Tag: Chip Kelly

Dan Lanning fully expects to continue Oregon’s history of offensive innovations

An up-tempo offense and efficient execution is going to be key for Kenny Dillingham’s offense at Oregon.

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For the better part of 20 years, Oregon and Nike have been known for bringing innovation into the college football world with futuristic uniforms and a changing style of play. It’s been a hit-and-miss endeavor to be sure with mostly hits and just a few misses.

That innovation ramped up on the field when the Ducks hired Chip Kelly and his offensive schemes and tempo were the talk of those inside the industry. Oregon did everything as quickly as possible. That plan brought the Ducks to the brink of two national championships.

When Mario Cristobal was at the helm, things slowed down a little, but he brought efficiency to the Oregon program. It was more calculating and the winning was nearly at the same level. Cristobal won a Rose Bowl and several conference titles.

The next logical step in the Ducks’ evolution is to combine the best of both worlds. That’s what new head coach Dan Lanning, along with offensive coordinator Kenny Willingham, hope to achieve. When asked if he wants the Ducks to run ramp up the speed of play on the offensive side of the ball, Lanning laid out his plan of attack.

“It has to be a weapon for us. I also think that sometimes those numbers get skewed a little bit just like if we’re in a game and we’re doing really well, that pace is going to change down the stretch,” he said. “If the game is in hand or you’re scoring quickly, that doesn’t always equate to 80 plays. But I know how uncomfortable it can make a defense, and we want to be able to do that in this league.

“There are two things that I think people don’t realize: It’s one thing to go fast, but it’s another thing to be fast and efficient. And we want to be fast and efficient. We don’t want to just be fast. That’s something obviously that Coach Dillingham has great experience in with his past as a coordinator in this system.”

Jake Crandall, Montgomery Advertiser via Imagn Content Services, LLC

It seems as if Lanning and Dillingham have a guy tabbed to run the show in Year 1 with former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix. As a freshman with Dillingham calling the plays, the five-star recruit experienced immediate success and was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2019. It also happened to be his one-and-only season with Dillingham and it was Nix’s best season as a Tiger.

Nix threw for 2,542 yards (196 ypg), completed 58 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Whether Dillingham’s departure for Florida State and Nix’s numbers dropping off some is a coincidence remains to be seen, but everyone will find out as the 2022 season goes along.

With USC hiring of Lincoln Riley, it’s obvious the Trojans are all in on recapturing past glory. In order to stay a step ahead, doing the same thing won’t benefit the Ducks. They’ll have to keep being innovative on the field as well as off the field.

Lanning seems to be a guy who gets that and has plans to implement to stay ahead of the curve.

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Panthers HC Matt Rhule reportedly ‘sent some feelers’ out for Chip Kelly

Chip Kelly could be the rockstar offensive coordinator Matt Rhule and the Panthers are looking for . . . if it was 2013.

Okay, now the Carolina Panthers are cookin’. Kudos to head coach Matt Rhule for finally targeting that rockstar offensive coordinator in Chip . . . oh.

Sorry, folks. Just looked at my calendar and it turns out it isn’t 2013.

In an intriguing addition to Carolina’s search for a new play-caller, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported on Tuesday that Rhule has “sent some feelers” out for UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly.

Kelly, of course, has the experience Rhule is coveting. After serving as the offensive coordinator for the University of Oregon from 2007 to 2008, he was promoted to head coach starting in 2009.

Over his four-year stint at the helm in Eugene, Kelly led his high-octane Ducks to a combined 46-7 record with a BCS Championship appearance in 2010 (against Cam Newton’s victorious Auburn Tigers).

He then made a much-publicized jump to the NFL as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. But his three years there, along with a one-year stop as the man in San Francisco, resulted in a 28-35 mark in the pros and a ticket back to the college ranks.

Coincidentally, there could be another one of those tickets readily available for another certain coach if the Panthers go further south in 2022.

