Questions for Chip Kelly

The San Francisco 49ers just announced new head coach Chip Kelly will have his introductory press conference Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. The 49ers will stream the press conference live on 49ers.com.

What questions would you ask Kelly if you had a press pass?

This article has 110 Comments

  1. Maiocco presented questions and answers from Kelly when he was hired as the Eagles HC. Here’s a few I thought you might be interested in:

    On who will be the starting quarterback:
    “I can’t predict the future. I have no idea. But with the amount of reps we get in practice, everybody’s going to get a shot at throwing the football around. The best players are going to play.”

    On the first thing he looks for with a quarterback:
    “I don’t think there’s a first thing because there are a million things. So there’s not one thing that trumps the other things. The ability to grasp the offense, No. 1. No. 2, how do they process it when they’re on the field? Can you take it from drill to practice? There are a lot of guys that are great in drills, but when you get them in, they’re OK in 7-on-7, and more people get to 11-on-11 and they’re not as good as they look in drills. So how do they transfer that knowledge from a drill to practice, when you start to get in more team situations. You’re evaluating them as a football player. You’re evaluating, really, mostly when we’re doing 11-on-11 stuff, because that’s how the game’s played.”

    On using the read option in the NFL:
    “It depends on who your quarterback is. If you (a media member) were my quarterback, probably not. You have to adapt.”

    My question would be what grade would he give himself in player evaluation?

    1. Ofcourse, he won’t show his hand Kevin but this question is a bullseye .I’m optimistic with the premise that this year’s draft is deep with OL prospects and the possibilities in FA.

  2. Jim Trotter recently said a 49ers staff member reached out to see if he thought Chip Kelly was racist after Trotter said he wouldn’t have hired him. Trotter said he doesn’t believe Chip is racist but there’s a perception around league that he can’t relate to young black athletes. How will the team (and Kelly) address this disconnect moving forward, especially as it relates to enticing free agents to sign if SF?

    1. ….And yet he related to a team full of young black athletes all his years at Oregon. This all came from disgruntled players that were traded away and there has never been any basis in their argument.
      Similar story line: Alex Boone spent 3 years openly and rudley defended Harbaugh to the press. As soon as Jim’s gone he was the first player to go on record calling Harbaugh out.

    2. White people should be just as offended that black people always assume white people are racist. I’m sure there’s more blacks that don’t like whites because they think they’re racist when in all actuality most don’t even think about it! Just be you and don’t assume. Chip will be a great coach!

    3. Simple. Jed york and trent baalke both instructed JK to wipe his feet before entering the building. In other words, leave that mess in philly

  3. The most important question Kelly has to answer is about the QB position but he won’t say anything other than a bunch of coaching double talk. You might as well ask him his favorite color.

    1. The problem was the eagles owner gave Chip too much power and it went to his head. That wont be an issue under baalke becaue baalke will be making all the personell decisions and kelly will just coach.

  4. Trent Baalke has been cited as being someone who micromanages, at times gives his own coaching tips to young players (db’s in particular). How do you handle a potential clash between him and whoever our DC is, especially if we employ someone like the young, hotheaded Vrabel? Don’t envision those kind of actions being tolerated from an outside coach.

  5. Grant, could you ask Kelly if he plans on adjusting his philosophy to take pressure off his own defense and what he learned in that regard at Philly?

  6. Grant, one more question from me. What are the traits Kelly looks for in QB? I know there has been stories about this, but I want to hear it from Kelly’s own mouth.

  7. What do you see as the biggest deficiency with the team and how do you plan to address it from a coaching standpoint?

  8. 1) Some in the Philly media have reported that you are stubborn and refuse to change the way you do things, even if it’s not working. What would you say to that criticism of you? Are you willing to adjust and change if it’s not working?

    2) Did you bite off more than you could chew when you took over personnel acquisition in PHIL? Did those decisions impact your worsening record there? If not, what did?

  9. If I had a press pass I would ask “Chip are you, like the rest of us wondering why the hell Trent Baalke still has a job?

    Do you feel nervous knowing you job depends on someone who has such a poor record of acquiring talent and always scapegoats other people and keeps his job?”

  10. I want to ask questions about retaining or acquiring specific players, or what he thinks of specific players. Questions (by team policy) he’s unlikely to give a clear answer to. So why ask?

