What A Day Chip Is Having Ryan Day That Is

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Jun 4, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly watches as quarterbacks Nick Foles (9) and

Dennis Dixon

(3) drop back to pass during minicamp at the NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Day We Clone The Chippah

And there’s the rub. The only guy who knows what this offense is truly doing is the Chippah. Strange as that may sound, Chip has taught his offensive philosophy not once in Philadelphia, but many times. Each time a new quarterback coach arrives, he’s had to “coach up” the coach to know what this offense is all about. Imagine yourself training someone to operate a new software system at work, who then takes your training and tries to teach others how to do it. A little inefficient, isn’t it? Now do this for three years in a row, while each year the trainer leaves to a higher paying job so you have to train a newbie all over again. That’s where the Eagles quarterback coaching situation has been these past three years.

With Ryan Day, you have someone who is Chip’s protege’ . Chip is Ryan Day’s sensei. Much like the story of Goldilocks and the three bears, Bill Lazor was “too hard” on the quarterbacks and friction ensued. Bill Musgrave was “too soft” on the quarterbacks and they pretty much did what they wanted. Ryan Day, in keeping with the Mother Goose theme, should be “just right”. Just right for the quarterback, and just right for Kelly.

First of all, Ryan Day knows Chip Kelly and has known him for many years. But above the familiarity, Day shares the same quarterback philosophy. Both coaches are described as cerebral, and both are willing and have demonstrated the ability to adjust “mid game” to counter what their opponents are throwing at them. Both work with and maximize the strengths of the player they have, and do not try to force a player to do more than they can. But most of all, Day favors the quarterback who can make read option reads of a defense, and will hurt the defense with their legs as well as their arm. So a quarterback coach with the “It’s okay to pull the ball in and run with it if that is what the defense gives you” attitude will be something new in Philadelphia.

He’s young, but energetic. He’s inexperienced, but his resume is loaded with read option offensive coaching. With so many questions about the who and the when and the where and even the why, it’s a good time to lay it on the line. Ryan Day will have his first opportunity to coach the NFL quarterback position. It’s very likely that his job will be one of the most important tasks of any of the coaching staff this year. Somehow, he must find a way to turn around the quarterback regression on the team and coach the quarterbacks up to succeed in not only the NFL, but in Chip Kelly’s version of the NFL. He has four quarterbacks to work with, and that number could grow to six by the time training camp opens. He’ll have a limited amount of time to do so. He’ll have the talent spectrum surrounding him in a range from a first round quarterback to an undrafted quarterback hopeful.

The burden is on Day. Some of you may say “sure, but it will more likely be on offensive coordinator Pat Shurmer”. To an extent, yes. But with so many new faces, Shurmer will be busy drafting new plays with Kelly to take advantage of the new talent. And it would be best to mitigate the role Shurmer has with Bradford, considering this is an entirely new offense. It’s clear that the team has invested time, money, and draft resources into an attempt to fix the quarterback position this year. It’s the third year of a five year course. The quarterback role, much like the defensive backs, regressed in 2014. Day is here to turn that ship around.

If Day fails to deliver progress in the quarterback position, the team will be set back – possibly too far for Chip to return to the playoffs without a contract extension. That’s a huge burden, but the team wants more than success in the regular season. The team, and the city, are ready to taste the ultimate victory.

The 2015 season could fall on the shoulders of new quarterback coach Ryan Day. We could have a disappointing season, but… we could be back in thick of post season in 2015. We are built to grind it out in the cold playoff months. Can we finally hoist the Lombardi? It will happen if we have a good Day.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles Build 2015 Offense On Shoestring Budget

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