For better or worse, the Eagles have a head coach.
The Birds will hire Kansas City offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as soon as he is available to be hired when his season comes to an end.
I just don’t see what he really brings to the table. He’s been forever billed as a smart guy, and someone who understands the game considerably well, but I just don’t see that translating on the field out in Kansas City.
Pederson doesn’t call plays. Just two years ago, Pederson’s offensive crew couldn’t manage a single touchdown pass to a wide receiver. And now, for no other apparent reason other than Andy Reid’s recommendation, he finds himself in a position to be the next head coach of the Eagles.
Who knows, maybe Pederson will surprise everyone and turn out to be a decent head coach. Maybe we all have bad memories of him as a player tainting our opinions, but again there’s certainly not much behind his name other than the vote of confidence from Reid.
This was a hire that fits right into Jeffrey Lurie’s comfort zone, as he continues to search for some way to recreate the success the team had in the Andy Reid era.
Now the focus will shift to how Pederson will shape the team’s staff, most notably the defensive coordinator position, which will be a key area for the team with the possibility of returning to a 4-3.
Congrats to Doug Pederson and His Family..
I hope he can bring Chiefs LB Coach Gary Gibbs as the new Eagles DC
If not, it will likely be Billy Davis again for 2016..
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bringing the LB Coach won’t fix the lack of talent they have from a Pass Rushing standpoint, amongst other problems with the Defense.
He really sucks as a coaching candidate – and there are still – FLAT OUT – Better options still out there……This is what you get with Howie in the mix.
At least we’ll get a high draft pick for the next 5 years……JUST DUMB!!!!
All I can see is all eagle fans need to learn how to dougie. It is what it is
Meh is what it is. Just get me a damn DC in here that knows WTF they are doing. 29th 31st and 32nd is unacceptable. Billy Davis go out to SF where you belong. Loser since before he was an Eagle.
Can we fire Billy Davis now?
An ex bum qb coaching a current bum qb. Awesome
Can anyone name the most pissed off person in SF about the news of the hiring of Chip Kelly?
GM Trent Baalke. He now has both Tom Gamble and the Chipper in the house that will gang up on him.
Well so much for all of the claims about Chip Kelly not being able to get another NFL job! I’m not surprised at all that Chip instantly has got another job especially with Tom Gamble. Its all coming together now the picture is clear…we have a dysfunctional front office with Lurie…he allowed Howie the Accountant to make the power play when he fired Gamble…Chip seeing the disaster of having Howie in charge took action and in doing so bit off more than he could chew with being the Coach and GM…
Now in SF, he is going to simply coach with Gamble a good trusted and sound football man is in place in charge of personnel
We are in big trouble!
Hey Koolidiot. Is Kelly on the phone right now to Shurmur and Bradford’s agent. SF has the 3rd most available Cap space. Can outbid anyone for Bradford. We’ll all find out soon enough how much he loved your boy. (he didn’t)
Vinniedafool…Chip Kelly probably believes he can work with Kaepernick.
If he believes he can revive Kaepernick’s career …why spend that cap money on a QB?
the Eagles are probably keeping Shumur as Offensive Coordinator…if they are Bradford is staying right here…
Is Jordan Matthews an outside receiver now with new HC Doug Pederston instead of a slot guy?
Coach Reid used Cecil Martin & Jon Ritchie at FB here and he uses Anthony Sherman in KC, will Pederson use a FB?
Hope so.
Hope we get Shurmur as OC and Bradford at QB.
If Pederson isn’t allowed to come in and hire his entire staff without interference, then this is doomed before it begins.
All new coaches come in, clean house, and hire a staff in their image.
Besided….WTF is the love for Shurmur????????????????????
I mean….his record is pretty shit. He seems to be a good QB coach….but when given more responsibility – its been a disaster.
Seriously…..there are tons of flags…..
Flag 1: QB coach for 7 years. Wait what????? QB coach for 7 yrds? No promotion??? Yes McNabb had 3 great years in there, but was he ever taught how to play QB properly?? If so would his career have fallen apart so quickly???
Flag 2: STL Offensive Co-ordinator 2009-2102. Rankings??????
2009: Ranked 32
2010: Ranked 26
Flag 3: Disaster in Cleveland
2011: 4w 12 L
2012: 5W 11 L
Iprovement!!!!
Flag 4: Just a figurehead. When Shurmur just stood around and did….well….what exactly did he do……..
