by Travis Normand
According to several reports, Chip Kelly will turn down several NFL offers and remain the head coach at the University of Oregon.
While some will bash Kelly for flirting with the NFL two years in a row, I don’t really have a problem with it. After all, he appears to be one of the few coaches who is able to keep his team focused and unaffected by the numerous NFL rumors.
The fact that Kelly has talked to NFL teams after the 2011 and 2012 seasons, only to remain at Oregon, tells me that he is willing to listen to any NFL team that comes calling — but that shouldn’t be misconstrued as a real interest on his part. Or, maybe he is interested in going to the NFL — if, and only if, everything about the offer is perfect.
Regardless of why Kelly is staying at Oregon, the fact remains that he will be there for the 2013 season. I, for one, am ecstatic. Why? Several reasons.
[1] With Kelly staying, Oregon will remain a top program and will continue to run their exciting fast-paced offense. I am not really a Oregon fan, per se, but I do enjoy watching the Ducks (and enjoy the Ducks being a good team). A major reason I love the college game is because it is not streamlined like the NFL. There are a lot of college teams, all trying to compete against each other — whether they are competing for money, viewership/fans, wins on the field, respect, etc., there are many ways to go about it. In the case of Oregon, they have an offense that is not necessarily conventional but they do it very well. As long as Kelly stays at Oregon, we can look forward to watching his creativity at work.
[2] I am not sure why some coaches feel the need to try their hand at the NFL despite how well they have done at the college level. Personally, I don’t see the NFL as a step-up. Sure, the competition is probably better (for the most part) but in reality, college and NFL football are two completely different animals. For example, as a college coach, you are limited in practice time and you have to recruit all your players. These are only two differences between the two games, and there are many more, but these two differences are huge! Being good at one game, doesn’t mean you will be good (or bad) at the other.
The same is true for the players. One can win the Heisman Trophy in college and then go on to have a less than stellar pro career. Does this mean he wasn’t a great college player? No, of course not. Nothing can take away how great he was at the college game.
On the flip-side, you have great pro players who come out of nowhere. Guys that played at a small school in the middle of nowhere, had mediocre college careers, but go on to have fantastic pro careers.
The two games are just different and are not the same. Yet so many coaches will prove themselves a genius at college football, only to still seek after that bizarre proving ground that is professional football.
I am sure Chip Kelly will head to the NFL at some point, but for now, I am glad to see that he is staying at Oregon. College football in 2013 will be that much better with him around.
OnePointSafety 
I’m also glad to hear Kelly is staying in Oregon. I love CFB, but he seems to give the somewhat mundane atmosphere a little flash. He’s has Phil Knight and Nike in his back pocket plus he has that school in the news all the time, what can be better than that in the NFL. If you haven’t seen my tweets early Sunday morning, I stated that he better understand that he won’t have the 500-plus uniform combinations like he does at UO. I think he did the right thing staying. Great post.
Thanks for the kind words about my post.
I agree…he has one of the best situations in the country. It won’t be better in the NFL, so why leave? I guess this is why he decided to stay…!? Who knows.
To give you my two cents on your second point, it’s all about EGOS. College coaches are doing so well that they think they have what it takes to go to the next level and most of the time that will backfire big time! I thought the success of Jim Harbaugh (49ers), Pete Carroll (Seahawks) and Greg Schiano (Buccaneers) would lure Kelly from the college ranks. He’s like the Coach K of CFB, you are in heaven, why would you leave? By the way, I HATE DUKE…could think of a better scenario at the time. Lol!
Yes, there are a lot of Egos involved. Every coach wants to prove that he can be successful at any level (High School, College, Pros, etc.).
Of course, this backfires the other direction as well. We often see NFL coaches move to the college ranks, thinking that it has to be easier than the NFL was. So many of these guys never make it either.
Kelly is right to remain with Oregon . He has built them into a perennial contender for the BCS title or one of the more prominent Bowl Games . Why the hell would he want to go to the ranks of the NFL to deal with a bunch of primarily , primadonna athletes ? Never mind having to deal with the anally retentive general managers and owners within the league .
Hockey is back …. who cares ?
I agree. The move from Oregon to the NFL makes no sense to me. Of course, this might be why he is staying after all.
Two famed college coaches who chased after the leprechaun’s pot of gold and who failed miserably at the NFL level were Nick Saban (Dolphins) and Steve Spurrier ( Redskins) .
I’d have mentioned Bobby Petrino , but his a$s has now become a laughing stock in more ways than one . Any female graduate looking for a ” leg up “ or simply to touch a certain part of Petrino’s manhood , can do no wrong by , than by ” joining his staff ” ……. pardon the pun there !
Tophatal ………..
Ouch…nice pun.
Yeah, when I was writing this up I was thinking about Saban, Spurrier, and a few others. However, I also thought about Pete Carroll (that’s going pretty well for now) and Jim Harbaugh (even though Harbaugh is really an NFL guy anyway).
I also thought of Charlie Weiss. He did well in the NFL (as coordinator) but hasn’t done very well in college.
Chip Kelly staying in CFB will make for a seamless transition to the University of Texas when Mack Brown FINALLY leaves!!! (just dreaming)
haha…Longhorn fans always dream big.
Charlie Weis should have no reason to be a head coach at the college level or NFL level , much like Lindsay Lohan should not be placed in front of a film camera or within close proximity of drugs or alcohol . Need I say anymore on the matter ?
Pete Carroll’s first rodeo was an embarrassment , this time around he’s lucked out with the Seahawks primarily because of Russell Wilson . Bear in mind the Seahawks paid the ” big bucks ” out to Matt Flynn , whereas Wilson is earning a mere pittance .
“Charlie Weis should have no reason to be a head coach at the college level or NFL level ,”
Well, maybe…but he does have a reason. His time with the Patriots is what enabled him to become a college head coach.
Further, I am guessing that Kansas hired him hoping to cash-in on his name….and help their recruitment of players. We will see if that works.
Go long homey ……………… what an a$s whupping ! Notre Dame Football ……. simply overrated ! ‘bama took their feet off the gas pedal, and that game , still wasn’t fair !
Tophatal …………..
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