Editakorial: Rose-Colored Glasses

There seems to be a consensus around here that no matter what ends up happening with Ernie Kent's job status, Mike Bellotti and the higher-ups at the athletic department will set the program up with the best possible situation for success.  There also seems to be a consensus that Chip Kelly has a rational plan for the football program that will pay dividends in the long run.  But has the Rose Bowl appearance clouded our ability to think realistically about the program? 

I will be the first to admit, I not only drink the Chip Kelly Kool-Aid, I bathe in it, I add it to recipes as a substitute for chicken stock, I even put a little bit in my hair when I've had a rough week, what do you think holds it up, slick?  I think his mindset that he is changing and shaping lives as a football coach, and that everyone should be given a chance to learn and grow from their mistakes is a good one, and the fact that he willingly takes hits in the media in order to uphold his values as a role model is something to be respected.  The 2009 season was an incredibly unique one in that we got to see many things in him that normally take a number of years to hash out with new head coaches, most notably how his teams respond to adversity.  Normally that takes a losing streak or a bad season.  Chip had a Falcon Punch.  His zone read-based option attack is revolutionizing college football.  But at this time last year, Mike Bellotti was still head coach, with no indication that he would be leaving.  Let's take a step back and think about that. 

Chip Kelly, who we revere as a model for being a head coach, has been on the job only 345 days.  He inherited an extremely talented team and took them to the Rose Bowl, despite losses to an eventual 13-0 team at their house and to the true Heisman Trophy winner at his house.  Though the Civil War was arguably the game of the year, the win at Arizona showed resiliency, and beating USC and Cal sent a message to the rest of the conference.  Kelly's true mettle will be tested in the coming years.  He is off to a good start on the recruiting front, though the idea that our top two priorities are speed and speed scares me a little.  Once Kelly loses the team that Bellotti built, will the success continue?  We expected Kelly to pick up where Bellotti left off, and for one year he did.  The next few will be telling. 

There is a point where too much is enough.  Do I think Chip Kelly has lost control of the team?  Of course not.  Am I encouraged by the idea that all elite programs have legal troubles?  Of course not.  No fan ever wants to see their team in the news for negative reasons.  USC had the blind kid covering up possible recruiting violations and other illegal goings-on.  Tim Tebow has done well to deflect attention away from the 27 arrests in the UF program since 2005.  But this doesn't make me happy that Oregon is becoming a program like USC and Florida.  Will I welcome national championship trophies?  Of course.  But I hate hearing about run-ins with the law because they are easily avoidable.  The players need to pull their heads out of their nether-regions and act like role models.  I hate when people say, "Think of the children!"  But think of the children!  As an authority figure, Chip Kelly has to be willing to accept some level of responsibility.  It's not possible for him to keep tabs on every one of his players at all times, but he has to show development in both discipline and recruiting to try and stop the bleeding.  Winning helps the program, but doesn't make it better.

The next few years will be telling for Mike Bellotti as well.  He has been the AD for less time than Chip Kelly has been the HC, and has less of a blueprint to follow.  He does not have the deep pockets and wide Rolodex of Pat Kilkenny, nor does he have the athletics management experience of Bill Moos.  He is a coach first, and brings a dynamic to the position that has not been seen since Oregon's ascension to major player status in college sports.  Bellotti may have hired football minds during his time as head coach, but he's never made a hire as athletic director.  Men's basketball is a big place to start. This decision is a major one for Bellotti because it shows his value in coaching.  Does he swing for the fences with a big name?  Does he try and pluck another diamond from the rough?  Does he emphasize tradition and loyalty by sticking with Ernie Kent?  I'm hopeful he makes a good hire, but hope is all I can give at this point since Bellotti has no history with deciphering basketball minds.

Let's not go thinking our program can do no wrong.  We faithfully trust Chip Kelly's judgment, and we trust Bellotti because he hired Chip.  But both men are relatively new to their positions, so while I agree with the direction of the program, I'm not assuming it'll lead us to he promised land.