2013 NFL Coaching Carousel

[SenorBeef]

What a weird turn of events. We poach some of your front office staff (probably the worst of it), but then follow it up with what might be the best OC/DC team in the league. You hire the big name head coach, and then fill out the staff with garbage. Well, I don’t know if Davis is garbage. But a weird series of events.

[Hamlet]

@Jules_Andre

Kelly was really exciting to me when he was hired because, as I said in this post, he’s exactly the type of coach I want.

Any predictions? Is he Steve Spurrier or Pete Carroll? Nick Saban or Jimmy Johnson?

After the free agency class a couple years ago and the hiring of Kelly, it seems sometimes that the Eagles are kinda desperate, chasing the next big thing. Do you think they found it in Chip Kelly?

[Jules_Andre]

@Hamlet

Any predictions? Is he Steve Spurrier or Pete Carroll? Nick Saban or Jimmy Johnson?

I’m never shy about making predictions, but I can’t come up with any concrete predictions because I don’t have much experience following Chip and I wasn’t a close follower of the Eagles the last time they made a coaching change.

I will say that I don’t think Chip Kelly will fail in the NFL. He’s without a doubt an extremely intelligent guy and he seems very introspective and curious and willing to improve by any means necessary. He says the things I have always wanted my coach to say. I mean, here’s a quote from his press conference today:

@Chip Kelly

The game of football has evolved. I think we as coaches have to evolve with it. And to always harken back to, well, we did it because that’s the way it’s always been done, I just never bought into that theory in my mind.

I want to know why we do things and everything we do. Whether it’s the athletic training room, the strength and conditioning room, to anything that touches this football team. And the only answer I won’t accept is because we’ve always done it that way.

I can’t imagine someone with his characteristics being a failure. He isn’t lazy, you can’t possibly question his dedication to football (which level he’s dedicated to… fair question). He was never a “recruiter” who gets by on superior talent. He seems more like a grinder who is always looking for the 2% more efficient way to do anything. That guy very rarely fails.

After the free agency class a couple years ago and the hiring of Kelly, it seems sometimes that the Eagles are kinda desperate, chasing the next big thing. Do you think they found it in Chip Kelly?

Desperate is absolutely fair, but I don’t think Chip Kelly was a desperate hire. The Eagles were prepared and willing to hire Gus Bradley when they thought Kelly had gone back to the college level. Is Bradley emblematic of desperation? I think they really wanted Kelly specifically for who he is and he just so happened to also be the “big name.” I don’t think labeling Kelly’s hiring as a sign of desperation is fair.

I wish I could say what his future with the Eagles will be. Too many things come down to luck and fortune (injuries, who’s available when you draft near the top, etc.). The Eagles haven’t had a ton of that good fortune lately. I really do think Chip Kelly will be a success and I hope the organization, media, and fans recognize that he’s got a ton of work to do that will likely take a couple of seasons before a fruitful harvest. I hope he gets that time. I can’t see him failing given a reasonable amount of time (4-5 years).