Has the 2016 season been challenging for Chip Kelly? “No, I don’t look at it that way.”

This is the transcript of Chip Kelly’s Week 17 Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

 

Is there anything we didn’t ask this season that you’d really like to talk about today?

“[QB Colin Kaepernick] Kap’s weight. I don’t think that’s come up.”

 

Where is that?

“219.”

 

What about the tempo on offense?

“That’s come up.”

 

How has this week gone? The high of Saturday, getting back to work sometimes getting back after a high might not be as easy. Have you noticed any change in the temperament?

“No, they’ve been good. Again, we’ve still got some, I think there’s a newness because there are some new faces, new look on the offensive line. Those guys are still trying to get some continuity together in terms of calls and whatnot. A little bit of a sense of urgency from that standpoint, but they’ve been good. They understand it’s about putting your time in and preparing during the week in terms of how you’re going to be able to execute on Sunday.”

 

Have any of the older veterans come up and told you this might be their last game or anything like that?

“No, not at all. No.”

 

T Joe Staley sounded optimistic about playing Sunday. Are you optimistic as well?

“We’ll see how today goes. He has trained Tuesday and Wednesday. A lot of the times with that type of injury, the muscle injury, is really to see what the effect is after the training session and today will be a hard day for him. So, today is going to be a big test for Joe and then how does he respond when he gets back here tomorrow morning. Is there any residual soreness? How does he feel from it? But, so far in the two days of work he’s still been limited in practice. He hasn’t gone full in practice. So, he’s still off to the side with the strength and conditioning coaches and comes over during the team aspect of things. So, we’ll see if we can ramp up his work a little bit more today. That will give us a better understanding of where he’ll be on Sunday.”

 

RB Carlos Hyde talked yesterday about he wants, the only injury that he thought maybe was his fault was his shoulder issue that he had because he said he might want to strengthen it in the offseason. Where are you at as far as Carlos’ physicality and his approach to the offseason and what he needs to do to be ready next summer?

“Well, that’s probably a better question for our strength and conditioning coach in terms of what he does there. But, he attends everything so he was at every OTA and every offseason opportunity we had with him that starts in April. I’ve never gotten any reports that he doesn’t participate in anything. So, I think he does a good job from that standpoint.”

 

You mentioned some of your challenges. A lot of new guys as far as the wide receivers, you had injuries starting in training camp. Did you at any time consider using less three wide receiver formations just because of your personnel?

“Well, we use a lot of 12-personnel so we use a lot of two tight ends also. So, we have done that.”

 

In response to–?

“In response to trying to get our best personnel on the field.”

 

More so than you did in Philly, the two tight ends?

“No, we had two really good tight ends in Philly in [Philadelphia Eagles TE] Brent Celek and [Philadelphia Eagles TE] Zach Ertz. So, I think you’re always just, what do you have available to you and then how to you play to the strengths that you have available to you.”

 

Seattle is without S Earl Thomas. Are they doing the same? Is it still a ton of cover three or have they changed at all?

“No, their defense is their defense. Obviously, when you lose an All-Pro player like Earl in the middle of the field, it’s going to be slightly different just because is there a little drop off between one safety to the other safety. But, the scheme itself is still the same. Actually, [Seattle Seahawks S Steven] Terrell has played pretty well back there. It’s obviously, when you lose a player of that caliber, he’s one of the best in the game at free safety. But, they haven’t really lost much. I think they’ve, maybe the other guys have actually picked it up since he’s been away. But, even though Earl’s not there, [Seattle Seahawks CB Richard] Sherman’s still there, [Seattle Seahawks LB Bobby] Wagner’s still there, [Seattle Seahawks DE Michael] Bennett’s still there, [Seattle Seahawks DE Cliff] Avril’s still there. They’re still doing the same exact things.”

 

Will you go into this game and approach it as if Kap will play the full game or will you try and get one of the other quarterbacks–?

“No, we’re trying to go win the football game. So, Kap will play unless he gets banged up.”

 

I don’t know if you’ve given this any thought, but the Senior Bowl later in January, if you have the opportunity, you and your staff have the opportunity to coach that, would you be willing to do that?

“We haven’t given it any thought. So, I don’t know what goes involved in that, to be honest with you.”

 

Is that something–?

“I’ve never even thought about it.”

