Eagles Roundtable: If You Were Chip, Would You go to USC?
By Tim Kelly
Sep 14, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly on the sideline against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Denny Basens, Staff Writer
Selection: Eagles
It’s obvious that Chip Kelly would prefer to be coaching the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL above USC or any other college program.
Kelly is out to prove that he can succeed in the NFL just as well as he did in college, and I think he enjoys the challenge of succeeding in this league. Chip already knows he can do well at the college level, and I think far and away he’d prefer to take as many cracks as he can at winning a Super Bowl before going back to the college game.
Kelly has gotten everything he’s asked for from Jeffrey Lurie. He is the dictator of everything football in Philadelphia, and he would have difficulty finding a similar situation anywhere else in the league.
However, depending on how the rest of the season plays out, if the Eagles were to struggle to six or seven win finish, and an offer from USC was on the table, I’d find it hard to believe that Kelly wouldn’t at least consider it. The pressure would be at an all-time high for him if he goes a third year without any playoff wins, a second straight season without making the playoffs, and a second straight year of his team taking a step back.
The fourth year with the Eagles would then become an absolute do-or-die scenario for Kelly, and if that hypothetical does become a realty, and a job like USC is on the table this winter, I wouldn’t completely rule out Kelly going back to college.