All the outrage over an old-ish head coach stepping all the way down to take a soft consulting/coordinating job is a little a lot. Chip Kelly going from head coach of the UCLA Bruins to working one of the crucial gifted offenses within the nation at Ohio State is precisely how I’d need to spend my twilight years if I used to be a soccer coach.
Think about it. Chip doesn’t have to fret about a roster full of youngsters flirting with the switch portal, who’s getting how a lot NIL cash, or stand in entrance of the firing squad following losses. Nor does Kelly need to face a youthful model of himself at USC yearly, determine the mechanisms of fixing conferences, or foyer for his crew’s spot within the College Football Playoff rankings. He’s 60 for Christ’s sake.
This is serendipitous for Kelly, who solely acquired the job as a result of Bill O’Brien determined to get again into teaching full-time, and ghosted the Buckeyes to attempt to resurrect Boston College. After flaming out as a head coach within the NFL, O’Brien spent the previous three to 4 years doing what Kelly is about to do: Run a top-tier group with little to no accountability.
Life as a retread coach is freaking superior. I want each washed-up coach had the self-awareness of Kelly. He is aware of he peaked at Oregon, misplaced his fastball in Philly, and will in all probability get one good 12 months out of each 4 tries in L.A. till finally, the AD fires him. Why undergo all that onerous work and stress if it’s clear you received’t get to the promised land because the de facto chief?
Look at Dan Quinn. Sure, he’s going to f—ok up Washington, however the previous few years working the Cowboys’ protection had been the very best of his life. He acquired to take a seat in a suite, be the cool uncle along with his hat on backward, coach Micah Parsons, and fail upward after giving up 48 factors to a quarterback making his first profession playoff begin. That may very well be Chip in a couple of years if he actually wished it, and who is aware of if he does.
So cease being so sanctimonious about Kelly allegedly abandoning his crew. If something, he’s doing the Bruins a favor by stepping apart upon realizing his coronary heart isn’t in it. No one needs to work for a boss who’s not invested — until you’re additionally not invested, which, in that case, an uninvested boss is the perfect boss.
However, that is school soccer the place the hopes, desires, and optimism of youth haven’t been suffocated by the dregs of existence. The quantity of engagement required by Gen Z is exhausting. No one needs to do TikToks and ham it up for cellphone cameras. Let Kelly kick it in a field, visor unfastened, and draw up performs on cocktail napkins.
It appears like he’s getting into his John Daly/Don Nelson part, the place he will get to point out up, spout out some catchphrases, and get a ton of credit score for merely “still doing it.” Do you realize what form of luxurious it’s to have somebody as above-average as Chip Kelly calling performs? It’s much like Bobby Flay working your grill station.
Sure, you’d by no means entrust him with all the menu, however he can sear the bejesus out of a flank steak when it’s his sole duty. Trust me, UCLA, you’re higher off with a contemporary begin.
Patrick Beverley … good lord
On the listing of issues the Milwaukee Bucks wanted, Patrick Beverley was second to final (proper forward of Doc Rivers). Ah, sure, nothing ingratiates your self to new teammates like grabbing a clipboard and appearing such as you haven’t been on six totally different rosters since 2020.
I would say Pat Bev ought to dangle it up, however the longer he’s on a roster the much less likelihood of me having to mixture his First Take claims.
Discussion about this post