- Sep 8, 2014
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Interesting read about Chip Kelly being available
Chip Kelly's availability will loom over every hot-seat coach in 2017
http://gridironnow.com/chip-kelly-hot-seat-coaches-2017/
Chip Kelly currently is unemployed.
As long as he doesn’t get another head-coaching job, his availability is bad news for several SEC coaches, namely Florida’s Jim McElwain, Tennessee’s Butch Jones, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, as well as a handful of coaches in other leagues.
Let’s start with Florida.
Yes, McElwain has won the SEC East twice in his first two years. But the offense remains a problem. The Gators did close the season strong with a 30-3 win over Iowa in the Outback Bowl on Monday. The score was a bit misleading, though, from an offensive perspective, as the Gators managed just 11 first downs.
RELATED: Florida gets needed win with Outback Bowl rout of Iowa
RELATED: Florida hasn’t been able to escape QB woes in post-Tebow era
McElwain should be safe. He’s done enough in his first two years to warrant Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin giving him a fourth even if the Gators don’t take a step forward next fall.
But the Kelly factor is strong. San Francisco fired Kelly after a 2-14 season on Sunday, but he remains a brilliant offensive mind.
Kelly left Oregon after the 2012 season for the Philadelphia Eagles. Remember how good the Ducks were under his guidance? Oregon averaged 44.7 points per game in the Kelly Era. His final team in 2012 went 12-1 and averaged 49.6 points a game. The Ducks led the nation in 25-yard pass plays with 220 under Kelly. Want balance? They also led the nation in 25-yard rushing plays with 110.
That kind of explosiveness is Florida’s identity as a program, forged in championship seasons under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.
The NFL didn’t exactly humble Kelly, either. His first two Eagles teams went 10-6. Kelly’s tenure failed when he demanded control of the roster and made some bad decisions. His offenses in Philadelphia had the following rank in total yardage: second, fifth and 12th.
Kelly walked into a horror show in San Francisco. The 49ers still managed to finish fourth in the NFL in rushing yards, despite their awful season. They got worse by firing Kelly after one year, but owner Jed York fired general manager Trent Baalke and wanted a clean slate in 2017.
Imagine Kelly installing his offense with the athletes he can recruit at Florida.
Florida fans certainly will be if Kelly remains out of football and the Gators are subpar on offense again under McElwain.
The Gators finished the season ranked 107th in the country in scoring offense at 23.9 points a game. That can’t happen again.
As for Butch Jones, he might have the whole “champions of life” thing down, but Kelly is a champion of the end zone. Of the four coaches mentioned above, Jones might be in the most precarious position next season.
He’s just 9-7 in the SEC in the past two seasons despite having had the best roster in the East during that time. Jones lost to Vanderbilt and South Carolina this season, which was supposed to be “The Year” for the Volunteers. Now, stars such as Josh Dobbs and Derek Barnett are heading to the NFL.
RELATED: Butch Jones’ honeymoon is over; can he re-light the flame?
The Volunteers have the recruiting resources Kelly would need, but it’s fair to question the base. Kelly isn’t known as a dynamic recruiter. At Tennessee, you must win “road” recruiting battles, where a prospect has to fly over a power program to get to you. Certainly, offensive skill players will be drawn to his scheme. But Kelly would work best in a richer recruiting area.
Oregon doesn’t produce much talent, but Kelly was an attractive option for California prospects.
The Auburn and Texas A&M situations can be lumped together. Both run offenses that would make for a smooth transition. There wouldn’t be a culture shock going from Malzahn’s and Sumlin’s attacks to Kelly’s.
RELATED: Texas Bowl a disappointing end to a disappointing season for Texas A&M
Both rosters are stocked with athletes that would fit what Kelly wants to do. And Auburn and Texas A&M are great schools to recruit to because of their location and resources.
The SEC is a constant arms race in football. Kelly is a nuclear weapon. As long as he remains on the market, expect his name to be floated as a potential replacement everywhere – and SEC heavyweights falling short of their standards could end up in a heated battle to land his services.