 

I realize you weren’t here last year, but Joe Staley was discussing T Trent Brown. He talked about last year he thought Trent just needed to figure things out at the NFL level, what it takes to be a pro because he had all the tools and just needed to handle himself better from a work-wise situation, I guess, preparation. Have you seen that and what are your thoughts on Trent Brown this year as far as the way he’s handled his business?

“I’ve seen improvement from Trent in terms of understanding what he’s capable of. He’s got a lot in his body. He’s got a world of talent and I think he’s starting to harness that right now. I think he can continue to work and continue to do that and become a really, really dominant player in this league. There’s times where there’s flashes and you’re like, ‘Wow, that was a heck-of-a play.’ I think the thing for all young players, whether it’s Trent or [DL] DeForest Buckner or whomever is the key to being a really good player in consistency and do you do it repeatedly over and over and over again. He’s proven he can play at a very high level. Now, it’s the consistency thing that all young players have to work on and that’s not a Trent thing, it’s every young player. I think it’s what separates the good from the great. For Trent, the fortunate thing for him, he doesn’t have to look very far to see kind of how it’s done is when he watches Joe because Joe practices that same exact way. What you see on Sunday’s from Joe Staley is exactly how he trains on a Tuesday. Everything is meticulous. He’s very detailed in his steps that he takes, where his hand placement is. All those things are extremely important to Joe even though he’s been in the league 10-plus years. That’s why Joe’s been in the league for 10-plus years and why he’s been such a successful player. So, I think Trent’s learning from Joe and I think it’s a good relationship. Nobody has an offensive line guy that’s better to learn from than Joe and I think Trent’s trying to follow in those footsteps.”

 

His weight fluctuated a lot in college. He said, I think yesterday, that he’s at 355 now. Has he done a good job of maintaining or staying on weight?

“Yeah. Since we’ve had him this season, he’s been between 355 and 360 all year long. So, there hasn’t been any fluctuations. Usually, they’re plus or minus four depending on where they are. So, he’s been around that every single week.”

 

Is that something that you saw in Philly is that guys come from college and they have to learn how to basically eat better, eat more consistently to keep their weights the same?

“Yeah. I just think for a lot of them it’s the first time they’re on their own. When you’re in college, you have training tables. So, everything’s given to you. You don’t have to go get it. It’s like that in training camp because they’re here and you provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for them and all those things. Well now, they’re going home and they’ve got to, what do they do for dinner where before it was already taken care of for them. So, there’s some guys that handle it and have learned how to do it before. There are other guys that haven’t. So, it’s convenient to just stop at a drive-through on the way home because they don’t have time, not that they don’t have time, but they don’t want to prepare or know how to prepare. So, they’ve got to kind of learn some of those skills. And that’s a lot of what [vice president of football affairs] Keena Turner and our life skills program does with those guys in terms of trying to take care of them and just educate them on those aspects of things.”

 

I know you’re big on self-reflection. Compared to other football seasons for you, has this been particularly challenging this year?

“Challenging? No. I don’t look at it that way. I look at, it’s what you get to work with and I’m actually grateful for this group of guys we get to work with because of their attitudes and how they’ve approached it every single day. So, challenging is if maybe guys don’t buy in or guys are doing things that are detrimental to the team and that hasn’t happened here at all. This has been a great group to work with.”

This article has 168 Comments

  1. Umm, Chip, maybe you did not consider a 13 game losing streak as challenging, but some fans did, and even questioned their faith and loyalty to the team.

    Of course, I am just talking about the comments from some other fans. I am a die hard loyal faithful Niner fan, and will be one forever. The memories of the Glory Years will sustain me, and make me yearn for a return to relevance.

    1. The only yearning the faithful yearn for to get back to the glory days is someone who is not a one read run QB.

      1. And a defense that doesn’t set rushing yards in a total season records and lets people score 31 points a game on us.

      2. Good news, Prime. Niners have a QB who looks on film to be having multiple reads, especially out of the Pistol. In fact, he makes reads before the ball is snapped in order to exploit a weakness in the defense.

        I also like QBs who run twice to score at the end of the game and win it. I would call that clutch, but you must be grinding your teeth because you will look foolish dissing him, but go ahead anyways.

        Too bad you are blinded by hatred, not to see a QB who can lead the Niners to victory, and I fervently hope he does it again just so the haters get kicked in the teeth again.

