Chip Kelly, Trent Baalke Fired as San Francisco Rebuilds
After finishing 2-14, the San Francisco 49ers start fresh and take the first step into their multi-year rebuild.
Aftermath Monday came early as San Francisco’s GM Trent Baalke and coach Chip Kelly were both shown the door. This move to get rid of both of them so quickly could be a little surprising. But it is clear that the Kelly-Kaepernick duo failed.
Kelly’s quarterback savvy and Kaepernick’s athleticism were a match made in heaven on paper, but it only kindled on occasion.
For every time there was a 400-yard passing game from Kap; there was another performance that totaled in four total passing yards.
The 49ers argue to have the worst roster in the league with stars few and far between and the slow, painful rebuild will be unfortunately excruciating. The offensive side of the ball posted the worst passing offense and ranked 27th in scoring at a measly 19.3 points per game.
While Carlos Hyde is a potential All-Star the team can build around, his health is a huge deterrent. He suffered back to back season ending injuries in 2015 and 2016. Throw in an injured shoulder where he missed three starts this season and he is a liability as much as an asset.
When Jeremy Kerley, a free agent the 49ers picked up two weeks before the season started, is your most consistent offensive weapon; major changes are needed. Kerley led the team with 667 receiving yards in 13 starts. That simply doesn’t cut it.
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With the defense a mess allowing just about any running back to hit 150 yards and allowing opposing offense to average 30 points a game, this entire franchise needs an overhaul.
The worry in the bay is trigger happy Jed York developing a Cleveland mentality. This easily could lead to a decade of rotating quarterbacks and coaches like the Browns.
A way to save the franchise is to develop a winning mentality. They possibly could pluck New England’s homegrown talent in coordinator Josh McDaniels and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in exchange for their array of high picks.
Their winning days ended once Jim Harbaugh bolted from Golden State. But improvements can be made every passing year to remove their 2-14 debacle from memory. And it starts with their #2 pick.