Chip Stew: Efficient Use of Practice Time

As a fan base, we have about seven months until Chip Kelly kicks off the new era of Eagles football. That's not a lot of time to absorb the mountain of knowledge out there about Kelly, his offensive schemes, coaching style, practices, and everything else that we might want to know before Week One rolls around. To help us on this journey, I'm starting a new running feature to highlight articles that we can add to our pool of background information: the Chip Kelly Read of the Day, code name Chip Stew.

Our first entry is a classic. The PDF "Efficient Use of Practice Time" comes straight from Kelly's mouth. It's the coach talking about his philosophy regarding practices, coaching technique, quarterback play, and more:

Statistically, 33 percent of the assistant coaches become head coaches during their career. When I took over at the University of Oregon, the first thing we had to find out was "What do we stand for?" You have to answer that in your offensive, defensive, and special team philosophies. lf you are going to stand for something, it is not what you say it is. lt is what people see in your actions. People should be able to come, observe you, and in five minutes know what you stand for.

The Chip Kelly Honeymoon Begins

There's a lot to love about Chip Kelly. But one simple thing I enjoy is his press conference demeanor. Like Andy Reid before him, Kelly isn't going to give out any useful information. While that may rankle the beat reporters, I'm going to sit back and enjoy the way Kelly always manages to say something interesting, even when he's not saying anything. Forget "We'll have to look at that." The new coach isn't afraid to poke fun at a reporter or turn a question on its head, and he's quick with the one-liners. His most recent 15 minute question and answer session on Monday was a tour de force. Here are some of the best lines:

Hypothetically, Chip, what are you looking for in your offensive coordinator?

"I don't mean to say it this way, and I'm not being gruff, but I'm not a hypothetical guy," Kelly said. "Hypothetically, I want a guy who can score a billion points in a game."

About those darn fast practices you ran at Oregon — can you replicate that in the NFL?

"You have to adjust to the numbers," Kelly said. "The Philadelphia Eagles are a football team, not a cross country team. If we go at the pace that we practiced at Oregon, we'd have a real good cross country team. But we're not playing at Valley Forge Park."

Alright, Chip, what about the defensive coordinator?

"I'll give you a new word -- Shutoutability. That would be the one, overriding quality," Kelly joked. "I'm not sure how we can define that, but that's a pretty good word. ... If you have Shutoutability, I need to talk to you."

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We're currently in the dark about the Eagles defensive coordinator, which will be the second-most important coaching role on the team. All we have are a few names of likely assistants: DL coach Jerry Azzinaro seems to be following Kelly from Oregon. Other college coaches, namely Rick Minter and Bill McGovern, have also been rumored.

On the offensive side, most of the coaches seem unlikely to share Kelly's background in the hurry-up, read-option spread offense. He is supposedly keeping Duce Staley on for the running backs and moving Ted Williams to tight ends (odd if only because Williams has been a consistently great RBs coach since he started in 1997). The big rumor is that Pat Shurmur, former Reid assistant for a decade and most recently the Browns head coach, is coming back on board as offensive coordinator.

Hiring Shurmur is a fascinating move that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense on the surface. Why bring in someone who has spent his career teaching the West Coast offense, rather than one who is more compatible with the head coach's schemes? Kelly painted an interesting picture on Monday:

“I think you need a lot of different personalities. I think if not, everything’s the same. And I think for you to flourish, there’s a lot of different things you need. You need really, really smart people. I think you need people that are dedicated. And sometimes, you need people that are just a little bit off too, so it’s a rare combination. But I don’t want everybody to be the same because I don’t think we’d grow as a group. I think we need to challenge each other.”

Kelly is still going to mastermind the offense and call the plays, one assumes. The Eagles aren't going to retain the same offensive system that they've run for years. But as long as they can coexist, adding a completely different perspective could be quite positive. Kelly is a run-first coach who doesn't have experience attacking NFL defenses. Adding a veteran voice who can tutor quarterbacks and help him out in the passing game might help smooth out that transition. Kelly also warned against tying people to one scheme or another. Shurmur's only 47, and he might get another shot as a head coach down the road. A partnership with Kelly (i.e. learning as well as teaching) is potentially beneficial to him as well.

