FishDuck Article Administrator No. 1 Share Posted January 23 If this article was written a month ago it would be rather uncomplicated, but Chip Kelly recently took a shot at his former team and Dan Lanning’s absolute brilliant 12-man on the field play that sealed the Oregon win over Ohio State back in October. In saying that Oregon needed 12 players to beat them, it diminished the success and ... How Should Duck Fans Remember Chip Kelly? | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM If this article was written a month ago it would be rather uncomplicated, but Chip Kelly recently took a shot at his former team and Dan Lanning’s absolute… 1 1 Two Sites: FishDuck and the Our Beloved Ducks forum, The only "Forum with Decorum!" And All-Volunteer? What a wonderful community of Duck fans! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smith72 Moderator No. 2 Share Posted January 23 I agree with you David, "...Kelly is no longer our coach and he hasn’t been since the 2012 season concluded.". He especially was no longer our coach when he chose to come back to the Pac-12 and coach our competition. I also remember the dark cloud he was under when he ran away to the Philadelphia Eagles. Wasn't it a recruiting violation to do with a running back. Oregon was put on probation for 3 years and lost scholarships. Yes, I can celebrate Kelly for his 4 years at Oregon, but now he is just a cheap shot opposing assistant coach. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 3 Share Posted January 23 Chip is a "Once a Duck". It was a glorious time, that ended with him leaving to follow his dream and the Ducks reeling, on probation due to his blatant disregard for the foundation of college coaching, recruiting. He underplayed his return to Autzen, Oregon was just a "faceless opponent" during his mediocre run at UCLA. His true feelings for Oregon were revealed in his demeaning slam about the 12 on the field. 46-7 is now simply a statistic. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 4 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 5:25 AM, Smith72 said: Wasn't it a recruiting violation to do with a running back. Oregon was put on probation for 3 years and lost scholarships. Yeah it was a recruiting violation but most today agree that Oregon got a bit more of a punishment for the crime. Oregon lost about 10 scholarships and more importantly about 10 official visits per year. Helfrich needed to choose to use those official visits for more surefire recruits than taking long shots on big names. At the time the max official visits limit was 35-38 (I'd have to look it up again but it was sub 40). A far cry from the unlimited today. So Helfrich was working with about 25-30 official visits. Even today with Oregon's recruiting juggernaut, getting a recruit on campus is vital and beyond that using an official visits to do so can be all the difference from being taken seriously as a destination and not. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCKED No. 5 Share Posted January 23 Kelly should and will be remembered as one of the greatest coaches in Oregon history.…..and he made the entire nation pay attention to Duck football. Chip’s 12 man comment may have rubbed Oregon fans the wrong way, but I don’t recall him ever saying anything else that might be construed as throwing shade on the Ducks. I’ll give him a pass in that one blip. Have there been others? 3 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie No. 6 Share Posted January 23 I appreciate what CK did for Oregon when he was here, but I was never a fan of his personality and I'm still not. 1 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartm25 No. 7 Share Posted January 23 The 4-year stretch with Chip Kelly as head coach was the most electric tenure in Duck history, and I'm not sure there was a more exciting team/stretch in all of college football. The vibes of that team every Saturday was off the charts. Every game was pure entertainment . . . or at least the anticipation of pure entertainment, and I was rarely left disappointed. I give Chip Kelly more credit for the growth and recruiting of the program during that time. There are STILL recruits today that credit that era/players/offense for making Oregon their dream school. However, I choose to compartmentalize Oregon Chip Kelly (Love) and osu Chip Kelly (Despise). I would have no problem if Chip Kelly had more success at UCLA than he did. At least he was doing it on his own. Him joining osu felt wrong and dirty . . . like LeBron joining super-team after super-team, or Kevin Durant joining the juggernaut Golden State Warriors. 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryM9 No. 8 Share Posted January 23 I really enjoyed Chips time at Oregon. His teams were the most fun that I have ever watched. Nothing about that changes for me after he left. I will always like him. His 11man comment felt to me, like good- my team, your team banter. It sounded like sounded like 2 good friends with different allegiances arguing in a bar. 