BOCA RATON, FLA. — Who is Chip Kelly?
Is he the innovative offensive genius whose quirky ideas on nutrition and practices can be overlooked because of how successful he is? Is he a power-hungry fanatic who has a “do it my way or hit the highway” mentality? Is he a person who can’t get along with star players or just a person that demands complete loyalty among his players?
Kelly is all of these and none of them at the same time. Speaking Wednesday at the NFL Annual Meeting in Boca Raton, Fla. during the NFC Coaches’ Breakfast, Kelly opened up (somewhat) about his time in Philadelphia, his thoughts on Colin Kaepernick and what Cam Newton and Russell Wilson have in common.
He has a second chance to do some things differently. After being fired by the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers hired him. Whether he does things differently, however, remains to be seen.
Talking football is where Kelly is most comfortable. When speaking about the skill sets of certain players, Kelly comes across as engaging. When talking about his past in Philadelphia, Kelly was at first curt before giving some detail into how he didn’t like the structure of the front office of the Eagles.
“I think in Cam’s and Russ’ situation, they don’t get enough credit for how good they throw because they are so athletic,” Kelly said. “Looking at some other guys, you know he only is a runner. Those guys aren’t. Those guys are complete quarterbacks. That is why Cam was MVP and Russell won a Super Bowl.”
For the first time as an NFL coach, Kelly could have the athletic quarterback he made famous when he coached at Oregon. Kaepernick, however, wants out of San Francisco although no trade is imminent. Kelly said while he has talked to Kap, he has not tried to sell him into staying.
“I did make him understand that just because there is a business side doesn’t mean we don’t want him here,” Kelly said. “I really would love to work with him, and I think he understands that.”
The Niners will not cut Kaepernick the new coach said. Now that would be crazy, he said.
Nov. 27, 2014 – Santa Clara, California, USA – San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks at the scoreboard during the second quarter on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
“No,” Kelly said. “You don’t cut talent.”
But didn’t that happen, among other things, during his tenure in Philadelphia? His time in the City of Brotherly Love was anything but, filled with ups and downs and more discord than harmony.
On the field, it wasn’t much of a problem. Kelly won 26 games with Philadelphia in three years including having double-digit wins his first two seasons with the club.
Understanding players seemingly wasn’t one of Kelly’s strong points. After getting rid of players DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy, some players questioned his motives especially after he supported receiver Riley Cooper after the receiver’s racist rant.
Before the season, there was a power shift with owner Jeff Lurie giving Kelly control of the 53-man roster over Howie Roseman after Kelly complained about the direction of the team. After some failed moves and winning six of the team’s first 15 games, Lurie fired Kelly before the last game of the season.
Kelly said after he was fired, he had discussions with some players including Darren Sproles about his time in Philadelphia.
“You can listen to the Jason Kelces, and the Brent Celeks, and the Darren Sproles, and the Brandon Grahams and the DeMeco Ryanses,” Kelly said. “Those guys who were very encouraging. You got to take it all in. You just can’t say one person said one thing so I’m going to change how we do this.”
Enter San Francisco, where Kelly’s main role is just to coach the 49ers. While he said he was humbled by the experience in Philadelphia, the firing and second chance in San Francisco hasn’t necessarily altered his view on life.
Will things be different in San Francisco? How long will there be harmony between Kelly in the front office? There are still plenty of questions that remain about him that only time will answer.
“You are a by-product of all of your experiences,” Kelly said when asked if he is different now than when he was in Philadelphia. When asked if there were any specific differences he simply said no.
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