“Our team gets and understands what we want to do so well that, after Chip left, I swear the team could have run itself. “

Here is more of Frost talking about Oregon.

Kelly did a great job of hiring assistant coaches and installing a program mentality at Oregon. Things were done in a very detailed, specific way. When a coaching staff is able to instill that kind of structure, the players know what to do and what is expected of them. Kids will never admit this, but they crave structure and discipline. You don’t have to think…you just do.

It is possible, but you must understand how different the circumstances are.

Brian Billick was hired as OC of the Vikings in 1994. His system was well-established by the time Randall joined the team. That was actually 1997. Randall spent that season as a backup and had a chance to learn the system. He did get to start 3 games. Randall went 1-2 and posted mediocre numbers.

What happened in 1998?

2 things.  First, the Vikings drafted a kid named Randy Moss. He took the NFL by storm that year and caught 17 TD passes, an astonishing number for a rookie.

Brad Johnson was supposed to be the QB, but broke his ankle in Week 2, allowing Cunningham to take the reins of a dynamic offense. That team set the NFL record for points with 556 and went 15-1.  That is amazing, but needs to be put in context.

The offense was very good in 1997 with Johnson at QB and no Moss. 11th in points, 8th in yards.

Offense was all-time great with Randall in 1998. 1st in points, 2nd in yards.

Offense was outstanding with Jeff George in 1999. 5th in points, 3rd in yards.

Offense was outstanding with Daunte Culpepper in 2000. 5th in points, 5th in yards.

Randall had an amazing season in 1998 and there is no disputing that. You do have to understand that there was some “right guy, right time” thing going on. NFL teams didn’t know what to do with Moss and Carter and Jake Reed. Billick was in his final season as the OC. The OL started 77 of 80 possible games. The skill players stayed healthy. The Vikings only played 4 games all year against teams with winning records. And tough road games at Chicago and Green Bay came early in the year when the weather was irrelevant. The only game with a temperature under 42 degrees came in the season finale at Tennessee. In that game, the Vikings only had 26 points and 338 yards, both far below season averages. The Vikings played 9 games indoors. A 10th game was played at Dallas, where it was 58 degrees. That might as well have been in a dome.

Give Randall and the Vikings credit for taking advantage of all the favorable circumstances, but do understand there were some lucky breaks involved.

Vick could have a real good year for the Eagles in 2013 if he fixes some issues and clicks well with Kelly this summer, but don’t read into Randall’s 1998 season. The circumstances are very, very different.

All I can say is…wow.

I could put up nuggets from it, but go read the whole thing.

Tell me if much of the article doesn’t feel like it was written 2 weeks ago, but with a couple of name changes. Let’s sure hope for a better outcome this time around.

See for yourself. Coach Fipp loves the University of Arizona. And fried turkey.

He does like sunglasses. Maybe I’ll sell him a pair.

Fired up for breast cancer awareness month in the NFL with my new shades from @CostaSunglasses of Daytona Beach Florida pic.twitter.com/G1wl1CMH

— Dave Fipp (@coachfipp) October 4, 2012

Although…hiding those piercing eyes from the public really is a crime.

Dave learned his lesson in 2008, while watching RB Lorenzo Booker look great in the non-contact practices.

And once the pads went on in training camp at Lehigh University, Booker was a different player. He wasn’t as quick. He wasn’t as nimble. Those hands that were so great in the spring? Things were a lot different with a linebacker bearing down on Booker in the flat.

So, as a result, all of the spring hype — actually one report from training camp suggested that Booker had a skill set similar to that of star running back Brian Westbrook — that Booker generated turned out to be a lot of fluff, hot air and not realistic in any way. Booker played 10 games for the Eagles that season, with 53 rushing yards on 20 attempts and 6 receptions for 11 yards.

Call it a lesson learned.

So very true.

I’ve long been a big Jackson fan. I think he’s underrated as an all-around receiver and wasn’t used well by the previous scheme.  His straight-line speed is among the best in the league, and used properly, he should open the entire field up by forcing safety coverage deep.  However, it wouldn’t surprise me if he makes a less successful transition than I hope and others expect.

Go check out the piece to see what his reasoning is.

RB LeSean McCoy – Pitt

“Shady”,as he’s called, had a great 2007 season. Expectations were sky high for ’08. Things haven’t gone as hoped. He’s putting up okay numbers, but hasn’t been dominant, the way he was down the stretch last year. Losing a pair of Senior OTs will hurt the running game.

McCoy is only averaging about 4.4 ypc. He only put up okay numbers the first 3 weeks. Things are getting better. He’s now run for more than 140 yards the last 2 games. Maybe he’s starting to emerge from the slow start.

Watch him run and you can’t help but think of Charlie Garner. They are similar in size, although McCoy is bigger. Both guys look the same when running. The big difference is that Charlie wasn’t afraid to attack the middle. He was small, but ran hard between the tackles. McCoy has a tendency to bounce everything wide. He’s always looking for the homerun.

I think McCoy should stay for another year. He has the ability to play in the NFL, but needs to work on some technique things. He swings the ball around way too much. He has to learn to be more of a N-S runner. He’s got to stay playside more often and not go backside as much. Tons of potential, but some work to be done.

WR Jeremy Maclin – Missouri

He has played 1.5 years and dominates on a regular basis. His numbers have basically come against soft competition this year, but Mizzou is now getting into Big 12 games. I fully expect Maclin to dominate them was a runner, receiver, and returner.