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Do we want a GM who spurns Tommy Lawlor at the Senior Bowl? I think not:

So I’m standing there watching the OL drills and trying to find us a tackle or guard to draft. Howie walks over and stands kind of in front of me. There is a pecking order where coaches, GMs, and senior scouts can stand where they want. The rest of us deal with it. Howie wasn’t rude, just wanted to be as close to the drill as possible. Anyway…I figure I’ll just play it cool and watch the drill. Howie looks around between reps. He glances at me, since I’m wearing an Eagles shirt. I’m still locked into the players. I can feel he’s staring at me so I make eye contact. He’s confused because he sees the shirt, but knows I’m not part of his staff and he’s never seen me at the NovaCare. I mention I write for the team’s website, shake his hand, and mention what a great day it is (safe, general comment). Howie just walked away, probably because he didn’t want me seeing who/what he was watching. Would have been nice to have more than a 10-second conversation, but I got the vibe that forcing the issue would have been a bad idea so I let him be.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Photo from Getty.

The Chip Kelly Era Begins

I'll put it right out there. I have no idea if Chip Kelly is going to succeed. The odds are stacked against any coach who doesn't have NFL experience. But, then again, they're stacked against the ones who do as well. Most head coaches don't last more than four years.

To that end, I'm happy because whether or not he succeeds, Kelly is going to make things exciting in Philly. This is going to be the most exciting offseason in decades, as we anticipate new schemes and a revamped training routine. I don't think it's a stretch to say that Kelly was the smartest coach in college football. Maybe not the best recruiter or the best motivator or the one with the best NFL credentials, but the Eagles just went out and brought one of the brightest football minds in to run the organization. I can get behind that decision in a big way, win or lose.

* * *

Thank goodness we're done with this coaching search, if only so we don't have to hear another beat reporter on Twitter complain about how tedious it's been for them. Give me a break, guys.

* * *

Filling out a staff is the top priority for any head coach, but it will be especially important for Kelly. He needs assistants who can implement his unique system, not ones stuck in their own ways of teaching. Yet he also needs assistants who have lots of NFL experience, since Kelly himself has none.

Derrick Gunn reports that University of Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is at the top of Kelly's list to run the Eagles defense. With top talent at his disposal at Georgia for the last three seasons, Grantham put together highly-ranked defenses. Before that he was an assistant in the NFL for 11 seasons, including three as the Cleveland Browns coordinator (with poor results). Interestingly enough, from 1996 to 1998, Grantham served as Nick Saban's defensive line coach at Michigan State. He employs the 3-4 defense, a change that would require some serious personnel changes in Philly -- not that those aren't necessary anyway.

Another name that has popped up in the rumor mill: Mark Whipple, most recently the quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns. Whipple coached at New Hampshire around the time Kelly played there, and was known for running wide-open spread passing attacks at the college level. He was also an offensive assistant in Philadelphia from 2007-2008, and Derek Sarley wrote a hopeful profile of him back then.

Other NFL assistants Kelly has coached with in the past include Pete Carmichael (OC, Saints) and Jack Bicknell Jr. (OL, Chiefs). Of course, he may also recruit a few Oregon coaches to make the NFL leap with him.

* * *

Come on, Jon Gruden, you know you want to come back to Philly to be Kelly's offensive coordinator.

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Hiring Kelly was also a stick in the eye of a lot of naysayers. First, Joe Banner, who has trashed Eagles executives since he left and engaged in his own highly public pursuit of Kelly. The fact that his former protege Howie Roseman and (former?) friend Jeff Lurie beat him is wicked karma. Second, what about all those national reporters who attacked the Eagles organization for being unable to get a top coach? Jason LaCanfora said that Roseman is "drunk with power" and that his presence ruined any chance of Kelly coming to Philly. Since Roseman's persistent recruiting was actually key to Kelly leaving Oregon, LaCanfora is eating his words now.

