Chip Kelly Vs. Mike McCoy

The Eagles are expected to  interview Oregon head coach Chip Kelly and Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy over the weekend. That will likely not be the end of their search. Jeffrey Lurie has promised a thorough process, and there are several assistant coaches involved in the postseason that they will likely want to sit down with.

But McCoy and Kelly are two hot names and both could very well end up with NFL head coaching jobs over the next couple weeks. One may even land in Philadelphia. Let’s examine the two side-by-side.

MIKE MCCOY

AGE: 40

BIO: This is McCoy’s fourth season as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator. The first two seasons he helped Kyle Orton throw for over 3,500 yards. Last season he adjusted the offense completely to fit Tim Tebow‘s skill set and ran a version of the read-option that has since become an en vogue style. Now he is blessed with Peyton Manning. Before Denver, he spent nine years as an assistant with the Panthers working largely with quarterbacks. He helped Jake Delhomme reach the Pro Bowl in 2005.

QUESTIONS: He is obviously a quality offensive mind, but what kind of leader is he? What would his staff look like? Would he fit and thrive in an environment like Philadelphia? Does the fact that he has never been a head coach on any level hurt him?

WHAT HE SAYS: “That’s our job as a football coach is to take advantage of your talent,” McCoy said. “That is the No. 1 job I have here to make sure that we evaluate the guys properly during the offseason and training camp and find out what we do best as an offense…It doesn’t matter who the 11 guys are. If someone goes down, someone comes up and we’ve got to make adjustments as a coaching staff and as players to figure out, what do we do best as an organization? That’s our job.”

WHAT THEY SAY: “I tell you, he’s a worker. We spend a lot of hours together – early mornings, late nights – trying to get kind of our plan in place for what kind of offense we were going to be,” Peyton Manning said. “There is no substitute for work ethic, and Mike certainly has that. … In my opinion, he deserves a shot at one of these head coaching jobs.”

CHIP KELLY

AGE: 49

BIO: Kelly served as an assistant at New Hampshire and Johns Hopkins before taking Oregon’s offensive coordinator job in 2007. He was named head coach of the Ducks in ’09. He has a sterling head coaching record of 46-7 at Oregon. Known as an offensive guru, his up-tempo style of play is said to have influenced the Patriots’ attack on the NFL level. This season, the Ducks averaged 51 points and 550 yards per game. Oregon just capped a 12-1 season with a win over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl.

QUESTIONS: Is Kelly’s offense a gimmick that wouldn’t translate to the NFL? Or is it the future? Is he willing to adapt to the personnel on his club or would you need to overhaul the roster? After stints in New Hampshire and Oregon, is he ready for the Philly pressure? Will his lack of NFL experience hinder him?

WHAT HE SAYS: “It’s more a fact-finding mission, finding out if it fits or doesn’t fit,” Kelly said of the upcoming interviews. “I’ve been in one interview in my life for the National Football League, and that was a year ago. I don’t really have any preconceived notions about it. I think that’s what this deal is all about for me. It’s not going to affect us in terms of we’re not on the road (recruiting). I’ll get an opportunity if people do call, see where they are. I want to get it wrapped up quickly and figure out where I’m going to be.”

WHAT THEY SAY: “I was interested to hear how he did it,” said Bill Belichick of the no-huddle. “I would say he expanded it to a different level and it was very interesting to understand what he was doing. Certainly I’ve learned a lot from talking to Chip about his experiences with it and how he does it and his procedure and all that.”

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