He has excellent size and speed. He is a good receiver. UM runs a spread attack so Maclin will need some polishing by pro coaches. I watch him play and see NFL ability. There is always a fear of someone like him turning out to be the next Peter Warrick, but Maclin looks like the real deal.

I might advise him to go pro. The Senior class of WRs is nothing special. I don’t know how much better Maclin will get in college. The things he needs to work on require NFL coaching and QB play.

(Interestingly…I had written these 3 blurbs at the same time. I must have been focused on underclassmen. Who knew that 2 would end up as teammates and the third as a rival?)

RB DeMarco Murray – Oklahoma

He lost part of the 2007 season to a knee injury. I wondered how Murray would look this year. His best quality is speed. DeMarco is one of those guys who can turn any play into a huge gain if he gets a bit of room. About ’08…so far, so good. TCU shut him down last week, but he’s killed everyone else. The knee looks good and his speed is back. DeMarco is making plays as a runner, receiver, and KO returner.

Murray definitely needs to stay in school another year. His knee will be all the way back next year. He can make big plays with his speed, but that isn’t good enough at the NFL level. Trung Canidate was a speed back that couldn’t adjust to the NFL. When he couldn’t just outrun people he wasn’t as effective. Murray reminds me a bit of Felix Jones. I think DeMarco would benefit from improving as a receiver as well. If you have speed, hands, and return ability it will really make teams interested in you.

* * * * *

* Let’s talk about an interesting Senior DE. Connor Barwin (6’4, 255) is a starting DE for Cincinnati. He’s got 40 tackles, 7 sacks, and 3 blocked kicks. Solid numbers, but nothing special. He’s interesting because he was the starting TE last year. Caught 31 passes. They decided he was such a good athlete that the best way to use him was at DE.

Connor is athletic. He’s agile and looks good in space. He plays both sides of the ball. He’s got good change-of-direction ability. That might make him more of an interest at LB. He could interest creative teams. Connor could play DE or LB as his primary position. He can help at TE. I saw him catch a TD as part of the goal line offense recently. I’ll be really interested to see how he does at the Scouting Combine in February.

* * * * *

* Let’s talk about Everette Brown, the stud DE from Florida State. He leads the NCAA in TFLs. That alone tells you that this is a disruptive player. He goes to FSU, which generally tells you he’s gonna be a good athlete and edge rusher.

Put on the tape and he lives up to the expectations. Brown is very athletic. He’s got excellent speed. He also has excellent closing speed, something all the great pass rushers have. FSU is getting creative with him. They now use him at DT in certain sets. Brown had a pair of sacks from DT against Maryland. He used spin moves and a great burst on both plays. On the second sack he absolutely exploded from the moment the spin move ended to enevelop the QB.

Brown has a good motor. He’s very quick. He goes about 6’4, 250. That’s a good frame to build on. He has muscular arms. He isn’t the most rugged player, but he will battle blockers when he needs to.

Neither Michael Johnson of Ga Tech nor Brian Orakpo is a lock to be the first pass rusher taken. Brown could sneak in and grab that spot. He’s not as athletic as them., but is more productive. And that is something I value. I’m sure some NFL teams will feel the same way. Brown is only a Junior, but he would be wise to come out this year.

(updated note…I did overrate Brown’s production. He also shrank from 6-4 to about 6-1. That and a pedestrian showing at the Combine really hurt him. )

Bowden wrote about the Eagles and drafting, focusing on draft experts and their predictions. Back then, this stuff was somewhat new.  Bowden really ripped on Mel Kiper, Joel Buchsbaum and Ourlads for not getting picks right, but back then that was a major challenge. Information wasn’t as readily available so you really were doing a lot of guessing.

Good article that’s worth checking out.  Fun stuff.  Here’s a short clip:

Welcome to the weird world of divining the NFL draft, which is dominated by Kiper, by Brooklyn basement oracle Joel Buchsbaum, and by the Delaware Valley’s own newcomer clairvoyant, Ourlad’s guide. None of these cottage industry giants got a single Eagles draft choice right last year (or in most of the years before that), but all of them, nevertheless, continue to respond to and profit from the growing demand of gonzo serious football fans who, not content with the opening of baseball season, the NBA and NHL playoffs, tennis and golf tours, World League football (for crying out loud), the coming Olympic Games, horse racing, yachting, cycling or bowling, spend the NFL’s off-season in sustained self-indulgence.

They try to figure out which players teams will draft today and tomorrow, instead of just waiting to see what happens.

I guess Bowden wasn’t a draftnik.

Marty goes to the Jets, who had a woeful offense in 2012. They were 30th in yards and 28th in points. They were near the bottom in virtually every team passing category. If Marty can turn this group around, he’ll rebuild his reputation in a major way.

Marty did run the 1998 Niners offense, which finished 1st in rushing, passing, and total yards. That is the only offense to do that in years and years. Marty did lead the Eagles to the franchise record in points a couple of different times. The man knows offense. He just needs someone to push the run game on him. Rex Ryan will do that and the coaches could end up bringing out the best in each other.

The first order of business is finding a QB, whether that is Mark Sanchez with rebuilt confidence or rookie Geno Smith with a crash course in NFL football.

Bengals will be featured team on HBO's "Hard Knocks" series this summer.

— Paul Domowitch (@pdomo) June 15, 2013

As for the future, I highly doubt it. Kelly is just as secretive as Reid…if not more. We’ll see how Eagles coverage goes this summer.