San Francisco 49ers: The Logic Behind Chip Kelly Hire

At first glance it was a puzzling move for the San Francisco 49ers to hire Chip Kelly. Over time though, it’s begun to make more sense.

Many people weren’t happy with the decision by GM Trent Baalke. Most of it had to do with Kelly’s unceremonious end in Philadelphia where his team went from 10-6 and a playoff contender to a rudderless ship that saw much of its core talent being shipped out. Several of those decisions were by Kelly due to his rumored unwillingness to deal with players who were outspoken.

It didn’t work out and he was fired. Most thought it was a foregone conclusion that he was headed back to college. Then, out of nowhere the 49ers swooped in and handed him their lead job. Why? That’s the big question that has people confused.

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The answer, as it so often can be, is the simplest one. San Francisco has put together a roster, particularly on offense that is tailor-made to fit Kelly’s system. The head coach alluded to that when he was asked about some of the players he would be working with.

"“He’s extremely athletic,” Kelly said, via 49ers.com about Blaine Gabbert. “It’s interesting, the three of them, if you look at Driskel, Blaine and Kaep, they’re all 6-4 plus, and all can run. All of them are at 4.6 (seconds in the 40-yard dash) or under 4.6, which is kind of rare to have three guys that can do the same thing. It’s beneficial to you.“The one thing that jumped out right away was just how athletic Blaine was. We did not play against him when I was in Philly, so this is really my first exposure to him. But I think his athleticism is the first thing that kind of jumped out at me.”Kelly also talked up RB Carlos Hyde, referring to him as a “stud” running back.“Carlos is a stud,” Kelly said. “He’s been full-go since we started in the beginning of April.”“He is as advertised,” Kelly added. “To have someone that size who is that agile and has that vision, it’s really impressive to see him work every day.”"

Indeed history shows Chip Kelly has done his best work as a play caller when he has an athletic quarterback under center. Something he never seemed able to find in Philadelphia. On top of that he has a back in Hyde who is quite familiar with running out of a read-option type of offense, something he did all the time at Ohio State. To top it off the 49ers have assembled a cast of receivers that are heavy on speed, quickness and agility. Just like the corps he assembled during his days at Oregon.

There is plenty of work to do before the San Francisco 49ers are ready to take on the NFC West again. Still, it seems Baalke may have finally found a coach who shares some of his vision for how a team should look and operate.