Chip Kelly has come to the defense of Colin Kaepernick against what he claims are misperceptions for the unsigned quarterback.
The Seahawks claimed he was “overqualified” for their backup position and opted instead for Austin Davis. Here are the career stats for Austin Davis:
- A 3-7 record as a starter in 3 seasons
- A career touchdown to interception ratio of 13:12.
For the Seahawks sake, the health of Russell Wilson will be paramount to any success for the upcoming season.
Chip Kelly was the Head Coach last season for the 49ers. If anyone would have an ax to grind with Kaepernick, it would be Kelly who lost his job after one season in San Francisco. Chip joined Adam Schefter on the Know Them From Adam Podcast. His comments in regard to Kaepernick read like a textbook letter of recommendation.
Kap was awesome. At the beginning of the year he made his stance on what he believed was right. We recognized and supported his ability to do that. But he never brought that into the locker room. We had a meeting the day after the Green Bay game that he did it in the preseason and he explained to all the players the process and mindset of what he was doing. And there were some players that agreed with him and there were some players that didn’t agree with him.
After that point we heard from the outside what a distraction it is except those people weren’t in our locker room and Kap never was a distraction and turned it into a circus. He came into work everyday, extremely diligent in terms of his preparation, in terms of his work ethic in the weight room, in terms of his work ethic in the meeting room.
I really enjoyed Kap, i’ve spoken to him 3 or 4 times since we left San Francisco. I know he’s working out really hard in New York right now. I think he’s a really good person and a really good player. And I really enjoyed coaching him
Chip further elaborated on Kaepernick’s skill set, noting his high level of play diminished last season due to several offseason surgeries.
The argument against Kaepernick has long been proven as a witch hunt of criticism lacking basis or a modicum of respectability. Kaepernick is not looking for over $10+ million nor is he demanding a gig as a starter. Kaepernick has educated, protected and created opportunities for marginalized people. Beyond real change, it also has disgustingly brought about discomfort with those in power.
“All my years being in the league, I never received more emotional mail from people than I did about that issue,” Mara said. “If any of your players ever do that, we are never coming to another Giants game. It wasn’t one or two letters. It was a lot. It’s an emotional, emotional issue for a lot of people, moreso than any other issue I’ve run into.”
-John Mara, New York Giants Co-Owner
You can find full clip of the audio here. Chip gets into his thoughts on Kaepernick at the 16:40 mark