    2. Could be worse. If you’re old enough you’ll remember the late 1970s. Eddie’s Daddy buys the team and make Eddie Chairman. In two years the following happened:

      1. Four head coaches — Clark, Meyer, O’Conner & McCulley.

      2. The 8-6 roster was gutted. By the end of 1978 were were 2-14, we had four NFL-level starters: Solomon, Cross, Ayers & Fahnhorst.

      3. In 1978 the collapse was complete and no team scored fewer points. Only two gave up more. We, simply put, had nothing.

      4. We had given up a total of 10 draft choices (including 1976, 1977 & 1979 #1 choices plus a couple we’d pulled in through trades) for Jim Plunkett (cut in 1978) and OJ Simpson (over-the-hill) in 1976 and 1978 and there was little hope of rebuilding through the draft and FA didn’t actually exist.

      5. The one #1 draft choices we got were Ken MacAfee and Dan Bunz. MacAfee was just terrible decided to become a dentist or some such. Bunz was pretty stiff and tended to make too many bone-headed mistakes and never really became a good player. He was a back-up under Walsh.

      So when people cry about Jed and act as if Camelot was all about Eddie… It wasn’t Eddie. Hell, Eddie couldn’t even get Walsh to interview. In 1977 Walsh turned him down flat. It wasn’t until 1979 could Al Davis convince Walsh to take the job.

      No. It was Bill Walsh. It will always be Bill Walsh. No matter how much revisionist press and fandom we get, those of us from back then remember. And it was Walsh.

      1. Eddie had heaps of scorn thrown in his face with the Joe Thomas debacle, but he made the right call with Bill Walsh. Eddie made a bold move when many said that Bill was not tough enough.

        Bill himself had doubts after that first 2-14 season, but Eddie stuck with him. Jed will probably jettison Chip, with absolutely no plan what to do afterwards. Bill Walsh had Eddie introduce him into the Hall of Fame. Bill was eternally grateful to Eddie for giving him that opportunity when no one else would.

        Bill has 3 rings. Eddie has 5.

        1. “Bunz was pretty stiff and tended to make too many bone-headed mistakes and never really became a good player. He was a back-up under Walsh.”

          But Dan Bunz had one of the greatest plays in the best goal line stand in Super Bowl history. Third and goal from the one and he stoned Alexander at the half yard line. He also was involved in the other three plays in that stop.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkyg_1eeOT4

      2. Agree with everything except Dan Bunz.

        Overall you are right about his career but I will never forget the one on one tackle he made in the 81 superbowl during the great goal line stand against Cincinnati. In my book that one play alone made Bunz an excellent draft choice.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkyg_1eeOT4

      1. Ore, just trying to keep it real. This year has not been a bowl of cherries. They deserve both.

  2. This season has been a disaster by any fair observation. The team is hovering in Browns territory. Not good. We have quarterbacks who cannot compete at NFL level competition and worse our receivers are leading the league in drops. The defense is atrocious and an embarrassment. The players are partly to blame but the coaching has been particularly poor and uninspired. The front office continues to sabotage this franchise due to the imbecilic mismanagement of Jed York and his family. There is little relief in sight for our beloved team my dear fellow fans short of some gigantic act of God.

  3. In a top shelve football organization, Kelly would be getting his walking papers on Monday morning because the NFL is a results driven buisness. Of course we are talking about the 9ers here, so hoping for the best but expecting the worst…
    The beat goes on.

    1. They’ll give us Baalke’s head and slide Gamble in, and Chip will remain head coach. This after an exhaustive “search”, of course….

        1. I won’t! Fans from my generation won’t tolerate a mediocre product any longer. Especially since we have experienced SB’s, then a major decline, then back to respectability with Harbaugh and now this the past 2 seasons.
          No way am I investing another dime or quality time in what the 49ers are currently doing.
          This is a pivotal offseason for this organization to keep fans from back in the day as followers.
          Let’s be honest. The NFL in general is a declining product based on viewership. Pretty sure I can find something better to do if they roll out this same old crap!

        2. Well considering what has gone on over the past couple of years, I don’t think the Yorks seem all that concerned about what the fans think.

            1. I’m sure they don’t, but seeing as though most of the seats are already paid for, I doubt it’s going to make them lose much sleep any time soon. Let’s not forget that this is the brain trust that fired one of the winningest HC’s over 4 years in NFL history to promote their buddy the DL coach. They didn’t really care about the fans opinion then, so why would they now?

