Harkins: Mathis’ criticism of Kelly has new angle that should concern 49ers

It’s safe to say that Evan Mathis isn’t a fan of Chip Kelly. Never really has been.

He disliked the former Eagles coach so much that a year ago he asked Philadelphia to release him, which the team did. After catching on with the Denver Broncos and winning a Super Bowl, Mathis is continuing to share his thoughts on his former coach, who is now getting a fresh start with the San Francisco 49ers.

In an exchange of emails with Mike Klis of 9NEWS (reported on NFL.com), Mathis outlined what he didn’t like about Kelly, saying that he knew Kelly was not building a championship team in Philly.

“Two of the main issues that concerned me were: 1. A never-evolving, vanilla offense that forced our own defense to play higher than normal play counts.

2. His impatience with certain personality types even when they were blue-chip talents. The Broncos team I was on would have eaten Chip alive. I don’t think he could have handled the plethora of large personalities.”

The first claim of a vanilla offense is interesting and new, running counter to Kelly’s reputation as an offensive mastermind, a reputation he built in college as the head coach at Oregon. The Eagles were not bad offensively last season, merely middle-of-the-pack, ranking 12^th in total yards, 12^th in passing yards and 14^th in rushing yards. But there was a big regression from the previous season, when they were 5^th in total yards, 6^th in passing yards and ninth in rushing yards.

As far as the claim of wearing out a defense with a higher than normal play count, that’s always been an issue with high-powered offenses, going back to the days of the “Air Coryell” Chargers. The Eagles led the league in total plays in 2014 and were second last season. When a high-paced offense doesn’t score, it definitely puts pressure on the defense.

The second claim is nothing new, as Mathis is not the first player to rip Kelly’s methods in dealing with his players. The Broncos would have eaten Kelly alive? Certainly Mathis is right about that, as the Eagles did the same.

This is a serious issue Kelly will have to figure out if he wants to stay in the NFL. In college, the coaches have all the power. They hold the keys to helping players get to the next level. In the NFL, the power structure is much different. The players make the money, and the players have the power to get rid of you if they don’t like you.

Kelly was fortunate to get another chance so quickly in San Francisco after bungling his first opportunity in Philadelphia. If he’s been properly humbled, if he learns from his mistakes then he can make some things happen.

“I hope Chip learns from his experiences in Philadelphia and grows as a coach,” Mathis wrote. “Maybe he’ll find some constructive criticism from this.”

If Mathis is right, though, Kelly has a lot to learn, and it goes beyond his ability to handle the egos of modern NFL players. He’ll also have to improve his coaching acumen as he moves forward.

If you’re a 49ers fan you have to be concerned about the latter as much as the former.

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