2. DeSean Jackson played under Chip Kelly for one season. It was the best statistical season of his career. Jeremy Maclin played under Chip Kelly for one season. It was also the best statistical season of his year. LeSean McCoy's two best rushing seasons were of 1607 and 1309 yards. His two seasons under Chip Kelly. Jordan Matthews has started his career with 152 catches, 1869 yards, 16 TDs. Less than 10 players in the history of the league have had those numbers. And oh yeah, it was in Chip's system.
3. Chip is perceived to have this huge ego that destroyed the Philadelphia Eagles team with horrible I-can-make-anything-great roster moves. And it is just wrong. Chip Kelly respects all football opinions. But to him, you have to earn being a "football opinion". This would bring us back to the disconnect between Chip Kelly and the lawyer extraordinaire Howie Roseman, but let's just leave that in the past. The point is, Chip's ego does not stem from an "I'm smarter than you" attitude. Chip's ego stems from the fact that he has been studying, researching, coaching, teaching, learning, and shaping his general football strategic philosophies since he had his own office at New Hampshire University. People need to keep in mind that Chip has built his ideology on how to go about things by studying all the great NFL coaches, psychology, the Army, Army training strategies, sports science, hydration techniques and analysis. The dude is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to football.
4. But he is definitely not a people person. He has a big heart, and what I'm about to say might seem a little controversial to say but I think Chip may have a very mild form of Aspergers syndrome. His brains can click at enormously quick and witty levels. In a way, he's a genius. But he just can not make real emotional connections with individuals. And there is one reason for it.
5. Some of you (I hope most), are probably aware of Elon Musk. Tesla, Space-X, Paypal. He's a billionaire who creates large companies that attempt to achieve big goals and "fix" the world. Great guy in context, but there have been many reports, from employees, that he can not really connect with most individual employees on a personal level and he comes across as cold. But every single one of his employees will tell you that he loves humanity. He wants to help shape humanity but can not connect with individual humans. Same goes for Chip. Chip's focus is on the team. The construct. The bigger picture. His vision. He jut wants all the individuals to play their part. It was fine in Philly when we were winning. When we started losing, Chip was beaten to the ground by the Philadelphia media and fired by the owner. Jeff Lurie wanted to "make a family again". Yawn. I will admit that Chip ran the team more like a corporate CEO than a family figure, but it was clear to me that Chip knew what he was doing and if he were given more time he could have saved himself. But it just goes back to the disconnect and general dislike between Chip and Howie Roseman. Inevitable breakup.
6. I think in the right environment, with the right set of ingredients.. Chip could definitely win a championship. And honestly, I think the 49ers have a lot of what is needed. The left side of the line is set, and other than that there are no superstars. There are no 'individual presences' that would feel empowered enough to feel bigger than Chip.
7. Get ready for a statistically bad defense. It is inevitable and unavoidable. You can't run Chip's offense without running the anti-stat defense. Teams will get theirs against the 49ers. Chip just builds his teams to score points. On offense, defense, and special teams. It's a large factor in training camp and the off-season in general. The entire team is expected to score points. Dave Fipp, ST coordinator for the Eagles, has done a great job over the last three years, but he has been greatly helped by Chip Kelly who spends more TC and practice time on ST than any other coach in the league. And it shows in the results. The Eagles, under Chip Kelly, had a top 8 ST unit in back-to-back-to-back years.
8. With all that said, I like the direction the Eagles have taken. I like Doug Pederson and think our front 7 can be something to fear. When it comes to the 49ers and Chip, I think it's a good fit. Chip Kelly is the type of coach that should succeed with his 2nd stop, as did many of the great ones. Because if he can get 53 guys playing all-out for him, you'll have yourselves a very solid 49ers squad.
Good luck next season guys.
[ Edited by Eagles_Fan on Feb 18, 2016 at 9:06 PM ]
