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Ron Jaworski was a guest of 97.5 The Fanatic earlier this week and talked about his level of optimism for the Chip Kelly era. Prepare yourselves... it's not very high.
"I've had a number of conversations with Chip. I have incredible respect for what he's done at the collegiate level. It's going to be interesting to see if this style of offense projects to the NFL," Jaws said recently in an interview with 97.5 The Fanatic. "I'm going to say no. But again, I hope I'm wrong because I want Chip and the Eagles to be successful."
So exactly why won't Chip's offense work in the NFL?
"I just don't see NFL passing concepts in this offense," Jaworski said. "It's a movement offense by the quarterback, off the run action, off the read action -- a lot of short, quick passes, dart routes, bubble screens -- very few plays down the field with NFL passing concepts."
This is where things get a little confusing. Because no one, Chip Kelly included is saying that the offense he ran at Oregon will work in the NFL. So it's hard to say what Jaws is arguing against.
"It's easy to say, 'Yeah, it worked in college.' Then I looked at a game like Stanford. Stanford, a good defensive football team, shut them down. I hope it works. I like the innovation, but I think it's going to be very difficult."
First, literally no one is saying "yeah it worked in college." Not Kelly, not anyone.
Second, it's kind of short sighted to say Stanford "shut them down." Yes, this past year Stanford did play well against Chip Kelly's Oregon Ducks, but that's hardly been the case over Kelly's time there. In 2011, the Ducks rung up 53 points on that same "good defensive football team." The previous year, they hung 52 on the Cardinal. The year before that? 42.
So sure, Stanford played a good game last year, but that seems to have been the exception more than the rule in their history with Chip Kelly. I guess Jaws has a short memory or he just didn't bother to look.
In the end... I suppose I agree with Jaws. I don't think Chip Kelly's Oregon offense will work in the NFL.
Now will his Eagles offense?
That's an entirely different question and one that Geoff Mosher was wondering if Jaws even understood?
Apparently, Jaws knows something nobody else does. Kelly has said his offense would be catered around the quarterback who emerges as his starter. At last check, that competition is still ongoing.
Therefore, Kelly's NFL offense has yet to be entirely scripted. But based on what he's seen of the Ducks -- he said he studied seven or eight of their games -- Jaworski isn't optimistic.