Gus Bradley held court on the field of Ladd-Peebles Stadium following Senior Bowl practice Tuesday, dressed in Jaguars gear and wearing a big grin.

Half the media in the gathering was from Philadelphia, steering questions away from what’s to come in Jacksonville to talk about what almost was with the Eagles. The brief courtship drew big attention. Bradley had heard about the passion of this fan base, and saw it first hand before he even touched down on Philly soil.

During Chip Kelly’s time at Oregon, his practices became the stuff of legend.

From a November article by Chris Brown of Grantland.com:

For all of the hype surrounding Oregon games, Oregon practices might be even better. Oregon practices are filled with blaring music and players sprinting from drill to drill. Coaches interact with players primarily through whistles, air horns, and semi-communicative grunts. Operating under the constraint of NCAA-imposed practice time limits, Kelly’s sessions are designed around one thing: maximizing time. Kelly’s solution is simple: The practice field is for repetitions. Traditional “coaching” — correcting mistakes, showing a player how to step one way or another, or lecturing on this or that football topic — is better served in the film room.

But will those methods translate to the NFL? We asked Kelly how his practices at this level will differ from the ones at Oregon.

MOBILE, Ala. – The practice field at Ladd Peebles Stadium was emptying out when Chip Kelly strolled over to a group of reporters.

The Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. is where the different arms of the NFL connect. You’ll see coaches like Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier catching up in the bleachers. Drew Rosenhaus walking around on his cell phone, looking to pick up a new client or two. Scouts and GMs keeping an eye on prospects. And college kids looking to get to the next level.

For Kelly, this marks his first offseason as an NFL head coach. He looked right at home, talking shop with Nick Saban one minute. And catching up with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin the next.

After being officially introduced on Thursday, Kelly’s in the process of finalizing his staff. No names have been announced, but we saw plenty of guys with Philadelphia Eagles credentials hanging from their neck today.

When Nick Saban arrived Monday afternoon at Fairhope Stadium — the site of the first Senior Bowl practice — the whole atmosphere changed. Donning an Alabama-red sports coat with an “A” pin on the lapel, Saban strolled onto the sidelines as a wave of media began forming around him. Kids yelled from the stands: “Look, it’s him!”

There was no question whose state we were in.

After a brief session with reporters, Saban was swiftly escorted by Eagles public relations to where Chip Kelly was standing. Kelly wanted to use the opportunity to catch up with the Alabama coach. The two  took in practice together and talked for about 15-20 minutes before Saban disappeared out of site.

Some news to pass along regarding the Eagles’ coaching search, which we now know will no longer include Jim Herrmann.

Tim and I landed in Mobile Sunday afternoon. We missed the first half of the Falcons-49ers game, but after taking a ride on Bass Pro Drive, we found a spot the locals affectionately refer to as Beef’s.

That’s where we took in the second half of the NFC title game, along with the Ravens’ win over the Patriots.

Good service, good food – even for a vegetarian like myself.

Here’s the weekly playoff post – five observations on the postseason, with an Eagles slant.

The Cleveland Browns were the first team to get to Chip Kelly.

Joe Banner and company met with Kelly in Arizona on the Friday after the Fiesta Bowl. Reports surfaced that night that the two sides were close to a deal. But on Saturday, the Eagles got their shot and made the most of it. It seemed that Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman had one-upped Banner for the guy both sides viewed as the top option on the market.

But that’s not exactly how Banner sees it.

What does the reported hiring of Pat Shurmur mean for the Eagles, and what does it say about the start of the Chip Kelly era? Our readers ask the pertinent questions, and we try to answer them:

Chip Kelly‘s staff will have a little Andy Reid flavor to it.

The Eagles will name Pat Shurmur offensive coordinator, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Eagles are slated to pick fourth in the first round of April’s draft. The last time they had a pick that high was 1999, Andy Reid’s first year as head coach.

And so, in the coming months, Birds 24/7 will be getting knee-deep in draft coverage. The process (for us, at least) begins today with a trip to Mobile, Alabama. In the next few days, Tim and I will be reporting live from the Senior Bowl, talking to prospects and watching practices. Who knows? Maybe even a Q&A with Chip Kelly or Howie Roseman is in the works.

Chip Kelly called himself an “equal opportunity scorer”  Thursday, explaining that he is not married to a specific scheme but is more interested in tailoring his attack to fit his personnel. The more you accentuate your players’ strengths, the thinking goes, the better chance you have of putting points on the board. There is more flexibility in his design than many would have you believe.

But surely there are some philosophies that are non-negotiable — like Kelly’s desire to operate at break-neck speed.

There’s a new name in the mix for the Eagles’ defensive coordinator job: Jim Herrmann.

Herrmann, who has been the Giants’ linebackers coach for the past four seasons, is interviewing with Chip Kelly and company, according to a report.

As the Eagles’ brass introduced their new head coach Thursday afternoon, they wanted to make one thing clear: Chip Kelly was not being hired for his offensive scheme.

Since Kelly’s name first started to get linked to NFL head-coaching jobs, many have debated whether his spread-option attack would work at this level. But really, that is the wrong question.

Chip Kelly has not officially named any new members to his coaching staff.

But according to multiple reports, Kelly is expected to bring Oregon defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro with him.

Word on Todd Grantham may come down soon.

The belief from the University of Georgia side is that Chip Kelly has already spoken with the  Bulldog’s defensive coordinator, and will make a decision as early as Friday on whether he is the right fit. If the job is offered, Grantham is expected to take it.