NFL officials could slow down Chip Kelly’s offense
By Mike Dyce
At the University of Oregon Chip Kelly ran an up tempo offense that treated every possession like a two-minute drill. One of the goals is to get in as many offensive snaps as possible while not giving defenses the opportunity to substitute or react.
NFL officials could throw a wrench in Chip Kelly’s system however if they slow down his offense.
“We have to make sure teams understand that they don’t control the tempo, our officials do,” NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino, told the Wall Street Journal. “We’re going through our normal ball mechanics, we aren’t going to rush [unless] it’s in the two-minute drill.”
NFL.com describes those mechanics as “changing balls when a play goes out of bounds or on an incomplete pass; the referee who spots the ball positioning himself behind the deepest offensive back before the snap; and allowing the defense to substitute after an offensive substitution.”
“In the NFL, I don’t see him having the juice to persuade crews to work faster,” former NFL vice president of officiating and current TV analyst Mike Pereira said. “In fact, I know he doesn’t.”
Chip Kelly hasn’t commented on the article and Blandino said that Kelly didn’t express any concerns in face to face meetings.