What Happened to Innovative Chip?

[GatOrlando]

Thirteen years ago this guy was seen as the future. There was a large push to hire him in Gainesville following Urban's departure. Looking back at his success, and his recruiting classes ranging from the high 20's to low 30's, he would have been what Mullen turned out to be. Dan was pulling in top 20 classes, but he succeeded with scheme. Urban Meyer was an ace recruiter, but he needed Dan to run the offense.

 

I ask you, my friends at Oregon. Was Chip overated? How well did he recruit, and if he had never left Oregon. Would he have gotten you that elusive championship by now?

[Log Haulin]

It's unpopular but my opinion is Chip Kelly was gimmick.  Sure parts of his philosophy offensively is still used in various ways. But once defenses adjusted, Chips offense became very beatable.

 

Chip is a lot like me, doesn't play well with others. He has always struggled kissing up to the backside of donors and alum. He isn't a great recruiter. He is really not that great of a coach.

 

Chip Kelly got exposed in the NFL and at UCLA. At Oregon he caught lightning in a bottle and got a ton of luck. But at the end of the day, he lost.

 

I am grateful for what Chip did at Oregon. He moved the cart a little/lot further down the road. But Helf, Willie, and Mariø did as well. 

 

This has been a slow grind for Oregon to become a national power. Until they win a trophy they will not have arrived yet. Hopefully Lanning can get the Ducks over the hump. 

[Jon Joseph]

He is awaiting the trifecta, being fired from his third HC job.

 

Not only is UCLA Jardin not happy with the record considering the 3-0 OOC layup, but he is reportedly ticked off in regards to Chip's refusal to rub elbows with the boosters and Chip's lackluster recruiting.

 

It's always been Chip's 'My Way or the Highway.' Looks like he's headed toward the 101, but he will be driving (if not chauffeured) in a Maybach. 

[Annie]

On 11/17/2023 at 6:49 AM, Log Haulin said:

It's unpopular but my opinion is Chip Kelly was gimmick.  Sure parts of his philosophy offensively is still used in various ways. But once defenses adjusted, Chips offense became very beatable.

 

Chip is a lot like me, doesn't play well with others. He has always struggled kissing up to the backside of donors and alum. He isn't a great recruiter. He is really not that great of a coach.

 

Chip Kelly got exposed in the NFL and at UCLA. At Oregon he caught lightning in a bottle and got a ton of luck. But at the end of the day, he lost.

 

I am grateful for what Chip did at Oregon. He moved the cart a little/lot further down the road. But Helf, Willie, and Mariø did as well. 

 

This has been a slow grind for Oregon to become a national power. Until they win a trophy they will not have arrived yet. Hopefully Lanning can get the Ducks over the hump. 

All this, plus Oregon was already a good team when Chip was hired. He did not have to rebuild.

Edited November 17, 2023 by Annie

[Triphibius]

Chip deservers much credit as an innovator, in two senses. 

 

First, the read option that he perfected (with the assistance of outstanding assistants such as Greatwood) could not be defended by the usual defensive schemes. Recall Pete Carroll explaining that "we let the opposing QB run, then hit him." Masoli was not intimidated. Carroll, with impressive experience as a defensive coach, was completely befuddled by Chip's offense, as were many others. 

 

Second, Chip introduced new training and nutrition methods that enabled his players to continue to run one play after another while their opponents were vomiting on the turf. The players also deserve much credit. 

 

Unfortunately, there are no patents in football. Eventually, defenders learned how to defend his plays and opposing coaches (led by the now descredited Les Miles) copied Oregon's training methods. 

 

Most of us are fortunate to conceive good idea is life. Chip had two. Once opponents adjusted, he was just what he was before: a quirky and at times disagreeable man poorly suited for recruiting, media relations, and the cultivation of donors. 

[Mic]

I think we're forgetting just how refreshing Chip Kelly and his outlook on offense really was.  

 

Mike Bellotti had a solid, well-coached team that was sound on many fundamentals but it lacked that certain spark on Offense that could ignite it.  He brought in this young man from some obscure little college in New Hampshire who had a host of different ideas on what an Offense could be.  Kelly was most definitely an "out-of-the-box" thinker and exactly what Bellotti knew Oregon needed.

 

When Kelly got the reins to run Bellotti's offense, the Ducks really took off.  Suddenly 4th downs from the Duck side of the 50 were no longer automatic punts.  The ball distribution to get skill players in position to succeed were amazing.  Point totals soared for Oregon.  Opponents in the Pac-12 were caught completely off-guard and had no idea, nor were they built, to keep up with what Kelly was doing.

