Chip Kelly to Eagles

[MarkL]

I loved Chip Kelly at Oregon. That offense was a blast to watch every week. His team played so well under his direction and really made their opponents suffer when they made mistakes. If the defense forced a turnover, that almost always led to points and then a snowball effect. When they played K-State in the Fiesta Bowl, K-State had momentum and was going punch for punch with Oregon until a false start penalty led to a missed field goal. That simple mistake sparked the Oregon team and they never looked back. So now that he's headed to the NFL, I'm really curious how he will pan out. I have no doubt of his abilities as a head coach, but I'm curious what the offense will look like. Will he try to port the crazy Oregon offense to the NFL? Will he be able to do the type of up-tempo, pre-snap reads with his current roster and against talented, fast, strong, and experienced NFL defenses? If that offense fails miserably, what next? Should be fun.

And a side note ... I wish an alternate dimension existed. In this alternate dimension, Omar Jacobs is in the 2013 NFL draft and Chip Kelly is needing a QB. Jacobs didn't pan out in the NFL when he had his shot primarily because he couldn't grasp the pro-style playbook. Jacobs would have fit Chip Kelly's spread offense surprisingly well IMO. The offense needs a QB that can make quick but relatively easy reads and accurate throws, and Jacobs fits the bill. Too bad said alternate dimension does not exist.

[gmartin]

NCAA sanctions coming at Oregon. He left just like the scared USC coach, Pete Carroll who went to the Seahawks. The Eagles have playmakers, and quick ones. They have the wide receivers. They have the running backs. Oregon had a below average offensive line but with quick reads and uptempo you don't need the best offensive line so the Eagles are set there.

I don't believe Vick is the best option at QB. I really don't even know a QB whom could run that offense. Call me crazy, but maybe Alex Smith or Matt Flynn.

[hammb]

As a Browns fan I'm sad to see that he ended up going to the NFL after first telling the NFL teams no thanks and heading back to Oregon. It sounded as though he was the favorite for the Browns job (a proposition that had me very excited), but if he went back to college so be it. I love Chudzinski, but Chip Kelly was the hire that would have had me drooling.

Now all that being said, I really think everybody is going to be very surprised to see how different Chip's NFL offense will be than what he ran at Oregon. What makes him an innovator is the WHY, not the HOW. I think he'll bring the up tempo concepts (the ones NE has been borrowing from him). He'll bring the on the fly audible system. He'll bring the concept of spreading the field horizontally as well as vertically. I don't, however, think he'll be bringing his Oregon playbook with him. Those super small OL that he used at Oregon will get destroyed in the NFL. Same goes for his super small RBs.

Chip Kelly is a VERY smart coach and I think he knows that. I think he is smart enough to realize that the aggressive up tempo nature will play very well in the league, but his exact scheme will not. I expect him to change that up quite a bit and have a ton of success. The one HUGE question I had with him when in discussions with the Browns were how much power he was going to get, and I don't know what he got at Philly. I would be VERY leery of giving much player personnel say to a guy that has 0 NFL experience. If they have experienced NFL guys picking players for Chip Kelly's offensive concepts and aggressive nature I think he'll do quite well there.

[MarkL]

Hammb, you have awesome NFL insight. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the right QB for Kelly. At minimum, he needs somebody that can grasp a new playbook that is up tempo and involves a lot of pre-snap reads. He might potentially also need some scrambling ability like Russell Wilson. So if you could pick one or two QBs for the Eagles based off the current QBs in the league and the 2013 draft class, who would you pick?

[hammb]

Hammb, you have awesome NFL insight. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the right QB for Kelly. At minimum, he needs somebody that can grasp a new playbook that is up tempo and involves a lot of pre-snap reads. He might potentially also need some scrambling ability like Russell Wilson. So if you could pick one or two QBs for the Eagles based off the current QBs in the league and the 2013 draft class, who would you pick?

I could be wrong. Perhaps Kelly will do what all the casual football fans are saying and come in and try to run a spread/read-option offense in Philly. If that is what he's going to want to do (basically bring the exact offense he runs at Oregon to the NFL), then I think the best QBs in the league for him right now would be Vick, Kaepernick, RGIII, or Cam Newton.

I don't think that's what he'll do though.

I think that Chip is going to have an NFL offense that looks very similar to what NE runs. He wants to run the ball, he's said that countless times...he'd run the ball every play if he could. He just believes that the best way to run is to spread the field horizontally and force the defense to show their hand. Then run when it favors you, and pass when it favors you to pass. With that in mind I think you nailed it dead on nuts: He needs a QB that can process information and deliver the football quickly, accurately, and on time. Thus, contrary to what most want to believe I think by FAR the best QB for Chip Kelly is Peyton Manning. Obviously not available, but THAT is what I think Chip Kelly wants. Next in line? Tom Brady who is basically running a lot of what I expect Kelly to do in the NFL right now.

I've also read some writing that Kelly wrote that he felt every single sack was the fault of the QB. I'm actually inclined to agree with him, and that line of thinking is one of the things that makes me such a fan of Kelly. Again, this points to a cerebral QB that can get rid of it quickly...NOT necessarily a guy that can escape and gain yards on his own.

As for the 2013 draft? Meh... I like Tyler Wilson for what he was able to accomplish in the SEC, but other than that I'm not sure there is a good QB in this draft...just a bunch of projects. And with Wilson's concussion history he's probably not real high on many people's lists either. For Kelly specifically? I could see Barkley in play because I think he does a good job pre-snap...but I've always felt that it was very tough to judge how a QB will do pre-snap in the NFL from how they do in college simply because the reads are vastly different and the coverages are 10x more complex. I really think the best thing you can do with QB in the NFL is take the guy that has the physical tools you want and a great work ethic...and hope he develops the ability to read NFL defenses. I really don't think anybody KNOWS what to look for in a prospect with regards to their future ability to read a defense.

Personally I expect Kelly's ideal QB to be similar to Brady/Manning:

1. Heady...must be able to process information quickly since much of the offense will be predicated on him recognizing the right thing pre-snap.
2. Quick Release...as I said, Kelly believes you should never take a sack...getting rid of the ball is key.
3. Big Hands...I read a blurb where Kelly talked about how he didn't feel height was important for a QB, they should be throwing through lanes, not over the line. However, he does feel hand size is important to ensure a solid grip on the ball and limit fumbles.


Finally down the list, I do think he'd LIKE to have a Mobile QB, but I don't think it's one of the top 3 things he'll be looking for. Nor do I feel as though he NEEDS one to succeed at the NFL level. If we're limiting it to QBs that the Eagles have a chance at landing, I actually think gmartin hit the nail on the head: I think Alex Smith might almost be a glove like fit there. He's not gonna push the ball downfield, but he has a quick release, he's super smart, he's accurate, and he does have that athleticism that I think Kelly would like.