San Francisco 49ers Hired Chip Kelly To Save Colin Kaepernick
San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly was hired this week because management feels that he is the right person to save Colin Kaepernick and his career, according to NFL.com.
Anyone that watched the San Francisco 49ers this season knows that Kaepernick is not nearly the same player that he was when Jim Harbaugh was the head coach. The regression is obvious.
Colin Kaepernick no longer looks like an offensive threat for the San Francisco 49ers. Defensive coordinators are no longer losing sleep because they need to figure out how to stop him.
This is not the same guy that once shred a Green Bay Packers defense, led by the great defensive coordinator Dom Capers, in an NFL playoff game with his passing and rushing skills.
The regression got to the point where fans started calling for Blaine Gabbert to be the new San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback. The coaching staff eventually agreed with them.
Colin Kaepernick went from being the guy that led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl to being the guy that might possibly be released from his contract after the season is over.
Both the media and the fans were quick to start discussing potential new NFL homes for Colin Kaepernick, including a possible signing with the Philadelphia Eagles to be their starter.
Reports have surfaced that San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke are hesitant to allow Colin Kaepernick to walk away from their team this soon.
The belief is that Colin Kaepernick and his career can be saved, and the San Francisco 49ers believe that Chip Kelly is the right man for the job. They’re gambling $24 million on that.
One of the things that bodes well for Colin Kaepernick is the fact that Chip Kelly simplifies his offense for the quarterback. There are fewer progressions for Kaepernick to go through.
With less of a mental burden on him, Colin Kaepernick can react instead of overthink. Kaepernick can now get the ball out of his hands quicker or know when it is time to run the ball.
Another thing that works out in Colin Kaepernick’s favor is that Chip Kelly likes utilizing the zone read, a weapon that was taken away from Kaepernick after Jim Harbaugh left town.
Under Chip Kelly, Colin Kaepernick will have the green light to use his legs as a weapon again, which will be especially damaging to defenses that are worn out by the fast offensive pace.
Chip Kelly also likes shorter routes, which means that Colin Kaepernick will have an easier time finding San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin, a very reliable veteran player.
Though he prefers short routes, Chip Kelly also has long passes in his playbook, which means that Colin Kaepernick will get to utilize his strong arm from time to time during games.
The offensive attack utilized by Chip Kelly likes to attack horizontally, which means that the middle of the field will be a bit more open for quarterbacks to gain some major yardage.
The power rushing attack preferred by former San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula made defenses crowd the offensive line, which made it harder for quarterbacks to run.
Chip Kelly can restore his reputation by fixing Colin Kaepernick.
[Featured Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]
