Yes, the early days of Kellys first training camp with the 49ers have prompted a question: Whats going on here?
Has Kelly changed some of his methods after his 26-21 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 youre going to have 19 different opinions going one way or another about one other person. And some people are going to agree and theyre not going to agree. There are players, (Philadelphia defensive end) Connor Barwin, guys like that, that said I was a great communicator there.
Its 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 dont think theres anything different now. Youve got to think about it: If youre an older guy and youre stuck in your ways, you dont adapt to change. And youre probably going to go against the grain.
A prime example could be Peters, 34, who said last week that Kellys up-tempo practices ground him into dust in 2015.
Since the 49ers have reported for training camp, though, a popular topic has been Kellys player-friendly schedule. Kelly, who is fanatical about his players getting proper sleep, has scheduled the majority of the practices for 10:25 a.m., which will allow the 49ers to leave the facility at a reasonable hour.
The longest practices will be about two hours, and the summer schedule also will include 60- and 90-minute sessions.
Its going to the best camp schedule that Ive been a part of, Smith said. We actually get to see daylight when we get out.
Said safety Eric Reid: The way Chip has our schedule, its unheard of.
A lot of coaches talk about recovery and how important it is to get sleep, but then you dont get to the hotel until 11:30 (p.m.) and youve got to be back at 7 (a.m.).
For his part, Kelly said his schedule is nothing new. In fact, it dates to his first head-coaching job seven years ago: Its the same thing we did at Oregon and the same thing I did in Philadelphia.
