NFL teams are wrapping up OTAs and mandatory minicamp over the next two weeks, which means we are getting the last of the media availability before training camp. And that means Philadelphia Eagles players get a chance to chime in on the differences between Doug Pederson and Chip Kelly. It's safe to say that this discussion is not going anywhere until at least Week 1, and probably long after that!
The latest comment comes from Malcolm Jenkins. At practice earlier this week, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and defensive backs coach Cory Undlin both laid into a couple players for mistakes they were making. Jenkins was asked about it after practice, and he said the coaching style is a lot different. The reporter supported that notion, stating Chip Kelly preferred not to critique players in front of each other in a group setting.
The 49ers decision to promote Jim Tomsula and part ways with Jim Harbaugh had plenty of problems, but one of the biggest was going from a butt-kicker to a guy who tried too hard to accommodate his players. We heard about players getting breaks frequently. Veterans were held back frequently in training camp. And of course, we recall Alex Boone's critique of Harbaugh, saying they had reached the mountain top so Harbaugh didn't need to push them so hard.
This is not to say the 49ers need to go from Tomsula to a yelling and screaming coaching staff. I would say the key for this kind of young, relatively inexperienced team is a coaching staff that is going to teach, while also imposing some semblance of discipline. Chip Kelly will be the over-arching personality here, and it will be interesting to see how Jim O'Neil and the defensive coaching staff are accepted by the veterans.
There are potential negatives to any style of coaching. Tough love can be strong to start, but if the team struggles, players might tune it out. And considering Jim Schwartz is kind of a [site decorum], it will be interesting to see how the players deal with it. On the other hand, a softer touch can lead to players not taking the coaches sufficiently seriously as the season wears on.
Of course, as long as the team is winning, I suppose either model, or some mix will be considered fine. It's hard to figure out a relationship between style of coaching and how a team performs. We've seen player-friendly coaches win big, and we've seen disciplinarians win big. I would be surprised if Eagles players were complaining in Chip Kelly's first year, when he had them in the playoffs. Just like, we didn't hear much complaining when the 49ers were winning games. It started to come out as the team struggled and things went south.