    Here goes anyway…

    – How do you plan on squeezing into a south bay apartment on only $6m a year?

    – If a reporter asks you a question, and Trent Baalke interrupts with “we’re going to run the ball”, will you douse him with a kale smoothie?

    – Exactly how are those temperature monitors inserted into players bodies? Will Jed or Trent be personally assisting in this activity? Does this involve film study?

    – Is Tom Gamble really “the only grown up in the room?”

    – Exactly when do you plan on taking over Baalke’s personnel power? Vegas currently has it by game 11.

    – You will be peppered with questions Jarryd Hayne every week. Has working with Tim Tebow prepared you for wasting time talking about third string players?

    1. LOL! Freakin’ priceless – great list, B2W!

      Grant – you need to ask at least one of these…I vote for the temperature monitoring question :-)

    2. How do you plan on squeezing into a south bay apartment on only $6m a year?
      —–
      Ha nice. It’s funny cause it’s true.

  11. After having so much control over the personnel why were you willing to take another coaching job where someone else is picking your players for you?

    (you might get a defensive answer that tells us he has more say then we’re currently assuming he does, or he’ll side step and say he just wants to focus on coaching)

    If he goes with the latter then hit him with; What changed that you once felt you needed that much say and control but now no longer do?

  12. And, WTF is up with that photo? You had fun picking that one. Makes him look like a golly gee goober kinda guy or one that really likes Barabara Streisand movies.

  13. Questions.
    1. Do you plan on forcing Kaep to be only a pocket passer?
    2. Could you tell me 5 ways Hayne could best be utilized?
    3. How will you be able to make the proper adjustments?
    4. How will you stop players from shooting themselves in the foot?
    5. What is the hardest lesson you have learned from the Eagles job, and how will you not repeat it?
    6. Why do you think the Niners have a chance to win more games? (Softball Question)
    7. Can you and Baalke work together?
    8 What sort of input will you have in Free Agency?
    9. What sort of input will you have during the draft?
    10. Name 3 positions you may plan to target with the first 3 picks of the draft?
    ( Hopefully, pass rusher, O line and LB)

    1. 1. Hypnosis. He thinks its a pitchers mound.

      4. Better aim. Scott Hyver is the official LASIK surgeon of your Santa Clara 49ers.

  14. How do you plan to manage Time of Possession? The NFC West is a brutal conference. Teams can ground and pound. How do you plan to preserve the defense with your style of offense?

  15. A lot was made in the media in regards to Chip and black players in the locker room. What do you say to those who call you a racist? How do you plan on addressing those issues with the team?

  16. Look at all these serious questions!!!! You’d have a better chance of getting a real answer by rolling the bones or checking TAROT.COM.

  17. Why take a job were you have limited control in the pro level versus returning to college where you have so much more control over every aspect of the game?

  18. Ask;
    You were fired because something wasn’t working anymore, what are you going to do different this time?
    Will you be sidelining players who don’t believe in your system?

      1. +1 Razor.

        I would think the continuity argument to keep Mangini went out the window with all those assistant coaches.

  19. My question would be, LMJ excelled under you system and set some NCAA rushing records, is there any interest in reacquiring James.

    1. The lack of having Chip Kelly as his head coach had nothing to do with why he’s struggled in the NFL. He’s only had two NFL teams have enough interest in him to sign him and he didn’t last long on either one and now he’s all but out of the league after spending 2015 on the couch. If this was all simply because the 49ers and Dolphins didn’t use him the right way then some other savvy team would have picked him up but they didn’t.

      He’s another College stud that just doesn’t have what it takes to compete at the professional level.

      1. I don’t know Coffee, a spread system fits James skill set. My problem with James is he became disgruntled and left the team abruptly. I was a huge James fan till that happen. As far as James not making it on other teams and since has been released, I will go back to the spread fits his skill set. Reading Razor’s comment I have a feeling the sudden departure fuels his disapproval. Can’t blame him there.

        1. There are a lot of teams that use Spread concepts that could have picked him up if they felt he had something special to offer in that area.

          For me his requesting a release has nothing to do with it because by that point he was just taking up a roster spot from someone that could actually help the team.

