Shock the system with a play for Chip Kelly

There is a lot to the Athletic Director's job and many things BC must consider in this search process. But for a moment throw that all out the window. Instead of going the predictable route, I think BC should swing for the fences. The predictable candidates will always be there. Let's think boldly for a moment. BC should offer the Athletic Director role to Chip Kelly.

Now I don't think Kelly as Addazio's boss is some sort of Dream Team. My goal in offering the AD job to Kelly now is that he can take it immediately and start planning for his eventual transition into AD and Head Football Coach. As we saw in San Francisco and Philadelphia, Kelly wants to run his own show. Any college that hires him is going to give him autonomy. Nothing will signal that autonomy more than making him AD too.

In a different era, head coaches also served as ADs. The demands of both jobs are now so consuming that is in unrealistic to do both. However, hiring Kelly as AD now allows him to build a staff and infrastructure so that when he does resume coaching duties, his full Department staff will be in place. It will be his show. His people and his approach.

Would Kelly even want this? I don't know. He seems to have a healthy ego and interested in aspects of sports and coaching that are not strictly football. Maybe it is the type of challenge he would welcome. Would he be willing to raise money and glad hand donors? I don't know, but his presence will open wallets and he can hire some people to do the calls and dinners. Would it upset Addazio to the point where he would bail on the 2017 season? I don't know, but if that comes as a result of Kelly taking over, I don't think many BC fans would worry about it.

This would be the longest of longshots, but why not. What's the worst that could happen? We've already been to the bottom of the Power 5. Landing Kelly would be a sign to the sports world that things are different at BC.

The Chip Kelly dreaming starts now!

According to multiple reports, the San Francisco 49ers plan to fire Chip Kelly as part of a management house cleaning. The timing means he will probably not coach this upcoming season. I imagine his head coaching career in the NFL is over. However, he will be the hot name in College Football next fall. Any Power 5 team looking to make a change will make a run at Kelly. A lot has to happen, but I could see a scenario where Kelly comes to BC.

Kelly marches to the beat of his own drummer. Read any profile on him to see how he tries to zig when others zag. Sure he could easily walk into a cushy job next December like UCLA, or even Notre Dame or Tennessee, but is that what he wants? All of those sorts of jobs come with huge expectations and huge microscopes. At BC he could return to New England, be near his long-time friends and do nearly whatever he wants. Any challenges of the job like recruiting or money could be offset by Kelly's cachet and cash.

I know no one believes this but Kelly expressed interest in the job when we fired Spaz. It was via a third party and Bates never took it seriously or pursued it. Now it will be up to another AD to pull of the most delicate courtship in BC history.

Oh, there is the fact that we currently have a head coach. I don't know what sort of relationship Addazio has with Kelly. The coaching community is small and they both share a common connection with Ryan Day. I don't know if Kelly would avoid any BC talk out of respect. Who knows? Also, it might not seem fair to speculate on Addazio's job after ending the season with three wins. But the man remains under .500 and has only won two ACC games in two years. If he finishes 7-6 again, I have no problem with BC making a change and swinging for the fences. With how these things go, BC will know if Kelly is interested well before BC's season is over in December.

But all of this will really depend on how BC changes its Sports Leadership. Aside from an AD change, there has been plenty of talk about a financial and Board of Trustees commitment. If BC wants to show its commitment to upgrades to its fanbase and the college sports world, there is no bigger sign than pulling off a Chip Kelly signing.

In the end, I doubt it will happen. There are just too many things that have to fall into place. But that doesn't mean that BC shouldn't try to pull it off.

Chip Kelly and BC: will the timing ever work?

When BC fired Spaz, Chip Kelly reached out to BC about the job. I don't know Chip nor have any idea how serious he was, but he did put out feelers. He was still the Head Coach at Oregon at the time. I don't know how seriously Brad Bates took it either. Chip, like many in his profession, has a bit of grass is greener philosophy and wanderlust. Nothing obviously came of it and I only heard about it in pieces from a few folks over the years. (The Golden and Bill O'Brien talks were much more serious.) Chip was clearly ready to leave Oregon. He took the Philadelphia job shortly thereafter. Now that he's been fired by Philadelphia, the timing might finally work. If Addazio struggles in 2016, the job could be there for Chip if he really, finally wants it.

Kelly will have his pick of jobs next year (and maybe still even this year). He will be the first call for any college looking for a new head coach. And despite his challenges in Philly, there will still be NFL teams interested in him. If he wants to win big in college or return to the NFL, BC clearly won't be a factor. But who knows what will motivate him?

Kelly has always marched to the beat of his own drum. Instead of going to a football factory or dealing with pro athletes he can't push around, the idea of building up BC might appeal to him. It gets him back to New England. It gets him in an environment he enjoys. He loves BC and is very familiar with the campus and program. He used to work the BC camps while at UNH and he had multiple BC guys on his staff. Even if Addazio struggles, in 2016 the job will be better than it was. The roster and athleticism will be good. The indoor practice facility will have been announced (and hopefully have a ground breaking). If Kelly really wants to coaching in the right place for him and close to home, BC might fit the bill.

