SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly wasn't scheduled to speak to the media Tuesday. Per custom, that was supposed to be the day for offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins and defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil to talk things over with reporters.
But something was clearly up when O'Neil came to the podium first, as he usually follows Modkins. Soon after O'Neil wrapped up his session, Kelly strolled in and almost casually announced that he was removing Blaine Gabbert as his starting quarterback and replacing him with Colin Kaepernick.
As the NFL and its coaches have grown increasingly paranoid over every detail big and small, it was a refreshing departure for Kelly to make a decision, inform the players involved and the team and then announce it publicly.
On Thursday, Kelly explained why he didn't feel the need to keep his quarterback change under lock and key.
“Well, I think we live in a society, No. 1, that there are no secrets," Kelly said. "So, if Colin took all the reps with the ones on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, somebody’s ‘mole’ would have told them who was taking all the reps, you know what I mean? And I don’t really care."
Indeed, Kelly has made it clear that things aren't going to change with his system because Gabbert and Kaepernick have similar profiles as players.
"We have two similar quarterbacks," Kelly said. "Our offense doesn’t change. I don’t think you’re going to outsmart people in the National Football League where all of a sudden if the second quarterback’s playing that [Buffalo Bills coach] Rex [Ryan] is going to tear up his game plan and say, ‘We’re screwed. We have no idea how to defend him.’ People way over-analyze the whole thing. You ask me a question. I’m going to tell you an answer. You ask me who our quarterback is. I’m going to tell you who our quarterback is. Our quarterback maneuver was made on Tuesday then our quarterback will be announced on Tuesday. So I don’t buy that whole stick the banana in the tailpipe and try to tell them the car is broken. It is what it is. We made the maneuver on Tuesday. I’ll announce it on Tuesday.”
In leading the NFL's 31st-ranked offense in terms of yards per game, Kelly was open and honest after the Week 5 loss to Arizona that changes needed to be made in order to try to get the unit going. Based on that, it should be no surprise he was unafraid to offer up that Kaepernick was taking over. If he was willing to say changes needed to be made, why wouldn't he be willing to share that information?
And Kelly has also been straightforward on other subjects this season when asked direct questions. He wasted no time in acknowledging that Gabbert claimed the starting job initially after the preseason, and he has been quick to ensure that other news such as Anthony Davis' second retirement and NaVorro Bowman's season-ending injury is shared once it becomes official.
As for how long Kaepernick will get in the starting role after Gabbert was afforded the first five games, Kelly says no such timetables have been put in place.
“We have no pitch count or whatever it is on it," Kelly said. "We have to make decisions on what’s best for us to do. So, I didn’t go into it saying Blaine had, we had a plan, let’s give him five games and see where we are after five and then make a decision. It’s just we evaluate everything on a day-to-day basis, honestly, in terms of where we’re going to be and what’s the best for us to move forward and to try to win on a weekly basis. So, that’s kind of where it is. But there’s not a count of games, throws, whatever, for anybody right now.”
If at some point that changes, it's fair to assume Kelly will let us know.