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Interesting nugget about Kelly's version of "complete control" from Jeff McLane's story:

Kelly can be a control freak, two sources close to the coach said. But he is selective over the things he wants to control. Kelly will want little interference over how he coaches his team. He will want to decide on the strength and conditioning program. He will obsess over details as minor as what kind of thigh pads the players wear. As one source said, "He will turn that place upside down. But he only wants extreme control in certain areas."

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The quarterback question is huge going forward. In some ways, Kelly's Oregon offense decreased emphasis on the position. For example, the team averaged 53 rushes vs. only 29 pass attempts per game in 2012. Kelly cycled through four different quarterbacks without a drop-off in offensive production. Still, this is one of the trends I would be most skeptical about him being able to continue in the pros. The NFL is a passing league, and teams without top quarterbacks are relegated to also-rans.

So does Kelly have his quarterback of the future on the roster right now? I doubt it. He may be able to adjust the offense to accommodate Nick Foles, but I see little reason to install the Kelly offense only to deprive it of one of its best weapons -- the running quarterback. Plus, as I've written before, we don't have any idea yet if Foles is even worth changing an offense for. He's still unproven as a long term option.

Michael Vick certainly seems like he was created to run Kelly's offense, at least based on his athletic gifts. But at 33, he's not an option beyond a year or two -- and he may be too old to learn a completely different offense anyway. Plus there's the situation regarding his contract. No way he returns to the Eagles at all unless he accepts a pay cut. Still, I think if Kelly wants to try him out, there's some upside with Vick.

Other than those two, you have to start looking at trades, free agency, and the draft. Alex Smith might be an option. He's an efficient, if not explosive, passer and still retains some of the athleticism that allowed him to run for over 1000 yards in college. West Virginia's Geno Smith may be available at the fourth overall pick. He's a mobile QB, if not a running one. EJ Manuel out of Florida State may be a later round option.

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I love that there's a headline on Philly.com Sports right now that reads "Too soon to judge Kelly." I'm glad we're all waiting until at least his second week.

Photo from Getty.

Jeff Lurie, Master Troll

I guess I'll delete that diatribe I was writing against Ken Whisenhunt :-)

Read my previous thoughts on Chip Kelly here.

What Happened to Gus?

I agree with Tommy Lawlor. This is an unfortunate development:

I do think there was some type of breakdown. The Eagles aggressively brought in Gus for the second interview. I realize that the first one was short and they knew the least about him, but the way they did this made it feel as if he was the guy they wanted. If the Eagles loved everything they heard on Tuesday, I guarantee you they’d have made him a strong offer and he’d be the coach.

Does Gus leaving mean he’s done as a candidate? That’s a tough question. I think it would all boil down to whether there was a dispute with the Eagles or whether he simply gave answers they didn’t like. A dispute can be settled. If he scared them off because he gave bad answers, that is something that probably can’t be fixed. Who knows, though. Maybe Howie and Lurie will step back and discuss the situation and still feel that he’s the best guy, even with whatever flaw they’re worried about.

There's no more due diligence to do on Bradley. Either Lurie likes him or he doesn't. And letting him fly out to Jacksonville gives a pretty clear signal.

The Gus Bus Is Leaving The Station

Jeff Lurie sent his private jet out to Seattle to collect Gus Bradley and bring him to Philly for a second interview. The smart money is on him not leaving Novacare without a signed contract. Time to get on board.

Awesome picture from Jake Louden.

Eagles Coaching Search: Go Big or Go Home

By the end of last week, I was more than ready for the Eagles' coaching search to be over. This third stage of the search process, when the top options have gone away and the team is reportedly picking over the leftover bin, is excruciating. While there are still a few names out there that seem attractive (Gus Bradley, I'm looking at you), many fans anticipate a disappointing announcement.

But fan disappointment is nothing compared to the sudden onslaught of negative national media attention shining on Jeff Lurie's search. On Monday this came to a sudden head with a few prominent reporters casting judgment. Overall, I find their line of criticism lacking.

First we have Peter King (emphasis mine):

I think that, while I agree that the Eagles' aggressiveness in interviewing the best college coaches (minus Nick Saban) in the country is good, it says much about the impression of this franchise that Chip Kelly, Bill O'Brien and Brian Kelly all either turned down the chance to coach the team or withdrew their names from consideration after being interviewed.

