There was a period late Monday morning where Twitter was dominated by Philadelphia Eagles beat writers expressing wide-eyed wonder at new head coach Chip Kelly's practice innovations. From five quarterbacks throwing to five different receivers at the same time to the banishment of huddles in favor of hand signals, Kelly served notice that his practices will be like no other in the NFL.
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What stood out the most was the concert-quality sound system blaring out rock, hip hop, pop and house music to set a fast-paced tempo for each of the 21 "periods" of work lasting five to 10 minutes apiece. The selection ran the gamut from ACDC and Ozzy Osbourne to Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida.
It's not just for entertainment purposes. Kelly told reporters there is "a lot of science behind" the music. He didn't have time to go into details, but Kelly clearly believes the presence of music boosts energy and efficiency.
"I think the game is about making quick decisions," Kelly said via the Philadelphia Daily News. "It's a game of 60 to 70 to 80 4-second plays. So once the ball is snapped, it happens at that tempo ... Everything we do has to kind of reflect what the mission is, and the mission is to be prepared to play a 4-second play."
There's a method to Kelly's relative practice madness, and the Eagles players already have bought in.
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"It's fun," Michael Vick said. "It's different. It gets you going and keeps you involved. It's challenging because you have to stay involved, mentally."
Lest you think Vince Lombardi is rolling over in his grave, keep in mind that the former Green Bay Packers icon was an innovator in his own right. Once Kelly's approach proves valid at the NFL level, it will be emulated on practice fields across the league.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