2013: Ranked 4 (but everyone knows it was Kelly’s show)
2014: Ranked 3 (were we really the 4th best O last yead – not a chance)
2015: Ranked 13
So again…..why so much love for Shurmur?????????????????
Let him go to SF.
New coach – new hires at all positions….it is the way of things.
You assume Shurmur wants to reunite with Kelly
I like Bradford and would like to see some stability at QB for like 3 years at minimum
Would you rather Chilly? Cause that’s the rumor now. I think I like Shurmur and Bradford vs Chilly and ????
Ultimately I will cheer regardless
From barstool. I don’t agree but hilarious.
Doug Pederson.
A man who nobody else in the NFL even had a thought about being a head coach, INCLUDING THE EAGLES UNTIL ANDY REID PICKED UP THE GODDAMN PHONE AND CALLED JEFFREY LURIE. Hey Jeff, Andy’s a good guy and all, but do you realize this is a business and HE IS A MOTHERFUCKING COMPETITOR?!?!? Why would he even have a pipeline to your mind let alone the billion acres of real estate Big Red’s gunt apparently owns? Lurie and Howie got their “Yes Man” for the time being and I CAN’T WAIT till the press conference when they tout Aw Shucks up there proclaiming he was their first choice all along.
Doug Pederson.
A man who just 8 short years ago was a coach at Calvary Baptist and got his chance in the NFL from his former HC Andy Reid, who he played for as a career backup QB. No word on if, like in ’99 when Reid brought Pederson from GB to Philly to be his opening day QB, if Pederson’s and Reid’s wives best friendship had anything to do with Big Red’s liking of Doug.
Doug Pederson.
A man who was the offensive coordinator of a team who has arguably one of the top 3 talents at TE in the league and painfully won’t use him. Also, remember last year when the Chiefs THREW 0 MOTHER FUCKING TOUCHDOWNS TO THEIR WIDE RECEIVERS?!!?!?! Solid coaching there. But don’t blame Pederson all that much cause he doesn’t even call the fucking plays most of the time.
Doug Pederson.
Your next Philadelphia Eagles head coach.
….
Congrats, Philly fans calling for Chip’s head. This is what you deserve. Instead of letting it ride for one more year and seeing if the ship could either turn around or sink completely (in which I would’ve happily been playing the violin all the way to the bottom), we’re stuck with almost guaranteed mediocrity for at least the next 2-3 years. Remember how frustrating it was watching Andy Reid’s West Coast Offense at times? Well, now realize this isn’t even Andy Reid calling the shots, it’s his bitch boy. Also realize the West Coast Offense as we know it is an antiquated notion in the NFL today. It’s not next level. It’s not game changing. It’s the same old shit, different day.
Well, I for one have to thank not Chip, but Howie Roseman and his snake motherfucking ego for ruining this franchise and city. Congrats, Roseman. You rigged the deck and got the exact cards you wanted. Go to hell. #IHateThisFranchise
“Pederson doesn’t call plays. Just two years ago, Pederson’s offensive crew couldn’t manage a single touchdown pass to a wide receiver.”
Really?? Pederson does not call plays? I swear most people think that these coaches only work on Sundays. Pederson has been around all star coaches and players his whole career. I am sure he has learned a thing or two about play calling.
And maybe, just maybe they did not throw any TDS to a WR, is because they had the worst WR corp in the league. That offense knows how to utilize it’s tight ends pretty damn well. Which should be great news for Ertz, and Burton who I hope gets more playing time. Travis Kelce had a great season with 72 catches and almost 900 yards. He posted up over 100 yards in the playoff game last week.
It is going to be interesting. Keep Pat Shurmur as the OC, and hire a new DC to run the 4-3. This team cannot be any worse then it was last season in terms of dropped passes, called back touchdowns on penalties etc.
I do believe we should have gave Chip one more chance to either have an amazing season next year with another draft class and off season but that did not happen. We made our bed now we have to sleep in it.
This sucks
I hear Jim Swartz is the new DC
Here is an idea, let’s give him a chance. Somehow I value Andy’s opinion over a blogger.
Pederson’s chance is beat (7-9) the 2015 Philadelphia win loss record. If He fails to win 8 or more games he is a chump and Roseman, Smolinsky Donahue and Pederson need to go. Howie won the power play against Tom Gamble, Chip Kelly and Ed Marynowitz – This 2016 team must win the division MUST WIN THE DIVISION.