I understand the vagaries of college coaches interviewing for jobs, and how some of them (most, maybe) want to use the interviews to better their lots in college. But the Eagles have averaged 10.4 wins a year, with nine playoff appearances since the turn of the century. That's about as good as it gets, aside from the Super Bowl drought, in a highly competitive league. But now, this could be a team trending downward...

Fine. But would three premier college coaches say no to the Steelers? The Giants? The Packers? Don't think so.

King tries to cast aspersions on the Eagles' claim to being a top franchise, but it's funny to see him do it while hedging so strongly. In fact, you could take his two caveats and build a stronger argument. The Eagles struck out interviewing college coaches -- but is it so bad that they tried? I agree with Lurie that some of the most exciting names are in the college game, and it would be disappointing if he didn't go after O'Brien and (Chip) Kelly.

Kelly has now declined an NFL job three times over, with completely different franchises. It sounds like he isn't waiting for organizational control or anything so much as a job that assures him a similar comfort level to what he enjoys at Oregon. Not sure he'll ever find that. O'Brien, meanwhile, needed to wrap up his NFL flirtation as quickly as possible, since he had recruits to retain and a reputation to uphold. That he leveraged the Eagles' interest into a raise and more was no big surprise.

Jason LaCanfora took the issue further than King with this hit piece:

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me one esteemed coach or another advised one of the Eagles' top candidates not to take the job precisely because of Roseman's presence there. Roseman isn't the general manager they should tie their wagon to. It's clear Chip Kelly wasn't leaving Oregon for anywhere unless he had a large measure of control over the organization, and owner Jeffrey Lurie has already entrusted that to Roseman. There has been trepidation by some candidates to go all-in given the questions about this existing power structure.

The rumblings about Roseman lacking nuance and foresight, about him turning people off with how drunk with power he's become, only grow louder as his coaching search grows stranger.

I think it's possible that, despite Lurie's protestations to the contrary, Howie Roseman is a terrible GM and a negative aspect to the Eagles head coaching job. But LaCanfora paints this as the sole reason the team failed to hire one of their top candidates. Notice how he conveniently leaves out that Kelly could have gone to Cleveland instead, where he could have not only avoided the dreaded Roseman, but also hand-picked his own GM?

All of this speculation is misguided. It's not as if the Eagles wanted Rob Chudzinski or Doug Marrone and the Browns/Bills were more attractive situations. They went after big names and failed to reel them in. That's disappointing from an organizational and fan perspective, but it's not indicative of any greater dysfuction.

The team's main problem right now is one of perception. They look desperate. While the Browns gave up on college coaches all together and settled on Chudzinski, the Eagles were still tilting at the windmill. They went after the second, lesser Kelly, even though no one expected the Notre Dame coach to leave South Bend and few thought he would be a good NFL coach. Then they interviewed Brian Billick, one of the worst TV analysts out there.

Sure, as people like Dan Graziano point out, the Eagles have a questionable GM, no franchise QB, and a fanbase and local media market that's known for being ruthless -- as if other franchises who needed to clean house this offseason are in such great shape. Hysteria aside, the Eagles job is still quite attractive, and I expect Lurie to come to a conclusion on the new coach in the next few days.

Photo from Getty.

Why Not Jon Gruden?

File this one under "Wish I had written it." Sheil Kapadia does a great job raising the question of Jon Gruden. When you've gone as far as having interviewed Brian Billick, Gruden starts to look very attractive:

If the Eagles looked into the Gruden possibility and decided against it, that’s OK. Maybe there are issues from when Gruden was the Eagles offensive coordinator back in the 90s. Maybe he’s making unreasonable contract demands. Maybe he wants full personnel control. Or maybe the story of how things fell apart in Tampa is even worse than we know. After all, it hasn’t been just the Eagles. No team has expressed interest publicly in Gruden this offseason. If Lurie and Howie Roseman did their homework and decided Gruden would be a bad fit, that’s fine...

Considering his comments at the beginning of the search and the nature of the process, Lurie would be making a mistake if he didn’t at least look into Gruden as an option somewhere along the line.