on. We need a coach with a pair of brass ones who is not afraid and knows his plan will work.

    • http://twitter.com/KeeepSwinging Anthony Hart

      It kind of sucks that our media and fan base are the biggest negatives about the job. The way some people talk about it makes us look like the least desirable job out there.

      • Rellihcs

        Indeed – that’s why it would be better for the city and teams if the negadelphs gained a sense of perspective and balance.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1514128048 Kristopher Cebula

        i don’t see the fan base as a negative at all. yeah we are tough and have high expectations but so should the coach coming in. if a head coach wants a wishy washy fan base who has no emotional connection to the team, i don’t want him as my coach

        • D3Keith

          I wish I could rec this a thousand times.

    • Rellihcs

      With all due respect, “a coach who knows his plan will work” is impossible. A guy who says that either is entirely full of **** or overly arrogant. It would suggest an under lack of respect for reality in the NFL – and therefore, to me, it would be a bad sign of a coach out of touch.

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

    Is Banner offering Kelly a HC/GM role? If that’s what Kelly really wants/needs, then he should take it, but I think it would be an extraordinarily bad idea to jump from college into that role. If he’s willing to work with a GM, I’d be thrilled to see him with the Eagles.

    • D3Keith

      Not to mention Lurie and Roseman don’t seem to have a problem going and getting a coach the players he wants.

      Imagine Chip Kelly getting whatever free agent he coveted.

  • JoeC2K

    I want a coach with leadership and a plan of action! As a US service member, you just cannot underestimate the power of leadership. Believe it! Evidence is the past few years of lack of leadership on the field and off. I’m not bashing AR but I feel this is the number 1 issue with the Eagles. Men man up and that’s not been happening since I’d say JJ passed away and Dawk left.

    • TommyLawlor

      Very true. Leadership is the key.

      Chip is a leader and that’s his best quality from my perspective.

  • austinfan

    If you’re talking $40M for five years or so, Kelly becomes the GM/HC whatever the nominal titles, and has full control – which would be a disaster, especially because I don’t think he has a humble gene.

    Chip is a tad bit overrated right now, people are saying he built the Oregon program, uh no, they were #2 five years before he arrived, they’ve been a top program for a while, have Nike behind them, a beautiful hip location for recruiting, Chip stepped into a very good situation and made it better, but he didn’t come close to building a program from scratch, like Patterson at TCU or Marrone at Syracuse, or salvaging a mess, like Brian Kelly at Notre Dame. He’s had two years at OC, 4 years at HC, before that we’re talking small college.

    He may be a brilliant innovative OC at the college level, but whether he can really run a rebuild is in question, and of course, he has zero NFL experience – which means he’s shooting in the dark when it comes to assistants who can guide him with regard to what will and won’t work at the pro level. So you’re talking a serious learning curve for a couple years. Had Gruden actually joined him as an OC for a couple years, Chip would be a much better candidate, because he’d have a chance to discuss what would and wouldn’t work at the NFL level on a regular basis with someone with real knowledge.

    I don’t like college HCs without NFL experience, they start at the top, and have an exaggerated opinion of their skills and knowledge, because they’re used to being the boss and having the answers, they get hired because they were highly successful – but there’s no success like failure. One reason Pete Carroll is doing so well is his failures at the NFL level, he learned that kicking butt at USC wasn’t the same as winning in the big show. Same way Belichick needed to be humbled in Cleveland to become a God in NE.

    • TommyLawlor

      You may think Oregon is a great location, but recruits are going to disagree. Boring little town in the middle of a boring state. The kids who want to go there are from Oregon. Problem is, Oregon is a crappy football state.

      Chip recruits well strictly because of the program. Put him in a football state and he’d do worlds better with recruiting.

      • austinfan

        South Bend is a hot spot.
        So is Lincoln, Nebraska, anywhere in Oklahoma, etc.
        Ever visit College Station? I spent a year there one summer.

        The program is a draw, but another draw strangely enough is because it’s away from big cities – a lot of inner city kids (and/or their moms) want to get away from their neighborhoods, the hanger ons and the bad influences.

        My point is Chip isn’t the reason the program is a draw, it was established as a draw long before he got there. It would be more impressive he had turned around Oregon State or Colorado.

        • TommyLawlor

          Oregon was good before Chip. No one would say different. He made them great. Only Rose Bowl win ever. Consecutive wins in BCS games. Best stretch in school history.

          Making a program great is what separates good coaches from great ones. Isn’t that the big difference in Reid and Belichick?

      • holeplug

        entire pacific northwest isn’t very good for recruiting. oregon does a pretty good job scraping up the california/texas leftovers.

