Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports
Chip Kelly is leaving Oregon and is the new head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Chris Mortensen.
Chip Kelly is the new coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, according to league sources. No announcement yet.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 16, 2013
Kelly interviewed with the Eagles as well as the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills after the Ducks won the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl vs. Kansas State, but appeared set to return to the Ducks who could enter the 2013 season ranked inside the top three teams in the nation.
Today’s news represents a sudden shift, because Gus Bradley had been brought in for a second interview and appeared to be the man for the job. Kelly appeared to be a distant memory for the Eagles, but they certainly made a big splash with the hiring of one of college football’s best offensive minds.
The Ducks have been to four straight BCS bowls under Kelly and his brand of offense has been a big reason behind the success. I have my reservations as to whether his style of coaching and brand of offense will work with the Eagles and think Kelly is making a big mistake taking this job.
I believe that Kelly will follow in the footsteps of Steve Spurrier and Bobby Petrino before him and be the next great college coach to flame out in the NFL. Kelly could have been a legend in Eugene, OR and perennially been a top-five team and continue to strive for that BCS Championship that has eluded him thus far.
Now he enters a team with a lot of questions and a plethora of high-priced veterans that have failed to live up to their expectations as well as a city that has high expectations and isn’t known to be very patient.
The biggest question for Kelly and the Eagles is if Nick Foles is the answer at quarterback and how he fits in Kelly’s offense. I don’t think Foles and Kelly are a good fit, and I foresee a long season in the city of brotherly love in 2013.
The Eagles will realize how good they had it with Andy Reid for the past 14 seasons when they go 6-10 in 2013.
More questions that will be addressed include the futures of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Nnamdi Asomugha. Jackson and Maclin have experienced a lot of success in Philadelphia but have also had injury problems and personality issues while also not living up to their potential. Asomugha was a high-priced free agent but has struggled mightily in his two seasons as an Eagle and could be a candidate to be released.
Kelly will overhaul the roster to get the players that fit his system and things are going to get a lot worse in Philadelphia before they start to get better. Kelly only lost seven times in his four years in college and could see that number of losses by November of next year.
We preach to the nation about staying in school and Kelly should have taken that advice and stayed in college and continued to build his reputation as one of the best in the business.
His decision to come to the NFL is a big risk, but when he fails after three seasons, Kelly will have his pick of the best college jobs in America.
Follow me on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt
Patrick is the host of “The Wake-up Call,” on Sportstownchicago.com airing Wednesday mornings from 8-10. View his show’s website here.
