COLUMBUS — Ohio State football offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is no superhero, but his perspective on his reputation sounds a little like comic book philosophy.
In one of the most enduring quotes from Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” Harvey Dent said, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” In Kelly’s case, the opposite came true.
The hyper-tempo spread offense with which he made his reputation at Oregon at first drew criticism from some coaches — even legends. Then some of those same coaches claimed it for themselves.
“I give Nick (Saban) credit … He wanted to outlaw it,” Kelly said of the recently retired Alabama great. “And then all of a sudden he adopted it and said ‘I really like this, so we’ll keep it in.’
“It doesn’t matter what you do. There’s cycles to this game. And then once people catch on to that cycle, then it moves.”
Those Oregon offenses will always be part of Kelly’s legacy. However, he let up on the gas pedal somewhat during his six-year run at UCLA. While personnel might play a factor, the novelty of that sped-up attack had also worn off.
Kelly and coach Ryan Day are in the early stages of filtering the Ohio State offense through Kelly’s brain. Both coaches downplayed the use of tempo as a staple of the offense. Which is fine, since the more intriguing influence comes from whatever innovation the two longtime friends and colleagues find together — especially if they evolved from the roster’s current strengths.
“He’s always been innovative on how he’s done things and put his players in the best situation to be successful,” Day said. “So what does that look like right now in college football in 2024? That’s the journey that we’re on right now.”
Kelly changed college football with Oregon’s no-huddle, up-tempo attack. Then college football changed along with him. Defenses adjusted as more offenses adopted that philosophy.
“I think when I left in 2012 to go to the National Football League, Oregon was the only team that was playing really, really fast and had shiny helmets,” Kellly said. “And when I came back in 2017, everybody had shiny helmets. Everybody was playing fast.”
Kelly’s innovations looked less innovative the more his proteges spread his style across the country. Day’s offensive philosophy evolved out of Kelly’s foundation. He quarterbacked under Kelly as offensive coordinator at New Hampshire. He served as quarterbacks coach on his staffs with the Eagles and 49ers immediately before coming to Ohio State.
Probably not coincidentally, the Buckeyes averaged more plays per game under Day in 2018, when he served as co-coordinator of the Dwayne Haskins-led passing attack. That is the only time an OSU offense averaged more plays per game than a team with Kelly as head coach.
Source: Team Rankings
As that chart above shows, Kelly’s UCLA teams also did not operate at the same tempo as in his Oregon heyday. It remained part of the mix, though not a signature factor. When comparing football to ordering dinner at a restaurant, he called tempo the “side order” — an essential component, but not the main course.
“There’s times when you’ll use it, but you’re not going to use it extensively the entire game, just like you’re not going to throw the ball every single snap in the game,” Kelly said. “You’re not going to run the ball every single snap. There’s not a game of absolutes anymore. I think the ability to be diverse and have it as a tool in your toolbox, so to speak, is really helpful.”
So what innovation could come next? With the second week of spring practices beginning Tuesday, one’s imagination can run wild based on the current roster makeup.
• Putting TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins on the field together — and doing it in ways which both maximize their talents and disguise the offense’s intentions. Now add in a mobile quarterback and receivers such as Emeka Egbuka with proven ground-game skills and you see abundant opportunities for misdirection, overloaded formations and more.
• Using the young receiver depth as a schematic weapon, perhaps spreading four out together more regularly. That may remain uncommon due to Day’s preference for at least one tight end on the field, but this team may have five or six starting-caliber receivers by September.
• Want a truly fun wrinkle? How about instead of designing a specialized package for one quarterback, a la Devin Brown last season, think of ways to put two on the field at the same time.
That last one, for sure, seems far-fetched. Kelly has always been willing to push the envelope, though. Day certainly seems intrigued by what his mentor may have up his sleeve this fall.
“All the different ways that we’re going to attack defenses is going to be exciting, but also mixing the tempos, the personnel groupings,” Day said. “Every team is little bit different, so it’s not cookie cutter.
“But I think the point is that he’s always been innovative in everything he’s done and if he’ll continue to be that way this year, we’ll have a chance to reach our goals.”
