New Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is quickly gaining fans as the team opens for voluntary workouts. Kelly comes to Philly by way of University of Oregon where he ran a much different offense than most other teams. His style is a total transformation from former Eagles coach Andy Reid and it is building some excitement with players.
"From a communication standpoint, it's going to change the game. Just the way they can communicate plays and get us into the stuff that's pretty cool. It's something I never even thought was possible in the NFL. He has a reason why each play is called what it is. And it all makes sense," Brent Celek said.
Kelly became famous for his fast-paced, high octane offense while at Oregon. Their pace of play was nearly twice as fast as most other college teams. When Kelly made the jump to the pros, he intended on working that same offensive system in with professional players. Many NFL coaches paid a visit to Kelly while he was still a college coach, attempting to learn how is style of play calling could translate into the league.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick began using Kelly's method. He began associating one word with each play call, helping speed up the tempo of the offense. As a result, the Patriots produced a league-high 557 points last season. Under Reid, the Eagles went 4-12, averaging just 17.5 points last season. That is expected to change under Kelly's new offense.
"It's different. Things change. And I love what Coach Kelly has brought here so far. I can't say that we're going to be super successful. But from a communication standpoint, it's insane," Celek said.
While the NFL season is still months from beginning, Kelly is preparing to handle his first NFL Draft in under two weeks. While it has been highly speculated the Eagles will draft a quarterback with the No.4 overall pick, the team is now showing interest in an offensive lineman.
Last season, Philadelphia's line was one of the worst in the NFL. The team will likely have their pick of at least one of the two best tackles in the draft. Either Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher will be the first player drafted, leaving the other for Philadelphia to pick up. Lane Johnson out of Oklahoma feels that he has a good chance at the Eagles drafting him as well. The team will have to assess what their greatest need will be. With three quarterbacks on the roster, the offensive line might be the best option in the first round.