Chip Kelly did no favors to the 49ers during his lone year as head coach, and he’s apparently creating problems in Year 1 with the Raiders.
San Francisco 49ers fans likely still cringe when they recall the one-and-done 2016 season under the helm of then-head coach Chip Kelly, who led an admittedly horrible roster to a two-win campaign that year.
Kelly, who was something of a surprise hire that year in the wake of too much tampering with his previous head-coaching employer, the Philadelphia Eagles, found himself back in the NFL ranks this offseason, joining veteran head coach Pete Carroll’s staff as the Las Vegas Raiders’ new offensive coordinator.
Already, it appears as if Kelly is back to his old ways again.
Now, it’s time for the silver and black to potentially feel the pain after both Philly and San Francisco felt it, previously.
Chip Kelly is trying to change Raiders’ top draft choice already
Kelly might be feeling plenty good about himself after helping lead Ohio State to a College Football Playoff national championship under head coach Ryan Day last season, which helped propel the former back into NFL ranks after a near 10-year absence.
That said, a subtle alteration to Vegas’ top pick from the 2025 NFL Draft, former Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, shouldn’t go over well.
Speaking to Kay Adams of the Up & Adams Show, Jeanty described how Kelly already is trying to tweak his stance, thereby changing what made the tailback so special at the collegiate level:
According to the rookie, Kelly asked him to pretend he was in a basketball guarding stance, bending down low and then stressing “that’s how you need to be at running back.”
OK, fine. It might seem like a small tweak to help get the most out of a top collegiate talent. But, as FanSided’s John Buhler pointed out, there’s not exactly a need to alter what already worked for Jeanty in advance of him becoming a top-10 draftee.
If anything, Kelly probably should have said something along the lines of, “keep doing what got you here,” and left it at that.
Making it worse is the reputation Kelly had, especially in Philadelphia, of trying to tweak too much rather than letting his players’ talents speak for themselves.
It might fly a little easier on a rebuilding Raiders squad. But, as 49ers and Eagles fans can recall, Kelly’s influence might not be the most welcomed thing.
