Four quick thoughts on Chip Kelly’s NFL flirtation:

A Source Within the Program
Did anyone ever go on record about any of this? Just before 5 p.m. on Sunday KGW reported that a source had told one of their reporters that Chip Kelly and Tampa Bay were working to finalize a deal. Eight-ish hours later, a source was quoted as saying Chip wasn’t leaving. And in between, we had sources commenting on who Oregon would hire next, a source saying that there was a riot at Chip Kelly’s house, a source who used to date Chip Kelly’s girlfriend stating that she was telling her ex that Chip was still undecided, and a source saying that Chip was already assembling a staff in Tampa Bay.

All of these sources were unnamed, unless “highly placed,” “within the program” and “friend who works in the athletic dept.” are names. It’s a bizarre new frontier. Who are these people that enjoy talking to reporters off the record? What’s in it for them? Do they get their kicks by reading something they said in print?

My biggest problem with all of these anonymous fountains of knowledge is the unbelievable lack of accountability. A journalist can print anything they hear from a source, and if it’s wrong they just say “My source was right but Player X changed his mind.” Look, I get why reporters use sources. Highly visible athletes and coaches are desperate to control the narrative, and in Chip Kelly’s case, not exactly forthcoming. But we’ve reached a point where almost everything is questionable because we’re all chasing ghosts.

Sports and Dating
At 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, I texted a friend that Chip leaving was “worse than my last breakup.” That is a ridiculous statement that also happens to be true. And I’m certainly not the only one who feels that way. I saw it on Twitter from men and women, all of whom have never actually met Chip Kelly, that this felt worse than getting dumped by a person they (probably) loved.

Hey, I know it’s outrageous. But such is the power of college football. For many of us, it’s this thing we love and nurture even though it’s pretty much a one-way street. And having Chip Kelly as the coach of our team made us special. Oregon has never had a run quite like this one, and he deserves much of the credit. So when we all thought he was gone, there was an overwhelming sense of “Who can we get that’s as good as the one we just lost?” and “What does Tampa have that we don’t?”

It was enough to make a guy grab a tub of ice cream and a chick flick.

Uh, not me.

A friend.

I Love Twitter
I watched this entire saga unfold via the Twitter app on my iPhone. It was equal parts news, therapy, and, at one point, a giant virtual group hug. From people going through all of the stages of grief in a matter of minutes to the Schadenfreude-y tweets by USC and Washington fans, it was an amazing night. When I turned off my phone at 11:30 p.m., Chip Kelly was gone. Seven hours later, I was joyously reading my timeline, shocked at how fast the whole saga changed. Shocked, too, at how Twitter has gone from what a lot of people viewed as a silly little novelty to an indispensible part of my life.

Where Do We Go Now?
Apparently the new normal for Oregon fans is conference championships and unnerving offseasons. If we have to deal with the latter to get the former, I’m okay with that. I’d like to think that Chip strayed just enough to see how the other side lived, didn’t like what he saw, and is now committed for the long term. But I’m not that naïve. Eventually he’s going to leave us, and when he does, let’s hope it’s not two weeks before signing day. One day in the not too distant future, some NFL team is going to give him the right combination of money and roster (specifically quarterback) and he’ll be gone. Thankfully that day is not today.

Year four of the Chip Kelly era at Oregon is officially underway. Enjoy the ride.