The San Francisco 49ers held their final media availability of OTAs on Thursday, and offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins met the media for the first time. It's a different situation than we're used to, as this is Chip Kelly's offense, with everybody else helping to implement it. The 49ers previous coaches had their ideas for the offense, with Jim Harbaugh likely the most influential in that regard. But Chip Kelly is bringing his own offense to town.
Modkins confirmed that Kelly will call the plays on game-day. He said there would likely be a dialogue between series, and he also said Kelly had proven very receptive to people's ideas. But Chip Kelly is still the guy in charge of the offense. Modkins said he will be up in the coaches' booth on game day. He believes that offers a better vantage point, and a better way to offer information and advice to Kelly.
When asked about his own role, Modkins definitely gave off the vibe of someone who is not in charge of the offense. He talked about learning what the offense is about, and offering up his suggestions and ideas. This is not some kind of shocking development, but when we have the transcript later today, you'll see what I'm talking about.
His recent offensive history has been primarily as a run-game coordinator. He served as running backs coach with with four different teams dating back to 2003. He was Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator from 2010 to 2012, but it is my understanding that head coach Chan Gailey was the primary guy with the offense those three seasons. For now, my guess is his focus will be on the run-game, but there will be plenty of collaboration in discussing the weekly game plan.