Could Chip Kelly be the next OC?

Required reading for all Patriots fans is Mike Reiss’ Sunday notes column for ESPN.com. I know that’s not breaking news to anyone who has followed this team this century, but I wanted to make sure I give Mike his proper due off the top.

Here’s the nugget from Mike’s latest that got my attention the most:

“When Vrabel was initially hired as Titans coach in 2018, then-Ohio State co-offensive coordinator Ryan Day was among those he pursued as his OC. Day’s mentor, Chip Kelly, currently serves as Ohio State’s OC and would be an outside-the-box possibility for Vrabel to consider. Kelly’s offense will be on display Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame.”

First of all – if you’re interested in taking-in the 2024-25 version of Kelly’s offense, you’ll be able to listen to the national call of the CFP National Championship on 93.7 WEEI, with coverage starting at 6:30 p.m.

And while you’re listening, keep these numbers in mind about Kelly’s offense this season:

– Fourth in scoring (537)
– Sixth in total yards (6,425)
– 10th in points per game (35.8)
– 10th in passing yards (3,977)
– 31st in yards per game (428.3)
– 31st in rushing yards (2,448)

For reference, those rankings are based off of the 134 eligible FBS teams in the country (so when you see a ranking of 31st, it’s very different than seeing a ranking of 31st for an NFL team).

Since losing their regular season finale 13-10 to bitter rival Michigan, this is what the No. 8 seed in the CFP has been able to rip off:

– 42-17 win over #9 Tennessee
– 41-21 win over #1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl
– 28-14 win over #5 Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic

Kelly’s offense is rolling, there’s no doubt about it. There’s a reason why the Buckeyes are an 8.5-point favorite at BetMGM heading into Monday night’s game against the Fighting Irish.

But how much of this is Kelly, and how much of this is Ohio State having a roster chock full of NFL talent?

This was Kelly’s first season as Day’s offensive coordinator in Columbus, having previously spent the last six seasons as head football coach at UCLA (2018-23). After going 10-21 during his first three seasons with the Bruins, Kelly turned the program around, going 25-13 over his next three. Even though Kelly’s Bruins were always good for enough disappointing losses to keep them out of the CFP discussion, those last three seasons made it clear that the game had not passed Kelly by offensively at the college level.

With the landscape of college football changing and the responsibilities of a head coach at that level mounting off the field, Kelly opted to leave UCLA for a job where he could focus on doing exactly what he knows he’s great at – coaching offense.

Kelly rose to prominence doing just that for Oregon – first as their offensive coordinator for two seasons (2007-08), then as their head coach from 2009 to 2012. Kelly’s offense at Oregon was regarded as being the most innovative and forward-thinking scheme in the game, and helped catapult the Ducks to a tier they have yet to come down from. After losing in the Rose Bowl in his first season with Oregon, he had them playing in the BCS National Championship in 2010 (losing to Cam Newton’s Auburn). He finished out his tenure in Eugene with consecutive wins in the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl, and was cemented as one of the best coaches in the country.

His meteoric rise at Oregon led to a head coaching gig in the NFL, being hired by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. And while Kelly went 10-6 in consecutive seasons to start his NFL coaching career, his Eagles teams were viewed as disappointments given how much talent they had on their roster. They were constructed to compete for Super Bowls, and all Kelly had to show for it through two seasons was a singular playoff loss to New Orleans in 2013. After missing the postseason in 2014, Kelly entered the 2015 season on the hot seat. And after starting that season 6-9 with a locker room that had vocally turned on him, Kelly was fired before his team’s final game of the season.

He wasn’t out of work for long, quickly being hired as Jim Harbaugh’s replacement in San Francisco. But after going 2-14 in 2016, Kelly was out of work again. With a 28-35 record in the pros, including 8-23 over his last two seasons, Kelly’s tenure in the NFL cannot be viewed as anything other than a massive disappointment.

But remember, that 28-35 came as a head coach, not a coordinator. If Kelly is handed the reins to an offense and only an offense, the prospect of the 61-year-old returning to the NFL becomes much more enticing.

Reiss’ column from Sunday included a handful of other names for a variety of roles on Vrabel’s staff:

Offensive Coordinator Candidates:

– Josh McDaniels (duh)
– Arthur Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator (said to be a longshot by Reiss)
– Mike LaFleur, Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator
– Dave Ragone, Rams quarterbacks coach
– Tim Kelly, New York Giants tight ends coach
– Tony Dews, New York Jets running backs coach
– Thomas Brown, Chicago Bears interim head coach
– Marcus Brady, Los Angeles Chargers passing game coordinator

Defensive Coordinator Candidates:

– Terrell Williams, Detroit Lions defensive line coach/run game coordinator
– Bobby King, Philadelphia Eagles inside linebackers coach
– Ryan Crow, Miami Dolphins outside linebackers coach
– Chris Harris, Tennessee Titans passing game coordinator/cornerbacks coach

Special Teams Coordinator:

Reiss noted Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and his top assistant Tom Quinn have “momentum” building towards the two returning to run New England’s most consistent unit this past season.

Springer had one of the quotes of the season heading into his team’s Week 18. This feels like an obvious hire for Vrabel, and one that would be supported across the board by fans and media.

Other Assistants:

– Frank Piraino, New York Giants director of strength and conditioning
– John Streicher, Los Angeles Rams game management assistant (the “Ernie Adams role,” if you will)

Stay locked in to WEEI and WEEI.com for all the latest on the Patriots’ coaching staff in the coming weeks.