Please, Lord, Bring Chip Kelly to Alabama
Alabama Must, Simply Must, Hire Chip Kelly As Offensive Coordinator
(Getty Images/Ringer Illustration)
Do you miss it? Do you miss Alabama head coach Nick Saban angrily roaming the sideline in Tuscaloosa, berating an offensive coordinator who was once considered a rising star? Do you miss scenes like the one below, where Saban lit into
Lane Kiffin after the Crimson Tide fumbled late in Septemberās 38ā10 win over Western Kentucky, allowing the Hilltoppers to slice the deficit to a mere 28 points with less than a minute remaining?
Saban dismissed Kiffin on January 2, 2017, less than a month after heād agreed to become Florida Atlanticās next head coach and a week before Bama lost to Clemson in the national championship game. Steve Sarkisian, who was announced as Kiffinās replacement-in-waiting on December 16, stepped into the OC role early with subpar results, as the Tide gained just 376 yards (and went 2-of-15 on third-down conversions) against the Tigers. And now, in a surprising twist, Sarkisian has left Bama to
take the same position with the Atlanta Falcons, where heāll replace Kyle Shanahan, who became
the 49ers head coach on Monday. People will claim that Sark jumped to inherit the NFLās highest-scoring offense, but really,
he left to escape this reality:
Well, college football fans wondering where the Tide will turn next, I bring you the most tantalizing possibility. Itās time: Sarkās departure clears the way for Saban to bring Chip Kellyāāāthe lord and savior of points, Pac-12 titles, and
repeatedly covering up player injuriesāāāto Alabama.
I know, I know.
There are three stages to processing this: (1) recalling that weāve been teased about Chip returning to campus before, and not wanting to fall for it again. In the past six months alone, heās been rumored to have been in the mix for positions at
UCLA,
Cal,
LSU, and others. This couldnāt
really happen, could it? (2) Remembering
that story from January 2016: The one in which Chip trekked to Bamaās campus before the title game, and Saban said āChip Kelly is a good friend of myself and a lot of coaches on our staff, and he just happened to be in the area and he stopped by and visited with us for a little bitā? The one that set the stage for a moment
just like this one. (3) Realizing, oh goddamnit, this is definitely happening. Chip is going to take over, and blue-chip quarterback prospect Tua Tagovailoa is going to become the next Marcus Mariota, and Bo Scarbrough is going to become a scarier version of Kenjon Barner, and five-star early enrollee Najee Harris is going to break all kinds of NCAA rushing records, given that a coach already labeled him a
ābigger Barry Sandersā and that Harris has long been a vocal critic of
Taco Tuesdays and Fast-Food Fridays. (Fine, I made that last part up.)
The point is, Chip is fresh off two failed NFL stints and needs a second college chance. (San Franciscoās 2ā14 record this season had nothing to do with the organizationās overwhelming dysfunction. Just ask Jed York!) And
no one does second chances like Nick Saban. Just the idea of Kellyās offense pairing with Sabanās defense is causing me to break into a cold sweat, and thatās not even the most exciting part of this potential (read: inevitable) partnership.
Chip Kelly Bet on His System Until It Failed
The San Francisco 49ers fired Kelly on Sunday. Once seen as a football mastermind, his coaching future is now in doubt.theringer.com
Just imagine it: September 16, 2017. Alabama leads Colorado State 72ā7 in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, and Chip calls for quarterback Jalen Hurts (who is still in the game) to throw a bomb to Calvin Ridley (also still in the game), because this is the type of thing that Kelly does. Colorado State intercepts the pass, returns it 50-plus yards for a meaningless score, and the college football world gets a
photo like this, only better. Everyone is happy, except for maybe
Phyllis from Finebaum and Puddles the Duck.
Plus, thereās one more reason Alabama has to hire Kellyāāāone that may have dictated his career path this entire time, unbeknownst to everyone: He still needs to exact revenge against Auburn. Michael Dyer was down.
Jill sorry I had to,:rolf::naughtydevil:
