While the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles are competitors on the field, their coaches are admirers off the field. Belichick is credited as a genius while Kelly is the new guy in the game. Bill Belichick and Chip Kelly are two of the game's greatest innovators and while Belichick remains one of the top coaches in the league, he thinks Kelly is well on his way to becoming a genius in his own right.
The Eagles and the Patriots have kicked off three days of joint practices leading into the first preseason game and after spending just one day with Kelly, Belichick is loving what he sees out of the first-year head coach.
"I have so much respect for Chip [Kelly] and what he's done," Belichick said. "We've been friends for a while and I know he does a great job with this football team and the program that he's run in Oregon. He's a very innovative, creative guy. He's got a great mind, he's smart, and I think he'll take advantage of whatever resources he can. We'll see what that is. I'm sure he'll give us plenty of trouble."
Belichick and Kelly go back a few years when Kelly was coaching at New Hampshire. Belichick would often bring the coach in to talk offense and tragedy. He even played a role in the coach getting hired in Philadelphia after giving a strong recommendation to owner Jeff Lurie. Since signing on with the Eagles, the two have kept in touch and Belichick believes he will being a lot to that team.
"I've had several conversations with him since he's taken over here in Philadelphia -- owners meetings, Combine, phone conversations, things like that. I just think he's a really solid coach and a solid guy. I've always had a lot of respect for him and I think he does a great job with his team," Belichick said.
The two teams will be working together for a few days; an experience the New England head coach thinks is truly valuable in the long run. Rookie players get the experience of seeing different matchups and Belichick believes it is good from coaching standpoint so he can see what adjustments need to be made.
Pairing up with another team for a few practices appears to be the new trend in the league. The Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals are practicing together while the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers also held joint workouts.