 

The entire nation stood up  took notice, even if they tried their hardest not to and dismissed it as "gimmick".  Pretty soon the University of Oregon was a football school everyone was noticing.  And then, the unthinkable happened: Oregon made it to the National Title game.  Then they made it a second time.

 

It's my own personal opinion that Chip Kelly help fundamentally change the way college football was being played, probably forever.  Suddenly, everyone had to think about winning games not 10-7 or 14-6.  They had to learn to score 35, 45 or 55 points, not just to win, but because the fans of American football were demanding more! Oregon's Offense was the most exciting to watch and it was catching on around the country like the flue bug.  

 

No, I'll always appreciate Chip Kelly for what he did for Oregon.  And I thank Mike Bellotti for having the smarts to know what Oregon needed and where to find that person to bring Oregon to true National prominence.  Offensive minds like Will Stein undoubtably owe a lot to Kelly for showing the old stolid coaches of the 1970's, 80's and 90's that Offenses could be so much more than they were.  "Defenses win Championships" they cried. 

 

No. Scoring more points than your opponent and ATTACKING those defenses, stressing them to the breaking point, wins Championships.  And Chip Kelly, in his prime at Oregon showed even the NFL that the game of football needed to change.  And it has.

 

Bless Chip Kelly.  I'm happy it was at the University of Oregon, under a great coach Mike Bellotti, where he showed fans what Offenses could and should be.  Since he's left, to the credit of the university they have never looked back.

[Log Haulin]

On 11/17/2023 at 8:20 AM, Mic said:

 "Defenses win Championships" they cried. 

 

No. Scoring more points than your opponent and ATTACKING those defenses, stressing them to the breaking point, wins Championships.

Great post with two exceptions. Chip Kelly never won a championship and defenses still win championships. UGA just won two and working on a three-peat. They did it primarily with defense.

 

If the opposite were true, USC would be playing for a title 

 

The rest of what you said is great and a good reminder of the  years chip was at Oregon. Thanks.

[Mic]

On 11/17/2023 at 8:39 AM, Log Haulin said:

Great post with two exceptions. Chip Kelly never won a championship and defenses still win championships. UGA just won two and working on a three-peat. They did it primarily with defense.

Yes, it was after Kelly had left that Oregon made it to their 2 championship appearances, but it was because of what Oregon had now become offensively, coupled with a solid, almost-good-enough defense.  A little better defense and Oregon may have won at least one Championship.

[EastBayDuckDad]

On 11/17/2023 at 6:03 PM, Mic said:

Yes, it was after Kelly had left that Oregon made it to their 2 championship appearances,

Oregon's first NC game was with Chip at the helm in 2011 against Auburn. Better defense may very well have won that game. And Dyer's knee was down.

[Charles Fischer]

On 11/17/2023 at 6:49 AM, Log Haulin said:

It's unpopular but my opinion is Chip Kelly was gimmick.  Sure parts of his philosophy offensively is still used in various ways. But once defenses adjusted, Chips offense became very beatable.

I cannot politely disagree with this opinion anymore than what is possible over a message board. Chip introduced fast tempo to college football, and revolutionized the game at that time, and everyone had a difficult time adjusting. It gave us a big edge for about a five year period.

 

The fundamentals of the Chip Kelly offense still work today, as my article today shows, and I have video proof. Will Stein runs the basic plays of the Chip Kelly offense right now, very successfully. Football is football, and if you block it well, the play will work.

The difference? The assistant coaches on our offense at the time of Chip Kelly coordinated every tiny detail down to the hand placement, and every single step of the offensive linemen and running back with perfect coordination. They had that offense down cold, and whereas we block those plays well now, it is not with the same precision as when Gary Campbell and Steve Greatwood ran the offense as assistants.

 

I know this, because I created 50 instructional videos 12 years ago, that have been viewed over 2 million times, and at one point I was told that there wasn’t a single assistant high school coach in the northwest that have not watched my videos. Why? Because they were learning from Chip Kelly.

 

I received emails from across the United States of college and high school coaches, and club teams around the world, and even published articles from coaches in Scotland and England at that time. 
 

All those coaches would not take the time to learn a gimmick, but they would for an offensive system, coupled with tempo, that would give them an advantage.
 

Chip Kelly failed after Oregon, because of his own hubris in the NFL, and because at UCLA, he could not select and recruit the same quality of assistant coaches that he had at Oregon. Add to that his disdain for recruiting, and it goes to show how his time at Oregon was the perfect storm for college football.

 

[woundedknees]

On 11/17/2023 at 8:39 AM, Log Haulin said:

Great post with two exceptions. Chip Kelly never won a championship and defenses still win championships. UGA just won two and working on a three-peat. They did it primarily with defense.