I won't root against Addazio next year nor do I think Kelly is probable, but so much of all of this is timing. Maybe, just maybe, next year will finally be the right time for Kelly to come to BC.

Post Script

Of the BC guys now out of a job in Philly, I don't seen any returning now. After all that happened this year with the Offense, I don't think Addazio is willing to move back to Ryan Day. There's too much sensitivity to fault and reasons for past success. Bill McGovern would be a good linebacker coach, but does he want to come back to that after he's been Coordinator here? Dawson left BC in part due to his frustrations with recruiting. Recruiting remains a huge issue. I wish them all the best, but don't see any coming to BC right now. 

Day to Philly; Daz looking for new OC

The Eagles hired Ryan Day as their new QB coach where he will be reunited with Chip Kelly. This is a great move for Day and a critical turning point for Addazio.

Although Day spent most of his career at BC, he's been considered a rising star by many outside of Boston. In fact, I would say he was probably under appreciated by casual BC fans. Just look at most of the comments during his stint as OC. I liked Day from the start and appreciated his role in the Jags days as well as his contributions to the offense the past two years. He got a raw deal under Spaz and then hooked up with Addazio at Temple. Having Day as part of Daz's transition also helped the new regime since Day was so familiar with much of the roster. Our offense under Day was a good blend of Addazio's philosophy as well as Kelly's innovations all while adapting to unique rosters.

The timing on these things is never good, but now Addazio has to close out his recruiting class without one of his best recruiters and find a new play caller. The most obvious internal candidate is WR Coach Todd Fitch. He has playing calling experience and could run the same offense. But Addazio doesn't necessarily have to settle on an internal hire. There are plenty of guys who would want to come to BC, especially given the association with an Urban Meyer power-run offense. Being an offensive guy, Addazio will always have influence on the schemes too. I expect we will still be run heavy with spread principles.

Whenever Addazio leaves BC, Ryan Day will be a candidate to replace him. This move to Philly only makes his candidacy better. It gives him NFL experience and some distance from BC. Now if Addazio struggles, Day won't be associated with those struggles. If Addazio succeeds and moves on, Day can also position himself as the candidate who can keep the best parts of Daz plus bring his unique perspective.

I wish Day the best of luck and hope Daz makes a great hire.

Meyer's offensive adaptations and what is means for BC

If you like wonky football Xs & Os and the evolution of an offense, read this Grantland piece on Urban Meyer's incorporation of Oregon schemes into his offense. Due to Addazio's ties to Meyer's power/spread/option work at Florida and Ryan Day's ties to the Chip Kelly/Oregon tempo/spread, there are elements of both styles in BC's offense. However, the Addazio/Day hybrid has been very different from both (so far).

As Grantland pointed out, Meyer still uses power, but also added much more zone blocking schemes and attacks the defense outside the tackles. Since leaving Florida and partnering with Day, Addazio has doubled down on power. We between the tackles all the time and even when we throw in a jet sweep to Alston, it still has power elements. BC also runs more than Oregon or Ohio State. The only programs that run more than BC tend to be teams that run variants of the triple option.

But how much of what BC does is by design and how much is necessity? Addazio didn't inherit a roster like Meyer's or spend the past decade recruiting speedsters like Oregon. Other than the power football, the only hallmark of Addazio's first two years is his ability to adapt his offense to the talent available. He's not stubbornly trying to shove a square peg into a round hole.

I expect BC's offense to continue to evolve. Will they follow Meyer's path or will they incorporate Kelly in different ways? It will be interesting to see. But at least Addazio and Day's peers and role models are showing that you have to keep adapting and changing. Hopefully their adaptations lead BC to a championship game like it did for Urban Meyer.

Copying from the best

Bruce Feldman spent a week with Texas A&M and wrote about it for CBS. Any college football fan should read the article just to get a feel for how a program operates. What I found interesting though was how the offensive staff watched the Philadelphia Eagles' opener and copied a play...a play that BC also copied and used early in the USC game.

On the TV is Chip Kelly's NFL debut against the Washington Redskins. The former Oregon coach is having quite a night as the Philadelphia Eagles' new head coach. The Eagles had a staggering 21 first downs in the first half alone while ripping off 53 plays. Kelly's success has caught Sumlin's eye. The Aggies head coach practically bounds into the room and goes right to the grease board on Spavital's wall. He grabs a blue Sharpie and diagrams up a wrinkle that Kelly has been carving up the Redskins with all night. It is a zone-read play with an option of throwing to the tight end with a bubble to the field. Usually a QB has three options on that play but the tight end free-releasing down the field creates a whole other set of problems for defenses.

We didn't target the Tight Ends in the first two games, so it was no surprise that we eventually used them in the passing game. What I appreciate is that instead of using them on a late release in goalline or a play fake off of a power play, we did it from spread, read-option. It shows that at least we are watching others and looking for new ideas. It won't always work, but it is encouraging that our staff thinks this way.

