Kelly stays slippery, while Pederson just slips up

A few weeks before he was to attend the NFL meetings, Chip Kelly checked the number of Philadelphia-area reporters who were given credentials to cover the annual gathering of billionaire owners and their millionaire coaches, presidents, and general managers.

Only four requests had been approved at the time. Kelly called one of the few Eagles employees who still cared to speak to him - and vice versa - to ask if the number was accurate.

The new 49ers coach had become accustomed to the large contingent of Philly media that previously followed him to the meetings and often made his table during the mandatory interview the most attended. And he likely anticipated another large crowd since those reporters had yet to ask him about being fired by the Eagles in December.

Kelly was informed the number wasn't up to date. In all, a dozen Eagles beat reporters covered the event in Boca Raton, Fla., last week. More than half were at Kelly's table, while the remainder sat with new coach Doug Pederson.

In the days before Wednesday's NFC coaches breakfast, Kelly told various reporters and team officials that he would be more than willing to answer any questions - about the 49ers. But after a few trite responses about what went wrong last year, Kelly began to relent.

The questions, at times, came in a flurry and Kelly, as is his nature, went into defense mode. He deflected blame and made claims that simply defied logic. Howie Roseman was responsible for the bad contracts given to DeMarco Murry and Byron Maxwell. Injuries were the reason for his offense's three-year decline. There was no reason to reconsider how he relates to players when only a "vocal minority" criticized his approach.

There were more admissions of guilt at Nuremberg.

Kelly said he had no clue what Jeffrey Lurie meant when he said he wanted a coach with "emotional intelligence." Obviously. Kelly's one-hour parting shot clearly emphasized his former employer's point. He may be quick-witted enough to be semantically correct, but put under the microscope his answers often lack credibility.

For three years, the man who popularized "Win the day" won news conference after news conference, but he slowly lost players and assistant coaches who came to resent his shirking of responsibility.

The Pederson hire was, in many ways, a response to Lurie's discussions with some of those players and coaches. Two rows over at the owners meetings, the new Eagles coach seemed to answer questions as honestly as he could, albeit sometimes clumsily.

Pederson's default mode isn't to contort the truth when pressed or when it's in the team's best interest for him not to give details. But he has given some odd replies when asked about topics that might require a more nuanced answer - or a logical one.

Asked if the Eagles' starting left guard was on the roster, Pederson said, "Yeah." Asked the obvious follow-up - "Who?" - Pederson said, "Jason Peters and Jason Kelce and [Malcolm] Bunche is in that group."

Clearly, Pederson had a momentary lapse, but he had already had similar gaffes. Asked a few weeks earlier about why the Eagles traded Murray, Pederson initially mentioned free agency before correcting himself and noting that the running back wasn't a free agent.

His answer during his introductory new conferences to a query about his involvement during the Chiefs' final drive in their playoff loss to the Patriots also didn't inspire much confidence about his ability to react on his toes.

Pederson's news conference aptitude is hardly how he will or should be judged. He's never been an NFL head coach before and should be given time to mature. But his early goofs are further proof that he failed to impress during his only interview with the Eagles, as several sources familiar with the meeting have told the Inquirer.

But as Lurie has said, being a successful head coach isn't about winning news conferences. Pederson, more than anything, will need to win over his players. His former players with the Chiefs have spoken glowingly of his character. The ex-NFL quarterback shouldn't have a problem earning their initial respect.

His first chance to make a teamwide impression will come April 4, when the Eagles' offseason program starts. Pederson said that he has spent a lot of time thinking about what he will say.

"For me, the biggest message is just to capture the guys," Pederson said. "Just to show them a little bit of who I am, in a small window."

Kelly had an open door policy, but few players took advantage of it because he was unapproachable. Pederson said that he wants the players to feel comfortable enough to go to him at any time, whether as an authority figure or as a former peer.

"It's almost like a - you don't want to say a father figure - but like a son going to your dad," he said. ". . . I always want them to see me as someone who's played the game. Someone who understands the dynamic of the locker room."

Pederson said that Roseman has conferred with him before every move made this offseason and that they've spoken almost daily about the state of the team. Kelly and Roseman initially got along, but their relationship deteriorated.

Roseman has been culpable for his part in the dysfunctional front office. Kelly absolved himself of nearly everything that happened last year.

He "didn't ask" for final say. He "never saw" Roseman. He "never was a GM." He "never ran personnel." He "never negotiated a contract." Asked if his offense had become vanilla, he said, "You look at statistics, I don't think so."

Told that the Eagles increasingly got worse in yards and points per drive over three years, he said that you had to "look at where we were from . . . a health standpoint." In regard to player complaints about his demeanor, he said, "You just can't say, one person said one thing so I'm going to change."

Kelly, whether he really had that self-autopsy he spoke of in January or not, refused to look inward at the owners meetings. That's his prerogative. But it can't be a friendly place to visit. He has the intellect, but lacks the necessary emotion.

Will Pederson be the reverse?

jmclane@phillynews.com

@Jeff_McLane