 

If the opposite were true, USC would be playing for a title 

 

The rest of what you said is great and a good reminder of the  years chip was at Oregon. Thanks.

Oregon's defense was plenty good enough except for not playing through the whistle on one play against a quality opponent in their first MCG appearance, ever. 

Without the innovative offense of CK, we don't get to the game in the first place.

Certainly their were missed (egregious) calls or poor discipline among the officiating crew, but stop Dyer by hitting him until the whistle finally blows, and the Ducks likely had the Crystal Ball within their grasp.

[Mic]

On 11/17/2023 at 9:35 AM, woundedknees said:

but stop Dyer by hitting him until the whistle finally blows, and the Ducks likely had the Crystal Ball within their grasp.

That was so hard to watch.  It took a fluke event to cost Oregon their chance to take home the trophy.  I will never forget that nor will I ever be convinced Auburn could have outscored Oregon in O.T.  Even in it took 3 O.T.'s  

 

But, ka-sa-ra, sa ra as the old Doris Day song goes.  This is 2021, 2nd year in the Lanning era and we move on!  GO MIGHTY OREGON

[Washington Waddler]

     Everything Chip did had been around before in one form or another. He just put them altogether at the right time and place to capture that ‘lightning in a bottle’. Mike saw what he was; an X’s & O’s guy, an OC - period. It was the rest of us that mistook that for ‘genius’.

 

     You can’t fault Chip for taking advantage of what others mistakenly thought he was. 

[HDuck]

I've already seen Chip mentioned on a couple chat boards as a potential offensive coordinator if he is in fact terminated at UCLA.  For fans of other programs who would like to see him on their staff I would just reiterate that Chip is not enthusiastic about recruiting and he is not a schmoozer with fans/boosters.   That might work at some programs if their HC clearly understood that when hiring him.  Several years ago Oregon had a journeyman OC named Al Borges who has floated among several programs.  Borges could be creative on offense, but had the same negatives as Chip.

 

At Oregon, Chip benefited from inheriting an established staff and some damn good skill players on offense.  Which he combined with a fast pace offense that was foreign to most opponents in that era.  It is kind of akin to a high school that runs a spin-T offense that their opponents only see once a season.  That advantage has dissipated.

 

Contributors here could list a litany of interpersonal negative experiences they had with Chip.  In the "heat of the season" most of those things were overlooked because of the W-L record.  They are not overlooked when the W-L's don't flow properly.

 

Could Chip be a head coach again if he and UCLA part company?  Yes.  But, both parties would have to have their eyes open going in, and I think perhaps Chip needs to suppress his ego a bit to analyze a situation where he could be successful.  My own thought on this is, what would he be like as the HC of a military service academy?

 

While in total my remarks sound negative, the reality is that Oregon fans owe a lot to Chip, and most recognize that and are still fond of him.   But, his last season was 2012 and there has been a lot happen to both Chip and Oregon since those days.

[Charles Fischer]

The likelihood of Chip Kelly, turning 180° with his efforts in recruiting and dealing with boosters, is about as likely as Mario Cristobal having an offense scoring over 40 points a game…
 

They ain’t gonna change.

[KCDuck1]

On 11/17/2023 at 11:14 AM, EastBayDuckDad said:

Oregon's first NC game was with Chip at the helm in 2011 against Auburn. Better defense may very well have won that game. And Dyer's knee was down.

EastBayDuckDad, Of course, Dyer's knee was down! Don't forget the interception our weed-addled but quick like the wind cornerback (CB) made earlier, and which when the film was played later, showed the CB had made a terrific interception and controlled the ball before touching down out-of-bounds. But, the officiating team was determined NOT to check too closely. 

 

Still, that was a fun game, and completely turned once Chip started throwing the ball. We had a 6'6" wide receiver whose hands were like glue, and he terrorized the Auburn DBs.

 

Those were fun times. Remember? That was the only time I recall OBD running the PAC-10/12 schedule undefeated! Now, we'll see if our Duck Warriors can keep it to one loss.

 

Thanks and best regards. I remain VR,

KCDuck1

[Augduck]

I would not be surprised to see Chip end up in the NFL as an OC.

 

Like we have all said and agree, he hates recruiting and hates glad handing with boosters.   Those are essential elements to being a head coach in the college game now.   Look how good Dan is at both.  And to be more candid, Mario was not great with boosters either.   He could be aloof and a little too surly.  

 

I just don't get that segment of the fan base that wants Chip back.   I certainly liked him and totally appreciated what he did but he is no longer a fit at Oregon.  Just my opinion.

