'If he stayed, he'd probably get the championship, but now he's gone'
EUGENE, Ore. -- It's a question many hard-core football fans will ask for years to come: Where were you when Chip Kelly left Oregon for the NFL?
For mechanic Dan Bowden, the answer is, under the hood of a car.
On Wednesday, Dan analyzed Kelly's move. "I think he did like most people do. He used his leverage and negotiations and when they backed up the trucks with, loaded with enough money, then he decided it was time to go," he said.
National Gaurdsman Michael Tieman was getting a hair cut. "Its very disappointing," he said. "I just found out about 20 or 30 minutes ago, and I don't think I've had time to let it all soak in."
The woman behind the clippers, hairdresser Rebecca McKenzie, says the shop has been buzzing all day. "Yeah, everybody seems to be talkin' about it in here, nobody wants to see him leave," she said.
Between bites of her burger, Karen Crauder says there might be hard feelings. "If whoever starts coaching the Ducks doesn't miss a beat and and picks up where Chip left off, then we won't need him back," she said.
Duck fans in Roseburg were stunned at the news that Kelly is taking his visor to Philadelphia.
While most were surprised Kelly changed his mind, most said they believe the Ducks will do just fine without him.
Roseburg resident Emma Simons said that even so, he's sad to see Chip go. "We'd rather he stay. My whole family. Both my sons, both in the service, they're both duck fans."
On the south coast, Duck fans we talked with were also taken by surprise.
Steven Schneiderman from the Marshfield Booster Club says he was pretty shocked. "Well, after the Fiesta Bowl, we were sure he was staying, and then this came as a big surprise that all of a sudden he's gone, so it was surprising," he said.
Shawn McNally said, "You can't lose a guy like him, he's been there four years, through four straight BCS bowls, national championship run. If he stayed one more year he'd probably get the championship, but now he's gone."
Even as Chip Kelly boarded a plane for Philadelphia, there's a lot of talk about who will take over as head coach of the Ducks.
Log in below and leave a comment about where you were when you heard the news and your reaction.
How many years were left on Kelly's contract? So, I'm pretty sure he will draw his full salary and bonus's until the end of the contract, even if he isn't at UO...and the great citizens of Oregon and Duck fans will get to pay that bill, even though he is drawing big bucks at the Eagles....Seems like the last head coach did the same thing......the contract negotiatons show just how poor the "very smart people" at the university do their jobs.
Here is reality for Duck fans, coach coaches go for the payday because in 75% of the times, the clock on when he gets fired has already started. Did Kelly mishandle the way he went about doing business? No question about it, he said he was staying and then took the money and ran. Chip is doing a Pete Carroll as the NCAA has not decided on what sanctions they will hit Oregon with as the result of using that guy in Texas.
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The NCAA has already rejected the punishments that Oregon offered to impose on themselves so Chip really had no choice but to run now while his stock was hot. The NCAA has gotten smarter as Chip will have his own sanctions if he tries to return to the college game. But Chip taking the Phily job just wrote his own death sentence as a head coach. Philly is a huge mess and playing in the NFC East with the Giants and Redskins won't help Chip.Karma has a way of evening things out. Good luck going 4-12 there coach
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 @Dr. Rawdog Right???
The Eagles???? At least if you are leaving have some self respect!
No..more like "If he stayed..he'd likely get outcoached and lose yet another critical home game to an inferior opponent..this blowing another opportunity to win a national title." Look, if you have the resources and Nike behind you, and you can't win a national title..then you're really not that good. Sayonara Chimp Kelly.
I have no hard feelings toward Chip Kelly. He's been good for the Ducks who still have tremendous talent in their players and other coaches. I can't condemn Coach Kelly for doing what's right for his career and wish him luck in Philadelphia. I think he's got a tough road ahead of him with the Eagles.
Well, Chip...You did a flip-flop like no other. You cannon-balled right into the mass media, making the biggest outgoing splash possible by signing with the Eagles.Â
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All I can say is - good luck finding a new replacement coach, Ducks. I'm sure you will find someone solid and of good moral standards.Â
 @washcomom Well, Bellotti begat Chip and Chip begat....to be determined. It's not about morals, it's about winning.Â
 @washcomom Oh, and money. Winning and money. The biggest paycheck always gets the coach.
