OT: (Edit) Chip Kelly to the Browns? Cleveland media now reporting "expect an announcement tonight"

Submitted by mGrowOld on

Yesterday evening local Cleveland radio reported that Kelly to the Browns was a virtual certainty and while he's going to talk to both the Eagles and the Bills today, by tonight there will be an announcement of his hire.  Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland said he would be very surprised if this doesnt happen today and that the team is "backing up the brinks truck" to make this happen.

http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=19&post_id=…

But even if Chip doesn't end up here it seems a virtual certainty he'd coming to the NFL next year and he's going to run "his" offense in the pro's.  Lots and lots of discussion around here concerning his system and if it can work given the roster size he'll have to work with and the potential for QB injury.   And in Cleveland the roster will need to revamped (Brandon Weedon is NOT a spread QB) to function properly but it sure looks like the Brownies are about to take the plunge.

Personally I think it will work - at least at first - simply because it will be so radically different than anything the other teams practice for each week.  The Patriots have incorporated elements of his tempo and the Redskins and Panthers run variations of the spread but no team yet has gone "all in" on the uptempo spread offense.  Until now.  Spread QBs can be had pretty cheap (I'm thinking Alex Smith running the show) and other spread-type players (linemen/slot receivers) are also not terribly valued in the NFL so putting together the roster on offense shouldn't require a lot of cap space.  Leaving lots of room for spending on the defense where it will be surely needed.

Will it work?  I think so and for the first time in the last 10 years or so I'm actually excited about Cleveland Browns football.  My only question is if he comes will we have to start wearing alternate jersey's and helmets every week?

EDIT: Cleveland Plain Dealer Browns beat report Mary Kay Cabot is now reporting that the Browns and Kelly are meeting again tonight and has been told by sources inside the Browns organization to expect an announcement tonight.  For those of you unfamiliar with Grossi or Cabot they are NOTHING like the Detroit sports media and if they report something like this you can generally count on it actually happening.

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2013/01/cleveland_browns_meet…

 

MaizeNBlueInDC

January 5th, 2013 at 10:29 AM ^

The guys who ended up playing on the Oline by the end of the season were horrible.  We had 0 of 5 starters finish the season and have a pro bowl left tackle coming back next year.  So as they finished the season, yes they were terrible but what else would you expect from a line of 2nd stringers??

DirkMcGurk

January 5th, 2013 at 10:39 AM ^

I had Vick and McCoy on my fantasy team and thus watched Philly often. All I saw was Vick getting punked and McCoy having no holes to run through.



Also Browns have a Pro Bowl LT who has gone every year a good center and RT



As for Vick he is gone. Philly doesn't want to pay him. He is injury prone. So sure he would fit the system until week 4 when he is out for 6-8 weeks.

MaizeNBlueInDC

January 5th, 2013 at 10:48 AM ^

Yikes!  Poor choice by you on the Vick pick :)  I had McCoy too even though I knew Andy Reid's irrational tendency to not run even though he has one of the best RBs in the NFL.  I agree with you about Vick being gone and wasn't really commenting on that.  The Oline was down one starter (Peters) when the season opened, had a tire fire of a replacement "strategy", lost the starting center in week 2 and it just went down from there. BTW, I was wrong, we had 1 OL starter finish the year but still, you get my point.  Hoepfully they will be much better by next year simply by getting back injured starters.  Either way, still don't want Kelly!  

ForeverVoyaging

January 5th, 2013 at 10:32 AM ^

That's right. Kelly's system at Oregon is known for its dominant O lines. Plus, nobody in their right mind would take Michael Vick at 33 over the sprightly 29 year old Weeden. Honestly, who looks at Vick and thinks "spread QB" ?

WolverineMGoBlue

January 5th, 2013 at 1:01 PM ^

Lions are actually in a much better situation. They have a very good young QB in Stafford and an absolute superstar WR in Calvin Johnson. The problem has been the secondary (in todays NFL its hard to win if you can't stop the pass) and  team discipline. 

QVIST

January 5th, 2013 at 12:30 PM ^

I think the read option works everywhere. Bob Griffin is killing fools with it. His reads may need to be modified a bit (which it will be), but I don't see much of a problem.

Also, as I saw Smart Football tweet yesterday, Kelly's run game is based off the inside zone, outside zone and power--the same concepts Saban and Trent Richardson ran at Alabama. Kelly's offense is really just old school football in a modern look that takes advantage of numbers.

Turd_Ferguson

January 5th, 2013 at 10:34 AM ^

Something I found interesting in the article was the fact that Kelly has succeeded at Oregon without "his own" staff-  most of the staff is made up of Belotti's guys.  Now it helps that Chip was a coordinator and knew them already, but still-  usually these super successful coaches bring in all their own people.

It just makes me think that Kelly is good at adapting to the situation, which I hope is the case.  I don't think anyone expects the Browns to run the exact same scheme as Oregon, but if he adapts his offense to the pro game and his personnel, there could be good things in store for Cleveland.

But probably not.

GoBlueInNYC

January 5th, 2013 at 10:34 AM ^

1. Regarding the QB issue, I wonder if McCoy would be given another shot at the starting job. I've been hearing internet chatter (prepare you large grain of salt) that the Browns wanted McCoy out of the organization to take pressure off of Weeden (i.e., McCoy was well liked by fans who might start calling his name if Weeden struggled). I wonder if Kelly would prefer a QB like McCoy over Weeden. Personally, I thought McCoy never got much of a fair shake, with no receiver help and no OLine protection.

