Week 17 - Hoping to close out the 2016 regular season on a positive note, something they've had very few of this year, the (2-13) San Francisco 49ers would play host to the rival (9-5-1) Seattle Seahawks. Of the 22 starters for San Francisco that played in Week 3 when these two teams last met, only 11 would be healthy enough to play in this one and it showed early on. With 49ers running back Carlos Hyde out with a knee injury, backup Shaun Draughn would get the call to start Sunday and would give Seattle a gift right out the gate. On the second play of the game, Draughn would fumble the hand-off exchange from QB Colin Kaepernick, recovered by the defense. With Seattle already in scoring range, the 49ers would comp the NFC West champion Seahawks with an early 3-point lead on Steven Hauschka's field goal.
However, Kaepernick and company would answer back quite nicely on their next possession by marching 75 yards as a trio of short passes would result in big gains which ultimately set up Draughn who redeemed himself by running it in for a 1-yard touchdown to put the Niners ahead, 7-3. After forcing a three and out on defense, San Francisco's next possession would also end in success, turning a 14-play drive into another touchdown as Draughn punched in yet another 1-yard score, this time converting on fourth down. But after taking a 14-3 lead following a hot start from Kaepernick who logged over 100 yards passing in the first quarter but threw for only another 115 the rest of the way, Seattle would storm back with 19 unanswered-points, seven of which coming off another 49er turnover as DuJuan Harris was stripped of the ball. With Seattle pinned back in their own end zone, San Francisco would manage to get two of those points back as a high snap on a punt attempt was airmailed out of bounds over the head of Seahawks punter Jon Ryan for a safety. The 49ers would inch even closer on a fourth quarter touchdown from Kaepernick to tight-end Garrett Celek to make it a 2-point game with under six minutes remaining.
But even with Seahawks backup quarterback Trevone Boykin taking over for Russell Wilson (258 yards passing, 1 touchdown) under center midway through the fourth, the 49ers were unable to get a stop on defense when they needed it most as Boykin and the Seattle offense successfully milked the clock, sealing the 25-23 victory. With Seattle's ticket to the playoffs already punched, the Seahawks improved to 10-5-1 on the year and will host the winner of the second NFC Wild Card -- Detroit Lions. As for San Francisco, the loss would drop the 49ers to 2-14 on the year, tying a franchise worse record of 14 losses in a season. It would also be their seventh consecutive loss at home, setting a new franchise record. With much speculation regarding the firing of 49ers GM Trent Baalke heading into the week, the team made the announcement official following the game and he wouldn't be shown the door alone. After inking head coach Chip Kelly to a contract last offseason, the 49ers decided to relieve Kelly of his duties just one year into his four year pact he signed last January. All this coming after someone paid to have a plane fly over Levi's Stadium before kickoff with a banner that read: Levis Stadium, The House That Harbaugh Built.
The move comes after another disappointing season by the Niners who will now be in search of a new GM as well as their fourth head coach in as many years as the state of the franchise continues to spiral out of control since 49ers CEO Jed York cut ties with Jim Harbaugh in favor of Baalke who is now without a job. Niner fans have been calling for Baalke's head since the decision and though it came much later than we would've hoped, better late than never as the team seeks a new direction. While the hiring of Kelly was looked at as being an experiment to try and help revive the luster of Colin Kaepernick's career who took the league by storm upon winning the starting role at QB, the firing comes off as unfair given what 49ers brass was asking of Kelly in such little time. Known as an offensive mastermind, the talent on offense simply wasn't there for Kelly to attempt to work his magic and the defense was equally as bad following the injury to All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman, giving up the most rushing yards in a season in NFL history. And with Kaepernick most likely the next to go as he has a 2017 player option and can opt out of his contract, next year's 49ers team figures to be an entirely different crop of players as they possess the No. 2 overall pick in April's Draft.
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"With the seventh pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select... DeForest Buckner, defensive-end, Oregon." Those were the words of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell when it came time for the 49ers to announce their first pick in last week's Draft. In need of a player that can apply pressure on the defensive side of the ball, San Francisco addressed the need with the 6-foot, 7-inch defensive-end that was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2015. Drawing comparisons to 2-time Pro Bowl DE Calais Campbell of the Arizona Cardinals, the 291-pound Buckner tallied 18 career sacks in his collegiate career with the Oregon Ducks and will now be reunited in San Francisco with his good friend Arik Armstead who the 49ers selected out of Oregon in the first round of last year's Draft and coach Chip Kelly who recruited him out of college to play for the Ducks. As if the familiar faces weren't enough to make him fit right at home, he also fits the Niners' system as a five-technique player.
