Oregon's Chip Kelly, shown at Wednesday's Fiesta Bowl press conference, is expected to interview with the Browns on Friday, according to reports.

(Photo by AP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns' interview with Oregon offensive wizard Chip Kelly is expected to take place as early as Friday in Arizona, a league source told The Plain Dealer.

But Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner, who flew to Arizona on Tuesday to first interview Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton and then Kelly, know they have to move quickly.

That's because the Eagles -- Banner's former team -- and the Bills have also scheduled interviews with Kelly by the end of the weekend, according to Mike Garofolo of USA Today Sports. Kelly's fourth-ranked Ducks will play No. 5 Kansas State Thursday night in the Fiesta Bowl.

Kelly, whose fast-paced Ducks averaged more than 50 points a game this season, is reportedly the No. 1 choice of both the Browns and Eagles. That means Banner will have to beat out his former team for Kelly's services.

Kelly's good friend, Bill O'Brien, the Penn State head coach and Big Ten Coach of the Year, is also high on both clubs' lists, meaning one might end up in Cleveland and the other in Philadelphia. And to make things really interesting, both teams are also interested in Syracuse coach Doug Marrone, sources said. The Browns will not confirm interviews or identify candidates, Haslam said Monday.

If the Browns' interview with Kelly goes well, they'll be prepared to make him an offer he can't refuse. They've already satisfied the Rooney Rule by interviewing Horton -- who described his interview with the Browns to the Arizona Republic as "fantastic" -- and having nothing standing in their way.

Kelly, 49, will not require full control over all football decisions, according to Ian Rappaport of NFL.com, but the Browns have that power available if a strong coach decides he wants it. Haslam reiterated Monday that the coach will have final say on the roster, and Banner stressed that a candidate with strong personnel skills will be given more authority over the draft, free agency, trades, etc.

Keeping that decision-making power on the table was a major reason the Browns are hiring the coach first and top personnel man second. During his Fiesta Bowl media availability Wednesday, Kelly was asked if he'll field some offers in the next week.

"I don't expect anything," Kelly said. "I've said this a million times. I'm never surprised by anything. I do not know what the future holds. I do know we have a football game tomorrow night and I'm going to be there."

Kelly said he's shielded his players from the distraction.

"I've never been asked a question by one of my players," he said. "I think one of the tenets of how we do things in our program is we don't let outside influences control our lives. It's kind of just noise to us. They've never said a word to me. I've never said a word to them. I always believe that praise and blame is all the same. You can't, again, be a selective participant and listen to things that are good being said about you and block out bad things being said about you."

He was also asked how his fast-paced spread offense will translate in the NFL.

"Don't know, haven't been there . . ." Kelly said. "There's a lot of ways to play football. . . . Trends go one way and the other. . . . Any coach is going to learn from other people and see how they can implement it in their system. Anything you do has to be personnel-driven. You have to adapt to the personnel you have.

"There's a lot of great offenses out there, but does it fit with the personnel you have? The key is making sure what you're doing is giving your people a chance to be successful."

While the Eagles waited for the Kelly interview, they flew Wednesday to Atlanta to interview Falcons special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, team spokesman Derek Boyko told reporters. The Eagles are also expected to meet with Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy this weekend.

The Browns and Eagles were set to meet Friday or Saturday with Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, but he signed a two-year extension to stay in Atlanta.