– His career record at the Eagles was 26-21. The team made a decision to part ways with him after just one year. Kelly should help improve the offense, but it has yet to be seen if he can build a tremendous defense. While 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was benched in 2015, he seems like the type of mobile quarterback that’s the right fit to run Kelly’s ideal offense.
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Kelly, 52, was sacked by Philadelphia with one game left in his third season as coach. The GM had a now-famous falling out with Jim Harbaugh, another strong-willed coach who wanted his way. He had an 89.3 quarterback rating and also had 1,576 yards rushing. Things are going to be different for the 49ers; a totally different offense. That experiment failed miserably as Kelly ended his tenure in the City of Brotherly Love with just six wins.
“I would like to thank Jed, Trent, and the York family for this tremendous opportunity to be the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers”, Kelly said. It’s clear that Kelly has always been a fan of Kaepernick and Kaepernick had long been a rumored target for the Eagles in Philadelphia when Kelly was the coach there. Armstead played for Kelly at the University of OR and told team officials he thought his teammates would be able to play for Kelly, according to a league source. He jettisoned such Pro Bowl-caliber players as running back LeSean McCoy, receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, and guard Evan Mathis. “I think this is a really, really bold move by the 49ers”, said ABC7 News Sports Director Larry Beil. However, Kelly is expected to take a back seat to 49ers general manager Trent Baalke when it comes to personnel decisions, as reported by the NFL Network.
If Kelly can replicate the success he saw in Philadelphia by winning 20 games the next two seasons, it will be well worth it.
“Maybe the ego got in the way”, Johnson said.
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The next coach’s identity might not matter much if Baalke still has significant power. “Not being human about things; not working together with the team, instead of being a dictator”. The Bee’s Matt Barrows reports Kelly’s hiring could mean a San Francisco comeback for Kaepernick. Loomis is confident the Saints will figure out whether they need to change Brees’ contract, which expires after next season and now counts about $30 million against the team’s salary cap.