ANDY MADE HIS OFFENSIVE LINE COACH HIS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND FIRED MC DERMOTT. HE’S NOT GOING TO BAD MOUTH SOMEONE ON HIS COACHING STAFF JUST LIKE HIS FORMER ASSISTANT COACHES ENDORSED HIS O LINE COACH FOE DC.
Bleeding Green reporting Brad Childress being considered for Offensive Coordinator position. He and Doug Pederson have history together coaching here with AR.
The bar is set at 7 wins for Doug Pederson in 2016 –
He has to win 8 games ( EIGHT) next year or he is a failure,
NO EXCUSES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Um… Says who and why?
If they keep Bradford I agree the goal is win the division and expectations should be at least 8 wins.
If they tear down and trade some talent for picks and select a young QB then winning games is secondary to rebuilding
Howie chucked Tom Gamble and Ed Marynowitz and Chip Kelly within less than a year to wrestle full control of the roster.
If he can’t beat a measly 7 stinking wins with his kumbaya hand picked sweetheart ( Doug Pederson ) he can join them.
Again…
If they “Rebuild” By Tearing down and absorbing contact pain this year to get to a reset for the future Wins will not be expected by the man signing checks.
Lurie is the only say that matters.
AS I STATED IN A PRIOR POST NO ONE BUT DOUG PEDERSON WILL TOLERATE BEING UNDER THE THUMB OF THE HEIMEY BOYS HOWIE AND JEFFREY TWO FOOTBALL DONKEYS WHO WILL NEVER WIN A SUPER BOWL. ALL THE BETTER QUALIFIED COACHES WOULD NOT AGREE TO WORK WITH THESE BOZOS. PANSY VOICED HOWIE IS A BEAN COUNTER NOT AN EVALUATOR OF QUALITY FOOTBALL TALENT.
.
“Heimy boys”
Nice. Real Nice. You and Cooper hand out on Saturday nights?
Wasn,t too long ago Jesse” the rev
‘ Jackson refered to new york city as hymie town
Wow just Wow
I think your right BigE…we dont have a GM that’s a football guy.
Who besides Vinniedafool and a few other idiots think that the Eagles have competent people running the show?
We are in trouble…big trouble
Koolbreeze , We had a so called football guy in Chip Kelly and Marynowitcz, they did not know what they were doing..an unmitigated disaster and failure…there have been plenty of “football guys” who have failed miserably, Millen in Detroit, Farmer in Cleveland, hell the majority of the league has football guys in management and the majority of the league is average at best so the cry for football guys to be successful is folly. A “football guy” does not translate into success just like HOF players do not translate into great coaches..see Mike Singletary. Amazingly it was Roseman and Lurie who went after Chip..who you liked as a GM and approved of all of his 2015 moves..calling them “excellent”…how’d that work out? I nor no one knows how Pederson will work out, give it a chance though..a big part of Pederson’s success will be who he picks as his coordinators. Relax if it does not work out, the FO will be ripped as usual, but wait and see how this unfolds.
EHL, good point…I’m willing to give them a shot…and no being a “football’ guy does not guarantee anything..but there are football guys in Seattle, Green Bay, New England and every other successful team in the league.
We are asking Howie the Accountant to go head up with these guys
I dont like our chances…
Hey GCobb…………..Would you tolerate someone coming on this site referring to African-Americans as “spearchuckers”?????
Only certain ‘slurs’ by certain people get the wrath of most on this site…
crazy johnny, all I know is that we have had people come on here and refer to people using nigger…so to answer your question…probably “yes”. Last time I checked history every group of people on this planet have chucked a spear or two so it’s a ridiculous stereotypical slur that no particular group can have pinned on them nor concern themselves with.
Jahili Okafor refers to people that way as well to no outrage whatsoever.
Yes and you made an issue out of it…you did your part. Black people use them, it’s a problem when Caucasians do..it’s a double standard..but Blacks did not use it as a derogatory racial epithet to refer to a specific group of people based off of appearance. If you can’t understand that or don’t accept it..oh well there is nothing I can do about that. Maybe you need to get over it.
as long as you and others know its a double standard, fine– some would say that using it amongst themselves is as detrimental to progress as the other way..but moving on, i guess epithets for other groups is fine…
That’s for those groups to decide, it’s a free forum, anyone can protest, make their feelings known, complain all they want, if they don’t well?!?! I can’t speak for others, only myself, I do not condone vitriol, racial, ethnic, religious, etc. Do I laugh at jokes about groups, yes, but I also laugh at jokes about my own. I am no where as sensitive as I used to be, perhaps getting a little tired of being PC all the time, or just lightening up and learning to enjoy life for what it is.