Hey never would have won a championship. The SEC  is too strong. Alabama would have eaten them alive! Plus the impending sanctions won't help much either. It will be interesting to see what happens with this years recruitment now that he jumped ship.
Good riddance. Arrogant, obnoxious, condescending, far more concerned with winning then ethics, morals, or education. Can't wait until he runs into Philly fans when he's losing (and he will).
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And he'll get hundreds of thousands a month once he turns 60.
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When Oregon gets sanctioned by the NCAA, I'd love to see what the Kelly Adoration Society has to say.
 @ShallowEnder Don't go away mad.....just go away.
 @ShallowEnder Your hurt feelings will heal in time. Football coaches are hired based on their competency to win football games. Chip won 46 in 4 years. Whether he succeeds or not in the NFL, he changed the college game and will have his choice of head coaching positions should he decide to return to the NCAA. The guys who get paid to write about sports have been saying these things...
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Chip can coach. His resume is filled with empirical evidence of the fact. But your hurt feelings WILL heal in time.
Chimp never changed the college game. The spread was there long before he ever was. The shotgun formation was there. No huddle offenses were there long before he was. Chimp did not revolutionize college football, and he's getting WAY too much credit. IMO, Chris Ault doing what he did in Reno, without Phil Knight's Army is FAR more impressive. Morons talk about Washington and RG III running Chimp's office now. What a farce that is. It's Chris Aults Pistol..not Chimp Kelly's. If Chimp doesn't lose to LAME KIFFIN at home, the Ducks are playing for the natty last year. If he doesn't lose to Stanford at home this year, they're playing for the natty. For all his good, how can you not have a steady Place Kicker in four years? Please..
 @KillsGermsOnContact Really? Then why was he so successful at it? 46-7 is nothing to scoff at. 3 PAC-10/12 championships and 4 straight BCS Bowls. Yea, he really sucks at it.
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Yea, he really sucks at coaching.
(Charles) Kelly was right when he said that any and all of his success was due to the guys on the field. Kelly had his best shot at winning a faux national title (faux, because the BCS has never produced a TRUE national champion) but he absolutely blew it against Auburn. Good coach? Sure. Great system? Absolutely. Solid recruiter? No doubt. Beneficiary of the foundation Brooks and Bellotti laid. For sure. Would never be anywhere close to where he is without Phil Knights millions. Gospel Truth.
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Make no mistake. The biggest part of Chip Kelly's stumpy frame is his ego. And in the world of "The Mighty Keep Falling" Chip's turn is coming soon. To think he's going to jump into the NFL fray and become on overnight success like Andrew Luck, RG III and Russell Wilson is pure folly. Other than money, and getting a chance to move back closer to home, I cannot understand why he would take either the Buffalo, Cleveland, or Philly gigs. Yes, Philly supposedly has a cupboard full of talent, but what kind of character does that team have?
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Chip had everything going for him at Oregon, and still couldn't win the big game at the collegiate level. And beating Wisconsin and K-State is not winning the big game. Beating Ohio St or Auburn would have been. He was out-coached in both of those games, as he was against Boise St, and USC and Stanford at home in successive seasons. And through all of that, every time he had a chance to go out of his way to be a jerk to reporters, he delighted in it. Dude is not lacking for arrogance.
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But his time is coming. Humility is a good thing, and Philly Fan is about to give him both barrels, as soon as the first quarter of the first exhibition game. Philly Fan isn't Fine Wine and Imported Cheese Duck Fan. Philly Fan doesn't spend time at day spas, or at second homes in Scottsdale. Charles is gonna get his, and when he does, he may very well think to himself; "What the hell was I thinking?" And while he's gets his ___ kicked by the media and the fans in Philly, his former players at Oregon will be playing with a (pun totally intended) big Chip on their shoulders.
