Chip Kelly and the Media: that's the way we do things here

Sports Illustrated recently came out with a commemorative issue on some of the legends of college football, Originals: Men Who Made College Football Great. It's a must-have for college football fans, a compilation that includes features on Ducks Joey Harrington, Mel Renfro and Mark Asper, and archived pieces from some of the greatest writers in sports journalism, Dan Jenkins, William Nack and John Underwood among them.

The issue also includes Alexander Wolff's 1993 profile of Paul "Bear" Bryant, and this telling anecdote:

An out-of-town journalist recalls watching Bryant hold a press conference following a practice: "He comes walking into this room, sits down, takes out a cigarette and smokes it down to the end. Nobody says a word. They just look at him, waiting. Finally he says, 'Well, we had a pretty good practice today.' Everybody starts scribbling like mad. 'I think Billy Joe Bob Fred Smith is going to be a good left tackle.' And they scribble some more. He keeps doing this. Finally he stamps out his cigarette and says, 'Any more questions?' With that he gets up and walks out. I got up and followed him. 'You call that a press conference?' I asked him. He said, 'That's the way we do things here.' "

Kelly baits the press, stonewalls the press, and occasionally bites the hand that feeds his pocketbook. Without twelve games a season on TV he doesn't make 2.5 million dollars a year. Without that row of portable tape recorders on the interview table Duck football isn't the biggest news story in the state. His predecessor at Oregon, Mike Bellotti, famously and almost unfailingly handled the press with care, a long-standing and awkward feud with John Canzano not withstanding. Canzano crossed the line, however. He involved Bellotti's family, and the private agonies of a public man have no place in the newspapers, unless he is running for office. There's a kernel of truth in the stereotypes: never mess with an Italian's family. Never bait a no-nonsense New Englander with a stupid question.

That's Kelly's most daunting tactic. He treats stupid questions like stupid questions, and answers in a way that makes the stupidity glaringly obvious. While most coaches graciously or unthinkingly spout the coachspeak and lapse into the predictable and practiced answers, Kelly stubbornly sticks to his anti-panic script. We don't deal in hypotheticals. We don't govern our program by outside influences. All we care about is winning. We're not concerned about style points, victory margins or statements. His adamant visor-tugging, death-staring refusal to elaborate kills a lot of story lines, and story lines are scarce in a bye week.

A coach can take a more diplomatic and gracious approach. More media savvy or media compliant coaches use the question as a taking-off point to elaborate briefly on their program or their players. They feed the media monster with a few harmless tidbits of football fluff. Kelly torments them with brusqueness and detachment. There are times he should show them more respect.

But Oregon fans have to take the coach as a whole. His energy and focus have elevated the program to its highest level ever. He stays on point, on message, on mission. He saves his considerable teaching and communication skills for his players. He saves his analysis and intellectual energy for the video room.

Another part of it is, Kelly has a big heart in the ways that matter. This summer he took a 10-day USO tour of U.S. military bases in Europe and the Middle East. George Schroeder has a column today about a visit Kelly took to a group home for developmentally disabled adults. Residents Charles Cummings and Johanna Jackson asked him to come visit. Jackson had sent him a letter. One Tuesday he came, and he brought along Darron Thomas, Eddie Pleasant and Jordan Holmes, as well as assistants Mark Helfrich and John Neal. Kelly has been short and difficult with the working media, but he's been generous and principled in his conduct as a public figure. He lives his principles, even to the point of a writing a personal check to a disgruntled fan. Winning the Day has clearly been more than an empty slogan for him. It is a way of life.

That said, I sometimes wish he would give Rob Moseley, Ken Goe and John Hunt a break. They're just doing their jobs, and they are his link to the most passionate, caring fan base in the country. The core of Oregon fans supported this team the same way when they were 6-5 or 5-6. It's an incredibly rewarding moment to watch Duck football reach this pinnacle. Being able to hear his honest thoughts and genuine reflections along the journey is a great part of its joy.