And for the record there are double standards all over the place for every group. How come it’s ok to double park in South Philly, but nowhere else? Answer..Mayor Frank Rizzo who set that up for his Italian brethren when he was mayor, amazingly nothing has changed since. I could go on about double standards and how it concerns the good ol boys club, white privlege etc…but no need to get into that now…just know it exists. So if we are looking for fairness and equity, let’s start where it really matters.
Great response EHL
Thanks Big, just trying to keep it 100!!!
crazy johnny gcobb is an asshole hypocrite.. yes he would tolerate that. he could care less about what people write here unless its baseball season and he just had a campaign fail…
LOL…I’m surprised that gcobb doesn’t throw your racist, pervert ass out of here Mhenski…you wouldn’t be so bad if you knew anything at all about sports….but your dumb as rock there too…lmao
Get a life loser…
igglesblitz . com
Everyone should go to that site and read the Doug Pederson Day article. Great read for those of you interested. Seriously if you want to learn more about him and be sold on the hiring a little more today then yesterday read the whole article. Excellent piece.
CT, I am willing to give Pederson a chance, I will not judge him until he starts making moves to indicate the direction this franchise is headed in. I did not want Chip Kelly hired, but once he was I gave him a chance. Once he cut DJax, I was done with him as far as being able to be a manager and leader of men. I wanted Chip fired in the worst way, so I will not complain about this hire. Hopefully Pederson does a great job and is successful, if not, he will get ripped.
I am trying to look at the bright side with the hiring… last time around Chip and Gus were the sexy names with Mccoy coming in 3rd as far as sexy hires go.. Chips has been fired, bradley has won 12 games in 3 years and McCoy is on the hotseat– Other guys were fired in a year or two– the BORING hires were Arians and Reid and both have turned out better than all the rest–
**Chip Kelly gets a 4 Year – $24 Million Deal with the 49ers**
Chip Kelly will Focus only on Coaching as GM Trent Balkee continues to oversee and have the final authority over Player Personnel & Roster Management & Player Contracts, etc,etc …
I’m pretty much on the same page with u Eagle. Alot of guys are just waiting for their shots. I’m very excited for this higher and all we can do is hope for the best. The next 3 months will be very critical in understanding how this man runs this team and where we are headed with him at the helm.
And exactly hac that’s one of the many things that the article I mentioned above breaks down about the sexy hires.
The downfall of Chip Kelly here is mainly due to Howie Roseman
We were better off when Tom Gamble was in charge of personnel
Howie fired Gamble, Chip had to make a move…and Lurie panicked after one year.
Chip Kelly will probably be successful in SF, with Howie the Accountant…I dont know if Pederson will have a fair shot at success…I’m willing to give him a chance but it depends on the players that the Accountant gets for him…the free agents he signs the players he drafts…
Its all on Howie the Accountant
I believe Chip Kelly’s Biggest Downfall was Himself..
we’ve jumped out of the frying pan into the fire
Chip Kelly made mistakes that probably could have been corrected in the upcoming year…we will never know…
But under Howie’s watch…when he convinced Lurie to dump Banner…how many playoff games did we win?
Chip Kelly had two 10-6 seasons when he had a good football man in the front office-Tom Gamble…who made the move to get rid of Gamble
Howie
Chip was forced into the power play because like he said at the time…”Howie is good with contracts but he’s not a football guy”
I remember Chip saying this directly…and he was right
You can hire any good coach…and maybe Pederson is good…but with Howie calling the shots we are in big trouble.
