Almost every person with an opinion on sports has given their two pennies about whether or not Chip Kelly’s fast-paced spread offense will transition to the NFL. It’s an interesting question — which is why it’s a shame it doesn’t matter.  Check out this quote from the clip above (2:53):

“No one’s married to an offense or defense. If we had a group of guys who could line up in the Power I and run the Power I then we would do it. I think our players have total faith in us that we wouldn’t ask them to do anything that we didn’t believe would help them win.”

That really is the most important thing to remember: Chip Kelly is not in Philadelphia to show the Eagles (and the rest of the NFL) how to run Oregon’s spread offense. Chip Kelly is in Philadelphia to show the Eagles how to run the best offense that suits their strengths.

We’ve all heard the ESPN talking heads go on about whether or not Nick Foles is fast enough to fit in his offense or if the Eagles are going to pay Michael Vick $18 million to stay (YEAH OKAY). Literally none of it is relevant. Chip’s offense in Oregon was different than his offense in New Hampshire. Just as his offense in Philadelphia will be different than either of those. Who’s to say Foles isn’t his guy?  Here’s a quote from 2011 after a win over Arizona:

“I’ll tell you what; I’m glad Nick Foles is graduating. I catch myself watching him in awe sometimes. … Nick is a hell of a football player. That kid’s a warrior. He’s as good as anyone in the country.”

Sure that could’ve just been lip service paid to Nick to help his draft stock, but it also could be true. With Foles under center the Eagles could very well be a drop-back and pass offense with a few wrinkles tossed in if that’s what Chip feels fits their skill set. It’s not likely, but there’s no reason to believe Chip would shy away from formations and effective philosophies different than his own. Believing the man would simply try to import the same exact formula from the NCAA is short-sighted.