John Dudley: Bills, not Browns or Steelers, could be a fit for Eagles-style offense


For weeks leading up to Monday's NFC East meeting between the Eagles and Redskins, we mostly heard about how Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III would look coming off knee surgery and after sitting out the preseason.

Ever since, we've mostly heard about Chip Kelly, Michael Vick and the Eagles' warp-speed no-huddle offense.

That's what happens when you trump one of the most anticipated sophomore-season debuts in NFL history. RGIII, please step aside and make way for CK2K13. OK, so that's way too clumsy.

But what wasn't clumsy was the way the Eagles moved the ball in the first half against a Redskins team generally considered a solid favorite against an offense widely believed to be too gimmicky to work beyond the college level.

Now we're hearing numbers like 23 seconds -- the average time between snaps by the Eagles in the first half, when they ran 55 plays -- and 1.7 seconds -- the average time it took the normally indecisive Vick to release passes on Philly's opening drive.

It seemed like everyone had something to say about Kelly Ball, from the doubters who believe the Eagles will wilt from the tempo or get Vick maimed, to others, like Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, who reasoned, "It's just one game, but they looked damned impressive doing it."

The question is, how impressive? Impressive enough, in a copycat league, to encourage other teams to implement similar systems?

That remains to be seen, but in the meantime we can have a little fun with the hypotheticals.

Keeping in mind that no one installs a new offense in Week 3, we shouldn't expect a rush of teams revamping their rosters to mimic what Kelly and the Eagles are doing. But if the offense proves to have legs beyond a few games, other teams are sure to try to follow Philly's lead.

For argument's sake, here's one man's take on whether the Bills, Browns or Steelers would be wise to incorporate elements of Kelly's offense given their current roster compositions.

- Bills: First-year Bills coach Doug Marrone ran the read-option, a base play in Kelly's offense, at Syracuse, so he's familiar with the concepts the Eagles used.

Kelly provides his quarterbacks with at least one and sometime two other options on a particular play, often a bubble screen or a seam route, all based on pre-snap and post-snap reads of how defenders are reacting.

EJ Manuel has the speed and arm strength for the read-option game and has even better size than Vick, which would suggest he could hold up against the pounding. Running back C.J. Spiller and receivers Stevie Johnson and Robert Woods are suited for the offense because of their ability to win one-on-one matchups with defenders in space, and mammoth tight end Scott Chandler could be an enticing target matched against a linebacker or safety on seam routes.

Of the three area NFL teams, the Bills' personnel most closely suits an offense like the Eagles' if Marrone and general manager Doug Whaley bought into it.

Kelly Ball likelihood, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most likely: 7/10.

- Browns: The Browns' roster seems to lack the necessary pieces to run a Kelly-type offense: a super-fast slashing runner, speed-merchant receivers and a quarterback who can adequately run the read-option.

Brandon Weeden is one of the league's more stationary quarterbacks, so any move by the Browns to a system asking the quarterback to carry the ball would require a different quarterback. Trent Richardson came from a pro-style offense at Alabama but could make the adjustment, since the read-option often has the back finding seams between the tackles, and because Richardson, who caught 51 passes as a rookie, is an adequate receiver.

The Browns' group of receivers is average at best and lacking the type of outside talent required to gain initial separation for the quick reads required in Kelly's offense. Josh Gordon is a specimen, but he's not the same type of receiver as DeSean Jackson. Neither are Davone Bess or Greg Little, although they're closer. Speedy utility back Dion Lewis, on the other hand, has a skill set ideally suited to an up-tempo, spread-the-field offense. Unfortunately, Lewis is on injured reserve.

Kelly Ball likelihood: 5/10, but they would need another quarterback.

- Steelers: Let's get one thing clear -- Ben Roethlisberger loves the no-huddle. Always has. But that's in part because Roethlisberger enjoys control over play-calling, not because he has any real experience in an up-tempo system like Kelly's.

Roethlisberger is reasonably mobile, but he's not an elusive runner who would flourish in the read-option because he's generally on the move trying to extend a play, not pick up yardage.

The Steelers are so thin at receiver right now -- and even thinner at running back -- it's tough to imagine they would have the weapons to effectively spread the field, although the idea of running read-option with a bruising back like rookie Le'Veon Bell.

Mike Tomlin is on record as calling the read-option "the flavor of the month," and it's difficult to imagine him or offensive coordinator Todd Haley checking their egos and installing a system like the Eagles run.

Kelly Ball likelihood: 2/10.
