Now that the introduction is in the books, Chip Kelly can focus on filling out his coaching staff.

His most important hire very well could be at defensive coordinator. Kelly indicated Thursday that he’ll be involved with the defense from Monday to Saturday. But on Sunday, he’ll let the coordinator do his job.

“Specifically on gameday, I don’t believe you can have someone micromanage it,” Kelly said. “When I was an offensive coordinator, I was fortunate that the two head coaches that I coached for allowed me to work. We’ll have discussions during the week about where we’re going with things, but on gameday, those guys have to be able to not worry about who is second-guessing them and who is over their shoulder. If I do have to second-guess them, and I do have to look over their shoulder, then I hired the wrong person.”

Jason Avant‘s first impression of Chip Kelly actually came second-hand. When he pulled up to the NovaCare complex gates Thursday, the security guard was raving about the new head coach.

“He was like, ‘Hey man, did you meet Chip Kelly yet? He’s a great guy,'” said Avant.

“For him to say that, he had to come out of his car or stop and talk to him, so that says a whole bunch about him.”

Avant then went in to meet Kelly himself, and came away impressed. He was one of a handful of Eagles on the premises to greet Andy Reid‘s successor.

Thursday’s proceedings at the NovaCare Complex were about more than just Chip Kelly.

Sure, the afternoon started with the Eagles introducing their new head coach, but owner Jeffrey Lurie took the opportunity to voice his opinion on a couple other issues.

One, he offered an aggressive defense of general manager Howie Roseman. And two, he made sure to point out that his old buddy Joe Banner was never in the mix for Kelly’s services.

This was supposed to be the intimate gathering.

Chip Kelly had already sat next to Jeffrey Lurie for about 34 minutes, answering questions from reporters in the jam-packed Novacare auditorium. Then there were one-on-one interviews for TV. And a chat with the team’s Web site after that.

The last stop was meant to be a less formal meeting with writers in a designated conference room near the cafeteria.

But this is Philadelphia. And the last time a new coach was introduced was 1999 when Kelly was in his first season as New Hampshire’s offensive coordinator. So instead of a handful of writers, Kelly was greeted by 30-plus inquisitive faces.

Now that we have had a chance to speak with Chip Kelly for the first time, let’s dive a little deeper into the quarterback situation.

Kelly was asked specifically following his press conference whether he can move forward and run what he wants to run with Nick Foles as his quarterback.

Chip Kelly had been speaking for fewer than three minutes when he brought up a familiar, albeit surprising, name: Andy Reid.

“One person that I really want to thank in terms of advice with this whole thing was Andy Reid,” Kelly said, sitting next to Jeffrey Lurie in the Novacare auditorium Thursday afternoon. “And the fact that Andy reached out to me and told me about his experience here just told me what this organization is all about. There’s not a classier guy. When Andy texted me yesterday when I accepted the job, I told him I had really, really, really big shoes to fill, and in typical Andy fashion, he said, ‘Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.’ So I want to just publicly thank Andy, because that really right there spoke to me about what this organization is all about.”

But Reid wasn’t the only person who Kelly talked to during the last couple weeks.

The process is already under way.

Now that Chip Kelly has been named head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s time to figure out who’s going to help him. Perhaps the most important decision he’ll make (other than figuring out the quarterback situation) will be finding a defensive coordinator.

If you play offense for the Eagles, chances are you are pretty pumped right about now.

Fast break. High-octane. Dreams of stats, points, and more stats.  The Chip Kelly attack is coming Philadelphia.

“I’m real excited,” said Brent Celek in a phone conversation with Birds 24/7. “It’s obvious from his track record in college how good he was. I’m excited to see how it translates and for us to play well.”

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.

One of the worst hires in pro football history? Here’s a roundup of what the national media are saying – good and bad – about Chip Kelly and the Eagles.

Here is how the Eagles-Chip Kelly union came to pass:

Since the middle of last season, the process for figuring out the Eagles’ quarterback situation seemed clear: The new coach would make the call.

Well, now there’s a new coach in place in Chip Kelly. He will be introduced Thursday as the man to lead the Eagles into the post-Andy Reid era.

Kelly’s first order of business will be getting his staff in place. But after that, attention will quickly shift to the quarterback position. The Eagles have decisions to make – beginning with the players currently on their roster.

The Eagles announced Wednesday afternoon that Oregon’s Chip Kelly will be their next head coach.

We’ll obviously have much more on this development, but here is some background and essential reading to get you started. I’ll update this post with more links soon.

The Eagles will name Chip Kelly the next head coach of the Eagles, according to a league source. The team has since announced the hiring. […]

Gus Bradley left for Jacksonville this morning without a deal.

That does not guarantee that he will not be the next head coach of the Eagles, but it does open the door to other scenarios.

One name to keep an eye on is Ken Whisenhunt, who  interviewed on Monday. One league source believes it is a two-man race between Whisenhunt and Bradley right now, but really only Jeffrey Lurie knows for sure.