Interesting Chip Kelly Story

[mav1234]

Considering so many are hoping for him as head coach, I thought this was okay to post in this forum:

http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/51697/the-most-interesting-man-in-college-football

Since so many people around here really don't know much about him I thought this might be interesting.

Some excerpts I liked:

Yet the vast majority of Ducks fans not only love all the winning, they love Kelly for his wiseacre, smirking self. They chant "Big Balls Chip!" inside rocking Autzen Stadium to celebrate Kelly's penchant for going for it on fourth down, going for 2 and launching onside kicks at surprising times.

He tells fans, "Shut up!" for cheering behind him during an ESPN postgame interview, and they love him more. A Twitter page, Chipisms, celebrates not only Kelly's amusing or insightful wisdom -- “I saw the ‘Feel Sorry for Yourself’ train leaving the parking lot & none of our players were on it, so that was a good sign” -- but also for his snark.

Inquiries that Kelly doesn't like might get one-word answers, clichéd responses or snappy rejoinders that belittle his inquisitors. Questions that engage him, however, receive full and thoughtful treatment. Consider this response from an ESPN story on Kelly's trip to Africa, when he worked with adolescent girls who had no idea who he was.

"The real heroes are the little girls in Africa who are trying to better themselves so they can help their families," he said. "When I hear a coach say, 'We're grinding.' I'm like: You're sitting in a room with air conditioning watching videotape. That's not grinding."

There seem to be three facets to Kelly. His standoffish public face, the detail-obsessed coach and the Renaissance man determined to drink life to the lees away from the game. Even the hard-driving, "win the day" side of Kelly can loosen up behind closed doors; those who work with him frequently cite his sense of humor.

...

Yet he arrives at the Fiesta Bowl amid swirling rumors that he's about to leave for his pick of available NFL jobs. Asked about his NFL ambitions this week, he gave a 235-word answer that essentially said "no comment."

"My heart is to win the day, and that’s it," he concluded. "I know everybody wants to hear a different answer, and I know at times when I don’t give you guys the answer you guys want, then I’m being evasive. I’m not being evasive. My job is to coach the University of Oregon football team, and I love doing it. And that’s what I’m going to do.”

So the question will linger for a coach who at the very least is currently the most interesting man in college football: Will the Fiesta Bowl be his last day to win for Oregon?

[LinvilleGorge]

I have virtually zero doubt that Chip Kelly is an NFL head coach next season. I just don't think it's going to be here. I think he ends up in Philly to be honest.

I don't know if we're even interested, but I think someone is going to fall head over heels in love with him and offer him a metric poo ton of money. I'm not sure if the gamble is worth it. I see Kelly like I saw Cam Newton - total boom or bust. I don't see anyway he's just average or okay. I see him being great or abyssmally awful and out of the league in short order. I thought Newton was worth the gamble with the new rookie wage scale. I would've thought differently if he was going to get a Sam Bradford style contract. Obviously in hindsight it would've still been a good gamble, but I would've been a lot less inclined to get on the "draft Cam Newton" bandwagon. With coaches, there is no such wage scale. You're probably gonna have to pay Kelly like a future HOFer to get him. I have a hard time envisioning JR doing that.

[PhillyB]

if the new GM wants him, jerry will put out the cash needed to land him.

[LinvilleGorge]

if the new GM wants him, jerry will put out the cash needed to land him.

I agree on that. I'm certain that the coaching situation will be a key topic of discussion in any and all prospective GM interviews. If JR hires a GM who wants Kelly as his #1 HC target, then I'm sure that Jerry has committed to giving him all the support he needs to get Kelly or at least given him a budget to work with when it comes to the staff.

[rayzor]

i am as sure he'll be a success in the NFL as i was cam newton, andrew luck, and jim harbaugh.

[mav1234]

kinda wish we'd take a bigger risk on our next HC candidate. I'm kind of tired of going for DCs I guess, even if it did work out well with Fox.

[tiger7_88]

I have virtually zero doubt that Chip Kelly is an NFL head coach next season. I just don't think it's going to be here. I think he ends up in Philly to be honest.

Considering that the NCAA has been snooping around looking in Oregon's closets and under their rugs for over a year now, I think Kelly will pull a Carroll and dash for the NFL as well.

Ironic considering all the Oregon Duck "Sir Cameron Newton: Leader of Men, Lover of Puppies...Esquire" signs I saw out in Glendale.

[mav1234]

I don't think I heard Kelly accuse Cam of anything, and fans all over weren't exactly happy with Cam that year, heh.

[Herbert The Love Bug]

Hopefully Chip can coach at the NFL level because there is 0 evidence that he can. I don't see what he does in college being successful at all in the NFL but maybe he's smart enough to come up with good NFL playbook/gameplan. One thing for sure is that I know he will not be the Carolina Panther's head coach so I don't care that much.

[rayzor]

Hopefully Chip can coach at the NFL level because there is 0 evidence that he can. I don't see what he does in college being successful at all in the NFL but maybe he's smart enough to come up with good NFL playbook/gameplan. One thing for sure is that I know he will not be the Carolina Panther's head coach so I don't care that much.

there was just as much evidence that rivera or any assistant jumping to a HC job could perform there.

kelly has more experience than rivera at managing a team and a game and has more success. his transition to the pros isn't going to be as difficult as people make it out to be, of course that's given that he's smart enough to surround himself with NFL experienced coaches, and i have no doubt he is. it's not a transition any old joe can pull off, but if you've actually tried to educate yourself on what he does then you'd figure that out.

btw, we got swept this year by a coach with essentially no relevant experience in the NFL.

[Sword]

I'd like to know his record when the score is within 7, please. Looking back on the past 4 years, it looks like his teams either blow the other team out, or lose close games. Seems familiar.

[rayzor]

I'd like to know his record when the score is within 7, please. Looking back on the past 4 years, it looks like his teams either blow the other team out, or lose close games. Seems familiar.

6-3.

number of games lost by more than a TD? 3

number of games lost by 10 or more points? 1

overall record: 45-7

[CarolinaCoolin]

I have virtually zero doubt that Chip Kelly is an NFL head coach next season. I just don't think it's going to be here. I think he ends up in Philly to be honest.

I don't know if we're even interested, but I think someone is going to fall head over heels in love with him and offer him a metric poo ton of money. I'm not sure if the gamble is worth it. I see Kelly like I saw Cam Newton - total boom or bust. I don't see anyway he's just average or okay. I see him being great or abyssmally awful and out of the league in short order. I thought Newton was worth the gamble with the new rookie wage scale. I would've thought differently if he was going to get a Sam Bradford style contract. Obviously in hindsight it would've still been a good gamble, but I would've been a lot less inclined to get on the "draft Cam Newton" bandwagon. With coaches, there is no such wage scale. You're probably gonna have to pay Kelly like a future HOFer to get him. I have a hard time envisioning JR doing that.

We are interested in Kelly the race is between him and McCoy

[CatMan72]

I think the "who is Jim Harbaugh?" quote tells you how JR feels about hiring a college HC.