In Reply to: The categorizing of Chip Kelly's recruiting efforts posted by HarborCityBruin on June 30, 2024 at 12:32:31
Thank you for an interesting perspective and I respect your experience.
I'll take your word that Chip stopped traveling. Your take on it is Chip stopped due to laziness. You could be right, I don't know. But, does Chip seem like a lazy person to you? If you've read his background and how he built himself into one of the top coaches in the country, you wouldn't use the term "lazy" to typify his rise. If you look at the way he manages his program, it was anything but "lazy".
Chip's about efficiency, productivity. He's not about pom poms and official visits.
He pioneered advanced nutrition because he took the time to study it and learn its beneficial impact on his players. Not lazy.
He studied kinesiology to learn how many steps and how many movements his players should be taking each day. He pioneered using step counters and sleep monitors to keep track of his players' health and protect them from injury while giving them maximum opportunity to improve.
He organized his practices down to the millisecond to squeeze all the conditioning and all the reps possible from the time allotted. Not lazy.
His film study in understanding opponents and, notably, in evaluating talent is legendary. Not lazy.
I postulate that he is anything but a lazy person. I postulate that he is an intense, hard working person with a keen mind capable of calculating the best road to success. You don't get to where he got and earn $6mm a year by being lazy.
Therefore, when the Parasite and others claim he became "lazy" that is probably wrong. He didn't become "lazy". It doesn't fit the pattern.
What happened is Chip became unable to compete against well monied recruiters from programs who's schools didn't actively oppose NIL as Ucla did, but which embraced it. They had money to offer, Chip didn't. Why travel and show up to an auction with an empty wallet? Ridiculous, right?
Recall also that Morgan Center went bankrupt during Chip's term. Do you think the program was rolling in money?
Plus, since the portal is hundreds of times more efficient in time and money than is JV recruiting it looks like a natural fit with Chip's instincts, as I observe them from afar (I don't know him). He was early on this, and now everyone emphasizes it. Again, not lazy.
So, according to the Parasite, Chip became "lazy" at the same time the portal opened and NIL arrived, but not for Ucla. Coincidence? No. It's a misdirection and points out how damaging the Parasite and Bolch can be and were to the program.
The Duck media were glad to see Chip go because he spent as little time as possible with them. He's about efficiency and productivity, not glad handing media.
This entire point of criticism should be directed at Ucla for failing to support NIL and for failing to adapt to a new competitive world. The criticism shouldn't be directed at Chip. Chip isn't "lazy" and we'll all see that when tOSU drops 100 on Ucla next year.
Belatedly, Morgan Center now says they are all in on NIL. Maybe, we'll see. But if somehow the NIL program becomes more successful, Ucla recruiting will also. Foster will be seen as a great recruiter and Chip forever as a lazy one. That would be a complete distortion of base reality but I'm hoping we get Foster to the top.
Base reality now revolves around NIL money. I hope we catch up but if we're in a hole now, don't blame the coach. Blame Morgan Center.