When Chip Kelly was hired, Ron Jaworski decided to sit down and study tape of five or six Oregon games.
Last week, he looked at a couple more. And the former Eagles quarterback just doesn’t see Kelly’s concepts translating to the NFL.
“It’s going to be interesting to see if this style of offense projects to the NFL,” Jaws said during an interview with Harry Mayes and Nick Kayal on 97.5 The Fanatic earlier this week. “I’m going to say no.”
The quarterbacks were at the far end of the field, going through mobility drills while the special team units got some work in on the main stretch of grass. The song booming from the giant speakers at this moment was “Electric Feel (Justice Remix)” by MGMT, a techno-ey dance joint. And there was Matt Barkley, bobbing along to the beat in between reps.
“You have to have a groove out there,” Barkley said with a smile.
Given that it’s just the second week, the rookie seems to be pretty loose and comfortable in his surroundings.
In the college ranks, it’s fairly common for a player to switch over from one side of the ball to the other.
A wide receiver moving to defensive back, an offensive guard becoming a defensive tackle, and so on.
In the NFL, however, such maneuvers are rare. But that’s apparently not going to stop Chip Kelly from considering them.
Even though he’s the wide receivers coach, Bob Bicknell didn’t need a football during a “teach” period at Monday’s practice.
The emphasis during this particular session was on blocking. It’s an aspect of playing the position that is often overlooked, and it’s not something that shows up in the box score or gets guys big pay checks.
But in Chip Kelly’s system, it’s crucial.
“With Andy — especially with me coming in later in his career after he had built up such a reputation in Philly among the players in the locker room — there was an aura around him where you never wanted to be yourself around him. You always had to have this front up,” Jason Kelce told 97.5 The Fanatic Tuesday. “You always had to be, ‘Yes sir.’ You had to be on your P’s and Q’s. He was a hard man to kind of talk to and be loose around.
“It was always an uptight conversation whenever I had one with him. Whereas Chip is a lot more — at least at this point — one of the guys. He’s still the head coach and you still have great respect for him, but he converses with everybody, he strikes up conversations. He’s much more of a loose guy to be around than Andy was, that’s for sure.”
Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is expecting changes from last year. “I think Chip’s definitely going to run a tight ship,” he said. “He’s not going to put up with any BS.”
It won’t be long before DeSean Jackson‘s contract becomes a topic of conversation once again.
The well-documented two-year mini-drama between team and player ended when the Eagles appeased the mercurial receiver by giving him a five-year, $51 million deal in March of 2012. But the peace treaty is really neither that long nor valuable. We know in the NFL, contracts aren’t what they appear. What counts is guaranteed money. And after this season, that guaranteed cash runs out.
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Sheil Kapadia has been writing about the Eagles since 2008. His previous Philly.com blog, Moving the Chains, was named one of the best in the state by the Associated Press. Sheil's main joys in life are family, football and finding good parking spots.
Tim McManus is a bulldog reporter with a nose for news and story angles that will get people talking. He'll talk about it himself on 97.5 The Fanatic, where he serves as a host and Eagles beat reporter. Tim, an award-winning journalist, will be with the team around the clock.