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Frank Gore on almost signing with the Eagles; The role Nick Foles played in his reneging

Frank #Gore on almost signing with the Philadelphia #Eagles and how a Nick #Foles traded made him renege and choose the #Colts

Back in 2015, during Chip Kelly’s final season as head coach in Philadelphia, star running back Frank Gore agreed to sign a deal with the Eagles that included $7.5 million guaranteed in the first two years.

The deal was supposed to essentially be a slam dunk for Philadelphia, but the future Hall of Famer backed out of his agreement and eventually signed with the Colts.

Gore is now boxing and as he prepares for a matchup against former NBA point guard Deron Williams, the running back spoke with the Associated Press’s Rob Maaddi and gave some insight into why he backed out on his deal.

Taking into consideration a trade of their quarterback and some roster purging, Gore told Maaddi that he signed on to play with Nick Foles and once that didn’t happen, everything else became something of a domino effect.

“Nick Foles called me, I committed to him and said I was going to come. He called me, said congrats, can’t wait to get on the field. And then the next day he gets traded. Then I see Jeremy Maclin, he goes to Kansas City. Then I’m like, ‘Man.’

“At the time, 10 years, 11,000 yards, I’m trying to win a championship. I got a taste of the Super Bowl with San Fran but we didn’t win, so I’m searching to go to a championship. I see Nick Foles get traded, I see Maclin go to Kansas City, and they already let DeSean Jackson go [to] Washington. I love the coach, that’s my dog Chip Kelly, we still talk. But I just felt like when I saw the pieces leaving, we couldn’t win a Super Bowl there.

It was one of Kelly’s final moves, and the next offseason Doug Pederson was hired, Carson Wentz was acquired in the draft after Philadelphia parted ways with a ton of assets and the rest is history.

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Oregon asks to interview former Ducks head coach Chip Kelly

Oregon is willing to kick the tires of a possible Chip Kelly reunion in Eugene.

Many thought a reunion with Chip Kelly would be a pipe dream. But it seems like Oregon is willing to kick the tires to that possibility.

According to The Oregonian columnist John Canzano, Oregon has asked UCLA’s permission to talk with Kelly to see if the interest is mutual.

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As soon as Mario Cristobal announced he was leaving Eugene for the sunny beaches of Miami, Kelly’s name was one of the first names to be thrown out there.

Going after Kelly would be a definite risk for the Ducks as he has already left Oregon once for greener pastures. But he is in a different chapter in his life and his dream of being a coach in the NFL has already been fulfilled. The odds of Kelly bolting for the pros would be significantly smaller than last time.

However, Kelly hasn’t seen the same success in the NFL or even at UCLA as he did at Oregon. In four seasons at Oregon, he was 46-7 with a Rose Bowl win and a national championship appearance. At UCLA, the Bruins are just 18-25 in four seasons, but they did go 8-4 this season and are currently preparing to play in the Holiday Bowl against North Carolina State.

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Miami is expected to hire Mario Cristobal and Oregon fans are calling for Chip Kelly to come back

All reports indicate the University of Oregon will soon have to hire its fourth football coach since Chip Kelly left the program in 2012.

With thanks to an upsetting reallocation of financial resources, Oregon Ducks coach Mario Cristobal is expected to take over for the Miami Hurricanes.

That also means Manny Diaz is out at the University of Miami. As a consequence of the game of musical chairs played by collegiate athletic departments, the University of Oregon will soon have to hire its fourth football coach since Chip Kelly left the program for a brief tenure in the NFL starting in 2012.

After failing to live up to expectations with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, Kelly made his return to college football — and the Pac-12 — when he took over as head coach for UCLA Bruins back in 2018.

Especially after an awkward conversation with a reporter last week, Kelly’s future at UCLA is also as uncertain as ever. Kelly has a buyout at $9 million through Jan. 15, per reports, but that drops to $0 the following day.

Considering the success that Kelly had at Oregon, it’s no surprise that fans are clamoring for a potential reunion for Kelly to resolve what was left of his unfinished business in Eugene.