              1. I believe that they care but they have proven that they ,the Yorks are incompetent.
                Really all this discussion about what they should do is a mute point. They will screw this up as they screw everything else ,football related up.
                They are the Yorks

              2. And then Jed fired his buddy DL coach after one season because people flew some banners over Levi’s Stadium. Jed seems very sensitive.

              3. I would hope it wasn’t because of the banners, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had an effect because like you said, Jed does appear sensitive to criticism. Unfortunately his response is usually to find a scapegoat and ignore the fact he and his pal Baalke are the biggest problem.

              4. Rocket other NFL owners don’t want to see empty stadiums either. Jerry Jones said he was pleased to see Cowboys fans travel well but also disappointed in the lack of support that day for the home team.

              5. Other owners won’t do anything Prime. They have a guy in Cleveland who has run the franchise into the ground since he bought it and haven’t said a word.

              6. They’ll do something because it’s revenue sharing. Cleveland still has good attendance. The NFL allowed the 49ers to move,build a new stadium and assisted them in the project. If they don’t put a valuable product on the field and have an empty stadium, it’s a poor reflection on what other teams and cities will do that need a new stadium.

              7. It just doesn’t happen Prime. Look how long things have gone on in San Diego for another example. Poor attendance, outdated stadium and the Chargers are still there under the exact same conditions they were a decade ago.

          1. Nothing, which is why he is probably at the top of the GM list for the Yorks.

        3. Grant you are right. The question is if enough fans find this so unacceptable as to stop paying their PSL and season ticket fees. The Yorks will be betting that most PSL holders will continue to buy season tickets etc. So far the Yorks the Yorks have always bet on the money and not winning

  4. Promising loyalty to Jed York is about the dumbest thing I’ve heard a person in San Francisco say–and that tops a LOT of really dumb ideas.

  5. Heath Evans: Kelly doesn’t belong on the NFL Level :

    “I don’t know what Trent Baalke ever saw on tape from three years in Philly that he thought he had a chance to do anything productive with Chip Kelly. Anything…You’ve got to start over, move on before this storied franchise is just completely run in the muck.”

    One of the biggest issues with Kelly’s offense, according to Evans? Colin Kaepernick is not given the ability to pre-diagnose plays before the snap.

    http://www.knbr.com/2016/12/28/heath-evans-kelly-doesnt-belong-at-the-nfl-level/

    “Some of the stuff you see on tape is repetitively stupid,” Evans said. “No, I don’t think Colin has the power or ability, or has probably been coached well enough…One of the main knocks of the tempo in the three years in Philly and some this year in San Fran is that, listen, when you get up there, and you don’t give your quarterback any pre-snap tell of what that coverage is, you’re handicapping your team. Why wouldn’t you force that defense to tell you something?

    1. Evans said Kelly’s offense is stupid also.

      We see Kelly’s offense every week not audible out of a presnap read showing a run directly where the 49ers are going to run, but they don’t audible out of it.

      You have to run motions presnap to allow the defense to declare itsel, a presnap, where the defense tells you where to go with the ball.

    1. I vote for anyone but Nick Caserio. Belicik disciples have not done too well in the NFL away from Belicik.

      I would vote for Eliot Wolf

  6. Cam Inman
    ‎@CamInman

    #49ers CEO Jed York, in informal chat with media outside locker room, said he’ll formally talk to media next week

    What is uncertain is what will occur prior to the press conference. Will general manager Trent Baalke still be employed by the team? Will head coach Chip Kelly?

    Fan dissatisfaction has been at an all-time high…
    many have chosen not to waste their time showing up for the actual games, leaving Levi’s Stadium embarrassingly half empty. While that may not have had a huge financial impact this year – except for concession and merchandise sales – it will likely have a long-term impact if nothing is done. Ownership and Jed have to see that and know that a change is necessarily and the status quo will not be acceptable.
    – See more at: http://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/102005-jed-york-address-media-next-week/#sthash.Ge5irhkG.dpuf

  7. BayArea ‏@BayAreaSports89 · 43m43 minutes ago

    @timkawakami Actions speak louder than words.. Or in Jed’s case, words do little based on his actions.

  8. ‏@timkawakami
    It’s my job to try to elicit relevant answers at pressers. But the “make him say he’s accountable” stuff is over-baked. OF COURSE he is.