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If the NCAA doesn't hamstring the Ducks in 2013 (for what happened on Chip's watch) they may very well go undefeated, and end up playing yet another SEC opponent (probably Alabama or A&M) in the concocted title game. This is a young team, returning a lot of power, speed and talent. And now, they have a whole 'nother level of motivation. It's called bitterness, resentment, and spite. Any of you guys ever try to break up with a woman who doesn't see it coming? Than you know what I'm talkin' about.
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Should we all be grateful for the time Chip gave us? Should we really believe it was all about him? Hardly.
Good coach? Sure..but not a great coach, and a sure fire winner at the NFL level? No way. He's just another cut and runner, who speaks out of both sides of his mouth, and most of the time, with unnecessary vitriol. I guess I never really was a big Chip Kelly fan. Sure, I loved watching Oregon victories, but I was never enamored with "Spanky." I give more credit to Phil Knight and his team, and ultimately, to the young men on the field, and I will be pulling for them even harder come September. Peace out...
 @KillsGermsOnContact tl;dr
 @KillsGermsOnContact Sounds to me like he will fit in just fine at Phily and be able to hold his own vs the fans...
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"who speaks out of both sides of his mouth, and most of the time, with unnecessary vitriol."
 @KillsGermsOnContact Chip Kelly owes the UofO nothing. He paid his dues in full with 46 games won in 4 years and 4 straight BCS bowl games. He is a football coach, and there is little challenge left at Oregon for him.
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Then don't say "I'm not leaving..my heart is with Oregon.' And then a week later he calls his AD while he's eating Cheerios and says "Hey Rob..remember that thing I said about not leaving for the NFL..well.." Paid his dues? 46 wins? 4 straight BCS games (losing two of those he had no business losing?) All with one of the most inflated egos in college football ever? No thanks. ____ Chimp Kelly Â
 @KillsGermsOnContact Yep, if Helfrich wins it all it will be with the athletes that Kelly recruited.
Ha ha..naaagh..I just feel like taking a few pot shots because really, though I love watching the Ducks win football games, shortly after this guy started tasting success, his head swelled, and he started going out of his way to be a total jerk to people in the media, who are just doing their jobs. Is he good at what he does? Sure he is. 46-7 anywhere is pretty strong. But c'mon. It's not like he built a program. Brooks turned it around. Bellotti kept it going, and raised it to another level, and Uncle Phil poured buku bank into that school and football program. There are dozens of coaches, given what Chimp had to work with, that could have had the same or even better success. Tell ya what. You put Chris Peterson in there, and you have at least one if not two national titles at Oregon. I'm gonna laugh if Helfrich goes out and wins the whole thing in his first year, and it's entirely possible that he does just that. Thank You.
 @KillsGermsOnContact Dang KGOC, bitter much?
 @KillsGermsOnContact He left because Philly is better than Eugene.
Excuse Me?
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"He left because Philly is better than Eugene?"
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Wow..anyone who has ever spent any time in that city knows that Philly is a cess pool.
Eugene is heaven compared to Philly. Living anywhere back east is like being an ant in an ant hill. No thank you. Maybe Chip will be more comfortable back there. Good for him. But the games he played with Tampa last year, and then this year, when he says he's going to stay, because his "heart is with Oregon" just to get Lurie to offer more money?
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____ Chip Kelly. Now he's in the same category as Saban, Petrino, Kiffin, Todd Graham, Brian Kelly, and others who say anything at the time, and they're SO genuine when they say it. Kelly is a lying sack of crap. Now he's exposed for what he is. And he's really gonna get exposed in the NFL. His shtick won't fly with NFL players. He won't win over the players that play there, and he wont' be able to attract the players he needs, and his system won't work in the NFL, because he won't be able to manipulate the refs into playing to his tempo. The league won't have it, because the league is sponsor driven, and they need to jam their commercials in.
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Philly better than Eugene? You must be from there. Anyone with a clue knows that living in Oregon is a lot better than living anywhere near Philadelphia. It's a toilet.
 @KillsGermsOnContact No I live in Brooklyn. Grew up in Portland. I don't mind it over here. There is at least culture here.Â
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Btw, Chip Kelly is from New Hampshire.Â
Who's Chip Kelly and why is he so important that he gets a news article about him?