UCLA will present unique challenges for the Oregon defense

UCLA will present many unique challenges for the Duck defenders this week at the Rose Bowl.

Whenever you face a Chip Kelly offense, it’s going to be a tough week of practice for the opposing defense.

Oregon fans know this all too well when Kelly was on the Duck sideline as his offense terrorized the Pac-12 and caused nightmares for 11 defensive coordinators.

Now it’s Oregon defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter’s turn to have some sleepless nights. Not only are the Bruins running a similar offense, but they are now veterans made of juniors and seniors with experience, making it even tougher.

It all starts with senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He didn’t play against the Ducks last season due to Covid protocols and UCLA definitely missed him as Oregon took the close 38-35 win in an empty Autzen Stadium.

The Rose Bowl will be far from empty on Saturday, however.

Thompson-Robinson is having a good season as he is completing 61 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He’s making the right decision most of the time in the run-pass option and when he passes, DTR is finding open receivers down the field. His average completion is almost 14 yards past the line of scrimmage.

There’s not one particular receiver having a monster season as it’s been a group effort. But if there’s one guy Oregon might want to pay extra attention to it might be tight end Greg Dulcich. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder has 21 catches and three touchdowns. He torched Arizona State a couple of weeks ago with nine receptions for 136 yards.

“Dulcich is as good of a tight end as we have in the league,” DeRuyter said. “He’s a great combination of not just blocking, but you saw his great explosive play-making ability and his ability to stretch the field. I also think he’s a comfort zone guy for their quarterback.

When the Bruins run the ball, Zach Charbonnet is the main man as he is averaging nearly 100 yards on the ground per game. He is coming off a season-high 131 yards in the 24-17 win at Washington. Brittain Brown is the Bruins’ second tailback and he averages 66 yards a game.

Those two tailbacks present a unique challenge, according to DeRuyter.

“Both of those running backs they have is as good of a pair as we’ll face all year,” he said. “They’re both very powerful and strong backs. They don’t appear to change the running game that much with those two. Both can hit downhill and do a good job at making the first guy miss and they’re patient enough to make really good cuts.

Thankfully for the Ducks, however, their defense is as healthy as it has been all season. Kayvon Thibodeaux showed he is fully recovered from that sprained ankle and players such as linebacker Mase Funa and defensive end Bradyn Swinson are all full-go and ready to disrupt the Bruins’ offense in the backfield.

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LeSean McCoy set to retire as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles

LeSean ‘Shady’ McCoy set to retire as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles

LeSean McCoy is set to retire from the NFL after 12-years and officially walk away from the game as a member of the Eagles.

McCoy released this statement in a heartfelt message via the teams official website.

“After 12 years in the NFL, I’ve decided to retire an Eagle because this is home to me. I still have that green inside my heart. There are times when I’d see the Eagles on TV, and it just felt weird not wearing that uniform. I instantly think back to all of those big games and the roar of the fans; I’ve just always seen myself as an Eagle. It’s only right to come back home and retire an Eagle.”

“I’ve had some time to reflect on my career and how it unfolded. A lot of credit goes to my family. I truly believe it. My parents raised me to chase my dreams. I know growing up in Harrisburg a lot of kids had the same types of dreams, but I’m not sure if they really chased them. My father, Ron, taught me how to be a true man and sacrifice for his family. My mother, Daphne, is the rock of the family. She kept us together through good times and bad. She’s the one I still go to when I have questions. She means everything to me. I’m thankful for two great parents.”

McCoy was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round with the 53rd overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

The Ryan Day Butterfly-Effect: How Ohio State’s HC almost changed history at Oregon

It was almost Ryan Day that was OC to Chip Kelly at Oregon, rather than Mark Helfrich, which could have changed Oregon’s history drastically.

There’s a new Marvel animated show called “What If?” that features stories from different universes and timelines that contemplate scenarios other than the main storyline.

