It wasn't just Chip Kelly's innovative offense that garnered attention in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He also raised eyebrows around the league with a science-based music selection for practices, personalized smoothies, heart monitors and customized sleep tests.
Kelly's latest cutting-edge wrinkles? Video podcasts and remote control coaching.
Sixth-round draft pick Ed Reynolds, unable to attend team meetings until after Stanford's graduation ceremony in June, told reporters the Eagles have recorded all rookie sessions and uploaded them to his iPod for full briefing.
While that practice is hardly revolutionary, Kelly has also found a peculiar way to simulate action during "Phase Two" of offseason workouts.
Seventh-round pick Beau Allen revealed late last week that Kelly introduced himself by running a remote control car into the behemoth nose tackle.
"I was sitting and waiting to go in and meet with (general manager Howie Roseman) and all the front office guys," Allen said, via Philadelphia Magazine, "and Coach Kelly was driving around a little remote control car -- they use it out on the field because they can't do motions -- and he drove it right into me and was like, 'Oh, hey Beau, how are you doing?' And I was like, 'Hey, Coach.'"
Can't do motions? As it turns out, there's a method to Kelly's remote-control madness.
During "Phase Two" of the offseason program, the offense and defense may not face each other in any of the drills.
Eagles blog Bleeding Green Nation offers a fascinating explanation of the remote control car simulating motion on offense so coaches can watch defensive players shift in reaction.
Good for Kelly. He has found a loophole that allows him to conform to the letter of the NFL's offseason laws while bridging the on-field knowledge gap.
The Eagles continue to serve notice that their practice methods are like no other in the league.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" breaks down the latest news and shares takeaways from rookie camps.
