Chip Kelly is attending Navy practice this week
Navy has a special guest at its practices this week.
The school said on Monday that Chip Kelly, the former Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and University of Oregon head coach, attended practice and is expected to spend the week in Annapolis. Midshipmen coach Ken Niumatalolo said Kelly, who was fired by the 49ers after one season in December, is a friend of the program.
Former Oregon, Eagles and 49ers head coach Chip Kelly was at #NavyFootball practice today and is expected to be here all week.
— Navy Athletics (@NavyAthletics) April 11, 2017
Kelly is known for his up-tempo offenses and his Oregon teams, Niumatalolo said, changed the way the game is played. Niumatalolo said Kelly is “one of the best coaches in the game.”
“For us to have an opportunity to be around him, learn from him, we’re just trying to soak in as much as we can,” Niumatalolo said per the Washington Post.
“Some of the things he did at Oregon revolutionized football. Everybody’s doing no-huddle, one-word concepts. His offseason stuff, his up-tempo stuff, a lot of the things that he implemented, literally high school, college and pro guys are doing it. He’s definitely a trendsetter.”
[Follow Dr. Saturday on social media: Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr]
Kelly’s Oregon teams put up huge numbers on offense. He put up double-digit wins in each of his four seasons with the program and led the Ducks to a national title game appearance in 2010 before he accepted the Eagles job. His coaching style shook things up in the NFL as the Eagles went 10-6 and won the NFC East in his first season, but things fizzled out a few seasons later. He was fired before the end of the 2015 campaign before landing in San Francisco before the 2016 season. His time with the 49ers was short-lived, however. He was again fired after a 2-14 season and is currently out of a job.
Navy’s final two spring practices will take place on Wednesday and Friday. Kelly, who hasn’t ruled out a return to college football, is expected to be in attendance.
More college football from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
