Chip Kelly has stunningly been named head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelly had announced after interviewing the Eagles a couple of weeks ago that he would stay at Oregon, but the Eagles obviously did not give up pursuit and got the man they wanted.
Kelly went 46-7 in four seasons with Oregon, taking them to four BCS bowl appearances.
"Chip Kelly will be an outstanding head coach for the Eagles," said [Eagles owner Jeffrey] Lurie. "He has a brilliant football mind. He motivates his team with his actions as well as his words. He will be a great leader for us and will bring a fresh energetic approach to our team."
He is known for his fast-paced, spread offense and despite the growing success of read-option offenses there is curiosity over whether Kelly's system can work in the NFL.
What does Kelly's hiring mean for the New York Giants, who face the Eagles twice every season in the NFC East?
At first glance it means that head coach Tom Coughlin, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and the rest of the Giants' staff have a lot of studying to do. The Giants had tremendous difficulty during the 2012 regular season with the read-option and power running game employed by Robert Grifffin III and the Washington Redskins. This season they will see much more of that type of attack.
The Giants face the Redskins and Eagles twice, and also have Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks and Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers on their 2013 schedule. That means they will face this newer-style fast-paced offense in which the quarterback is often a runner at least six times, including in four of their six division games.
As they de-construct the things that went wrong defensively in 2012 and try to fortify that group for 2013 you have to think the Giants will keep all of this in mind as they add personnel via free agency and the draft.
-- See Bleeding Green Nation for full coverage and reaction to the hiring of Kelly