Miami Dolphins: Reeling in Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly Is Pipe Dream for Fins

With Jeff Fisher seemingly favoring the St. Louis Rams, the Miami Dolphins have tried to broaden their horizons in their search for a head coach to succeed Tony Sparano. It appears as though the search has spanned to college football and more specifically the Pac-12.

According to a report by Erik Elken of KEZI 9 News in Oregon, the Dolphins have contacted the agent of Oregon Ducks head football coach Chip Kelly. After a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin, Kelly's stock is probably as high as it has ever been or ever will be.

This is in addition to his National Championship appearance last season, making Oregon one of the marquee programs in the nation at the moment. It is certainly understandable why the Dolphins have interest, but they're simply wasting their time at this point.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald has contradicted the report that the Dolphins have contacted Kelly's agent. He is reporting that a high-ranking Dolphins official said that no such courtship has taken place, but that could easily be a smokescreen.

It's impossible to say whether or not Kelly has any interest in the NFL right now, but I would guess that even if he did Miami wouldn't be an attractive landing spot. Kelly is essentially bulletproof at Oregon right now as he has an extremely high-paying and secure job.

Volatility is the name of the game in the NFL, so it really wouldn't make sense to leave such an advantageous situation. If Kelly was going to a team with a track record of recent success and with a playoff-caliber roster already in place I could see it, but that isn't the case with the Dolphins.

There is no question that Miami has talent as it was very apparent late in the season, but it won't be easy to qualify for the playoffs in a division with the New England Patriots and New York Jets. Because of that, Kelly would risk being canned in two or three years if he was to jump ship to the Dolphins.

Alabama head coach and National Champion Nick Saban was faced with the same situation several years ago. He essentially left a lifetime job at LSU to coach the Dolphins. Not surprisingly, things didn't come as easily in the professional ranks and he was back in college ball in a couple years.

Things worked out for the better for Saban as he landed on his feet with the Crimson Tide, but there's no guarantee that Kelly will have such an attractive contingency plan. If he leaves Oregon and fails in Miami, then there's no guarantee that he will ever find a gig as good as the one he has with the Ducks.

On top of that, it's impossible to say whether Kelly would translate well to the NFL. The Denver Broncos have shown that a team can be successful whilst utilizing the option, but the Dolphins don't have the personnel to do it. Perhaps if Kelly were in the fold, the Dolphins would trade up to draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III in order to orchestrate a spread option attack.

It would be interesting to say the least, but it would also be quite risky on the Dolphins' part. When push comes to shove, I think Miami should focus on more NFL-experienced candidates. Not only might Kelly flop at the next level, but I doubt he's ready to leave Oregon as it is.