Jimmy Johnson says he sees a lot of himself in Chip Kelly.
As someone who covered Jimmy in Dallas, and has admired Kelly's work at Oregon and with the Eagles, I agree. They're both cocky-yet-likeable mavericks.
Here's the difference:
Most in the NFL wrongly saw Jimmy as a rube, a guy who won in college mainly because he cheated, and because his rah-rah act worked on 20-year-olds.
NFL people are not underestimating Kelly.
Jimmy went 1-15 his first year, laying in the weeds. That's why Mike Lynn thought he could pull a fast one on him with the Herschel Walker deal.
Kelly has had two 10-win seasons. The NFL will not overlook him.
As for Kelly's wild offseason, I can't believe the ridicule Kelly is receiving.
Kelly is doing what shrewd managers do — looking past name recognition to true value.
Souhan on Sports: startribune.com/sports
