The Philadelphia Eagles struck out the first time they interviewed Chip Kelly, as the coach stated he planned to remain with the Oregon Ducks after considering taking their open head coaching job.
The Eagles never gave up on Kelly and now he has decided to join the professional football ranks, becoming the 21st head coach in franchise history. Kelly takes over for Andy Reid, who was fired after going 4-12 during the 2012 season. The news was first reported by Chris Mortensen at ESPN.
"Chip Kelly will be an outstanding head coach for the Eagles," said owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. "He has a brilliant football mind. He motivates his team with his actions as well as his words. He will be a great leader for us and will bring a fresh, energetic approach to our team."
Kelly went 46-7 in four seasons at Oregon and interviewed with multiple NFL teams, including the Eagles, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. Following his interviews, Kelly sasid he planned to remain with the Ducks, but apparently had a change of heart. Mortensen is reporting that the deal coule be for five-years and up to $6 million per year.
According to ESPN.com, the Eagles interviewed 11 candidates for the job, including multiple sit-downs with Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. Philadelphia has won just 12 games the two seasons, after winning the NFC East in 2010.
The agreement for Kelly's deal was reached on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com. The Ducks will hold a press conference to discuss "news," as it moves past the Kelly era. The last game for Kelly was a 35-17 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats in the Fiesta Bowl.
Kelly has been courted by the NFL for multiple years, including last season when he was seemingly set to take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job. Over four years with Oregon, Kelly has developed a high-scoring and wide open offense that has started to make its way into the NFL.
"It's more a fact-finding mission, finding out if it fits or doesn't fit," Kelly said after the Ducks defeated the Wildcats, 35-17. "I've been in one interview in my life for the National Football League, and that was a year ago. I don't really have any preconceived notions about it. I think that's what this deal is all about for me. It's not going to affect us in terms of we're not on the road (recruiting). I'll get an opportunity if people do call, see where they are.
While preparing for the Fiesta Bowl, Kelly was asked by reporters about being contacted by NFL teams about interviews.
"I don't expect anything," Kelly said to the Associated Press. "I said this a million times. I'm never surprised by anything. I do not know what the future holds. I do know we have a football game tomorrow night and I'm going to be there."
Kelly has not coached in the NFL and many have wondered if his scheme can work in the pros. This past offseason Kelly met with New England coach Bill Belichick and helped add some facets of his offense to the Patriots' system, which has paid off greatly as the team is ranked first in the league in scoring with 34 points per game.
This season Oregon was ranked second in the nation in scoring with over 50 points per game and gained over 550 yards per game on offense, ranked fourth in the country. The Ducks scored at least 40 points in every game this season, apart from the 17-14 loss to Stanford in overtime, which was Oregon's only defeat of the year.
The Ducks would likely be playing in the national championship this season had they not lost to Stanford, but they have a great matchup against Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Ducks won their first 10 games of the season by wide margins, including a 59-17 win over California. The previous week Oregon got into a shootout with USC, winning 62-51 on the road.
The game against the Trojans shows how effective the Kelly offense can be. The team scored nine touchdowns with no field goals and had 34 points on the board before halftime. Running back Kenjon Barner had an amazing game, rushing for 321 yards and five touchdowns, while quarterback Marcus Mariota had 304 passing yards and four touchdown passes.
The Eagles were looking for a new head coach for the third time under Lurie. Reid was with the franchise for 14 seasons and went 130-93-1, winning 10 postseason games while going to the playoffs nine times. He led the team to five NFC championship games, including four consecutive appearances from 2001-2004, and to Super Bowl XXXIX in 2004.
Reid was the longest tenured head coach in the NFL since joining the Eagles in 1999. This year's 4-12 record was the worst for Reid since his first year with the team and ended on a sour note after a 42-7 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday in Week 17.
"Andy Reid won the most games of any head coach in Eagles history and he is someone I respect greatly and will remain friends with for many years to come," owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement, according to ESPN.com. "But, it is time for the Eagles to move in a new direction. Coach Reid leaves us with a winning tradition that we can build upon. And we are very excited about the future."
The Eagles started 3-1 this season, but lost the following eight games in a row, including a 31-6 defeat against the Washington Redskins. Vick suffered a concussion during the streak and was benched for rookie Nick Foles. He threw for 2,362 yards and 12 touchdowns with 10 interceptions in just 10 games played.
The Eagles lost 11 of the last 12 games of the season, winning 23-21 against Tampa Bay on Dec. 9 for the lone victory during that span. Philadelphia had issues on both sides of the ball this season and finished ranked 23rd in the league in rushing defense while allowing 27 points per game. The team also dealt with injures to Vick as well as other key players. LeSean McCoy dealt with a concussion and DeSean Jackson was forced to go on injured reserve after suffering a rib injury.
Kelly helped turn Oregon into a nationally recognized college football powerhouse and will now face off against the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and the Washington Redskins in one of the best divisions in the NFL.
His fast-paced offense has been used by the New England Patriots this season and similar schemes are helping players like Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick become stars in the league. A few years ago it looked like the style Kelly ran would only be good in college, but as things have progressed over the past few seasons, coaches have been willing to let their plays run wild, literally.
Kaepernick had a record setting game against the Green Bay Packers last weekend in the playoffs, while Griffin took the league by storm and will likely win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The Eagles still have a lot of talent on the roster, but will likely need to find a new quarterback for Kelly to use in his scheme.
The Eagles are expected to part ways with Michael Vick, while rookie Nick Foles is not the mobile type of quarterback Kelly likes to use. Even though he doesn't fit into the system, Kelly likes Foles as a player, as shown in this quote from from the Tucson Citizen in 2011 pulled by ESPN.com.
"I'll tell you what; I'm glad Nick Foles is graduating," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said after his team's 56-31 victory Saturday night. "I catch myself watching him in awe sometimes. ... Nick is a hell of a football player. That kid's a warrior. He's as good as anyone in the country."