New Eagles coach Chip Kelly is joining a very small group of men who have become NFL head coaches without any previous professional football experience. But he doesn’t think that’s a problem.
Kelly said at his introductory press conference that he doesn’t see any reason that his style of coaching can’t work at the next level, because he essentially has the same job: Put players in the best position to win games.
“Football is football,” Kelly said. “This is football at it’s highest level, but it’s still a game that’s played 11-on-11. It’s about putting together a great coaching staff, having a great organization behind you and having great players. Ultimately, whether it’s high school football, college football or professional football, it’s a personnel-driven operation.”
Kelly is an extremely unconventional choice for the Eagles. In addition to having no experience at all in the pros, he also has only four years of experience as a head coach at the college level, and he takes a highly unusual approach to the game, in everything from the offensive system he runs to his tendency to go for two in the first quarter.
Kelly said he doesn’t know who the Eagles’ starting quarterback will be, but he spoke favorably about both Nick Foles and Michael Vick. Whoever the quarterback is, Kelly says he’s confident that he can make things work in the NFL.