In the college football universe, one of those could be what if current Ohio State coach Ryan Day had accepted an assistant coaching position at Oregon during the Chip Kelly days.

The two coaches are both from New Hampshire and were on the same staff for the Wildcats for a season in 2002 when Day was the tight ends coach and Kelly was the offensive coordinator. Day was Kelly’s quarterback for four years before that, so the two are close friends, even to this day.

When Kelly got the job as Oregon’s offensive coordinator in 2007 and then head coach two years later, getting Day to be on the staff would have been a natural fit. At the time Kelly was promoted to helm the Ducks’ ship, Day was the receivers coach at Boston College.

“We talked several times about going there (Oregon),” Day said. “It was hard for me at the time. We just had RJ (Day’s son) and we thought long and hard about doing it, but it was just too far to go at the time. With a young family, I didn’t want to go across the country.”

The conversation about Day leaving the East Coast to come out West wasn’t just a one-time thing. Kelly and Day talked about this scenario for years, and yet, the stars never aligned in Eugene.

They did align, however, in Philadelphia when Day joined Kelly’s staff in his last season as the head coach of the Eagles. Day was the quarterbacks coach and eventually decided that the move to the West Coast was the prudent decision as Day followed Kelly to San Francisco for the 2016 season before Ohio State snatched him up to be the offensive coordinator in 2017 and eventually the head coach when Urban Meyer “retired.”

So what if Day did accept a job at Oregon? Would he have been the offensive coordinator instead of Mark Helfrich? Would Oregon have hired Day to be Kelly’s replacement when he bolted for the NFL?

So many questions and no answers. Kelly never discussed hypotheticals with the media, but this one could have changed the course for a number of college football and NFL programs across the country.

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Where does Oklahoma fall in ESPN’s College Football Playoff picks after week 1?

How did the Sooners fare in ESPN’s College Football Playoff picks after week 1’s win over the Tulane Green Wave?

National observers haven’t taken kindly to the Oklahoma Sooners second-half let down in their matchup with Tulane on Saturday. ESPN and Pro Football Focus dropped Oklahoma in their power rankings, and CBS expects the Sooners to dip in the polls when they’re released on Tuesday.

It’s not surprising. Analysts and experts can be a fickle bunch, often swaying week-to-week as the results on the field change the view of college football teams across the country. It was a poor second-half showing against Tulane. Of that, there is no doubt. However, there was a lot to like in the first half that can propel the Sooners if they can keep their minds right moving forward.

In ESPN’s latest College Football Playoff projections, the ESPN college football staff voted the Sooners fourth. Landing on the ballot of five of their 12 analysts, the Sooners come in behind Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State. Alabama and Georgia each received votes on all 12 ballots, while the Buckeyes were selected on 11 of 12 ballots.

Here’s what ESPN had to say.

Unlike Georgia and Alabama, Oklahoma struggled out of the gates but held on to beat Tulane 40-35 in the season opener. Due to the close call, the Sooners land in only five of 12 lists. – ESPN

It isn’t surprising that some analysts chose to leave Oklahoma off their ballots. National observers have been looking for a reason to knock the Sooners after failing to advance in College Football Playoff appearances of the past.

However, when you look at the teams that did get votes, it just doesn’t make sense.

I can see an argument for Clemson, even if their week one performance was a letdown. They played a strong Georgia team, and their ACC schedule should provide them an opportunity to win the conference and be one of the top teams in the nation by the season’s end. There’s plenty of time to make people forget how bad you looked in your week one loss to Georgia.

Texas A&M, I can understand a bit as they were one of the hot teams. They finished just outside of the college football playoff after their lone loss to Alabama last season. In a tough SEC West, they’ll have a chance to make their case as one of the best four teams if they can navigate it relatively unblemished.

Those two teams are highly thought of squads. Clemson a recent two-time national champion, and A&M an SEC darling. But UCLA and Cincinnati, I struggle to understand.

