Head coach Kelly’s ‘new attitude’ — or not — fitting in with 49ers
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — In Philadelphia, offensive tackle Lane Johnson called Chip Kelly a “dictator” and fellow lineman Jason Peters claimed Kelly “got rid” of any veteran who had the temerity to speak his mind.
In Santa Clara, however, Kelly used a democratic process last week before Anthony Davis returned to the team. Kelly consulted with a group of older players and solicited their opinions before the right tackle came back to the roster.
“He’s a big communications guy,” wide receiver Torrey Smith said. “So we’ve been able to have open dialogue with him, especially a lot of the older guys.”
In Philadelphia, cornerback Brandon Boykin charged that Kelly wordlessly would blow past players in the hallways, and owner Jeffrey Lurie made it clear that Kelly’s inability to connect with people led to his dismissal. After firing Kelly, whose relationship with general manager Howie Roseman became untenable, Lurie said he was seeking “emotional intelligence” in his next head coach.
In Santa Clara, general manager Trent Baalke admitted all the antisocialChip chatter had planted some doubt about how they would co-exist. The biggest surprise about Kelly in their six months together?
“Until you work with someone, you never know how they’re going to react to different things,” Baalke said. “And regardless of how much you try to block out what you read or what you hear … I think the one thing that has been real noticeable is just how easy the lines of communication are.”
Yes, the early days of Kelly’s first training camp with the 49ers have prompted a question: What’s going on here?
Has Kelly changed some of his methods after his 2621 tenure in Philadelphia ended with a 6-9 record and a host of locker-room howling?
Or, rather, was he misrepresented and misunderstood?
“It just depends on who you talk to,” Kelly said Tuesday. “I mean, you put 20 people in a room and you’re going to have 19 different opinions going one way or another about one other person. And some people are going to agree and they’re not going to agree. There are players, (Philadelphia defensive end) Connor Barwin, guys like that, that said I was a great communicator there.”
It’s not merely Barwin. Former Eagles safety Walter Thurmond was a staunch supporter who said some of the anti-Kelly sentiment was a case of players being “too sensitive.” Tight end Zach Ertz, a Stanford alum, said he had a normal coach-player relationship with Kelly, hailing his ability to maximize his potential and limit injuries with his focus on sports science.
And former Philadelphia quarterback Thad Lewis, who spent 2015 with Kelly, signed with the 49ers after Kelly was hired, partly based on his strong relationship with the head coach. On Tuesday, Lewis was asked if there was anything different about Kelly in his second NFL job.
“He always communicated with me in Philly and he always had great relationships with players,” Lewis said. “So I don’t think there’s anything different now. You’ve got to think about it: If you’re an older guy and you’re stuck in your ways, you don’t adapt to change. And you’re probably going to go against the grain.”
For his part, Kelly said his schedule is nothing new. In fact, it dates to his first head-coaching job seven years ago: “It’s the same thing we did at Oregon and the same thing I did in Philadelphia.”
There is a sense Kelly is bemused by the Chip 2.0 chatter — that his firing didn’t inspire significant changes to his approach. On Tuesday, he provided a verbal shrug when it was noted there appeared to be some misconceptions surrounding him.
“It’s OK,” he said, “I’m not in the conception business. We’re just trying to play football.”
Still, Kelly, who is known for demanding uniformity to foster a teamfirst mentality, might have become a bit more flexible.
With the Eagles, he required his players wear white socks. With the 49ers, there is no such restriction. With the Eagles, his players took daily urine tests to measure hydration, which some found intrusive. With the 49ers, there aren’t daily tests, although Kelly says he’s simply following the program the team’s sports-science staff already had in place.
Are these small signs Kelly did some introspection during his brief unemployment? His current players aren’t ruling out the possibility.
“From the things that I heard last year — just watching TV — if it is what they said it was, I think he learned from his experience,” Reid said. “And I think he got better from it.”
Said inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman: “I’m sure Chip’s heard the rumors and things like that. I’m sure he’s made a few tweaks and doesn’t want to have the same comments at the end of this year.”
When Baalke’s comment about his communication skills was relayed to him Tuesday, Kelly noted they shared a similar style. Left unsaid: His style might not have meshed with some in Philadelphia, and he wasn’t about to apologize for that.
Baalke is “very direct in his approach,” Kelly said. “I’m pretty direct in my approach. So I think we think alike. … Some people work better with other people. That’s life.”