Chip Kelly is the Smartest Guy in the Room

Chip Kelly has hit a wall. The Eagles are an abysmal 5-10 over their last 15 games. The vibe is that the NFL has figured Chip and the defense out. The players are frustrated. The fans are frustrated. Chip seems frustrated. One would hope that a first-time NFL head coach would surround himself with a few quality, experienced NFL people to help him get through turbulent times, right?

Actually, a look at the Eagles coaching staff is quite the opposite. Chip’s staff consists mostly of individuals with zero NFL experience before joining him in Philly and a few guys with unremarkable NFL success. Chip’s detractors like to knock him for having to be the “smartest guy in the room.” The staff that he has surrounded himself with may guarantee that.

Chip Kelly’s right-hand men are Pat Shurmur and Billy Davis, neither of which have had success at coordinators in the NFL.

Pat Shurmur was the head coach of the Browns for the 2011 & 2012 seasons. While head coach, he was responsible for calling the offensive plays. The Browns offense ranked 29th and 25th respectively in yards gained while Shurmur was in charge. Chip hires him in 2013 to be his offensive coordinator after the Browns offense ranks 25th in yardage and 28th in TDs in 2012?

Billy Davis has over 20 years of NFL experience in a variety of positions on the defensive side of the ball. He’s been a defensive coordinator twice and both times has has struggled. As Defensive Coordinator in San Francisco in 2005, the 49ers ranked 30th in points allowed per game. As Coordinator in Arizona for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, the Cardinals allowed the 14th and 30th most points per game, respectively. The year Chip Kelly brought Davis in to be D-Coordinator of the Eagles, Davis was the linebackers coach on a Browns defense that was 14th in points allowed. This is the guy chosen to orchestrate Kelly’s defense? The drastic dropoff the Cardinals had from 2009 to 2010 could be indicative of offenses figuring out Davis’ schemes and his inability to adjust. Sound familiar?

Both of these guys may be great people. They probably are. However, they are probably also “yes man” that feel lucky being coordinators at the NFL level with their track records.

How about the rest of Chip’s coaching staff, which is rumored to be the largest in the NFL? With the exception of Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fripp and Running Backs coach Duce Staley, you’d be hard pressed to find any real NFL experience. Is it coincidence that the Special Teams and Running Backs are the least of the Eagles issues? Yes, the rushing game isn’t what it was, but it’s hardly the reason the Eagles are struggling.

Ryan Day is the quarterback coach with zero NFL playing or coaching experience. Day was Chip’s quarterback at New Hampshire. He’s had stints at Temple and Boston College. Most recently, he was the Quarterback Coach at Boston College. When he was hired, Chip offered this quote about Day (CSN Story):

“He was a great kid and one of the bright minds as well as one of the best players I have ever coached. I think he is one of the best young coaches in the country and it was just a matter of time before he was running the show, offensively, somewhere.”

Best young coaches in the country? Boston College’s offense ranked 84th in the nation in 2013 and 77th in 2014. Being he is the QB coach, you’d think that Boston College had a decent passing attack in 2014. Nope, they ranked 124th in NCAA passing yards the year before Chip hired Day. The quarterbacks he coached at Boston College were Chase Rettig and Tyler Murphy. Neither of which were really anything special.

Jeff Stoutland is the Offensive Line Coach. He also has zero NFL experience. Before the Eagles, he was the O-Line Coach at Alabama. Honestly, with the talent that Alabama recruits, I might be able to be a position coach there. (relax…it’s hyperbole). Schools like Bama win mostly because they get the best players.

Greg Austin is the Assistant Offensive Line Coach. He was an offensive Graduate Assistant at Oregon with zero NFL experience before joinging the Eagles.

Defensive Line Coach Jerry Azzinaro had zero NFL experience before joining Chip’s staff. He was D-Line coach at Oregon with Chip. He’s also coached at New Hampshire, Marshall, Duke and UMass. He played linebacker at American International.

Wide Receivers coach Bob Bicknell has 9 years of NFL experience, mostly as an offensive line/tight end coach, though. Before joining Chip’s staff in 2013 he spent one year as Wide Recievers Coach with the Buffalo Bills. While Stevie Johnson was on okay receiver, it’s not like the Bills were known for a bunch of over-achieving or developing WRs. Seems like an odd choice for WR coach. The Eagles did set a franchise record for touchdowns, completions and yardage in his first two years as a coach but those teams had DeSean and Maclin. The Eagles also probably ran more plays than in previous years so those numbers should be higher. Younger receivers like Cooper and Matthews have regressed under Bicknell, while Huff hasn’t developed into much under his tutelage. This guy probably would’ve been a better choice at offensive line or tight end coach.

Insider Linebackers Coach Rick Minter was a college football lifer before joining Chip’s staff in 2013 with zero NFL experience. In 2012, he was the defensive coordinator for the University of Kentucky. The Kentucky wildcats ranked 66th in yard allowed per game. Good, not great.

Outside linebackers Coach Bill McGovern logged 27 years of coaching at the collegiate level. He had zero NFL experience before joining the Eagles staff in 2013. He was Boston College D-Coordinator/linebackers coach from 2009-2012. How much of Luke Keuchly’s success was because of McGovern or vice versa?

There’s more of the same, but you get the point. Chip brought with him guys who are happy to be in the NFL. Is it because he likes to be the “smartest guy in the room” or doesn’t like to be challenged? Only Chip knows.

Is the lack of NFL success and experience on the coaching staff partially to blame for the mess that is the 2015 season?

NFL minds have adjusted to the Eagles and the Eagles look stymied, unable to make their own adjustments. While Chip the GM has strugged, the biggest miscalculation on Chip’s part may have been not including seasoned, successful NFL veterans on his coaching staff. Shurmur and Davis may be seasoned, but they haven’t been successful in their previous coordinator positions. They weren’t even average.

Chip Kelly is the smartest guy in the room and that’s part of the Eagles’ problem. If Chip stays, which I think he will, perhaps he’ll be okay with bringing a couple of coordinators and coaches equally as smart as him into the room.