    • Steven Dileo

      I feel like this is a fair opinion, but like Tommy said, it will come down to how Chip presents himself in the interview. I’m wary of giving a person like Kelly full control of these personal decisions. The Eagles have good draft picks this year and I don’t want to see them reach for players simply because they fit Kelly’s scheme.

  • austinfan

    There may be a simple reason why Lurie is playing it cool:

    Tom Clements. OC for GB.
    Guy is a QB Guru. Hmmm. Been down this road before.
    CFL QB, has a JD, football guy with a brain.

    • GermanEagle

      What has Jack Daniels to do with becoming a HC?!

    • D3Keith

      It will be awful tough for Philadelphia not to flip its lid if we wait until NFCCG or SB for a guy and four or five or six of the other hires are made.

      Doesn’t mean it’s the wrong thing to do though.

  • bentheimmigrant

    Is Lovie getting any love? I think he’d be everyone’s ideal DC… and if he can’t land the HC job he’s looking for I suspect he’d still want to coach. It will be a while before all the positions are filled, so the real question is if a new hire would be willing to wait that long before hiring their staff. Thoughts?

    • TommyLawlor

      I think there’s a good chance Lovie goes to BUF as HC. Their defense has been awful for a while.

      • Steven Dileo

        My predictions are:

        Arizona- Ray Horton
        Buffalo- Lovie Smith
        Chicago- Pete Carmichael Jr
        Cleveland – Chip Kelly
        Philadelphia- Mike McCoy
        San Diego- Bruce Arians
        Kansas City- Andy Reid

        • GermanEagle

          That sounds like a good guess, my friend!

        • D3Keith

          I could live with that.

      • bentheimmigrant

        I’ll hold out hope that he bombs the interviews…

    • TommyLawlor

      I’d have absolute interest in Lovie as DC if he doesn’t land a job. He knows how to teach players to get takeaways.

  • D-von

    As much as I want Chip Kelly I don’t think we get him. I’ve thought about it over the night and realized that Cleveland fits Kelly on an organizational level. While the Eagle might be a better fit with the personnel they have, I don’t think they are willing to give Kelly full control over the roster. Furthermore, the Browns can take more risk with a new owner and a franchise thats seen more bad years then good since it was reestablished in Cleveland

  • Mark823

    If I had to guess I’d say the Eagles interest in Kelly was probably overrated by the media. I know Caplan was saying Kelly is on the list of Eagles candidates but may not be very high. So even if the Eagles really like his interview I’d be surprised to see him come here.

  • Steven Dileo

    It seems like San Diego is in a rebuilding mode. Phillip Rivers is 31and will be turning 32 by the end of this year. IF San Diego is willing to trade him, would you be willing to give up the #4 overall pick for him?

    • A_T_G

      San Diego isn’t the only team with some rebuilding to do. I would not be interested in giving up our top pick for a QB on the downside of his career.

    • xeynon

      No. He’s only a borderline top 10 quarterback and I have my doubts as to whether he has the mental toughness to thrive in Philadelphia.

      • Baloophi

        I can’t imagine a guy who constantly calls out his teammates on the field would last long in Philly.

  • A_T_G

    I am on board for Chip. I see the high risk/ high reward angle, but there are 31 teams that don’t reach the goal every year. Having a pretty good coach that creates one of the better teams in that bunch isn’t all that appealing. We have seen that episode a few times.

    I want us to get the guy that has the potential to be magical. Now, I realize there are a few guys that have that potential, Chip just has the highest ceiling from my perspective.

    There is no salary cap for coaches, no roster limits, and no draft resources that could have been used elsewhere. There is no reason to settle for good enough.

    • D3Keith

      I agree. They should go balls out to get the most special coach available this year. If the Browns are doing it and the Eagles aren’t, that’s disappointing.

      But it’s okay to have a place where you draw the line too. For me, it’s HC/GM demands.

      THE coach this year might be McCoy or somebody. There’s no way to know right now, and we’re not privy to what the offers are and what the candidates say in the interviews anyway. So we sit … and wait.

  • Arby1

    “I trust Lurie enough that if he meets with Kelly and is blown away, he’ll make it happen. If Lurie meets with him and isn’t blown away, he’ll continue looking for Mr. Right. As I’ve said before, the key here isn’t to hire the big name, but rather to find the right coach.”

    Agree completely. I’m glad they are getting their chance to interview him. Wonder why they waited till this morning to fly out there? Did they want reassurance that they’d get a fair hearing and Kelly wasn’t just fulfilling a commitment to interview? Given Kelly’s desire to get a deal done soon and the Eagles desire to go thru a bunch of interviews, I’d think Lurie and Co. would have to be blown away, as you say.

  • aub32

    I hope Lurie makes the right decision. I can see the message boards now if Kelly goes to Cleveland and turns them into a winning franchise. He will once again be called cheap, and fans will scream from the rooftops to the effect of why wouldn’t Lurie just get rid of Howie so Kelly could make personnel decisions. Good luck Mr. Lurie.

