Oller's Second Thoughts: Who's the boss? Chip Kelly working with Ryan Day fun to watch
Chip Kelly owns a reputation, exaggerated as it may be, of being “out there.” But the new Ohio State offensive coordinator does not have his head in the clouds so much as having it above the clouds. The mind of the 60-year-old coach operates in the upper atmosphere of football strategy, in a galaxy far, far away from conventional thinking.
And that’s why Kelly’s tenure in Columbus is going to be interesting to watch. The Obi-Wan of offense will be learning under Luke, not the other way around.
Pass the popcorn. The show is about to begin.
How is this going to work? That’s my big question. Not whether the Buckeyes will score more with Kelly running the show – they should – or whether Kelly can bring more blunt force to an offense that needs it – he can. What intrigues me is how well Ryan Day’s former boss adjusts to serving his new superior. And how Day handles managing his good friend.
Kelly was Day’s offensive coordinator when the coach and the young quarterback worked together at New Hampshire from 1998-2001. Kelly was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 when he hired Day as his quarterbacks coach, then repeated the hire in 2016 as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Now, after giving up his head coaching job at UCLA to downsize to the role of offensive coordinator, Kelly for the first time will be taking orders from his former apprentice.
Can it work? Of course. And I would expect it to go off without much of a hitch. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be some growing pains. Human nature suggests as much. Consider a scenario where you become your boss’s boss. Awkward.
“Hey, Chip, I need you to fly to San Diego to schmooze the parents of this five-star recruit.”
First off, Kelly does not schmooze. As our OSU beat reporter Joey Kaufmann explained it, “No one has ever mistaken Kelly for an ace recruiter. Trouble with talent acquisition contributed to UCLA’s continued underachievement in his tenure.”
Kelly failed to sign a top-25 class at UCLA, but he did succeed in signing blue-chip quarterback recruits, which mostly is all he will need to be responsible for with the Buckeyes.
Recruiting should not be a huge concern. Neither should play-calling. Kelly knows his stuff, and the OSU offense should become both more creative and run-heavy on his watch. Exactly what the doctor ordered.
The positives outweigh any negatives, yet it remains that Kelly was not Day’s first choice. Curious. Bill O’Brien got the gig before backing out last week to become head coach at Boston College. It could be that Kelly was not yet ready to leave UCLA when Day first went looking for someone to run the offense. Kelly also had interest in returning to the NFL. He interviewed with the Seattle Seahawks before the Hawks hired Ryan Grubb as OC.
Whatever the back story, Kelly is at Ohio State now, and his hire should be seen as a solid double off the wall, if not a home run. My sense is that at this point in his career he is better suited as an offensive coordinator than head coach. He can focus on football without the distractions of pesky things like NIL, monitoring the transfer portal and interacting with overzealous alums.
Kelly’s mind has little interest in such things. He is all about improving the culture and outwitting the opponent. And his new boss will let him run with what he does best.
Mahomes vs. Brady for title of GOAT
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes won his third Super Bowl MVP award Sunday as the Chiefs defeated San Francisco 25-22 in overtime.
Mahomes was clutch in the clutch, converting on a fourth-down run and securing the win with a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mecole Hardman. The performance proved again that the 28-year-old QB deserves to be considered among the best to play the position.
But the best? I’m not there yet. Tom Brady and his seven Super Bowl wins spread over two teams (six with New England, one with Tampa Bay), ranks No. 1 on my list. Still, Mahomes is making a strong case for belonging among the top three (joining Brady and Joe Montana). And I’m not sure I wouldn’t pick him first when needing to gain 2 yards on fourth down for a chance to win the game.
I compare Brady vs. Mahomes to Jack Nicklaus vs. Tiger Woods. Nicklaus is golf’s greatest champion, but no golfer ever was better than Woods from 2000-2002. Who would you put your money on for one golf match, or one football game?
Listening in
“Don’t sir me, somebody said it. I’m just sick of it. Just shut up.” – PGA Tour player Zach Johnson, chastising noisy, and in his opinion obnoxious, fans at the WM Open in Phoenix.
Off-topic
The Valentine’s Day gauntlet has been thrown down. My dark chocolate-loving wife just made clear she wants high-quality, high-octane cocoa product on the 14th. “Not that stuff in a heart-shaped box.” So it’s back to the grocery for me. Lesson learned. Don’t grab the first thing you see off the rack at the front of the store.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football finds Chip Kelly working for good friend Ryan Day