Momah gets his NFL shot with Philly

The other Eagles signed Ifeanyi Momah to a three-year deal. Because he was not draft eligible, Momah was free to sign whenever and with whatever team he wanted. After his strong showing at BC's Pro Day, Momah had multiple options.

Philadelphia made sense for a lot of reasons. They are changing offenses, so Momah will be learning a new system at the same time his teammates are (which levels the playing field). There are many BC ties and coaches he knows so they will make sure he gets a fair shake.

Because NFL deals are not guaranteed Momah could still be let go before the season starts. But as long as he stays healthy, I think he will play. Congrats to him and I hope he shines.

Mike Dawson joining Chip Kelly in Philly too

Remember when Spaz took over and he hired a bunch of guys with UNH connections? We never turned into "Oregon East" for variety of reasons, but it is interesting to see that Chip Kelly is collecting a bunch of BC guys on his NFL team. First it was McGovern, then Bob Bicknell, and now Mike Dawson.

What's interesting about the Dawson hire is that he left big-time football to work as a high school AD. Although it was a quality of life decision, I guess the opportunity to work for his old friend at the highest level was too much to pass up. Best of luck to him.

Thanks to reader Greg for the link.

Why don't we look more like Oregon?

Chip Kelly is changing the face of college football. His team is scoring more and faster than anyone else in the sport. Three thousand miles away we struggle getting a first down and cannot effectively run a two-minute drill. Why does this matter? Because outside of Oregon and UNH there is no other staff in football that has as much working experience with Kelly as BC does!

When I first mentioned the UNH clique my hope was that Spaz would emulate Sean McDonnell and Mike Belotti and empower his assistant to maximize BC's talent on offense. So far that isn't happening.

I understand that assistants aren't always able to emulate and replicate their mentors style and strategy. But I don't believe Sean Devine and Ryan Day have been given much of a chance. I don't think Spaz will ever change course midseason, but he needs to do some serious evaluation of his staff and team this offseason. He has guys who had front row seats to the cutting edge. I don't care if they themselves haven't proved it. Handing things over to them is no risk. What is the downside: losing by 40 instead of 20?

Chip Kelly -- influencing BC football from 3,000 miles away

Outside of Lane Kiffin, no new coach is getting as much press as Oregon's Chip Kelly. Considered the latest college football offensive genius, Kelly is the next big thing. Lost among all the hoopla is that the only staff outside the Pac 10 with three of Kelly's former colleagues and proteges is Boston College. What does it mean when you have the pupils working under a different leader and coordinator. We will soon find out, but first let's look at the Kelly guys in Boston and what they bring to the table.

Ryan Day is the known commodity among BC fans. Just 30, he is considered the rising star. He reportedly turned down opportunities from Mississippi State, Florida, and the chance to join Jags in Tampa. Kelly even makes reference to Day joining him in Eugene if not for some timing and move issues. While at BC Day has been a very good position coach and a hard working recruiter. While nothing has ever been formally announced, it is rumored that he'll be the next offensive coordinator when Tranquill retires (for the third time).

Day gets all the pub, but Sean Devine has the resume closest to Kelly's. In fact, he took over the play calling duties at UNH when Kelly left for Oregon. While he never reached the offensive heights Kelly did in 2005, UNH was 17-8 in Devine's two seasons as OC and scored as often as most of Kelly's Wildcat offenses. Devine won't be calling plays, but he will be using the same blocking scheme as the Ducks. This is important as it provides continuity to Jack Bicknell Jr.'s (yet another former UNH assistant) teachings. Having spent the most time actually working with Kelly, you hope that Devine will share the same drive to learn about other offenses and relentlessly recruit. The BC OLine coaching job has been a great springboard in the past. Combine that with everyone looking for the next Chip Kelly and you have to consider this a great platform for Devine's career. If his veteran line plays well, he'll join Day as a hot coaching name.

The final branch of the Kelly tree in Boston is Mike Dawson. Dawson spent most of his time at UNH on the defensive side of the ball, so he had the fortune (or misfortune) of going against Kelly every day in practice. Those experiments, gadgets and new looks -- Mike Dawson saw them first. The UNH defenses were never dominant, but that might not be relevant for Dawson's new role as special teams coordinator. You'd hope Kelly's experimentation bug bit him and he brings fresh ideas and good excecution to a BC unit that he struggled under the past two staffs.

What does it all mean? BC has disciples of the hottest name in college football working under one of the most experienced Head Coach-Offensive Coordinator combos in DIA. These guys may all share Kelly's ambition and perspective, but a big reason for Kelly's success was the encouragement and freedom he received from Sean McDonnell and later Mike Bellotti. Will Spaz and Tranq do the same for their young turks? Ideally these guys will have the freedom and BC will succeed and eventually have a transition like Oregon's. How Spaz mentors and works with the UNH clique will probably be the biggest factor in the success of failure of his first two seasons. Let's hope he gives Bellotti a call.