However disastrous this season has been, most who cover the 49ers (1-10) think that CEO Jed York will not fire Chip Kelly.
I would keep Kelly and bring in an entirely new set of eyes at GM. The Shanahan power duo was only my suggestion if York wants to blow the entire thing up.
Contrary to popular belief in the Bay Area, some in the national media are starting to argue Kelly deserves as much blame as GM Trent Baalke.
ESPN analyst Trey Wingo joined The Audible on KNBR 1050 Thursday and flat out said Kelly’s system does not work in the NFL.
“If you end the season with a 13, 14, 15-game losing streak, which is now possible that they’ve lost 10 straight games, I don’t know how you keep Chip Kelly,” Wingo said. “Chip Kelly’s system does not work in the NFL. I think that’s been proven. Either he adapts this system, or he goes to a place where it works, and that would be college.”
Under Kelly’s direction with Baalke’s hand-picked roster, the 49ers are ranked 28th in yards per game on offense, 30th in passing offense (198.2 yards per game), 4th in rushing (126.5 yards per game), 22nd in points per game (20.7) and 21st in third-down conversion (37 percent).
To be clear, Wingo elaborated how he thinks Kelly’s system has been a failure.
“And you know, Kelly’s offense is geared perfectly for Colin Kaepernick. So the question becomes, will the next person who comes in have an offense that fits Colin Kaepernick as well? Those two are connected at the hip in my opinion.
“Because the way Chip wants to run things, Colin’s perfect for it. Sometimes the way Chip wants to run things isn’t perfect for the NFL. It just isn’t. Look at the players who have been with Chip before and after. DeMarco Murray, 2014 led the league in rushing with 1,800 yards. He goes to Philadelphia in 2015, they start running him sideways and he doesn’t do anything. He leaves Chip Kelly in 2016, low and behold, he’s running the ball really well again. There are a lot of players around the league that have left Chip Kelly, and gotten better.”
The 49ers will travel to play the Chicago Bears (2-9) on Sunday.