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In case you missed it, last night saw new Eagles head coach unveil his offensive plan on the world. We saw some of it in the preseason, but the regular season opener showed us just how much Chip Kelly plans on mixing it up this year. The Internet was abuzz with discussion as Kelly and his offense had Washington on their heels from the get-go.
Washington did settle down as the game wore on, but the first half saw the Eagles put together a crazy pace. And it was a mix of plays, some of which we had seen Kelly run at Oregon. We saw short passes, we saw deep passes, we saw Michael Vick scrambling, and we saw a heck of a lot of LeSean McCoy. We even saw a double tripstack from Kelly's Oregon days. By the time Washington figured out what they were doing, they were already in a sizable hole.
The 49ers will not face the Eagles this year, but they will travel to Washington for Monday Night Football the week of Thanksgiving. While Washington struggled early on Monday, and Robert Griffin III looked very rusty in the first half, I do believe they will clean things up. There is no doubt Chip Kelly's offense, and what looked like a very strong defense, caught Washington off guard. That does not mean they will be sufficiently prepared for what the 49ers bring to the table, but I don't take Monday's game as the be-all, end-all of Washington's season.
Speaking of the 49ers, I have to think Greg Roman was watching the game. He has plenty to work on, but given his time in the Pac-12, and his interest in offensive innovation, he had to be watching that game, right? Or at least watching it on replay.
It will be interesting to see how the 49ers approach Washington in November, but also whether or not they borrow any concepts from the Eagles. I'm perfectly comfortable with the offense as is, but you know Roman likes to mix things up. And Chip Kelly's approach on Monday certainly qualified as mixing things up. The best part might have come earlier this morning when he told assembled media that he thought the pace was actually a bit slow. Alrighty then, Chip.