Not too long ago, Chip Kelly was regarded as an offensive genius who turned around a poor Eagles team in just one year, winning 10 games in back-to-back seasons. But after just one dreadful season, Kelly's narrative changed. Now, he's known as a coach who was unable to relate his players on a personal level and as an executive who treated his roster like a game of Madden.
Kelly, though, will be given another chance to prove his worth in the NFL, because for some reason, those two 10-win seasons weren't enough. As the 49ers head coach, Kelly can turn the narrative around.
It's only May, which means it's honeymoon season for all 32 teams, but so far, so good for Kelly. His players seem to approve of his uptempo offense, even if transitioning hasn't been an easy task.
Tight end Garrett Celek even referred to the offense as "genius."
"In the past we had a lot of delay-of-games because either we're not getting the play in time from upstairs or it's just taking the quarterback too long to read the whole play out," Celek said, per CSN Bay Area. "Where now, it's a lot quicker. We have hand signals, so you can't have 15 words through hand signals, stuff like that. It's got to be boom, boom, boom. So when you got less verbiage, it's easier to remember. It's kind of genius."
Receiver Torrey Smith, meanwhile, lauded Kelly's offense for its organization and detailed nature.
"The biggest thing is grasping it," Smith told CSN Bay Area. "It's like learning a new language for us -- and sign language at that. It's different, but it's very organized and very detailed the way they teach it."
And offensive lineman Zane Beadles praised the pace, which he believes will benefit the offensive line as a whole.
"When you're playing fast and defenses don't have time to line up and get their hand in the ground, it definitely gives you an advantage offensively," Beadles told CSN Bay Area. "Everybody is positive about it so far. There's still plenty to be installed and plenty to work on. But I think everybody can see the benefits. Definitely, at times, you get a little winded and you get a little tired. We're going to be in great shape, that's for sure."
So, again, it's early in the offseason. The 49ers' roster isn't good. Their starting quarterback, at the moment, appears to be Blaine Gabbert. Even if Kelly brings a better offensive system to the table, he won't be able to singlehandedly overcome their low talent level in a division filled with two legitimate Super Bowl candidates.
But if Kelly does engineer a turnaround in San Francisco -- and that's one big if -- he'll shake off the "college coach" narrative for good.