The hiring of Chip Kelly should give Philadelphia Eagles’ fans a good reason to be optimistic, at least until next season starts. Kelly was the architect of the most high-powered offense in college football for much of the last four seasons at Oregon. And although he never brought home a National Championship, Kelly’s teams were regularly in the discussion - and the hunt - to win it all. But now that Kelly is taking over in Philly, new questions are going to emerge as the post-Andy Reid era is officially underway.
Perhaps the most interesting element of the Chip Kelly signing is that Philadelphia is now expected to keep Michael Vick as their starting quarterback. That concept would have been laughable just a few weeks ago as the Eagles were sleepwalking their way through the franchise’s worst season in recent memory. But with Kelly, there is hope that Vick can once again resurrect his career and be productive as an NFL quarterback. What is less certain is whether or not Kelly will be able to get the Philly defense to operate at a level that will give Vick and the offense a chance to win some games.
Ultimately, Kelly is probably taking a much bigger risk here than the Eagles. Barring a historic turnaround in his first season at the helm of the Eagles, Kelly’s stock is not likely to climb as high as it is right now. At Oregon, he was already a legend and could have cemented an unforgettable legacy there with just a few more seasons at the top of the Pacific-12. Now he is starting all over again, with a franchise that has proven to be very dysfunctional and unsure of itself in recent years. It’s certain that Philly will try to give Kelly every opportunity and every resource to get things headed in the right direction, but Philadelphia is a very impatient town. If things don’t start to look better quickly for the Eagles, Kelly may wish he had stayed a Duck.
Perhaps the most interesting element of the Chip Kelly signing is that Philadelphia is now expected to keep Michael Vick as their starting quarterback. That concept would have been laughable just a few weeks ago as the Eagles were sleepwalking their way through the franchise’s worst season in recent memory. But with Kelly, there is hope that Vick can once again resurrect his career and be productive as an NFL quarterback. What is less certain is whether or not Kelly will be able to get the Philly defense to operate at a level that will give Vick and the offense a chance to win some games.
Ultimately, Kelly is probably taking a much bigger risk here than the Eagles. Barring a historic turnaround in his first season at the helm of the Eagles, Kelly’s stock is not likely to climb as high as it is right now. At Oregon, he was already a legend and could have cemented an unforgettable legacy there with just a few more seasons at the top of the Pacific-12. Now he is starting all over again, with a franchise that has proven to be very dysfunctional and unsure of itself in recent years. It’s certain that Philly will try to give Kelly every opportunity and every resource to get things headed in the right direction, but Philadelphia is a very impatient town. If things don’t start to look better quickly for the Eagles, Kelly may wish he had stayed a Duck.