Sure, UCLA looked good in their blowout win over LSU. But is LSU really that good? Their 5-5 record from 2020 seems to indicate they’re not very good. Are we ready to say that Chip Kelly is back? That UCLA is for real? That seems like a stretch after a half-decade of below .500 play.

Cincinnati is a really good Group of Five team that could one day be in the Big 12, but are they really a better squad than Oklahoma? Desmond Ridder will keep the Bearcats in the national title picture in a solid AAC, but it’s hard to make an argument that they’re better than the Sooners, despite OU’s second-half performance against Tulane.

That’s why expanding the playoff will make this all so much more fun. Instead of debating resumes and worthiness, the best teams will get to decide it on the field.

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LSU vs UCLA: Tigers upset on the road by the Bruins 38-27

Final recap of the LSU Tigers and UCLA Bruins on Saturday night.

The Tigers start off the second half with their longest run of the day with a seven-yard run by Tyrion Davis-Price. The team seemed poised to run the ball with two more attempts to get a quick first down. However, LSU’s offense would face a third and 10 from the 36-yard line. Max Johnson decided to tuck the ball and run for the first down. On the next play, Johnson threw it right to Caleb Johnson for the interception.

UCLA was set up deep in LSU territory for their first drive of the second half. The Tigers’ defense forced an incompletion on second down that forced the Bruins into a third and seven from the 15-yard line. After a timeout by the home team, Dorian Thompson-Robinson found an open receiver for the touchdown. Chase Cota’s first catch is a 15-yard touchdown to extend UCLA’s lead to 21-10.

Trey Palmer gets back-to-back receptions to get LSU into UCLA territory. The Tigers looking to answer after going down 11 points early in the third quarter. Johnson finds Kayshon Boutte for a 44-yard catch and run for the touchdown.

The biggest issue for the defense in the following drive was the chunk plays. Brittain Brown rushes for 19 yards then Greg Dulcich with another 24 yards to get into field goal range. The Bruins would get stopped on third and six when Thompson-Robinson was stopped by Damone Clark short of the sticks. Nicholas Barr-Mira nailed a 43-yard field goal to extend the Bruins lead to 24-17.

The LSU offense continued trying to run the ball, mixing it in with the pass. Davis-Price not able to put together consistent runs. Facing a third and eight, Johnson finds Boutte once again for another conversion. After another first down reception to Boutte, Johnson set up third and short on a second-down scramble inside the red zone.

Johnson pulled one of the wildest throws to keep the Tigers in short field goal range for Cade York. The Tigers would get within four points once again 24-20.

The third quarter came to a close with UCLA driving. The Bruins just went to the ground game as the fourth quarter opened. Charbonnet busted a long run of 43 yards to get them into Tigers territory. A holding call negated a first-down run and an incompletion forced a third and 14 for UCLA.

Thompson-Robinson once again found Dulcich for the first down, Brittain Brown punches it in. They led at that point 31-20 with 12:28 to play. The Tigers responded with a three and out after Koy Moore couldn’t hold onto the ball for an incompletion.

As the clock started to become a factor, UCLA began to enforce their will in the run game. The Bruins found an open Kyle Phillips and Derek Stingley Jr was unable to bring him down as UCLA extended their lead.

As had been the case all night, Johnson was under constant pressure with no help from his run game. Facing a third and 15, he was able to find Moore to make it fourth and short. Johnson would sneak it for the first down, on the next play he found Boutte for the touchdown on the 45-yard catch and run.

The onside kick attempt was all for not as the UCLA Bruins jumped on the ball. The offense went right back to the ground and pound as a wore out LSU defense tried to stop the offense in the run game. Facing a third and three, Thompson-Robinson used his legs to get the first down and seal the win.

Final Stats

Max Johnson: 26/46 for 330 yards, 3 TDS

Tyrion Davis-Price: 13 carries, 30 yards

Kayshon Boutte: 9 receptions, 148 yards, 3 TDs