[GatOrlando]

On 11/17/2023 at 10:40 AM, Mic said:

That was so hard to watch.  It took a fluke event to cost Oregon their chance to take home the trophy.  I will never forget that nor will I ever be convinced Auburn could have outscored Oregon in O.T.  Even in it took 3 O.T.'s  

 

But, ka-sa-ra, sa ra as the old Doris Day song goes.  This is 2021, 2nd year in the Lanning era and we move on!  GO MIGHTY OREGON

To me that was your best team to date. This team looks more physical on both sides. But everybody wants to look back to 2014, I look at 2010. Ohio State pushed Oregon around. Auburn did not in 2010. Had Cam Newton not thrown a laptop out of his dorm in Gainesville two years earlier, Oregon would have a banner.

[GatOrlando]

On 11/17/2023 at 7:49 AM, Log Haulin said:

It's unpopular but my opinion is Chip Kelly was gimmick.  Sure parts of his philosophy offensively is still used in various ways. But once defenses adjusted, Chips offense became very beatable.

 

Chip is a lot like me, doesn't play well with others. He has always struggled kissing up to the backside of donors and alum. He isn't a great recruiter. He is really not that great of a coach.

 

Chip Kelly got exposed in the NFL and at UCLA. At Oregon he caught lightning in a bottle and got a ton of luck. But at the end of the day, he lost.

 

I am grateful for what Chip did at Oregon. He moved the cart a little/lot further down the road. But Helf, Willie, and Mariø did as well. 

 

This has been a slow grind for Oregon to become a national power. Until they win a trophy they will not have arrived yet. Hopefully Lanning can get the Ducks over the hump. 

He is a man that has refused to adapt to the changing ways. Jimbo just got fired because of that, Dabo is struggling due to that. But National Titles will buy you more time. Plus a 72 million dollar buy-out. Many FSU folk told me Jimbo was arrogant, non changing, and quick to pass the buck for his failures. I bought this as sour grapes, but the word is he was this way in Aggie land. Who knows?

 

Chip was said to be this way in Philly and San Francisco. Only NFL players don't buy into the college coach speak, see Urban and Nick. You gotta give Pete Carroll some credit on that aspect.

 

Belloti helped bring Oregon to that second level. Guys like Akili Smith and Joey Harrington both being top picks helped. 2007 was the year I remember Oregon demolishing Michigan and top ten ASU. But Chip definitely helped Oregon reach both title games.

 

Mark Helfrich was not up to the task of his position, or to even keep Oregon at the level Chip had left it. To Oregon's credit, they have made all the right hires since. Willie brought Mario in, Mario brought in better recruits. Toughness, and Lanning has only gone on to build upon that. Chip deserves credit, but the game has passed him by.

[TexasDuck]

Short version:  Chip took over a strong team at Oregon, and at the same time found a wrinkle in the rule book which he exploited to full advantage. He had the perfect roster for that.  It was a great time for Duck football.  Times have changed, the rule book was amended, and it’s no longer that moment.  He’s still a good coach, but he doesn’t really like to recruit.  Not sure how he interacts with the NIL.  It will be interesting to see what the future holds for him.  

[bbmichaels]

On 11/17/2023 at 9:26 AM, Charles Fischer said:

On 11/17/2023 at 6:49 AM, Log Haulin said:

It's unpopular but my opinion is Chip Kelly was gimmick.  Sure parts of his philosophy offensively is still used in various ways. But once defenses adjusted, Chips offense became very beatable.

Expand  

I cannot politely disagree with this opinion anymore than what is possible over a message board

I absolutely have to go with Charles on this one.

 

Gimmick has several definitions but I assume this to be negative. In that traditional sense I simply cannot agree, as Chip changed the game of football. The impact of that is still being felt.

 

Was the hurry-up offense a gimmick?

 

If the rest of the football world has to adapt to it, IMO it's not a gimmick.

[Charles Fischer]

I was at the coaches clinics with a ton of High School coaches who hung onto every word from Steve Greatwood who explained every step, the hip angle, hand placement and where the eyes should be looking by offensive lineman.

 

The detail was astounding…not a gimmick!

[mikethehiker]

Responding to a couple points made here.  I would offer that defense wins championships at the NFL level, but athletes win championships at the college level.  Auburn very much pushed Oregon around at the defensive line and hampered our offense most of the game before a furious comeback.  We all remember Chip Kelly's remarks about SEC defensive lineman after back to back losses to Auburn and LSU.

 

Chip Kelly changed college football period.  College football has adjusted from scheme to rules.  NFL and now college football is a players league and Chip has not made the adjustments.