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 9 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 8:08 AM, cartm25 said: I give Chip Kelly more credit for the growth and recruiting of the program during that time. There are STILL recruits today that credit that era/players/offense for making Oregon their dream school. I think Chip Kelly's legacy is a better recruiter than Chip Kelly himself at Oregon. If I jump to my Defense of Helfrich's recruiting article. A Defense of Helfrich’s Recruiting Legacy | FishDuck FISHDUCK.COM Mark Helfrich is generally considered the worst recruiter in modern Oregon football history. He is a coach who oversaw some of... On Rivals Mike Bellotti in his last four years at Oregon (the ones that were closest to the Kelly era) he had an average ranking of 26.8, Kelly was 17.5, and Helfrich was 22.5. Bellotti was the only one of the three that averaged outside a top 25 class. Helfrich recruited the same but with sanctions from the Kelly era. I have a future article about a lot of this but frankly the long tenured staff at Oregon just couldn't keep up with modern recruiting anymore. Right now Lanning has an average rivals ranking of about 10. However, that is because of his major outlier class of 2022, the class he scraped together due Cristobal's abrupt departure, where he came in at No. 26. do we count that one? I do believe that Lanning is probably the greatest benefactor of the Kelly era at this point because of how many recruits see Oregon as their dream school and that was because of the Kelly era. 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 10 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 8:08 AM, cartm25 said: Him joining osu felt wrong and dirty . . . like LeBron joining super-team after super-team, or Kevin Durant joining the juggernaut Golden State Warriors. An apt comparison, and I don't think that throwing a go route to Smith with single coverage on 3rd & 11 was necessarily a product of play calling genius. More like flipping the light switch on when it's dark. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 11 Share Posted January 23 I think he's bitter towards Oregon now, the 12 man comment was so so lame, Chip we beat you, we should have won by more, yes you beat us later like you should since you have a lot more blue chippers than we do. He failed at every stop after he left Oregon, he's proven that he can't recruit without the allure of Nike and the Oregon brand. He got tired of failing at UCLA so he joined the Ohio St. where he doesn't have to put in work other than as a play-caller. He lost a lot respect from me for his comments towards Oregon. 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanLduck No. 12 Share Posted January 23 "Once a Duck, always a Duck" I've read and heard that dozens of times about players, but not coaches? In this transfer portal era, maybe we qualify that statement somehow. "If you do well and only talk nice of us, always a Duck." For some reason we don't feel the same way about all kids who transfer out as we do for those coming in. Same with coaches. I for one agree with others about the time CK was at Oregon, electric! Exciting! Couldn't miss a single game. And those years influenced many young kids towards Oregon. And Lanning makes that influence 10X better. I will always think of CK fondly of those years, but now, he is just another coach. He doesn't draw the ire like a Day or Kiffin, but what he says is just, meh. He helped big time making Oregon football an international brand. He also helped give us our beloved Fishduck site. It was breaking down and analyzing his plays that put Fishduck on the internet map. For that alone I'm forever grateful. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
seniorduck No. 13 Share Posted January 23 I remember my wife and I being at the bar in the old Oregon Electric Station after one of the wins over the beavs. All of the UO donors and coaches were in one of the side rooms celebrating and Chip came out to use the men's room. On his way back he came over to the bar, shook our hands and told us thanks for supporting the team. I will always remember him for making that effort. 1 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Waddler Moderator No. 14 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 7:57 AM, Annie said: I appreciate what CK did for Oregon when he was here, but I was never a fan of his personality and I'm still not. His personality hits pretty close to home for what this is mostly about. Anyone who doesn’t recall CK’s barbed hook wit that would land and gut anyone or thing in his sights has a selective memory. Just like his approach to football, he took no prisoners. It’s just that we weren’t on the receiving end in those days. Expecting fealty from anyone no longer associated with your team is just kidding yourself, especially when it’s a coach who - unlike players - is expected to be a voice for the program. No one likes being on the receiving end of Chip’s one liners, but that’s life. Water off a Duck’s back. