Chip Kelly was officially introduced as the San Francisco 49ers’ new head coach. And despite the reputation of Kelly’s offense, Kelly has repeatedly stressed accuracy over mobility as the most important trait his quarterback needs to have.
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Later, Kelly was asked about his defense in Philadelphia, which played the equivalent of three extra games in terms of time of possession from the Seahawks, who led the league in time of possession.
Chip Kelly wouldn’t reveal Wednesday whether he favors Colin Kaepernick or Blaine Gabbert as the 49ers quarterback.
“Obviously Kap is an extremely talented football player and you need a good quarterback to win”, Kelly said.
Kelly denied the rumor that he had interest in trading for Kaepernick last season, though he respects Kaepernick’s abilities. I shouldn’t have tell you to study.
And, according to 49ers CEO Jed York (h/t Brian Murphy of KNBR 680), Kelly will be with the 49ers for a long time. He can not meet with him in person or discuss football matters until April 4.
There are laws in this country for a reason and we need to adhere by those laws, Kelly said.
Cam Newton and Russell Wilson were mentioned by name by Kelly as players who are running the zone read offense with great success.
Its an unbelievable standard, Kelly said. When the Buffalo Bills played the Eagles in December, McCoy didn’t talk to Kelly before or after the game, insisting he had nothing to say to his former coach.
“I’m not governed by the fear of what other people say”, Kelly said. Kiffin did a wonderful job with Blake Sims last season as well as Jake Coker this season. The Patriots’ championship coach and fellow football guy exchanged notes with Kelly from back when Chip was an assistant at New Hampshire, one of which may have included instruction on how to hold the media in suspicion, if not contempt.
Kelly said interviews with potential position coaches are continuing, with some scheduled today. Kelly said he believes the “sports science” narrative was overplayed and while some veterans, including offensive tackle Lane Johnson, criticized Kelly after he was sacked December 29, Kelly said he felt a lot of love when he was bounced by the Eagles. He thanked Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie during an opening statement, but he was very much in a different environment – pointing out a general manager who is a “football guy”, with “synergy” in the building, and five Lombardi Trophies as the benchmark. When asked to define what it means to be a football guy and whether there’s a level of obsession that goes along with that, Kelly seemed to prefer to his feelings around the game as passionate. While presidential candidates scoured the state, Kelly stayed home and took calls from football royalty. Kelly was confident, relaxed and very much in control. “It has been stated, and repeated, that the 53 man roster will be under the control of Trent Baalke, and Kelly is reportedly “…comfortable with that”.
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Chip Kelly said he wants to focus on just coaching the San Francisco 49ers. Ultimately they believed that Shanahan wanted to draft a quarterback in the first round with their high pick that they have. I’m not sure if Boone deserves the “elite” tag after a somewhat toned-down 2015 campaign, but he and Andrew Tiller did good work for the Niners last season, and Boone has traditionally been one of the best in the business.