Chip Kelly's availability will loom over every hot-seat coach in 2017
http://gridironnow.com/chip-kelly-hot-seat-coaches-2017/
Chip Kelly currently is unemployed.
As long as he doesn’t get another head-coaching job, his availability is bad news for several SEC coaches, namely Florida’s Jim McElwain, Tennessee’s Butch Jones, Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, as well as a handful of coaches in other leagues.
Let’s start with Florida.
Yes, McElwain has won the SEC East twice in his first two years. But the offense remains a problem. The Gators did close the season strong with a 30-3 win over Iowa in the Outback Bowl on Monday. The score was a bit misleading, though, from an offensive perspective, as the Gators managed just 11 first downs.
RELATED: Florida gets needed win with Outback Bowl rout of Iowa
RELATED: Florida hasn’t been able to escape QB woes in post-Tebow era
McElwain should be safe. He’s done enough in his first two years to warrant Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin giving him a fourth even if the Gators don’t take a step forward next fall.
But the Kelly factor is strong. San Francisco fired Kelly after a 2-14 season on Sunday, but he remains a brilliant offensive mind.
Kelly left Oregon after the 2012 season for the Philadelphia Eagles. Remember how good the Ducks were under his guidance? Oregon averaged 44.7 points per game in the Kelly Era. His final team in 2012 went 12-1 and averaged 49.6 points a game. The Ducks led the nation in 25-yard pass plays with 220 under Kelly. Want balance? They also led the nation in 25-yard rushing plays with 110.
That kind of explosiveness is Florida’s identity as a program, forged in championship seasons under Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.
The NFL didn’t exactly humble Kelly, either. His first two Eagles teams went 10-6. Kelly’s tenure failed when he demanded control of the roster and made some bad decisions. His offenses in Philadelphia had the following rank in total yardage: second, fifth and 12th.
Kelly walked into a horror show in San Francisco. The 49ers still managed to finish fourth in the NFL in rushing yards, despite their awful season. They got worse by firing Kelly after one year, but owner Jed York fired general manager Trent Baalke and wanted a clean slate in 2017.
Imagine Kelly installing his offense with the athletes he can recruit at Florida.
Florida fans certainly will be if Kelly remains out of football and the Gators are subpar on offense again under McElwain.
The Gators finished the season ranked 107th in the country in scoring offense at 23.9 points a game. That can’t happen again.
As for Butch Jones, he might have the whole “champions of life” thing down, but Kelly is a champion of the end zone. Of the four coaches mentioned above, Jones might be in the most precarious position next season.
He’s just 9-7 in the SEC in the past two seasons despite having had the best roster in the East during that time. Jones lost to Vanderbilt and South Carolina this season, which was supposed to be “The Year” for the Volunteers. Now, stars such as Josh Dobbs and Derek Barnett are heading to the NFL.
RELATED: Butch Jones’ honeymoon is over; can he re-light the flame?
The Volunteers have the recruiting resources Kelly would need, but it’s fair to question the base. Kelly isn’t known as a dynamic recruiter. At Tennessee, you must win “road” recruiting battles, where a prospect has to fly over a power program to get to you. Certainly, offensive skill players will be drawn to his scheme. But Kelly would work best in a richer recruiting area.
Oregon doesn’t produce much talent, but Kelly was an attractive option for California prospects.
The Auburn and Texas A&M situations can be lumped together. Both run offenses that would make for a smooth transition. There wouldn’t be a culture shock going from Malzahn’s and Sumlin’s attacks to Kelly’s.
RELATED: Texas Bowl a disappointing end to a disappointing season for Texas A&M
Both rosters are stocked with athletes that would fit what Kelly wants to do. And Auburn and Texas A&M are great schools to recruit to because of their location and resources.
The SEC is a constant arms race in football. Kelly is a nuclear weapon. As long as he remains on the market, expect his name to be floated as a potential replacement everywhere – and SEC heavyweights falling short of their standards could end up in a heated battle to land his services.