In SF…Chip is going to just coach and he is reunited with a football guy he respects-Tom Gamble he will be able to work with Balkee and he is going to help Kaepernick big time…
SF will be ok…we are going in a very bad direction
LMFAO KOOL HAS A NEW OBSESSION IT WENT FROM
FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES FOLES
TO
BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB BRADFORD IS AWESOME, CLUTCH, FEARLESS, LEADER WHO RALLIES TROOPS AND IS A GREAT QB V
TO
HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT HOWIE THE ACCOUNTANT
WELL JUST AS AN FYI HOWIE IS A NOT AN ACCOUNTANT AND NEVER WAS . ALSO TO SAY HE IS NOT A FOOTBALL GUY IS JUST DUMB AS HE HAS BEEN IN NFL FRONT OFFICES SINCE 1999
I think Doug Pederson will do well if he’s able to surround himself with a Good Staff.. He will likely employ a more traditional West Coast System of the Packers that does utilize more Power Rushing in between the Tackles with more 2 Back Sets and believe it or not, utilizes a FB which Chip Kelly did not have.. maybe TE Trey Burton can play some of the FB Role or maybe they actually go out and Draft/Invite a FB or Two from the College Ranks for there is not many true FB’s in the NFL anymore and very few actually get Drafted in recent years, so you can add quality FB’s as a UDFA after the Draft..
Can we all wait until the rest of the staff is hired before jumping to any conclusions? Like Vinnie I agree that it’s a bad sign if coaches are forced onto Pederson’s staff it just reeks of dysfunction. If you trust him to coach your team trust him to hand pick his staff.
I trust coach reids judgement. He is one of the best in the business out of assembling a staff and there is a reason why he is Kept Pederson on his.
This biggest question is if he can establish a staff on his own. As Louis Riddick put it, he will succeed if given what he needs
***NFL NEWS***
The Detroit Lions Retain Jim Caldwell as their HC per and announcement from their New GM Bob Quinn per ESPN…
The Tennessee Titans Job is the last one Open in the NFL
as they just Hired a New GM in Jon Robinson last week as Mike Malarky, Doug Marrone,Ray Horton…
Marrone seems to be the #1 Candidate as his strength is working with the OL & QB’s as the Titans look to surround and build their Team around QB Marcus Mariota and have the #1 Overall Pick in the 2016 Draft
RE: Titans Coach Search may also include some Offensive minded Coordinators/Coach’s from Playoff Teams .. (Josh McDaniels,Mike Shula, Todd Haley ) The Titans New GM J Robinson will lead the search..
Look for Philly to bring in free agent chase Daniels this season to compete for starting job. He is very familiar with the west coast system and has been with Pederson for a little while
Ok with that if Chase Daniels is the 2016 version of Doug in1999.
Question is who fills the McNabb role. Pick 13 is not Pick 2.
I would prefer Bradford remain in place.
LMFAO GOOD RIDDANCE TO THE CIRCUS!!!!
HEADLINE ON CNN DOT COM today:
“NFL team hires worst possible coach?”
THE ARTICLE:
The 49ers must not have been listening.
That’s the only explanation for their hiring Chip Kelly as their new head coach.
Team owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke must have had the TV on mute during Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie’s press conference on Dec. 30—the one where Lurie explained firing Kelly and spoke of needing a new coach with “emotional intelligence” and “accountability.” Lurie emphasized those buzzwords as he said them, but York and Baalke clearly didn’t get the message.
They also must not have heard about DeMarco Murray, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Brandon Boykin, Evan Mathis and all of the other past and present Eagles players Kelly left disgruntled, alienated and generally angry.
And they can’t have been tuned in for Kelly’s last seven games with the Eagles, which included losses by scores of 45-17, 45-14 and 40-17.
There must also be some short-term memory loss, too.
The 49ers were coached by an innovative, abrasive, big-name Pac-12 expatriate just two years ago. What was that guy in the khakis’ name again? The one who clashed swords with Baalke until he skipped town to coach his college alma mater, leading Baalke to promote the guy who wiped down the weight benches to head coach?
York and Baalke simply must have forgotten all about that guy when they hired Kelly, a coach who also clashed with his general manager, then had him ousted, then went on a manic trading and spending spree that even he regretted when it came time to plop Murray and his $18 million guaranteed contract on the bench.
That’s what must have happened. Temporary deafness with a dash of amnesia. How else do you explain it? How else could you miss that Kelly and the 49ers are as bad for each other as a coach and an organization can possibly be?
An impatient, impetuous maverick with dubious people skills is the last thing the 49ers need right now. Retirements in the wake of Jim Harbaugh’s—that’s the name we were looking for!—departure last year gutted the roster. Skepticism after Jim Tomsula’s promotion to head coach defined the 2015 season. The 49ers were not just a bad team, but a despondent one for most of the year. When a veteran like Ahmad Brooks says your team couldn’t get psyched about a battle with the archrival Seahawks because the weather was overcast, your locker room has a serious problem.