        2. Besides, off the top of my head I can’t think of a time where a player asked for his release, was granted it and then re-signed a couple seasons later. Asking for your release is a bit of a bridge burner.

        3. The fumble in the Super Bowl didn’t do anything to ingratiate himself with me, that I can tell you!

    2. LMJ was a victim of circumstances while at the Niners. With Frank Gore as the starter, he never got a chance to play. Also, Kendall Hunter kept him from playing, too, because they have similar skillsets. Then he groused about his situation, and JH did not like that. Do not know what happened in Miami, but it seemed like they preferred big RBs.
      Hope he gets a TC invite. LMJ should keep quiet and work hard.

      1. LMJ not a team player in a team game. Huge bust. If he was any good would have worked out elsewhere. He fizzled. Huge disappointment. Please let’s not repeat and compound mistakes. Time to move on.

  20. This organization has a history of recent leaks. News is leaked to sway public opinion and many times the staff were left to find out their status from Jay Glazer rather than the front office. The leaks continued even after personell were let go, so it stands to reason the leaker still stands in the building. This organization also ran off the last successful coach who also happened to be your rival in the college ranks, but still was a successful coach at every stop. Is there a fraternity amongst coaches that would prevent viable candidates from interviewing for this organization and have you violated that fraternity by accepting this position so readily? Seeing that the leaker is still employed by the organization, in what week or what level of failure do you expect those leaks to continue?

  21. Are you going to adjust your offensive scheme to fit the personnel here and to keep the defense from getting gassed from being on the field too long?

    Why did you shy away from ruuning the ball up the middle after signing Murray and Matthews during the last off-season?

    Are you planning on having a 3-4, 4-3, or hybrid defense?

    Talk about your conversation with Trent Baalke and Jed York.

    Do you see this team as a Super Bowl contender or a cellar dog fighting for scraps?

    Will this be a run – first offense, a pass – first offense, or are you going to find a balance between the two?

    1. Here’s a preview question and answer from Kelly regarding your third question:

      On whether he prefers a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense:
      Whatever you call it — it’s 4-3, 3-4 — there’s seven guys. However you want to space them out, it’s still seven guys, and four secondary guys. So I’ve never gotten caught up in what the number is.”

      1. My rebuttal would be:
        But which do you prefer? The team currently has the personnel for a 3-4 defense. Are you going to keep it that way, or do you plan on implementing some 4-3 in there are well?

        1. Preview question and answer to your rebuttal:

          On allowing his defensive coordinator to run the defense:
          “I never wanted to be micromanaged when I was a coordinator. I think it’s a recipe for disaster. If you get a head coach looking over in the middle and saying, ‘Hey, run this.’ I’m an offensive guy, so I’m going to be in the offensive meeting room, so I’m not going to be in there and it’s very difficult to say, ‘Hey, this is what I think you should do.’ But I think you spend all week long understanding the game plan and meeting with those guys and knowing what they’re doing, giving your feedback during the week, but on gameday, I just think that’s a recipe for disaster.”

          1. Rebuttal:

            But don’t you think not knowing what defense would best complement your offense is more of a recipe for disaster? I mean no offense, but your defense was middle of the pack during your first season and plummeted during the second season and was near rock bottom at the end of your time with the Eagles.

            1. I think he intimated that he finds out the intricacies of their strategy defensively weekly and gameplans accordingly, but on game day it’s all on the DC….

  22. I would ask him if he thinks there’s a correlation between his offensive tempo, and the poor play of his defense over the course of the season seeing as though his defenses in Philly languished in the bottom third of the league in most categories.

    1. For what it’s worth, I was never a fan of Billy Davis, including his time as the DC for the 49ers. Neither did I care for Manusky. I liked Marshall and Rhodes, and Seifert was more innovative than Fangio….

    2. If I was Chip I’d probably point to the fact my offense was consistently one of the top point scoring offenses in the league and that maybe the defense just needs to run more wind sprints. :)

  23. Chip Kelly, “Are you concerned that you can probably outrun your BEST wide reciever in a footrace (Anquan Boldin) in a division that has arguably 2 of the best secondaries the league has ever seen. Yet Jed York and Cassie Baalke will probably be tweeting by week 5 Chip Kellys offense won’t work in the NFL, but never question if Trent Baalke’s drafting and free agent acquisition will work in the NFL?”

