Chip Kelly Makes Waves in Philadelphia but Not During the NFL Draft

Conviction in oneself is absolutely necessary to succeed in the NFL. 

For Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, he's always had the conviction to do it his way as an offensive coordinator and head coach, whether it was at New Hampshire, Oregon or in the City of Brotherly Love. 

Nothing Kelly does fits into a traditional football groupthink. When he doesn't do something groundbreaking or against the grain, onlookers start to wonder if something is wrong. 

The 2015 NFL draft proved to be a perfect example of perception not meeting reality as it pertains to how Kelly operates. 

From the outside looking in, Kelly is viewed as a mad genius or football savant. His high-flying offense, unconventional practice habits and even different ways to monitor the health of his players are now the norm in Philadelphia. 

Those outside of southeastern Pennsylvania see a modern-day Victor Frankenstein—a man obsessed with creating something new out of the bits and pieces that previously made up conventional football logic. 

There is always a plan in place, though.

Kelly continues to persevere and even thrive despite traveling an unlikely road. 

As a young coach, he worked his way up through the collegiate ranks at schools such as Columbia, Johns Hopkins and New Hampshire—not exactly traditional football powerhouses—before he found his way to the University of Oregon as the Ducks' offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting behind Mike Bellotti. 

Every step of the way, Kelly brought a unique flair with his approach to his game—an approach that eventually caught the eye of NFL owners. 

But even before he agreed to become a head coach in the NFL, Kelly's success at Oregon was questioned, and there were those who openly wondered whether or not it would translate to the next level. 

"The system won't work in the NFL."

"He doesn't have any NFL experience."

"The offense doesn't work without an athletic quarterback."

Even one of the game's most respected coaches, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, lobbed a potshot at Kelly early in his tenure with the Eagles (via The Philadelphia Inquirer's Mike Sielski) in a 2013 interview: 

"

I still think it's a great offense. It's a great college offense when you put a great athlete back there.

But when you're facing great athletes, with the speed that's in the NFL who are chasing these guys, unless you're superhuman, you're going to get hurt sooner or later - not hurt, but beat up and bruised up, and you don't want your quarterback feeling bruised up when he's trying to throw and be accurate.

"

After two years, though, the Eagles finished with a 20-12 overall record and top-five offensive performances during both seasons. 

Kelly quieted the critics once they realized his system isn't based on the zone read or the need for an athletic quarterback behind center. Instead, increased tempo and overloads result in a strong running attack, which is the driving force behind Kelly's scheme. 

With success on the field, the Eagles coach earned trust off it. 

The head coach became embroiled in a power struggle with general manager Howie Roseman, which cost Eagles vice president of player personnel Tom Gamble his job and Roseman lost say over the team's personnel. 

Instead, Kelly was handed the reins of the franchise by team owner Jeffrey Lurie. 

As everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man often says, "With great power comes great responsibility." 

The singular-minded coach set about remolding the team in his image, and he did so with reckless abandon. 

Below is a timeline of the Eagles' transactions since Kelly wrested control of the roster: 

• March 3: Veteran linebacker Trent Cole and cornerback Cary Williams are released. 
• March 3: The team's leading rusher, LeSean McCoy, was shipped off to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso.
• March 8: Quarterback Mark Sanchez and outside linebacker Brandon Graham re-signed with the team.
• March 10: Quarterback Nick Foles was traded to the St. Louis Rams for fellow signal-caller Sam Bradford. Three draft picks were involved as well. 
• March 10: Cornerback Byron Maxwell signed as a free agent. 
• March 11: Leading receiver Jeremy Maclin departed via free agency and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. 
• March 12: Kelly pulled off a coup by signing two starting-caliber running backs, the league's leading rusher DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. 
• April 10: Quarterback Tim Tebow signed to compete for a roster spot. 

These moves alone would be enough to overwhelm an evolving roster, but there was always a threat of even more happening.

This is where the disconnect started between those working in the NovaCare Training Complex and the outside world. 

Kelly said over and over again that the team acquired Bradford to be their starting quarterback, and the coach wasn't willing to sacrifice the future of the franchise to acquire his former protege at Oregon, Marcus Mariota. 

Nobody actually believed him. 

As this year's draft neared, rumors abounded supposedly detailing ridiculous offers Kelly sent to the Tennessee Titans to obtain the second overall pick and select Mariota. 

When the Titans finally went on the clock Thursday evening, the seconds slowly ticked away, and expectations of a potential deal actually happening quickly faded. 

No franchise-changing, Hawaiian-acquiring move ever materialized to the disappointment of every fan who likes to see chaos erupt during the draft. 

Instead, Kelly's actions proved to be rather boring and even predictable. 

Draft guru and NFL.com contributor Gil Brandt correctly predicted the Eagles' selection with the 20th overall pick three weeks before it was announced, courtesy of NFL Digital Media's Andy Fenelon: 

The Eagles' entire draft class was rather anti-climatic. This isn't a bad thing. 

No blockbuster deals were struck, but the Eagles improved at multiple need areas. 

USC's Nelson Agholor's skill set and and style of play are reminiscent of Maclin's, and he'll become the primary weapon within the team's high-octane offense. 

The Eagles did trade up for Utah hybrid defensive back Eric Rowe, who will start his career at cornerback but could eventually become Malcolm Jenkins' running mate along the back line of the defense. 

Texas linebacker Jordan Hicks will add much-needed athleticism to the linebacker corps, while Kansas' JaCorey Shepherd and Kansas State's Randall Evans provide further depth in the secondary. 

Agholor was acquired to keep the Eagles offense humming, while the infusion of defensive talent was necessary to slow opposing offenses that will eventually be trying to keep up with the Eagles.

But everything isn't copacetic in Philadelphia after a solid, albeit somewhat boring, draft. 

It's not a secret that Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis and his $5.5 million salary are available on the open market. Kelly openly acknowledged this fact Saturday (via the Atlantic City Press' Dave Weinberg): 

Mathis, who turns 34 years old in December, yet remains one of the game's best blockers, wasn't exactly thrilled with his coach's proclamation. 

The talented lineman responded on Twitter with a single tweet and a retweet:

The lesson learned from this little public spat is simple: Kelly won't pull punches, and no one on the roster is safe. 

Why? 

Because everyone is replaceable in Kelly's mind due to the success of his system and how he runs his team.

It doesn't matter if you're a former All-Pro performer or you own a successful track record. It's all about the team and the scheme. And no player can rise above those two things. They're merely cogs in Kelly's machine. 

This isn't a new concept. "The Patriot Way" is alive and well under Bill Belichick in Foxboro, Massachusetts. It just so happens that Kelly and the Patriots' tyrannical coach developed a healthy respect for one another over the years.

Due to this business-like approach, Belichick has been successful for a very long time. Kelly is merely following in his footsteps. 

But what brought the Eagles coach to this point is an undying belief of how his team should be constituted and maintained. 

It has yet to lead him astray, and it's unlikely to change at any point in the near future. As a result, the Eagles should continue to be successful all because of Kelly's conviction in himself, which makes his approach beyond reproach. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.