Adding a player with the strength and measurables like that of Buckner figures to improve a 49ers defensive attack that ranked 29th a season ago. Looking to fill the void left by the tandem of Justin Smith who retired before last season and Aldon Smith who the Niners cut ties with after numerous off the field incidents, GM Trent Baalke is hoping the duo of Armstead and Buckner can evolve into an even younger version of the tag-team simply nicknamed, the "Smith brothers." One of the bigger surprises on day 1 of the Draft would come at pick 28 when Trent Baalke and company made a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, trading back into the first round and acquiring the 28th overall pick which the Niners would use to select Stanford Guard Joshua Garnett. San Francisco would also acquire the 249th overall pick in the trade, while dealing their 37th, 105th and 187th overall picks to K.C. With offensive-line being one of if not the biggest areas of concern for San Francisco heading into next season, they went out and grabbed the best guard in the class according to some analysts who also labeled him the best interior run-blocker, with 2015 first-team all Pac-12 and 2015 first-team AP All-American honors to show for it.
The next two picks on the 49ers board would be used to take a pair of cornerbacks as San Francisco ranked 27th in pass defense a season ago. With no picks in the second round following the trade with the Chiefs, the Niners had to wait until round number three to hear their name called again as they used the 68th overall pick to take Will Redmond, CB out of Mississippi State who could've gone as early as a late first-rounder had it not been for a torn ACL he suffered in practice. He would be the first of three corners taken by the Niners with Rashard Robinson of LSU (4th round, 133rd overall) and Prince Charles Iworah of Western Kentucky (7th round, 249th overall) being the others. Robinson, who's been touted as being one of the best press corners in the draft, shined in the little playing time he received during his career at LSU due to a suspension. Without those off the field issues, scouts say he could've gone in the first two rounds. Instead, the Niners snagged him in round 4, 133rd overall as a great value pick. Another pick that was praised by NFL analysts for the value was that of Appalachian State defensive-end Ronald Blair who was named 2015 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and was made a Niner with a 5th round pick, 142nd overall. ESPN had him rated on their top 100 list and as a potential third-rounder.
With QB protection being a major problem for the 49ers a season ago, Kelly and Baalke took a pair of offensive-tackles in the 5th round and were criticized by fans on social media for not addressing the need much earlier, nabbing Georgia Bulldog John Theus (145th overall) and Fahn Cooper out of Ole Miss (174th overall). Theus, who was named first-team all-conference, started three of his four years at Georgia including his freshman year as the starting right tackle which is quite the feat given he comes from an SEC school and has played against some of the toughest talent the collegiate level has to offer. With the pair of picks to join Garnett, the 49ers selected three offensive linemen in the same draft for the first time since 1998. Three of San Francisco's final four picks would be used to draft a quarterback, running back and receiver, all of which taken in the 6th round. First on the list would be Louisiana Tech QB Jeff Driskel who was taken 207th overall. A former top-rated QB coming out of high school, Driskel transferred to Lou Tech after his successful stint with the Florida Gators was cut short after suffering a broken leg and later benched. The athletic QB with dual threat ability isn't expected to compete for a starting job anytime soon, but if anybody could turn him into a serviceable signal caller for the future, it's Chip Kelly. For what it's worth, Driskel recorded the fastest time in the 40-yard dash among QB's, clocking in at 4.56 seconds.
Kelvin Taylor, son of former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, would be next on the list. 6th round pick, selected 211th overall, Taylor was a former teammate of Driskel's at the University of Florida where he starred as the Gators' go-to back his junior year in 2015, rushing for 13 touchdowns and over a thousand yards while never fumbling in his 486 carries and 510 touches. With Carlos Hyde expected to bounce back this season from an injury-plagued 2015, Taylor could be Hyde's backup come Week 1 as a nice change of pace speedster to compliment the much tougher running style of Hyde. And last is wide-receiver Aaron Burbridge, selected 213th overall out of Michigan State. Named Big Ten Receiver of the Year in 2015 as well as first-team all-conference for the Spartans, Burbridge had himself a breakout season his senior year and served as Spartans QB Connor Cook's go-to target, leading the Big Ten in both catches (85) and receiving yards (1,258). With Anquan Boldin now a free-agent, Burbridge might be the one called upon to fill in for Boldin assuming the team has moved on from their top receiver of the past three seasons.
