The Eagles begin preseason play against Chicago tonight, and the results don’t matter one bit — for the standings. Chip Kelly told a press conference that the starters will probably only play 10-15 snaps, as long as they look reasonably competent. (If they go three and out more than once, they’ll have to stay in a bit longer.) But these …
Chip Kelly doesn’t just want his skill players to have speed. He places a high premium on athletic offensive linemen who can execute their blocks both at the line of scrimmage and in space. It is easy to see how Lane Johnson‘s rare athletic ability convinced Kelly to select the Oklahoma offensive tackle with the fourth overall pick last year. …
Wow. After weeks of dull silence, there was an explosion of Chip Kelly news this week. The somewhat reclusive coach went over the head of the local press and swept national football reporters off their feet, while his players improved, fought and generally created genuine excitement. As near as anyone can remember, Chip has given only a single one-on-one print interview …
After just one season in which his team posted an .846 winning percentage, Mark Helfrich is under significant pressure from many fans who doubt his ability to lead the Oregon Ducks to a national title. Such is the life of a head coach of a perennial top-ranked program. The intense scrutiny is nothing new for Helfrich, who inherited the impossible …
Last fall, during a game at Autzen Stadium, I witnessed a moment I am most embarrassed about; the booing of a college player. Has there ever been a more maligned player in Oregon history than Alejandro Maldonado? Criticism of players is fair game in my opinion; it is what we do. But as George Wrightster told me last week, it’s …
There is really only one month a year that NFL football is not happening, and it just ended. Players returned for the start of training camp today, and reporters returned from their vacations on Monday with a bunch of interesting articles. NFL referees returned, too, and ate a bit of crow. A year ago, they insisted that no new coach was …
Conventional wisdom dictates that a Philadelphia Eagles team whose offense earned the second-highest total yards would likely stay the course with its current personnel. Anyone who made that assumption ignored the fact that Chip Kelly does not care about conventional wisdom. The release of DeSean Jackson, the Eagles’ most dangerous receiver, this past March was a defining moment for Kelly. The …
For Oregon football fans, the past season has been a unique time. For starters, in the last season of the BCS era, Oregon’s incredible four-year streak of playing in BCS bowls was snapped. It was also the first year for new head coach Mark Helfrich. While he had the best debut season ever for an Oregon coach, some fans still …
No Mark Twain quotes here. No rehashing of the great author’s famous statement about his death being overstated. Yet, as Duck fans, many of us can relate to that phrase. Every year Oregon’s detractors predict that the end is nigh, that surely this year the Ducks will face some sort of collapse and fall flat on their feathered faces. This year, the …
Chip Kelly and the Eagles did better last year than anyone but the biggest Eagles homer imagined. One big disappointment, though, was special teams performance. This is puzzling because, by all accounts, Kelly put a lot more effort into STs last year than Andy Reid ever did. He added some players (such as Jason Phillips) to the roster primarily for their special …
Over the past five recruiting classes, dating back to the 2009 recruiting class, Oregon leads the nation in an unregistered recruiting category – percentage of prospects signed that make it to campus. Contrast that with South Carolina, which will reportedly have eight players of 24 signed to this class who are not eligible. In Oregon’s case, this is not by some …
It was Dec. 1, 2013. With the score at 7-7 in the second quarter, the Philadelphia Eagles marched to the Arizona Cardinals’ 6-yard line. It was at this moment when Chip Kelly unveiled a surprising wrinkle. If Nick Foles was there, who was lined up as quarterback? Meet Brad Smith. …