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph Moderator No. 15 Share Posted January 23 Fondly. It was a treat to witness the evolution/revolution of offense coupled with NIKE's marketing. Together, Oregon became a national, must-watch, brand. Having grown up in Boston I expect shots across the bow from Boston (Manchester, NH) Irish guys. Along with rooting for the Red Sox, it comes with the territory. Very happy for Chip and Manchester, NH's Ryan Day. A third well-known coach from Manchester, Dan Mullen, just signed on to return to coaching at UNLV. Terrific article, DM. Thank you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie No. 16 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 12:10 PM, Washington Waddler said: His personality hits pretty close to home for what this is mostly about. Anyone who doesn’t recall CK’s barbed hook wit that would land and gut anyone or thing in his sights has a selective memory. Just like his approach to football, he took no prisoners. It’s just that we weren’t on the receiving end in those days. Expecting fealty from anyone no longer associated with your team is just kidding yourself, especially when it’s a coach who - unlike players - is expected to be a voice for the program. No one likes being on the receiving end of Chip’s one liners, but that’s life. Water off a Duck’s back. Yes, I just consider the source of the remark and go on my way. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCati855 Moderator No. 17 Share Posted January 23 Chip will always be a Duck to me. One small snarky comment will not change that. He always speaks fondly of his time in Eugene when asked directly and is still recognized as a Duck by 99% of sports fans. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherOD No. 18 Share Posted January 23 (edited) On 1/23/2025 at 8:32 AM, David Marsh said: I think Chip Kelly's legacy is a better recruiter than Chip Kelly himself. Appreciate the article. I think I've now made two attempts on different boards to defend Helfrich's recruiting. Was it great? No. Not entirely necessarily wanting to rehash it all again; but, Helfrich, in large, wasn't a failure due to recruiting at face value. He landed a fair percentage of highly rated kids, who, for the most part, were highly sought after. Helfrich's failure, IMO was having an unusual amount of busts with kids rated very highly, who just about everyone on the West Coast was after; and, recruiting a fair amount of highly rated guys who just ended up character misses. I did another post elsewhere about Mario, where I argued, based on relatively substantiated offer lists, that the "star chaser" label was a bit overblown. The "stars" Mario chased, were "stars" most other programs were also chasing. His "failure", if one wants to call it that, was getting a class with a lot of kids rated about 150-300 and not enough kids rated inside the top 80, based in large part to the "pan out" ratio versus "star points" ratio for recruits at a given rating point. Mario recruited well, just, given coaching deficiencies, was gonna need need more in the top 80 if he was going to make the next step. Top 80? Take a look at Ohio State 2024. Edited January 23 by AnotherOD 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Rocks No. 19 Share Posted January 23 I do remember that when Kelly started as head coach that the team moved so fast than even Jerry Allen had to learn to call the games faster. He was initially flustered with being able to keep up with Kelly's no huddle offense. I also remember opposing teams would invent injuries just to be able to catch their breath. The one thing I never did like was his sarcastic wit. Oh, the memories. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OceaniaDuck No. 20 Share Posted January 23 That snarky comment hit below the belt IMHO. But one cannot deny that Chip elevated the Duck football program immensely during his HC tenure. Maybe we can throw shade back at tOSU that it took a former Duck coach for them to beat the Ducks lol. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Administrator No. 21 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 2:35 PM, OceaniaDuck said: Maybe we can throw shade back at tOSU that it took a former Duck coach for them to beat the Ducks lol. The only way for Ohio State to get it done....is with Oregon Coaches. (Chip and Carlos Locklyn!) Perfect! Thanks! 1 2 1 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 22 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 2:47 PM, Charles Fischer said: The only way for Ohio State to get it done....is with Oregon Coaches. (Chip and Carlos Locklyn!) Don't forget the very successful Oregon coaches who got it done at USC...McKay and Robinson. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittDuck No. 23 Share Posted January 23 IMHO, the Chipster had his best years coaching while at Oregon. He was never fan friendly, and often threw barbed one-liners at fans, press, and players as well. The CK coached teams were exciting and fun to watch. Scores came by boatloads and explosion plays were commonplace. He was at the helm when Oregon changed how college football was played and perceived. His Winning percentage with OBD has to put him in the top 2, but I really don’t think he holds a candle to Dan the Man Lanning. I do give him credit for what he did while he was here, but I also note that he was one of many coaches who left OBD and did not pan out where he went. His 12 man statement was nothing more than a lame excuse for getting beat by DL and the Ducks. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie No. 24 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 3:06 PM, PittDuck said: IMHO, the Chipster had his best years coaching while at Oregon. He was never fan friendly, and often threw barbed one-liners at fans, press, and players as well. ... It always annoyed me the way he treated the local press--but sucked up to ESPN, Fox Sports, etc. I always wondered how he treated the LA press--not as snarkily as he treated Eugene's, I'll guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 25 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 3:16 PM, Annie said: I always wondered how he treated the LA press--not as snarkily as he treated Eugene's, I'll guess. I wouldn't think it was very different. He's in the prefect position at osu2 as the OC, play calling is all he's interested in, as PittDuck noted earlier, Lanning has it all over Chip in the complete HC package. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
widgeon No. 26 Share Posted January 23 Love the guy. His throwing shade at opponents is right in character. I love it. He did as much for Oregon football as any coach Oregon ever had. Hat’s off to him! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanLduck No. 27 Share Posted January 23 On 1/23/2025 at 3:16 PM, Annie said: It always annoyed me the way he treated the local press--but sucked up to ESPN, Fox Sports, etc. I always wondered how he treated the LA press--not as snarkily as he treated Eugene's, I'll guess. CK hated stupid media questions. And there are a lot of dumb questions asked. He did famously get after a fan hassling Erin Andrews. I did think that during his tenure here, I would not like him if was the other teams coach, due to his snarkiness. He does seem to have mellowed some over the last few years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike West No. 28 Share Posted January 24 I don't think his comment is any different than "they play for clicks, we play for wins". It was used in the same context. A tool to motivate his team. They were pretty ticked that they lost to us. Surprised at that. They felt they were the better team. Not that day. They were more talented. They learned from their mistakes. They left nothing to chance. They set their egos aside and really went to the doctor (nothing against DL here-I think the world of Lanning, but he's still learning). They were willing to overhaul their entire concept, their defense and offense, and they waited on purpose to unveil all they were going to display (until the playoffs). Lanning will get there. He is a more complete HC than CK ever will be. He will have to adapt his efforts to suit the strengths of his players. I think he goes there. He wants to win a title...badly. He fully grasped how to acquire talent. Now he just needs to completely put them in position to win. That will require adapting his schemes to fully exploit the strengths his players possess. That's what Ryan Day did this year. Both coaches approached the season as a long haul. They both knew it would require looking at the season as sections of its entirety. I actually believe both of Ohio State's losses tremendously helped them win the Natty. They were forced to accept it takes more than putting a philosophy on paper. It was going to require drilling down to accentuate the exact strengths each player had. They had a wealth and abundance of talent. That wasn't enough. They tweaked their schemes to suit their talent better than everyone else. Including motivating them by expressing what the players already believed (that we needed twelve to beat them because nobody with eleven could beat them). 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 29 Share Posted January 24 On 1/23/2025 at 6:23 PM, Mike West said: I don't think his comment is any different than "they play for clicks, we play for wins". It was used in the same context. A tool to motivate his team. The difference I see in the two is that Lanning's comment was used to motivate his team, before the game. Chip's was made after the fact, at best, as a tongue in cheek excuse for losing. