Chip Kelly is on Philly soil.
A group of television reporters gathered at Northeast airport Wednesday night as the new Eagles head coach touched down. He stopped and spoke briefly with 6ABC and others before heading to Jeffrey Lurie‘s house with Howie Roseman and Don Smolenski.
“It was really tough,” Kelly said of his decision to leave Oregon. “I left a special, special place. And that’s probably what took me so long to make a decision. The challenge is what I was excited about, and that’s why I came. It’s a great city, it’s an iconic franchise, they’ve got an unbelievable owner. But I left some great people back at Oregon and that was the tough part.
On how the Eagles sold him on the idea: “I was sold on the Eagles the first time I met them. It was just my ties to Oregon. It was a people deal. I have great players there, an unbelievable coaching staff, that’s what made it hard because it’s a human decision. The Eagles are the Eagles. This is the NFL.”
If this is his dream job: “My dream is to just win, and this was the best opportunity for me to win. I never thought a long time ago that I would be able to coach in the NFL. I’m excited about the opportunity. I know there is a rabid fan base here, which is good. I got a text on the plane that I was getting tracked like Santa Claus, which is flattering until I remembered the Philly fans booed Santa Claus. I hope they don’t boo me,” he said with a smile.
The video, courtesy of 6ABC, below.