So here is your solution, oh demoralized 49ers: The coach who trades players without contacting them. The coach whose superstar acquisition complained to ownership on the flight home from the team’s biggest victory of the year. The coach with the whiff of racial accusations trailing in his wake.
Veterans who may not be comfortable with the 49ers’ new direction will also be unhappy to learn that Kelly will change everything about the playbook, the practice schedule, the practice style, the contents of the cafeteria, the amount of monitors they wear and medical tests they take.
Yes, some of that science stuff can do a world of good. But when you’re down and out, you need empathy—someone with “emotional intelligence”—not a hydration test and an energy drink.
It’s not like Kelly’s system arrives from Philly with rave reviews or positive results. Just the opposite. Kelly comes with a reputation for front-office skullduggery, which is precisely what turned the 49ers from one of the NFL’s top contenders into an embarrassment in two short years. Officially, Kelly will only coach the team, with Baalke making the personnel decisions. But no press conference announcement or organizational flowchart can do justice to what kind of matter-antimatter explosions will result when Kelly and Baalke first collide on a personnel decision. These are both men whose top conflict-resolution strategy is to stage a coup.
Maybe the 49ers should sell tickets to organizational meetings instead of games. The meetings are certainly destined to be more entertaining—and possibly harder hitting.
The Kelly hire does not even make the most superficial sense. Sure, Kelly’s option-flavored offense could revive Colin Kaepernick’s career. Except that Kelly failed to revive the careers of Michael Vick, Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford—and only breathed a few weeks of life into Nick Foles back when opponents were seeing the Kelly offense for the first time. He just spent three years swearing his offense has nothing to do with the read-option and starting some of the most immobile quarterbacks he could find.
And Baalke’s personnel control means Kaepernick might not really be in the team’s long-range plans, anyway.
So what were the 49ers thinking?
Veteran columnist Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News saw the 49ers’ coaching search as riding on two tracks. Baalke was seeking candidates who, in Kawakami’s words, were “guys he knows, guys from the Bill Parcells line, guys who will let him remain the Alpha Grinder.” York, meanwhile, sought “guys 49ers alums are suggesting, guys who have name-recognition.”
(So York and Baalke operate independently and at cross purposes, just like Baalke and his coaches. At least the 49ers are consistent.)
Based on the Kawakami paradigm, Kelly is a York hire. The owner wanted a big name and was indifferent about potential friction in the organization. That’s a bad strategy on a variety of levels. The phrase “wanted a big name and was indifferent about” is really never used in connection with smart, forward-thinking management in any field.
So York has thrown together two individuals whose defining weaknesses are an inability to recognize their own limitations and an inability to work well with others, probably because he also shares those weaknesses. All three parties also have a knack for displacing blame, which may be why York and Baalke missed the timbre in Lurie’s voice three weeks ago when he stressed the syllables of accountability.
It’s hard to imagine Kelly and Baalke getting through free agency and the draft without conflict, let alone a season. And we’re not talking about the kind of steel-sharpens-steel conflict that leads to mutual respect and understanding. We’re talking about the kind of conflict that spills onto the field, that sends mixed messages to players, that prompts free agents and those who represent them to seek employers who have a clearer vision of what they want.
Almost any solution would be better for the 49ers than hiring Kelly. They could have used a youthful, enthusiastic coordinator to set a new tone and improve locker room morale. They could have used a careful empire builder in the Tom Coughlin mold. A college coach with real rah-rah chops, as opposed to Kelly’s clinical approach to human behavior, might have mixed some new ideas with a little emotional intelligence. Heck, another year of Tomsula could have at least signaled stability to free agents and veterans within the organization with one finger on the button for the ejection seat.
The 49ers got none of those benefits. The team with a sour reputation around the NFL hired a coach with a sour reputation around the NFL. The team with the short memory and bad listening skills hired the coach with the short attention span and bad communication skills.
In some ways, it’s a perfect match.
But in the ways that matter, it’s the worst match imaginable.
Many of the same things I brought up about the risks of having the Headstrong GM Balkee & HC Kelly try to work together.. It will e fireworks, but Balkee has little choice for he has to Win or his GM Job will be in Jeopardy
Ownership York wants the Big Name, the Media Hype and Following that a Chip Kelly will bring.. It is what it is and in the toughest Division in Football