    Tim Kawakami Verified account 
    ‏@timkawakami
    Tim Kawakami Retweeted irishninerfan

    So if he says he’s accountable, that fixes everything? He has said it before. Said it many times. Everything fine now

    irishninerfan
    ‏@irishninerfan
    @timkawakami @BetterRivals no it doesn’t. he has stop the slide and put the team first not make loads of money to the detriment of the team

    irishninerfan
    ‏@irishninerfan
    @timkawakami @BetterRivals Yes it matters to us the fans, he said to hold him accountable for the team and its performance, so we are

  9. Jed York, 1/4/16: “I would say this; we’ve got several years of Jimmy T’s salary left and we’re going to eat it. Whether he’s coaching somewhere else or not, we owe him that. That’s not a concern. I could have easily come out here and said, ‘Hey we had a lot of injuries this year. A lot of things didn’t go our way. We’re going to stick with this.’ That’s not where we are. We’re willing to spend what it takes to get everything right to get back to a championship culture.”

    1. That was nice…then they followed up by hiring a HC nobody else wanted with term left on his previous deal, and ignored FA. The previous year was even better when he said they only hang SB banners and were going to win with class. Any guesses as to what kind of gems he’ll come up with this year?

        1. I wish Jed would just do a one on one with you. That would cut out all the softball questions.

          1. Last time Jed did a one on one was when he got blasted on KNBR and didn’t know what to say…. Instead of being accountable he was a defensive coward. Safe to say he probably won’t be doing that again. As Kawakami correctly mentioned, Jed only holds press conferences when he fires people at season’s end.

        2. Clearly Jed has made a lot of mistakes, but I’m going to assume for the moment that he is a reasonable yet inexperienced person. Here’s what I’m thinking:

          1) Jed wanted Tomsula over Baalke’s objections.

          2) Tomsula failed and Jed realized he was wrong and should stay out of the HC decision making process. He fires Tomsula.

          3) They search for a new HC and Kelly is available. The GM, Baalke, vouches for Kelly, so Kelly is hired.

          4) During this season, Jed fully realizes that Baalke is a failure as a GM, and hopefully he also realizes that he (Jed York) needs to stay out of football operations period. He also begins to realize that Kelly is not suited as a HC for the NFL.

          5) With the realization in 4) he fires Baalke and Kelly (because Kelly is Baalke’s pick not his) at the end of the season.

          6) At the end of this season, the team plans to hire a “President” of football operations who will conduct a search for a new GM and HC. From this point forward, Jed will now stay out of football operations.

          1. I think this is mostly correct, but I’m almost positive Baakle sold Jed on Tomsula and not the other way around.

            1. Here’s why I don’t agree that Baalke sold Jed on Tomsula. Just watch the press conferences where it was announced that Tomsula and Kelly were the new HCs of the team. Baalke was up on stage at those press conferences. With the Kelly press conference, Baalke is relaxed and almost demure. It is clear to me that he respects Kelly as a football HC. Contrast that with the press conference announcing Tomsula as the HC. Baalke is watching over Tomsula like a mother hen. He corrects what Tomsula says and is antsy during the entire press conference. A sign to me that he does not respect Tomsula as a HC.

              1. He was watching over Tomsula because he advocated for Tomsula. Put himself on the line for Tomsula.

              2. Another way to look at is that although Baalke didn’t advocate for Tomsula, he accepted Jed’s decision. That put Baalke in front of the same firing squad as Tomsula. Jed wouldn’t have gotten the blame for a bad press conference; it would have been Tomsula and Baalke.

              3. Baalke wanted Gase, that is why he interviewed twice.

                Both Gase and Fangio balked when told to accept Tomsula as DC.

                Since Baalke got rid of JH, he felt all powerful. He dominated the Tomsula PC like a megalomaniac.
                Baalke determined who would play, and meddled with the coaching. He accepted Chip because Chip did not want control over personnel, so Baalke took all the power and has to accept all the blame.

      1. Your right rocket and what was more concerning was the lack of spending in free agency to even improve the roster just a little bit

    2. ‘We’re willing to spend what it takes to get everything right to get back to a championship culture.’

      Then they leave 50 mil in cap space.

      I rank that about as high as- ‘Hold me accountable.’

  10. Toady Ted Robinson just spoke on KNBR, and stated that Gabbert was the better leader than Kaep. That confirms his status as a Trent Baalke boot licker. Maybe he thinks that Baalke is sticking around, but I guess he is a company man through and through.

