On the surface, it might seem that Chip Kelly isn’t an easy boss for your typical NFL scout to please.
Kelly has rigid demands from the athletes he covets for his program, including specific height-weight-speed criteria, emphasis on intelligence and character and a willingness to buy into unique regimens predicated on sports science.
But working for demanding, detail-obsessed head coaches is the only job Ed Marynowitz has known since he gave up the pro quarterback dream at the University of Central Florida and joined head coach George O’Leary’s football operations staff while he finished his master’s degree.
From O’Leary to Bill Parcells to Nick Saban and now Kelly — with a short stint under Andy Reid wedged in — Marynowitz has become more accustomed to the obsessive, control-freak brand of head coach than the hands-off delegator.
Of all the prior coaches Marynowitz has worked under, Saban is the one he’s asked most about in comparison to Kelly.
“And I get that question a lot,” said Marynowitz, the Eagles' executive vice president of player personnel, “especially as it pertains to Saban and Chip together. Although they're much different from a personality standpoint and communication standpoint, they share so many of the same philosophical values and approaches in terms of Chip was ‘Win the Day’ at Oregon. Nick Saban, it's ‘The Process.’ It’s control what you can control. It's focus on the day to day and the little things that matter and you don't worry about the end result. They share a lot of those things.”
Marynowitz joined the Eagles’ scouting department in 2012 (hired, ironically, by Howie Roseman, whose job Marynowitz has essentially taken over) after spending four years on Saban’s operations staff as Alabama’s director of player personnel.
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The crux of his job called for recruiting the specific caliber of athlete Saban sought. Like Kelly, Saban’s set of procurement checkmarks are very specified. Unlike Kelly, Saban’s formula has produced championships. Saban won four national titles — one at LSU, three more at 'Bama.
While in Tuscaloosa, Marynowitz also served as the program’s gatekeeper for NFL scouts looking to closely examine Saban’s pro prospects, a role that helped him earn the respect of NFL peers and a spot on Roseman’s radar.
The parallels between Saban and Kelly, according to Marynowitz, are in the unwavering standards they set for building the foundation of their program, from top to bottom.
How they differ, Marynowitz acknowledged, is the way in which each interacts with his team. Saban has a grizzlier reputation; a tough-love, father-figure type. Kelly comes off more big brotherly, more willing to share himself and his personality with those who play for him.
“Nick is a little bit more of a ... I don't know the right way to say it,” Marynowitz said, almost cautiously stopping before his words could be misconstrued. “Nick has his own unique way of communicating with players, and Chip is a little bit on the other side of the spectrum on that.
“I'm not going to say anything. I've got a lot of respect for Nick Saban. He's been unbelievable to me. His approach is good for some players. It's not good for other players. Chip's approach in terms of being able to communicate with the pro player and handle those guys is exceptional.”
Marynowitz credits his ascent up the scouting ladder to his experiences working for O’Leary, Saban, Bill Parcells and Kelly.
“I really formulated the majority of what I believe from a football-philosophical standpoint starting with George O'Leary at Central Florida, which was my first job,” he said. “An extremely demanding, and successful head coach, but you learn the right way to conduct your business, the right way to operate and the right way to over-prepare.
“I went from there to the Miami Dolphins; I had a great opportunity to work under the direction and the umbrella of Bill Parcells, who, obviously, his résumé speaks for itself. But it's a ‘one-wrong, all-wrong’ type of approach, in terms of what you do. It forces you to over-prepare.
“Then I had a great opportunity to go to Alabama and work for a guy like Nick Saban. I worked hand-in-hand with him for four years, three full seasons, and the majority of what I believe in terms of how to build a championship caliber football team, how to work, how to manage people, really was developed through him.
“So I've been around a lot of great people. I've been fortunate and very blessed to be around great people, so I think that's what's formed a little bit of who I am.”