Manning Humiliates Kelly at His Own Game

Chip Kelly's worse nightmare is a QB that is his intellectual equal at the no huddle offense.

Chip Kelly like many successful college Coaches that have been offense innovators quickly learn that what works well at the college level doesn’t always translate well at the NFL level. Kelly’s hurry up/no huddle offenses at Oregon were no match for most Pac 12 teams because he recruited the best athletes in the nation that also possessed blazing speed. Then once his players learned his system and could execute it most of the PAC 12’s weak defenses, especially the Corners and Safety’s, would break usually by the first half and certainly by the end of the 3^rd or 4^th quarter.

In Denver yesterday Kelly had to be on the other end of an epic beat down. He was forced to witness what a highly skilled veteran QB could do with the exact same offense he wishes to employ in Philadelphia trample his team underfoot in the same mechanically ruthless way in which his teams did in Eugene. His ego had to shaken and humbled by the experience.

In Kelly’s defensive he doesn’t have one of the greatest QB’s in NFL history (Peyton Manning) to execute his offense nor does he have the kind of talented receiving corps that is at Manning's beck and call. He doesn’t have the depth the Broncos have at the skilled positions on offense either.

Despite all that was going against him going into Denver this week his team hung with the Broncos in the first half. The Broncos D struggled to contain Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy early and by the end of the first half were clearly gassed from the constant pursue. Kelly had to be pleased that his team was only down 21-13 at half time.

After the 1^st half was over I felt the best the way the Broncos could get a jump on the Eagles was to slow the game down a little and get a stop on the Eagles first possession of the 2^nd half. Manning and company have been able to score at will and as in the case yesterday, so quick the D hardly had a chance to catch their collective breathes in the 1^st half.

Manning being the smartest QB in the game right now, knew this too of course and right on queue that’s exactly how the 3^rd quarter unfolded. He marched the Broncos down the field on 80 yard drive with a mix of pass and run for a TD that took just over 5 minutes off the clock at the beginning of 3^rd. 5 minutes wouldn’t be what you’d call a very time consuming drive by most NFL standards but in Manning’s version of the no huddle it was an eternity for the helpless Eagles.

Once the Eagles took position of the ball for the first time in the 2^nd half the rested Broncos D rose up and forced a 3 and out. After that any chance of the Eagles remaining competitive in the game was over. Just like Kelly had done so many times in his college coaching career lying waste to teams in the 2^nd half of games, Manning turned the tables on him and became his executioner.

For all of Manning’s incredible statistics thus far his best one has been the merciless stampede he’s waylaid on teams in the 3^rd quarter this season. In all the years I’ve followed NFL football I’ve never seen a team and QB pounce on an opponent so decisively and ruthlessly.      

After Manning put up his 3^rd TD of the quarter to Wes Welker with 5:05 left in the 3^rd the Portland TV station here switched to the Cowboys/Chargers game. It’s been years and years since I’ve seen that happen with a Broncos team. You’d probably have to go back to the John Elway era to find a network giving up on a game before the end of the 3^rd Q. It ticked me off pretty bad but since the game was never in doubt I accepted it much better.

Worthy of mention:

Wes Welker and especially Demaryius Thomas deserve some kudos. Thomas made a sensational grab for TD in the second half and really is maturing as a one of the best WR’s in the NFL. Knowshon Moreno rushed for 76 yards and continues to amaze me with his comeback from a guy who looked like he was on his way out of NFL not so long ago. The OL continues to dominate and Chris Clark did another good job of protecting Manning’s blind side although he did give up one sack and a couple of knock downs. The D did their job too shutting down the Eagles after Manning spotted them a 28-13 lead at the beginning of the 3^rd Q.

I can’t wait for the game next week. Next to the Oakland Raiders I loathe the Dallas Cowboys with just as much passion and nothing will be as a sweet as the recent Raiders wax job except a total annihilation of the Cowboys in Dallas. I can hardly wait to see that disgusted look on Jerry Jones face as the cameras focus on him in his sky box as his Cowboys get dismantled piece meal by Manning and Company. GO BRONCOS!!