    Maybe he had amnesia about last game, but Kaep led them to victory, and when they mobbed him in the end zone, it showed a little popularity, as any true leader should have.

    1. Such a joke. Gabbert can’t even keep ahead of Ponder on the depth chart. I think Gabbert’s probably pissed that he can’t crack the starting line up and feels shafted and is moved off the 46 each week. Pure speculation on my part, but if he’s such a great leader why isn’t he playing?

      1. You guys just love to kick Gabbert and compare him to Kap like its some kind of contest. The funny thing is both guys are terrible and somehow you are happy with one guy who’s crap but just that he has whip cream on him instead of the other crappy guy!

        1. Prime, you are such a cheer leader for Gabbert, you were willing to bet me money that Gabbert would be the starter.

          Looks like your lack of football acumen is exemplified because Gabbert has been demoted for a house painter.

          Crappy QBs do not pass for 400 yards, or mount comebacks by running for a TD, passing for a TD, and diving into the end zone for a game winning 2 point play.

          1. “you were willing to bet me money that Gabbert would be the starter.”

            And he would have won that bet

              1. Why did I not bet you? because I knew Baalke liked Gabbert and gave him every advantage. It was only after they gave him his chance and he flamed out spectacularly did they finally sit him.

                With Baalke, I knew it was not a fair competition.

      2. “why isn’t he playing?”

        Good question, same can be asked about Rod Streater. This guy showed himself as a legit NFL WR in Oakland prior to injuries yet he almost never touched the field until just recently.

        For a team struggling at the WR position that’s just a joke.

  11. 3 more days until this whole thing (hopefully) gets blown up at 4949… If not let there be riots in the streets (or at least on Jed York’s lawn).

  12. This article is from 2011 but sadly not surprising when thinking of the Yorks… From Gary Plummer on why he was dismissed as their radio color commentator:

    “They talked to me four or five times during the year about being too hard on the team, and the need to fill the stadium,” he told the paper. “I don’t think that’s my job as an analyst.”

    “It was a convenient excuse to get rid of somebody who told the truth.”

    “I literally asked them, ‘How much powdered sugar do you want me to put on dog (expletive) to make it taste good? We’re 0-5. We’re last in the league in offense, and we’ve had three players quit.”

    1. From how they sound on the air, Ted Robinson and Matt Ryan maybe reaching that breaking point !

    1. They’re hoping for some left over intel from the Harbaugh days. Or they’re really desperate for a RB.

      1. Looks like Baalke is taking my advice by picking up a D lineman from a playoff team.

        Seahawks do not need more intel, they already have Kelvin Taylor.

  13. I loved Kaep’s end of game scores, I was thinking wow this looks good…then I woke up and saw it was the Rams. It is pointless to use a showing against the Rams as a pn indicator of the future value of a present sum. Just like you gotta throw away the Bears game. Toss out the high and the low and what does the body of work show us….we all see it, and it is not a winning formula. Along with Kaep, please ask Teddy F’ng Brown Nose Football to please stop talking. His incessant A-kissing of 9ers who pay his salary, I have really lost my regard for him..

  14. Chip Kelly is a walking talking rectum. A losing streak and terrible season. He should be fired, and take BLM protester Kap with him. Hey, there is always a career coaching high school football

  15. I hope Jed thinks it through, if he fires Chip, he may land in LA and bring Kaep with him. Jed should just fire Baalke and promote Gamble. That would keep both Chip and Kaep.

    Last game showed that the Niners have potential, but only if they have some continuity. Starting all over just means more losing. None of the big name rookie QBs are lighting up the league. Dak is only winning because he has Dez, Elliot and a stout O line, and he was a 4th round pick due to his DUI.

    1. “I hope Jed thinks it through, if he fires Chip, he may land in LA and bring Kaep with him.”

      So do I. That would be like killing 3 birds with 1 stone.

      1. Just expect more Niner losing seasons. If you do not think it through, you may not get what you wish for.

        1. So do nothing Seb and watch us go 0 and 16 next year is better right? the only winnable games on teh schedule is maybe our division, but no way we go .500 in our division. Seb, the NFC East, if Phil didn’t have injury problems, all 4 teams have contended for the playoffs. AFC South is durable to win all their games vs. 49ers. Then you got Car/Chi. 0 and 10 out of our division. Our only 2 wins were vs. Rams in our division, 2 and 3 so far, 2 and 4 coming up and we were 0-10 out of the division: let NFC South/AFC East/Chi/Dal take turns beating the 49ers.

