Jilted But Not Wilted

I was one of the few who throughout the entire process this year thought Chip Kelly would stay at Oregon.  I believed the idea “If it works, don’t fix it!” would prevail.  In a world that delivers so many ups and downs, it appeared to me that Chip Kelly’s life at Oregon was working as well as any mortal could expect life to work.  And I believed that it was his mission in life to mentor young adults, not to climb the Mount Everest of the football world.  Time will tell on that one, but for now Chip Kelly’s perceived need to climb the mountain prevailed.

A fan’s relationship with a team whose successful coach is constantly threatening to leave is not unlike having a girlfriend who keeps letting you know that maybe she’s just too hot for you.  She’s hot.  She knows it.  You like that she’s hot, but one minute she’s sorta here and the next minute she’s sorta gone.  Once you get past the lack of devotion, it’s fun while it lasts.  But then you cuss her when she finally makes up her mind and leaves you behind.  And at the end of the roller coaster ride, after your stomach quits churning, it feels good to be back on solid ground and life is even better than you could possibly have imagined.

So here’s the thing, Duck fans:  Don’t go looking for your crybaby diapers.  Pull on your big boy jock straps and get your chins up!  Oregon isn’t some teenager in over his head in the football world.  The fan support, the financial support, the facilities, the current roster, the national respect and the remaining coaching staff are still here.  We may have lost one chip off of the old block, but the old block is still solid.  Whether it’s a good move or not for Chip, let’s all give him a “thank-you” for his contribution to the success of the past six years as we continue our own climb to the pinnacle of college athletics — not just in football, but in all of our sports!