The former Oregon Duck head coach and current top man with the Philadelphia Eagles was trending recently for cutting DeSean Jackson, Eagles wide receiver.
Chip Kelly moved out of the football backwaters of New Hampshire for the launch pad of the Oregon Ducks before joining the Eagles. He jumped in the middle of a football team running full speed and made them go faster.
By the end of his flight with the Ducks, the record speaks volumes. You might expect that from the man who yelled at a drunk fan, “Why don’t you just shut up,” during an interview with Erin Andrews.
No one calls Kelly a savior in Eugene, but he did take the program to the promise land. Sure he had problems along the way, like all top college teams do. Kelly balanced the attitudes and egos each season, from LeGarrette Blount to De’Anthony Thomas, and made it all fit together.
Where does a coach with such good personnel skills go? They either settle in for a career stretch knowing their program will be good enough to keep them interested, or jump into the deep end of the pool.
In football terms, the deepest part of the deep end is the NFL. It doesn’t get much deeper than the pool on Philadelphia’s South Broad Street. This is where manly men meet, where men learn where they stand in the pecking order of “Who’s The Man.”
With the news of DeSean Jackson leaving town, we know who is who.
The Eagles didn’t trade Jackson, they released him. Call it released, cut, dumped, or pack your bags and get out, Kelly did the unthinkable. He rejected a player who still had a full tank of gas, a player in the prime of their career following their best year.
The early news said Jackson may have gang affiliations, that he knew people who knew people who did bad things.
The current story is he’s got a bad attitude and it got him canned.
Kelly expects his veterans to set an example for new guys. Show that Eagles pride. He wants a consistent message in his locker room that starts with his best players. He did the same thing with his college players in Oregon.
In Philly, Kelly wants his best players to police up problems before they get too big. Practice right, play right, eat the diet program, sleep the rest program. Most of all, encourage new guys. Sell the Eagles Way like it’s the most important thing in your life.
Letting Jackson go tells the rest of the league how Philadelphia plans to practice and play, just in case another player with too much attitude comes to town.
Kelly’s football ideas changed college football. Now his ideas about being professional will change the NFL. If he ever shows up in your neighborhood, be certain your shoes are shined and your shirt tucked in.
You don’t want Kelly reminding you to shape up or ship out. If he does, it may not be the choice it sounds like.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