2. Let the thread synergy begin! What about Denard under Kelly? Not as QB, obviously, but he's a versatile, super-fast, somewhat undersized player. I wonder if a Kelly-led Browns would look toward Denard in the draft. Now that Al Davis is gone, someone has to step up to draft via 40 times.

mGrowOld

January 5th, 2013 at 12:28 PM ^

One would think McCoy might get a shot but it doesnt look like it as of now.  According to the Plain Dealer article I linked in the edit one of the things both Kelly and the Browns organziation agree upon is that "the QB of the future is not on the roster today."

I don't know if the future means 2013 or long term but doesnt look like either McCoy or Weedon will be running the show.

Sambojangles

January 5th, 2013 at 11:06 AM ^

One of the toughest things about Cleveland is the division. Pittsburgh and Baltimore's defenses are older now, but still pretty good. Cincinnati had a top 10 defense as well this year. Running the Kelly spread against those teams will not be easy.

For Kelly, I think there are better jobs available--Philly, if they want him, maybe Arizona (two other Pac-12 coaches are doing pretty well in the NFC West), and if he waits a year, maybe Carolina (Cam Newton!) or Dallas (Jones will give him all the players he wants to run the spread).

Finally, and this isn't really a reason to turn down the job, but the Cleveland weather and stadium is not suited to the spread. It has natural grass, its cold and wet for half the year, and it will be that much harder for the speed guys to make their cuts when they need to,

Perkis-Size Me

January 5th, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^

Hopefully this will be the spark that the Browns need, but I don't know if I see the spread lasting long-term in the NFL. But its never been tried before, so who knows?

tbeindit

January 5th, 2013 at 11:13 AM ^

I know this is just completely a random thought, but with Kelly going to the NFL and the way the qb situations have unfolded in many places, what if he was able to snag Vick?  I know he has done a lot of passing lately, but I just think that combo would be exciting.  Not sure how much it would work, but I would certainly watch

MaizeNBlueInDC

January 5th, 2013 at 11:27 AM ^

And his injuries are usually concussions which just become more and more likely as you get more.  He is pretty much one hard hit away from retirement and running him deliberately is just asking for it since he still thinks he has the acceleration and speed of 6 years ago which....he doesn't.

superstringer

January 5th, 2013 at 12:11 PM ^

1. any chance he is pulling a Carroll -- he knows of impending doom from ncaa?



2. for those kids among us who dont think anyone has tried to run the full spread in the nfl, you are wrong. couple if decades ago, the oilers tried the run n shoot with warren moon.

mGrowOld

January 5th, 2013 at 12:20 PM ^

One of the more interesting aspects of hiring Kelly and his offense will be the relatively small (cap wise) dollars it will take to assemble the roster he wants.  People in this thread calling for Philly over Cleveland cause of the roster make up forget that in the NFL you can revamp almost everything overnight.  Here today gone tomorrow is the NFL roster tagline I think.

What Cleveland is willing to give to Kelly (besides gobbs and gobbs of money) is roster control.  They are virtually letting him (if reports are true) choose the GM and Banner has gone on record as saying the coach will have the final say on the roster make-up.  From what I hear the Eagles organization is nothing like that so while the players (today) might fit Kelly's system better the player tomorrow might not.

He's coming here.  Ready or not NFL....Kelly's on his way.

WolverineMGoBlue

January 5th, 2013 at 1:27 PM ^

Roster control must be key because right now the Browns would have to be changed big time compared to what he has to work with in Philly.

Vick, McCoy, Maclin, Jackson, Avant, Celek at TE.

Weeden or McCoy,  Richardson, Cribbs (UFA), Little, Gordon? Cameron at TE.

 

Why is Carolina not going after Kelly? I would think Cam Newton and Chip Kelly would be a perfect match.

mGrowOld

January 5th, 2013 at 12:31 PM ^

Sadly that's kinda how I'm looking at it.  But at least for the first time in like forever there is some actual excitement around here regarding the team.  FWIW I wore my Browns t-shirt to the gym this morning and got lots of fist bumps, smiles, thumbs up and whatnot from others wearing Browns gear.  That NEVER, EVER happens after the first game of the season.

xxxxNateDaGreat

January 5th, 2013 at 1:38 PM ^

I don't think so. His throwing ability probably suits the schemes limited demands, but his running ability, or rather his lack of top flight speed, would not fit. IMO, you can find cheaper and faster mobile QBs on the market or probably even late in the draft.

Don

January 5th, 2013 at 1:35 PM ^

Out of curiosity, I looked at the records of the Browns and the Lions starting with 1964, the first year that Ford had full control of the franchise, through the 2012 season.

Browns overall record: 317-369-5

Playoff appearances in 16 seasons; 7-15 in playoff games; 1-1 in NFL championship games, made it to conference championship game 6 other seasons*

*Virtually of the Browns success was prior to 1996, when Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore.

Lions overall record: 294-417-13

Playoff appearances in 10 seasons; 1-10 in playoff games; one appearance in conference championship game

Since 1999, when the new Browns franchise was created, both the Browns and the Lions have been horrible, with 11 and 10 seasons of double-digit losses, respectively.

Don

January 5th, 2013 at 2:55 PM ^

That's eating a Detroit shit sandwich and following up with Cleveland turd pie.

It's ironic since the Lions and the Browns were two of the dominant NFL teams in the '50s, with eleven appearances in the NFL championship game between them. They faced each other 4 times, the Lions going 3-1.

chewieblue

January 5th, 2013 at 1:38 PM ^

I don't buy the "Cleveland weather beats the spread" meme. That being said, Chip may want to talk Jimmy Haslem into getting artificial turf at Cleveland Browns stadium. The field in Cleveland is usually a mix of grass and sand painted green by the end of October.