  24. In hindsight, would you have drafted Shane Ray, Bud Dupree or Breshad Perriman instead of Agholor?

  25. my question to Chip Kelly:
    Eagles under Kelly went 2-4 against the NFC West, what would you do differently that will make this better?

    do you think you have the necessary pieces in the offense to run your system? what are some of the glaring needs?

  26. Given your experience with your style of offense in the NFL and now knowing the benefits and the holdbacks it brings on this level of playing field (defense being on the field longer than most teams in the NFL) is this something you are willing to look at and address with your new start as the SF head coach, while still keeping your up tempo ?offense

  27. Hmm. Chryst is gone, but who will take his spot? I will surmise another whopper.
    Tarver will become the DC since he has several years of being the DC at Stanford and Oakland. Mangini moves across the aisle and becomes the OC. The offense might benefit from his aggressive style.

  28. If I were in the press I’d simply listen and make notes as everyone else asked the same generic questions. Kelly might still be looking for housing and trying to unpack his office. I also don’t remember the 49ers playing the Eagles for awhile so it’s unlikely he’s even seen recent game film of the 49ers. He’s going to smile, be nice, and compliment management and players. No more and no less.

  29. Will there be a difference in defensive scheme or philosophy this time around?
    That’s been the weak link on Kelly teams.

    1. It might rehabilitate his career. Be hard to fail since it is easy to improve from a 32nd ranking with a smidge of competence.

    1. The author made this comment about 49er management.

      I’m sure the 49ers questioned him about it extensively; how could they not, given the way Lurie laid it on so thick at the firing press conference?”

      Oh my! “how could they not?”

    2. I can’t help but have a small part of my mind think it’s the Eagles and they let him go. They are the poster child up top with Cleveland on bad luck and quick decisions that end up biting them in the rear. I can only imagine that YouTube sensation eagle fan going ballistic if he succeeds here. He is pure gold. Lol

      http://youtu.be/OjoOGdFaRYY

  30. The questions posted here will all be answered with coach speak. Many posters here would have no trouble answering them regardless who the new coach is tomorrow with the possible exception of the previous coach.

    If Kelly takes it upon himself to enumerate ways that he messed up his relations with players and staff in Philadelphia that will be news.

    If Kelly talks about the football changes he hopes to make in detail tomorrow that will be insane, and will also be news.

    Kelly was hired to take the heat off of his new bosses. That part seems to be having some success. Enjoy tomorrow, it could be the best we get.

  31. Chip: Someone famous once said, You never stay the same, you’re either getting better or getting worse. How would you respond to the people who said that NFL defenses have figured out the ‘Chip Kelly Offense’?

    1. They said the same thing about the WCO, yet elements of it have been an integral part of every offense since. In Chips first PC at the Eagles, he mentioned that every offense has evolved since the 3 yards and a cloud of dust strategy, and that is the nature of the game. Offenses will add a new wrinkle, and defenses will devise new strategies to counter it. What does not work is trying to run it with an immobile QB, because the threat to run is so important for the rest of the strategy to work. Now that he has 2 mobile QBs, he should be able to implement it fully.
      Chip also mentioned that it has become a pass happy league with all the new rules, but the Zone Read is a run first system. He will say that his system is flexible, so the defense has too many options to defend against, and the offense’s job is to take what the defense gives them.

    1. Reminds me of my first thought when I read the comments from McCarthy calling out Lacy on his weight. Do they not feel even a little hypocritical calling guys out on their weight when they themselves resemble a VW Beetle.

      1. Lacy is some kind of fat though. I mean I feared for him on that long run wondering if he’d have a heart attack or something. The guy needs to get himself into a diet program.

    1. Dont bother. Grant wishes he did not ask his question, since he looked schooled afterwards.

      1. I asked that question the way I wanted to ask it. His response shows how precious the play is to him.

          1. Ah, Grant lobbed that question at Chip so Chip could show how smart he is. Brilliant strategy.

  32. Chip, do you think the up tempo offense will keep the defense on the field longer than going 1-13 in a third down conversion rate?

  33. 1. On 3rd and long from your own 3-yard line, what would you do?

    2. What is your tolerance for being “controlled” by Management?

    3. Realistically, how do you think the 49ers, with their current players, will finish at the end of the 2016 season?

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