New England Patriots: Five Matchups To Watch In Joint Practices With Philadelphia Eagles

Aug 9, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly (right) and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick shake hands after a preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field. The Patriots won 31-22. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

5. Bill Belichick vs. Chip Kelly

The defensive genius, versus the new-age offensive guru. I think this is one of the best coaching matchups we could ask for in today’s NFL.

Kelly loves to run at a ridiculous pace, even faster than the vaunted Tom Brady no huddle attack. So how will Bill Belichick adjust his defense to stop Kelly’s lightning attack? Obviously I don’t know the exact answer to this question, but I do think Belichick knows how to stop even an offense like this, and he will do everything possibly to instill the correct strategy. One of the easiest ways to slow a high-paced offense down is to simply get pressure on the opposing quarterback. This will thrust Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich into the spotlight, as they are the Pats’ two best pass rushers. Sending a blitz is usually a bad idea when playing a team like this, specifically when you have a secondary that is talented enough to withstand a prolonged  period of covering the receivers.

Or perhaps Belichick has a different plan to thwart Kelly’s offense. No matter what he does, I think it is going to be extremely fun to monitor how these two coaches go about making adjustments to beat one another over the next week.