The new look Eagles led by first year coach Chip Kelly have begun installing Kelly’s fast paced offensive scheme. There is much debate as to whether or this “college style” offense can have success in the National Football League. Kelly previously coached at the University of Oregon. Though the Ducks are known for their flashy jerseys and Nike apparel under Kelly, they were also known for the speed in which their offense played. Oregon was second in the nation with 49.6 points per game.
In Kelly’s system, the goal is for the offense to go as quickly as possible. The average time between plays is to be at a minimum as well as the number of offensives substitutes. This allows the offense to move faster and it does not allow time for the defense to change personnel. Kelly’s system also features the popular read option aspect. Division rival Washington used the read option last season with rookie Robert Griffin III to create a dual threat monster at quarterback. Kelly’s offense looks to promote the same concept. He looks to wear down a defense by running a lot of plays without huddling. In college, Oregon signaled in plays with giant poster board. Each poster had its own symbols, celebrities, states and whatever else Kelly could think of. All of the objects meant a different thing. The players look over to the sideline and within seconds they know what do to. It sounds crazy but it works.
Kelly is hoping to bring that high octane offense and apply it to his new team. In college, Kelly recruited quarterbacks who were mobile to run his zone read sets and to be able to move around the pocket. As far as the other skill positions Kelly put one attribute above all else: Speed. Oregon featured multiple running backs and wide receivers that were capable of going the distance every time they touched the ball. Oregon Alumni LaMichael James is a prototypical running back for Kelly’s scheme. James is quick in and out of his cuts and has the ability to hit the hole with speed. While at Oregon, James won the Doak Walker Award which is given every year to the best running back in college football. Kenjon Barner, the Panthers’ 6th round draft choice, ran for over 1,700 yards last season at Oregon under Kelly.
As Kelly transitions to the NFL it is hard not to compare the skill position players he has now to the types of players he looked to recruit in college. One of Kelly’s main objectives is to have speed on the field and the Eagles have plenty of speed to go around. At running back LeSean McCoy provides plenty of speed as well as shiftiness in the hole and the ability to cut back on stretch plays (sometimes too much). All of these skills will serve him well under Kelly. At wide receiver, Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson have top end speed and agility. It will be interesting to see how Kelly gets all three of them touches throughout the course of the game. Whether it be through hand-offs, screen plays, reverses or jet sweeps, Kelly has always been able to get guys with speed the ball.
As for the quarterback position, Michael Vick is the starter for now and it is well known what he can bring to the Eagles. Though he spent a majority of last season on his backside, Vick looks to still have life in his legs. If we presume that Kelly’s system in Philly will mirror the one in Oregon, Vick will have opportunities to run not only on designed quarterback runs but rollouts as well. As exciting as Vick is when he decides to put the ball down and run, more opportunities to get hit might not vote well for a guy who only played in 10 games last season. Only once in his 12 year career has Michael Vick played through an entire season and that was in 2006 with the Falcons.
A major part of the Eagles woes on offense last season was their inability to keep Vick upright. To help address that issue, Philadelphia drafted offensive tackle Lane Johnson fourth overall. Johnson should help keep Vick on his feet.
The Eagles practiced against the Patriots earlier in the week. When asked about how it was organized Coach Kelly said:
“[Patriots head coach Bill Belichick] called me, I didn’t call him. I have known Bill for a while, used to go visit the Patriots while I was in college. I have a ton of respect for him. He presented it, it makes sense. You have to prepare for your first preseason game, and instead of us trying to get looks to our defense of what our Patriots offense is going to look like, the Patriots offense is going to give us a look. We will cooperate and spend some time in terms of how we are going to practice together. He presented the idea to me, he has done it before with the Buccaneers and the Saints. It sounded like a good idea to us and they were coming here so it really doesn’t upset our schedule whatsoever. I think it’s a positive thing and look forward to getting out there and getting a chance to compete with them.”
The Eagles offense is still one of great mystery. The Patriots will be the first team to see some of the things Kelly and company will try and do this season. Whether or not this college offense will work is something that many NFL fans are interested to see. Don’t be quick to judge or discredit the Eagles and their offensive scheme. Who knows? This may be a sign of things to come for offenses around the NFL.