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike West No. 30 Share Posted January 24 On 1/23/2025 at 6:32 PM, 30Duck said: The difference I see in the two is that Lanning's comment was used to motivate his team, before the game. Chip's was made after the fact, at best, as a tongue in cheek excuse for losing. Didn't he say they used that as the theme for the Rose Bowl? I thought he said that was the theme for that playoff game. He didn't reveal that until the week of the Natty from what I remember. For what its worth, I don't think any team with 11 were going to beat them the way they prepared, and strategically unveiled their strategy for us(and everybody else). We had not seen anything like what they brought to the table that game. They brought their coaching staff to the table as well. Lots of coaches thought Day's staff was more experienced, and thus would beat Oregon in Eugene. That happened the second game because they didn't take OBD for granted, and they were totally motivated to humiliate us like we humiliated them. I think Lanning learns from this. I think Lanning is going to start going to Specialists instead of General Practitioners from this point forward. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GatOrlando No. 31 Share Posted January 24 Maybe I shouldn't be involved in this discussion. But I'll just throw my two cents in as a non emotional response. If it was Urban Meyer or Steve Spurrier saying those things about Florida I may not feel the same. But then again as time marches on I think I could understand it better. We often criticize "coach speak" during media sessions. Chip Kelly was asked directly about the adjustments he made from the first Oregon game to the second. He referenced an end of game situation that cost him five seconds in kind of a joking way. If he just spoke about it without prompting I may feel differently, but he was asked about it before a game against Notre Dame. If a coach for my program had been in that situation I would've said "Yeah buddy". Chip works for Ohio State and he's paid to get those guys fired up. He was asked a question and he gave a genuine answer. Two years ago Marcus Freeman hurt some Buckeye fans by saying he is one hundred percent committed to Notre Dame demolishing Ohio State. He implied they were a finesse team and that's how Notre Dame was going to try and overcome the talent disparity by playing old fashioned bully ball like his old coach Jim Tressel taught him. Buckeye tears were flowing and they were saying he was a traitor. The guy was/is being paid to coach Notre Dame. I imagine Dan Lanning would give an honest answer if he was asked how Oregon was going to attack Georgia if the two played down the road. I also imagine some Georgia fans might take it as a slight. But like I said that's just my opinion. Maybe Kelly is a big jerk and is bitter because Oregon has ascended even higher since he left and Lanning is a much better recruiter than he could ever be. I doubt it though, I imagine when Oregon finally breaks through that Chip will feel a sense of pride. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 32 Share Posted January 24 On 1/23/2025 at 6:23 PM, Mike West said: I don't think his comment is any different than "they play for clicks, we play for wins". It was used in the same context. A tool to motivate his team. I'd agree with this. Though what i do feel it shows is that Kelly has long moved on from Oregon. I think when he retires he'll happily come to Eugene and be welcomed as a hero to the program when the Ducks inevitably honor him. But the warm welcome to Chip coming to Autzen otherwise I think is over. He got a very warm welcome in 2018 in his first year at UCLA and since he never beat Oregon that sort of continued. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
30Duck Moderator No. 33 Share Posted January 24 On 1/23/2025 at 7:00 PM, Mike West said: and they were totally motivated to humiliate us like we humiliated them. That might have been the case, that Chip was recalling the "12 men". It is interesting if the 1 point loss at Autzen was "humiliating". 34-0 is humiliating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJacksPlaidPants Moderator No. 34 Share Posted January 24 I still like him. This is a good interview. It puts things in perspective. And to answer his question, no, none of us felt bad for beating him the last four times the Ducks played him. Trysta Krick (@trysta_krick) on Threads WWW.THREADS.NET Me — a sad and aggrieved Oregon Duck fan — asks Ohio State Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly, if he felt at all bad about curb stomping his old team in the College Football Playoffs: “Did they... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lrod No. 35 Share Posted January 24 despite his latest cocky outburst.. He still our greatest coach until further notice 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
