The season of lists is almost over as Training Camp is set to begin in just 18 days for the Eagles. TheMMQB.com is ranking the NFL's most influential people for 2015 and head coach Chip Kelly was unveiled Wednesday at No. 3 on the countdown.
For the piece written by Emily Kaplan, she spoke with a Super Bowl-winning head coach whom Kelly has been compared to - Jimmy Johnson. Both enjoyed success at the college level before making the jump to the NFL. Johnson assumed total control of the Cowboys' roster and shook it up with numerous eye-opening moves before guiding Dallas to a pair of Super Bowl titles. After a pair of 10-win seasons, Kelly was granted final say on personnel decisions this offseason and instantly began crafting the team in his vision. Kelly has even consulted with Johnson on how to handle both the coaching and personnel roles.
"My advice would be to have somebody - and not a group of people, just one person that you trust, that you like, that's loyal, that's like-minded - do those type of things. That will help because during the season itself, the job can be a little overwhelming," Johnson said. "But in the offseason? The draft and free agency? Take advantage of your talents. You're good at evaluating players because you did it in college just like I did in college, so that's where you can shine. But during the season is when you're going to need a little bit of help."
After an extensive search, Kelly promoted assistant director of player personnel Ed Marynowitz into the role of vice president of player personnel.
Will Kelly's moves pay off? Time will tell, but Johnson is "a fan" of Kelly's boldness and willingness to believe in his program.
"Here's the big question: Do you want to play it safe and be good or do you want to take a chance and be great? If you're not afraid to fail, you can do some great things in this league," Johnson said. "But most people are afraid to fail, so they play it safe. I always liked to take risks because I was always confident in my abilities. I think — no, I know — Chip is confident in his abilities, too."
Kelly was not the only person from the Eagles to make TheMMQB's most influential list. Running back DeMarco Murray was No. 58 on the list and quarterback Sam Bradford checked in at No. 23.
