Pete Carroll on Chip Kelly: ‘He knows exactly what he’s doing’

In 1999, after he finished his fourth season as a head coach in the NFL, Super-Bowl-winner Pete Carroll wasn't viewed the way he is now. On Wednesday, when the old perception of him was mentioned on a conference call, the coach with a 55-23-1 record with the Seahawks stopped his questioner. Carroll can joke about it now, but he wasn't laughing when his first four seasons as an NFL head coach included a 33-31 record, two winning seasons and pink slips from the Jets and Patriots. Niners head coach Chip Kelly is one game removed from finishing his fourth season in the NFL. Given his similar NFL beginnings, Carroll, who returned to the NFL in 2010 after a wildly successful nine-year run at USC, was asked about Kelly on Wednesday. The 49ers don't figure to maintain the status quo with a 2-13 record, a mark that doesn't reflect well on Kelly, who went 6-9 last year before he was fired by Philadelphia. The back-to-back losing seasons have prompted question that was never asked during his four seasons at Oregon (record: 46-7) or first two seasons with the Eagles (20-12): Is Kelly a good coach? [...] he did discuss how NFL head coaches can improve in light of his career arc.