  16. I am very optimistic that Chip Kelly is going to be fired. If they keep him next year, NFC East will sweep this team along with AFC South, Chicago will win, Car will win, our division could MAYBE drive us to 0 and 16 if you keep Kelly and the GOOF around. No way you pay a Qb 14 million to stink it up. Houston just benched their 17 million dollar mistake.

        1. ht,

          You have your opinion and I have mine. We could both provide a list of people who agree with our point of view. You cannot claim that you are right any more than I can.

              1. I doubt it will have any impact on his ultimate draft position, but still hate that players feel it is ok to check out of bowl games.

              2. You’re probably right Scooter. I don’t think the Pats will pass on him. Belichick thinks he can get everything out of a player and he is usually right. I think that would be the best fit for Caff. He would have Brady and a coach that would utilize all of his skills.

              3. Disagree Scooter. A good example of someone that should have sat out is Garrett. He just did not look right at all. I appreciate a player playing through the pain, but if your play is going to be affected, then take a seat.
                I am getting off track here. The bottom line is I feel McCaffrey made the right decision due to being banged up for a good portion of the season.

              4. I hate that not just the players but so many fans are ok with it.

                Bowl games are as meaningful as people make them. They should be the pinnacle of the college season. Sadly, they are not.

                As for guys making the good business decisions by skipping these games, that is 100% correct. Which just makes it all the sadder.

              5. How is a 5-7 team playing a 6-6 team the pinnacle of anything?

                There’s just way too many.

    1. Htwaits, hate to break it to ya but you get hurt in football. Part of the risk, and that’s why they have this thing called “insurance”. I want players that are willing to sacrifice themselves and put their bodies on the line for their team mates even when it may cost them their livelihood….

        1. He didn’t in this game, but I suppose once he’s paid he will get back to it. I’d rather he sit out if his effort is on par with what Garrett’s was….

      1. You’re not breaking anything to anyone.

        “Let’s go win one for the Gipper!”

        “It’s a business for the owners and the colleges.”

        Of course the great players, who have retired before the bloody end of their careers forced them to, seem to have restrained their willingness to “sacrifice” for the owners and the networks over the years.

    2. Fournette and McCaffrey choose to skip their bowl games because the have greener pastures on the horizon. Debates ensue, their commitment is called into question, it’s a storyline with almost every telecast of the bowl season.

      A head coach finishes his season strong and chooses to move on to greener pa$ture$ with another school, leaving his team to have an interim coach. Crickets.

        1. Because the whole thing is a money grab. The schools make millions. The coaches make millions. The TV networks make millions. The players get nothing yet have the greatest risk.

          Everyone knows this, and the reason it’s an issue is if more guys follow the pattern of Fournette and McCaffrey the system will crumble. That’s not good for business.

          It’s best to try to make it a big deal and almost try to shame their choices so others won’t want to follow.

          1. Reminds me of Archie Manning orchestrate things in his sons’s favor; Ed is as well. Due to cable tv, football is bigger bidnez than ever, bigger dollars than ever. Regular season, bowl season, post season. IMO, it’s bidnez from the time they get their scholarship, and don’t kid yourself otherwise.
            Ed is advising Christian; and I don’t disagree. As a GM, I would never hesitate about CMcC.

            1. As a GM I would also want to have and accurate passer to go with Christian’s open field talent. It wouldn’t hurt to also have a QB who knows where everyone is supposed to be, because that’s where Christian will be.

    1. Brotha, could this be a situation where Clowney(Garrett) goes first, followed by Mack(Barnett) and Barnett ends up being the better player?

      1. Niners could move back twice, get 2 additional second round draft picks, and still get either Barnett, Foster or Thomas.

        1. How do you know they can move back twice and pick up extra 2nd round picks?

          Without a star QB available to drum up trade interest I think teams at the top may find the market for a trade back a little less satisfactory than fans would hope.

          1. Not agreeing with Seb; but just because there isn’t a “star” QB identified at the moment, doesn’t mean there won’t be after the combine. Wentz is a great example and even Goff to a certain extent. I liked what I saw from Trubisky.

