By now, expecting Chip Kelly to change and suddenly morph into a different type of coach is expecting the impossible. For better or worse, Chip Kelly is still Chip Kelly. He isn't going anywhere, even if he switched coasts this past winter.
Case in point: On Tuesday, when Kelly met with members of the media, he was asked about the differences between his former job with the Eagles and his current position as the head coach of the 49ers. Kelly's response to that question was peak Kelly.
"The ocean is on the other side," he said, per NJ.com. "The ocean was on the right in Philadelphia, now it's on the left. I don't feel I'm different. Ask the coaches who are with me now and were with me before."
As I wrote about immediately after Kelly's introductory press conference back in January, Kelly -- a coach with a clear vision that he's unwilling to compromise on -- is exactly what the 49ers need. His response to the question above, and especially the part about not feeling any different, shouldn't be considered alarming.
Let's remember that Kelly won 20 games in his first two seasons and much of his downfall in his third season was caused by Kelly the trade-happy general manager, and not Kelly the coach. In San Francisco, Kelly's job is to coach and leave the general manager duties to Trent Baalke. Based on his track record, Kelly should do just fine in that more limited role.
Still, don't expect him to perform an immediate miracle on the 49ers, even if he previously turned a four-win team into a 10-win team in one year. The 49ers roster isn't, to be blunt, any good (they might even start Blaine Gabbert this year!), and they're situated in the NFC West with the Seahawks and Cardinals.
Luckily, if things don't work out in San Francisco, it doesn't seem like Kelly will have too tough of a time starting a new career as a geography teacher.
