Goodbye Mr. Chip

After listening to the radio host preach on about what a terrible mistake the Eagles had made (a point I very much wanted to believe), I dailed in.

"Chip Kelly has proven he can coach in the NFL," the host declared. "I think he's one of the brilliant minds in the game today."

Disagree. I waited on hold for a half-hour or so...

"John in Pennsylvania!" Mr. Big-Time Radio Host hollared in my ear.

I had heard Mr. Big Time's points over the previous hour and calmly and quickly refuted them.

"Chip took over a 4-12 team and won the NFC East!"

I provided context: yes, Kelly took over an Eagles team suffering from Reid Fatigue (Andy was fired a year too late), got the gravy last-place schedule, brought some clever new college offensive concepts and won 10 games.

"We're talking about a guy who's five games over .500 in three years!"

Yes, Kelly is 26-21 overall, which breaks down to 19-9 in his first 28 games, and 7-12 in his last 19.

"He had the No. 1 offense his first two years in the league!"

His details were lacking. The Birds did not lead the NFL in scoring or yards in either year, but the point was valid.

I explained that gimmicks don't last in the NFL. Nobody runs the Wildcat anymore, and RG III and his read option are on the bench.

We both claimed Nick Foles.

"Look at Nick Foles," I said. "Kelly's gimmick offense turned this mediocre QB into one of the best NFL seasons in history. Everyone knows Nick Foles can't play!"

"John, you're making my point for me," Important Radio Host replied. "If it's just a gimmick offense, why did it dominate college football season after season?"

Because college football is played by 19- and 20-year-old kids who have no problem running around nonstop for 12-13 games. A smart guy running a machine-gun offense like Kelly's (or Mike Leach's) has a leg up on recruiting the best athletes. The run-and-gun offense overwhelms lesser teams and many games are over at the half.

The NFL is played by men. And Kelly's 320-pound offensive linemen did not like running nonstop. His defensive players didn't like spending 40 minutes and 80 plays on the field each week.

And this is why Mr. Chip is at his NFL crossroads. His offensive gimmicks will not work in the NFL. His inflexibility will not work. I saw the Eagles go three-and-out four straight series, and the fifth series, the offense was back out there trying to run a play every 15 seconds.

That has to change if Kelly plans to win again at his next stop.

Mr. Radio Host's response?