 

Lastly, Chip Kelly is the one that finally took Oregon to the championship level that we're accustomed to today.  The fact that we haven't won a championship yet is a disappointing fact that haters like to throw in our faces.  Without Kelly, there is no 2014 championship appearance.  Oregon would not be quite the dream coaching opportunity for the best coaches it is today.  And we are still reaping the recruiting benefits from kids watching Oregon on Kelly's run from 2009-2012.

[Log Haulin]

Chips Duck teams were a blast to watch. Probably the funnest and most exciting era of Duck football to date.

 

There is no doubt that Chip Kelly put Oregon in the national conversation on a consistent basis. But that glass ceiling was broken by Bellotti and Joey Heisman. 

 

Kelly's use of the spread option was brilliantly executed. He would also adjust to the play action and defenses were on their heels often.

 

In my mind, the gimmicky part was the tempo and speed Kelly offenses would operate at. Maybe gimmicky is the wrong word.

 

He exploited the ability to catch/trap defenses on the field. He could gas a defense seemingly on the first drive of the game with tempo and speed.

 

The tempo ushered in rule changes to level the playing field for defenses. Offenses already have the advantage and Kelly's use of tempo gave It what many believed to be an unfair advantage.

 

You started to see injury rules expoited by defenses. Anything to wrestle back an advantage for the defense. Heck, T Furg used this defensive tactic this year.

 

After the rule changes to take away substitution advantages for the offense, Kelly became a middle of the road coach.

 

Kelly went 46-7 at Oregon in 4 years. Since then he has been below .500 at UCLA and NFL combined. He is still the same X's and O's coach. Defenses caught up to defend the spread option Kelly employed 

 

The only thing that changed were the rules at the college level. At the pro level players pushed back on the tempo.

 

Take away the Oregon years and Chip probably isn't coaching at the power 5 level. His "jam" no longer works, is no longer an advantage.

 

He isn't a very good coach today and will be fired because of it. He rode the success at Oregon as long as he could (it's the only reason he got ucla job) but that has run its  course.

 

As I said, it's an unpopular opinion. Lots of pushback, which I love. Lots of great points made in opposition of my opinion, which I also love. 

 

By the way, Lanning is on pace for a similar record as Kelly over a 4 year span. Sweet!

[DrJacksPlaidPants]

There is a very simple answer to this question: Jill Cohen. His priorities shifted once he started dating her in 2015. He no longer has all 24 hours in the day to dedicate to football. 

[Desert Duck]

On 11/17/2023 at 10:03 AM, Mic said:

Yes, it was after Kelly had left that Oregon made it to their 2 championship appearances, but it was because of what Oregon had now become offensively, coupled with a solid, almost-good-enough defense.  A little better defense and Oregon may have won at least one Championship.

Auburn 22 - Oregon 19.

It doesn't get a lot more defensive than that. 

[Desert Duck]

On 11/17/2023 at 10:58 AM, Washington Waddler said:

     Everything Chip did had been around before in one form or another. He just put them altogether

     

 

To me, that's like saying that all the words to a great classic like Moby Dick or The Sun Also Rises have always been around... and all Melville and Hemingway did was just put the words together. 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Desert Duck

[tee duke]

Chip Kelly put Oregon football on the map, introduced me to the Ducks, and hooked me on the team above all others that continues to this day. I'll always be grateful for what he did at Oregon.

[Bruce3404]

Several things.  He was an offensive genius.  He made a ton of $$$ going pro.  He got married.  He’s wealthy, has a home life, is older, and surely has less interest in working the hours he did at OR.

[OceaniaDuck]

Rich Brooks planted the seeds, Mike Bellotti took the Ducks to the next level and Chip Kelly just shot the Duck football program into the stratosphere. I would always be grateful for Chip's innovations to revolutionize Oregon football and perhaps all of college football in general.

 

I'm really saddened that Chip only found limited success in his stints post Oregon. However, just like the Wishbone, I-formation and other offenses that provided schematic advantages at the time, rule changes are made, defenses adapt and the cycle continues to come up with the next hot scheme.

 

Watching some UCLA games, it seems that Chip still has some offensive genius left in him. IMHO, it's his dislike of recruiting - even though he's right in the middle of a recruiting hotbed - and his loyalty to a fault to stick with old buddies on his staff who probably don't quite cut it, such as when he stubbornly refused to let JA go when it was clearly evident that his defenses were the weakest link, that limits him.

Edited November 19, 2023 by OceaniaDuck

[Utki]

Snack Belly and his trademark "eat the buffet" should thank his lucky stars Mike B recruited and set the table so very very well for him.