An A+ for Oregon Head Man Chip Kelly

Yes, this is a few days late but I thought it worth noting. Prior to this past Friday, I knew little about Oregon head man Chip Kelly and had even less of an opinion of him as a man and a football coach. I can certainly read up on his bio and his mastery with the spread ad nausea to try to get a sense. Mike Bellotti’s obvious vote of approval signifies something too. However, all I really needed to see was the clip above.

It’s enough to make me a Kelly fan for life. As someone who spends most of his waking hours in the world of public relations, my eyes and ears are often a bit more open and attentive when a player or coach takes the mic at a press conference, before jogging into the locker room at halftime or following a victory or defeat. My scrutiny is perhaps greatest when those same individuals are questioned about or asked to address some matter of “controversy.”

Like other fans, I look for sincerity, accountability and authority. As a practitioner, my antenna is acutely tuned to the message, each and every word choice, and the body language of the person delivering the commentary. Most of the time, should that person succeed on the latter points, the former emotions have likely been conveyed.

No matter how you look at it, Chip Kelly scored aces across the board — and it’s rare you see that nowadays. Regardless of whether he was media-trained or speaking off-the-cuff, Kelly’s message was strong, clear and articulate. And if like me you agreed with that message (about tailback LeGarrette Blount), you walked away with a great deal of respect for Kelly, the program he is building and the University of Oregon.