The protege of Chip Kelly at Oregon, Ducks HC Mark Helfrich asserts that there is – in fact – a method to Kelly’s apparent madness.
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Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich came out in defense of his former mentor and stated that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is not crazy despite a series of bizarre personnel moves.
In an interview with CSNPhilly.com, Helfrich was asked if Kelly had all of his mental faculties in light of two straight offseasons of controversial roster moves. In 2014, Kelly cut Pro Bowl WR Desean Jackson while retaining controversial WR Riley Cooper, who got into trouble for making racist comments at a concert. Then in 2015, Kelly traded former NFL rushing leader RB LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for LB Kiko Alonso. Kelly also traded former Pro Bowl QB Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams for QB Sam Bradford. The icing on the cake came yesterday when the Eagles announced the signing of free agent QB Tim Tebow, who has not thrown an NFL pass since 2012.
“I think it’s unfortunate I’ve had to answer this question more than once: Chip Kelly is not insane,” Helfrich said. “He’s got a plan. He’s got a method.”
Helfrich was brought in as Chip Kelly’s offensive coordinator when Kelly took over the Oregon head coaching job in 2009. Together, the pair won three straight PAC-10/PAC-12 titles and appeared in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, losing to the Auburn Tigers. After Kelly left the team to accept the head coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles, Helfrich was named his successor.
In two seasons with the Oregon Ducks, Helfrich has accumulated a 24-4 record and brought the Ducks to the College Football Playoffs in 2014. The team beat previously unbeaten Florida State in the Rose Bowl, but lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the National Championship Game.
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