    • xeynon

      If the guy Lurie hires does win, it won’t matter what Kelly does in Cleveland. Just as nobody cares anymore that he didn’t hire Mike Holmgren instead of Andy Reid in 1999.

  • xeynon

    I think coaches are somewhat like free agents – worth spending on, but only to a point and under the right circumstances. Kelly is an intriguing candidate, but not at any price. If hiring him means handing him carte blanche control over personnel, which history and common sense suggest is a bad idea with any coach, or blowing the entire coaching budget on his salary and making it harder to hire quality assistants, then his gifts as a coach may not be worth the price you pay for them – just as handing out an expensive long term contract to a 35 year old free agent isn’t a wise move even if he’s still performing at a very high level right now.

    It’s possible somebody like Marrone or Mike McCoy can give us as much as Kelly could or more, and can be gotten without an offer that creates a serious imbalance in the team’s power structure or allocation of resources. I’d prefer a lower wattage hire if it leads to better organizational stability. Good coaching hires win. Flashy coaching hires make headlines, but don’t always win. Lurie needs to make sure we get the former (as I think he will since his decision to hire Reid turned out to be a very good one despite being an unpopular move at the time).

    • D3Keith

      “coaches are somewhat like free agents – worth spending on, but only to a point and under the right circumstances.”

      Agree totally. If the Browns are bending over backwards for Kelly, I think the Eagles should give him everything he wants financially. But if the Browns are offering HC/GM control (even with Banner there), I think the Eagles have to walk away. I don’t want a non-NFL guy to have final say. I would love Roseman + Kelly, but I can get on board with Roseman + McCoy or Marrone, etc.

      I’d prefer Kelly. But I don’t think he’s the only guy out there that can do something with the Eagles. I wouldn’t like losing out on our guy to the Browns, but the important thing is to figure out which is is “our guy.” Kelly might not be the best fit. And if he is, but you love McCoy too, and the cost to acquire either is disparate … money-wise I don’t care, but organization-wise, the Eagles need to put the coach in position to succeed. Which means the things that xeynon mentioned, be able to hire assistants, have a GM/scouting staff to work with the coach but not let him get too obessed with who he falls in love with, etc.

  • pkeagle

    Bring me the head of McCoy or Marrone!!

  • ACViking

    T-Law:

    I talked up Marrone here back in November. I still like him the best.

    Maybe my nostalgia for the Syracuse football program under the late legendary Ben Schwartzwalder — capt. 82nd Airborne, D-day hero at St. Mere Eglise — has colored my thinking.

    Syracuse, under Big Ben, was the real “Running Back U”.

    First, there was HOF Jim Brown.

    Next was Heisman winner Ernie Davis, the first African American to win that award, but who who died of a rare strain of leukemia before playing a down in the NFL. He may have been as good as Brown.

    Then came AFL great Jim Nance, who finished his career as an Eagle.

    Followed by HOF Floyd Little.

    Finally, HOF Larry Csonka.

    Serious running game at the ‘Cuse.

    Maybe the ghosts of Syracuse’s great running game will come along with Marrone and, if he comes to the Eagles, we’ll see a more balanced team using the talents of their runners as runners.

    • http://twitter.com/KeeepSwinging Anthony Hart

      Anecdote going around twitter that he showed up to Cuse with a binder full of his plans. Lurie might get nostalgic about him too.

      • Baloophi

        What if Romney showed up at Novacare with his binder full of women?

        • ACViking

          T-Law would be on his way . . . .

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting expect something to happen today with Kelly. Or so I hear…haven’t corroborated it

  • ceteris_paribus1776

    By the way something that I find interesting is that when the national shows are talking about the most desirable head-coaching job available right now Philly is almost never mentioned. It’s almost always Chicago with the Cutler Marshall combination and occasionally San Diego because of rivers. Just thought that was interesting what the national view of the team

    • D3Keith

      I saw it listed 6th of 7, which was both a shock and a crock.

      I’d give it to Chicago to be No. 1 because that team is playoff ready now. Great defense, star-level talent at QB, RB and WR.

      After that though, you can make a case for Rivers, but the rest of the Chargers are in disrepair. The Browns have some good young talent and are on the way up. But I firmly believe, even with Nick Foles, the Eagles are positioned to make the next HC look like a genius. As bad as they were this past season, so much of it was guys underperforming and not playing cohesively and injuries, etc. The Eagles job comes with a lot of pieces in place. Expectations will be low, but the results could be pretty good, especially if instead of forcing a system on the talent in place, the coach leans on what the Eagles should be good at.

      The thing some power-hungry coaches are not going to like is the presence of Roseman.