The SUPERGENIUS In Exile
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I have been, ah, somewhat unkind to Chip Kelly’s performance since he made the unfortunate decision to assume full control over personnel — and, obviously, I don’t think I owe him any apologies — but even I didn’t think it would end this badly.
The firing was something of a surprise, but knowing it was done the way it played out was predictable:
The meeting between Lurie and Kelly (obviously) did not go well. Sal Paolantonio reports that Lurie proposed a new set-up where Kelly would lose control of personnel. When Kelly balked at that idea, Lurie decided to pull the plug, per Sal Pal.
Kelly made it clear to Lurie that the price of having him as coach was effectively accepting Matt Millen as his GM, so Lurie decided he’d seen enough. And it’s pretty hard to argue that Lurie is wrong, particularly since even Kelly’s ability to maintain the tactical edge that brought him initial success at the NFL level is an open question at this point.
Has Kelly earned another shot as a coach? Absolutely. Some coaches — including the two in the most recent Super Bowl — have had a previous gig begin promisingly and end in disappointment but found later success. I would assume that the management team in Tennessee is very interested, and it would be really fun seeing him work with Mariota. On the other hand, the fact that he was unwilling to face how in over his head he was as a GM isn’t a great sign. Maybe he’ll be the next Pete Carroll (let’s leave his mentor Belichick out of this), maybe he’ll be the next Rex Ryan (let’s leave Rich Kotite out of this), and there’s only one way to find out.* I’m sure someone will.
*The linked article has a nugget that helps to explain why Chip was such a disaster as a GM:
Kelly placed an enormous emphasis on measurables. Cornerbacks had to be a certain height. Defensive linemen had to have the proper arm length. Wide receivers had to be a certain size. There’s nothing wrong with having prototypes; that’s common around the NFL. But Kelly showed little flexibility, and eventually his guidelines proved to be too stringent.
At the NCAA level, looking for people with certain athletic traits and trying to turn them into football players might work. At the NFL level, it’s a one-way ticket to the unemployment line. Russell Wilson doesn’t fit the scout’s image of a quarterback, but that seems to be working out rather well.