            Did you see the NC game? What are your thoughts on his performance?

            1. He was ok. One game doesn’t change an opinion either way. I like him. I don’t think he is worth a top 5 pick, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be disgusted if the 49ers took him at #2.

              1. He was ok.

                2 int’s one for a pick six and took a sack when he should have thrown it away costing his team 3 points. D+ grade, less than “ok”….

              2. Made some bad plays. Also made some good plays. Up and down performance.

                If that was Kizer you would no doubt be more forgiving than a D+ grade.

              3. Kizer was worse than that against Stanford

                He also played on a worse team having lost Stanley, Fuller, Procise, Smith, etc.

              4. Furthermore, I think Trubiscuit isn’t as smart as Kizer. Each Int Trubiscuit threw was due to miss reading the defense. On the first one, he stared down the receiver and ignored the backside safety. On the second one, he misread the coverage which is indicative of an inexperienced quarterback with only one year of starting experience….

              5. ;-) You left yourself pretty open there razor! Kizer was dreadful against Stanford. So kinda funny when you rip Trubisky but defended Kizer after his game against Stanford.

                Trubisky made mistakes and yes, showed his inexperience. But I doubt he did anything to change the opinions of those that matter and will be making decisions on whether to draft him.

            2. He’s looked very good with “open” receivers. He would probably learn more staying college for another season. On the extra point at the end of the game he looked like Kaepernick when his center and right guard both went the wrong way and left Solomon Thomas JR with a free path to the QB.

          2. I think a team might want to leapfrog a team they know who is coveting the same player.Do not know the team order, but a trade back 6 spots could garner a first and second, especially if that team is targeting a certain player.

            That second overall pick does have value, and the team would have to specifically want a certain player that they know will be picked ahead of them.
            They get the player they covet, and the Niners get that second round pick. It is a win win for both sides.

            Niners, with the 8th pick, could move back 7 spots to the 15th, and garner a second round pick. It might even be possible to move back to near the end of the round for another second or third round pick. teams do want to move up, especially if that player will fill a big hole in the roster.

            The important strategy to accomplish is to get as many second and third round picks as possible. They should un retire AD and facilitate a trade to a team of his choosing. AD will be happy to play, and the Niners could get another second or third round pick. They should send Staley to a playoff team of his choosing so he can get an opportunity to get a ring. He would be worth at least a second.

            The Niners need to be up front, and say that they will give up quality for quantity. Then these players could be the nucleus of a successful team. Hopefully in the near future, not 5 years.

            There may not be elite talent in this draft, but I think that there is a lot of talent, deep until the 4th round. Maybe not pro bowlers, but starter quality. This college season showed many players who have all the skills needed to play in the NFL. Size, speed, strength, quickness, football savvy.

            Niners just need to select wisely, and hit home runs.

            1. Additionally, the Niners may need to throw in a late round pick to make it more palatable. Maybe their first and 5th for the other team’s first and second. That way, the other team would still be able to draft 2 players, and it could balance out the draft value compensation aspect.

      2. Sure, but not for sure. I’d take Garrett if I could, but there are some players. I like Cook, though pricey at #2. Allen is so good he could be made to work. Fournette is good. Robinson might be Iupati. Plenty of talent at #2.

    1. It appears that Peppers did what was best for him at the last minute too.

      All the defensive backs in college and the NFL who avoid using their arms to tackle are making business choices.

      1. I think Peppers wanted to go, but bailed at 30%. His game requires change of direction, a hammy’s kryptonite. Had one in my thirties; took a year.

        1. Probably true but who put the 30% on him? In his place with a hammy at anything less than normal he was wise not to play. Like you say, he might be dealing with it for a long time.

    2. Lets face it, once a player has put sufficient tape out there to get drafted high, they should just pull themselves from the rest of the season unless their team is a chance of top 4. Actually, who cares about the college playoffs anyway? They are pretty meaningless as well. All that really matters is the $$ these guys will make as pros.

        1. Those same fans tolerate Podunk schools giving up seventy points to the Alabama’s of the football world too.

      1. Good point. She built up her reputation after beating creampuffs. Holm was a striker with a boxing background. Rousey wasn’t able to get in close enough to apply her holds. Holm exposed her and tonight Ronda was fighting scared.

  17. There are 41 sanctioned bowl games this year and one of them is the “Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.”

    I think that’s just precious.

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