Kelly was fired by Philadelphia with one week remaining in the regular season, despite winning 10 games in each of the previous two years. The 52-year-old was highly regarded, coming from the University of Oregon, and his fast-paced offense took off his first year with the Eagles. He never had the type of quarterback he wanted running his offense, but that could change with his move west.
It’s been reported the coach was looking to add Kaepernick wherever he landed this season and for good reason. The 28-year-old has the mobility needed to run the offense effectively and despite troubles with accuracy this past season, which led to his benching, many now believe the former second round draft pick from 2011 will once again take over the offense.
Kelly is known for using players with speed and endurance and while it might take some time to transform this franchise into a winning team again, one thing is clear, this squad will be in much better shape after an off season of conditioning.
49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith agrees. In fact, he went on Twitter to express his feelings about the new hire, telling all his followers, “Guess I might have to start running right now to get in shape.”
It isn’t clear if the new coach will get the same power he had in Philly, which most NFL experts agree led to his departure, but it does give the franchise the most prolific hire since the glory days of the team and if he can get the confidence level up on his quarterback, this offense could fly high in 2016.
