March 17, 2015
It’s a wonder there are any ratings for reality TV shows in Philadelphia, a wonder there are any lines to get into a movie or a play, and a wonder a band can gather enough people to hold a concert.
In fact, the Pope might want to re-think his decision to arrive in Philadelphia this fall for the World Meeting of Families, because Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles have taken over the city like a green fog.
Despite the fact that the Eagles haven’t played a game since the Christmas season, the Flyers and Sixers are each relegated to what is left in terms of space and interest, while the Phillies might as well be holding their spring training in Brazil for as much interest they can command.
And pity Villanova.
The Wildcats are a logical choice to get to the Final Four, and a legitimate threat to win the NCAA tourney, but the best they can hope for is a Papal order from Rome that all Catholics in the area pay some attention to their upcoming game against Lafayette. Then again, the Pope is probably trying to figure out a way to schedule his trip to Philadelphia so that he can arrange a meeting with Chip Kelly.
Look, when Kelly unleashes the dragons, you better take cover, because nobody is safe … star players, front-office types, opponents.
The irony here is that Kelly is the exact opposite of an attention-starved football coach who is trying to get his brand out to the public. This is no case of Rex Ryan singing opera to the amassed media, or getting a new tattoo to get his name in the headlines, or his face and team on social media.
The only social media Kelly cares about is the game film of the next opponent, or the scouting tapes of candidates that the Eagles might take in the upcoming draft. Given his druthers, Kelly would draw a curtain around the Linc, build a moat around the Nova Care complex, and speak only after games.
Doesn’t matter.
Despite his reluctance to detail his maneuvering, the Eagles have become the most interesting team in the NFL – which means the most interesting team in the land, and Kelly has unwillingly become one of the most, if not THE MOST interesting coach in America.
Witness: All of the moves over the past few weeks … and the brief interview with Tim Tebow.
Tebow was pretty much out of sight and out of mind in terms of the NFL, but when Kelly decided to speak to him and check in on him earlier this week, it was national news. In most cases, you could earnestly argue that it was nothing more than a coach doing his due diligence, or maybe a coach doing a favor for a football buddy who wanted Tebow to get another look.
But with Kelly and the Eagles? Who knows?
Who would have thought a coach could cut loose a premier receiver last season like Desean Jackson, get nothing back in return, and still have his team in the playoff mix?
Who could have even dreamed that the very next offseason, Kelly would trade one of the NFL’s top running backs -- LeSean McCoy -- to Buffalo, and then trade away the club’s staring quarterback -- Nick Foles -- to St. Louis for the fading promise of Sam Bradford and his wounded knee?
And to top it all off, the star running back of the Dallas Cowboys winds up in Philadelphia, while the star running back of the San Francisco 49ers agrees to sign with the Eagles before changing his mind and winding up in Indianapolis.
This is the sort of wild drama that people in Los Angeles sit around and dream up for days and weeks on end, trying to put together some sort of plot and characters that will entice a nation. This is the sort of stuff HBO, Netflix or Hulu would pay huge bucks to have as a mainstay on their program chart.
True Blood? Nonsense, Chip Kelly moves the bodies in broad daylight. And they never see it coming. Game of Thrones? Anything happen there that matches up against the power play that landed Howie Roseman in some dungeon?
Look, when Kelly unleashes the dragons, you better take cover, because nobody is safe … star players, front-office types, opponents. And the media?
No one can get enough of Kelly and the Eagles. The plot lines are many and varied, including a bromance between Kelly and Marcus Mariota, the Oregon quarterback who was lead Duck from the coach’s days at that college.
The NFL Draft is looming, the Eagles have a starting quarterback, the Eagles don’t have a high draft pick, and the biggest story around the entire pre-draft coverage of the event. Despite his protests, there is still a lingering suspicion that Kelly has something up his sleeve.
Whatever they were cooking in the kitchen of Breaking Bad, there is no doubt that Kelly is cooking up something even more addictive in his Philadelphia office. It’s only a matter of waiting for the next shoe to drop, waiting for the next chapter, waiting for the next episode.
The best part of this whole Eagles-take-over-the-world phenomena is that none of it is pre-planned. This is not a packaged-by-the-NFL-and-craftily-marketed product. This is why sports are so mesmerizing to the public. It is reality TV without the shtick.
So, while the Sixers front office is in its bunker juggling decimal points; the Flyers are trying to put together a short-term plan to get back in the Stanley Cup picture; the Phillies trying to get out of their own way; and Villanova likely on its way to greatness – all eyes are on Kelly and the Eagles.
Kelly Drive, indeed.
