With Chip Kelly having agreed to become the next head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday, one of the questions on everyone’s mind is what his hiring will mean for the future of Michael Vick. Before Kelly’s arrival, it was widely assumed that Vick had played his last game in Philadelphia. The Eagles can release Vick prior to Feb. 6 without having to pay him any money, but has he become a valuable piece of Kelly’s future plan?
According to Eagles center Jason Kelce, most people on the team thought Vick would be gone before Kelly was hired. Now, they aren’t so sure.
“That is the first thing that popped into my mind because I think, obviously, the outlook after the season was everybody thought Mike would kind of be out of here,” Kelce told Scott Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo on ESPN Radio. “But yeah, you look at Oregon’s offense and obviously Mike kind of fits that mold a little bit. Now, whether we run the exact same offense that they run at Oregon, that’s still up for debate. I mean, he said already, I guess, that the offense that he runs will be dictated based upon the personnel that he has. So I guess we’ll find that out in a few more months.”
Kelly’s offense at Oregon was fast. Say what you will about Vick and his inability to stay healthy or throw the ball with accuracy on a consistent basis, but he certainly has the gift of speed. If Kelly can somehow incorporate Vick into his spread offense without making him susceptible to the types of hits that shortened his season last year, he could make Philly’s offense a dangerous new weapon. As we know, all of that will be much easier said than done.
Thanks to Sports Radio Interviews for transcribing the interview
Photo credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE
