The more time goes by, the more apparent it is becoming that the Raiders’ decision to hire Chip Kelly didn’t come from Pete Carroll.
This storyline has picked up steam since Carroll was fired, but it’s not a new storyline and it’s something that has been discussed since well before the start of the season.
Earlier in the week, Lincoln Kennedy talked about Kelly being brought to the organization by people other than Carroll.
On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Review Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore added to Kennedy’s comments.
“I’m going to go out on a limb… and say that when Pete Carroll was hired and they were interviewing him, I’m going to say that the last name that he ever brought up to be his offensive coordinator was Chip Kelly in that process,” Bonsignore said on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate on Tuesday.
“If that is the case… I don’t think that was the plan… I don’t think that conversation ever happened from Pete Carroll’s perspective. And if that is the case, how big of a problem was it that maybe he was, that Chip Kelly was put on to Pete Carroll’s lap?”
Yahoo and FOX Sports host Jason Fitz was a guest on the Morning Tailgate, and he agreed with Bonsignore’s statement.
“That is really well said by you and matches a lot of what I’ve been told on and off the record,” Fitz said.
“What I’ve been told by people repeatedly is like, ‘Hey, you know, Chip was sort of assigned to all of this’ and that speaks to, again, one man, one vision, one process. To me, the concept that Pete Carroll was essentially assigned to this, which matches again some of what I continually keep being told, it’s disturbing and it just speaks to the fact that when no one’s in charge, nothing’s ever run right.”
The name neither host directly tied to Kelly was Tom Brady, and it’s going to be interesting to see how delicately Brady’s influence in the organization is handled this year.
Assuming Brady was the one who determined to bring Kelly to the Raiders, it was a major failure on his part and would suggest he isn’t quite the stabilizing figure in the organization that he was supposed to be.
Many believe Kelly was Brady’s “guy” in the building and there is growing evidence that those assumptions were accurate. Brady has a history with Kelly and with their relationship, Brady could comfortably inject his preferences into the offense – not a lot different than he can do with the roster thanks to with hand-picked GM and close friend John Spytek.
Last week, former Raiders CEO Amy Trask talked about a level of disfunction in the organization that starts with the new ownership group that joined the team a year ago.
She mentioned Jim Grey as an influence that hasn’t been positive, but there aren’t many obvious signs that Brady has been a genius owner and unofficial executive, either.
x: @raidersbeat
Brady Played QB!!! He was NEVER in Management of Anything… Including putting together a NFL Caliber Organization including, but not limited to, Front Office Staff, Player Personell, Talent Evaluation or ANYTHING Else. Mark Davis Got Hoodwinked Again… Over and Over and Over… Easy to Fool Markey… Think about his decisions – the Cost monetarily is Well into the Hundreds of Millions but the Cost to the Franchise and the Raider Nation Fanbase is Incalcuable. Shameful, Disgusting and Maybe even Irreversible. A Virtual Playbook on how to Destroy a Iconic Brand.
Kelly’s just the scapegoat. He isn’t responsible for poor personal decisions.
Amy always shot straight. Never went public even when Al went completely off the rails. I know when she dished the truth after he died she was a stand up dude. Mark should know that too. Too bad he didn’t bring her back.
Wow. You’re drinking the kool aid too huh?
Wonder why defenses always knew what we were doing at the LOS? That should be enough to give you a clue. Game after game.
Are you still going to hold that story when a scrub OC like Olson has more success?
I doubt that Olson is going to turn this offense around. Kelly may have been part of the problem, but the OL is horrendously without talent. Let see who you’ll blame when they continue their inept play!
We’ll see. Give it a couple weeks. If I’m wrong I’ll own it. I hope you will too?
I will, too. Just my take on it, but you’re right, the remaining games with tell.
Hell Geno may have lost the team completely. There’s a lot to watch for in this game.
I’m curious how much authority Chip had of the offense, full reign from what i’ve heard this week. I’m not excited to see what K Mack does to this offensive line, but I’ll watch again this week. I’m hoping we get a better blocking scheme, at least leave someone in to chip the end on passing downs. Kelly should have been fired for cause just for the fact he did nothing to help the beleaguered line play. Maybe let a draft pick get some real reps, there is nothing to lose except a draft slot.
Agreed. And Geno can call audibles in Olson’s game.
Mark was an idiot from Piedmont High School, his father would yell at him, call him an idiot and kick him out of meetings. He still is an idiot, he has to be given his decisions
Fired him from ball boy duties, too.