Something else this draft tells us is that coach Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke aren't exactly ready to throw in the towel on quarterback Colin Kaepernick just yet considering they didn't seem to be in a rush to draft a quarterback in the earlier rounds like many had predicted. Instead, they seem just fine with their current quarterback situation which is expected to be fought for between Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. While there's still speculation that he could be released before the start of season, I'll put my money on him still being on the team come kickoff. Trade talks were more than talked about between the 49ers and Denver Broncos, but Kaepernick's unwillingness to take a paycut ultimately deterred Broncos vice-president John Elway and the reigning Super Bowl champions from finalizing a move as they traded up in the draft to take their quarterback of the future in Memphis' Paxton Miller instead. As for the position of need that the 49ers didn't address in the draft, Baalke elected not to select a single linebacker. We'll see if that decision comes back to haunt him.
Like every year, it's always fun keeping an eye on those players drafted heading into their first year, especially those taken in the later rounds as their journey to NFL begins or if they make the team at all. It's also a time for those struggling teams (like the 49ers) to help dig themselves out of the hole and build to help better their future. There's no denying that this was the most significant draft in years for San Francisco as the franchise is still looking to recover from a handful of unexpected retirements and an ugly fallout with one of the game's premier coaches. Now in a new regime under head coach Chip Kelly, the 49ers are in need of a spark to help the franchise's rise back to prominence and regain its rich winning history.
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The search is over. Less than two weeks after the San Francisco 49ers played their last down of football during the 2015 regular season which ended in an overtime victory over the division rival Rams, the team that finished the year with an overall record of 5-11 is already expected to take on the makeup of an entirely different franchise come the start of next season. Hours after the Niners' season finale, first-year head coach Jim Tomsula was relieved of his head coaching duties after a disappointing one and done experiment which saw San Francisco finish in the cellar of arguably the league's toughest division -- the NFC West. In search of the next heir of the throne, 49ers team owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke searched high and low before making their new hire. With such candidates as Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, Buccaneers OC Dirk Koetter, former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and former head coach Mike Shanahan who made his way to the final cut, it was former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly who won the job over Shanahan to become the 20th head coach in 49ers franchise history.
Kelly, who broke out onto the NFL head coaching scene after a successful career at the collegiate level with the Oregon Ducks, jump-started his NFL career with back-to-back 10-6 seasons before a disappointing 2015 campaign that was cut short as he was let go by the Philadelphia Eagles the second to last week of the regular season. After making a handful of deals and personnel changes that backfired as well as reportedly losing the locker room as the season wore on, Philadelphia went 6-9 under Kelly this season before winning their final game without him as Philly posted a second-place finish in the NFC East behind Washington. In three seasons with the Eagles, Kelly boasted an overall record of 26-21 with one playoff appearance in 2013 when he became the first head coach in franchise history and only the second coach in league history to win a division title in his first year. Viewed by many as an offensive mastermind, Kelly gets a second chance less than a month after being fired by the Eagles and will be introduced by the 49ers during a press conference expected sometime next week. Speaking of second chances, the hiring of Kelly might also spawn a second chance for one Niner that's only a few seasons removed from bursting on the scene himself.
Being looked upon as the anti-Jim Tomsula, Kelly brings with him to the Bay Area, a very innovative offensive system which 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick appears to fit perfectly. Despite a pair of disappointing seasons after taking the league by storm in his first season and a half at the helm of the Niners quarterback position, the acquisition of Kelly should breathe life back into Kaepernick's career with the team after it appeared to be a foregone conclusion that his time with the organization had come to an end. Instead, San Francisco's QB situation heading into the 2016 season should be one of the most interesting considering it wasn't long ago that rumors swirled regarding a possible trade involving Kaepernick to the Eagles while Chip was still in Philly. The two can now work together on putting their past behind them in hopes of a more successful second act. Because at this point, if anyone can groom Kaepernick into being the duel-threat quarterback he was once known as and give the San Francisco offense the shot in the arm it so desperately needs, it's Chip, right?
As for my personal opinion, I believe Kelly used the team's current quarterback situation as a major selling-point and won over the hearts of Baalke and York over in the interview room by explaining to them that they already have a diamond in the rough in QB Colin Kaepernick, and one that would fit his system to a tee. Unlike in Philly, the 54-year old Kelly won't be given the keys to the kingdom. In other words, he won't have control over personnel decisions quite like he did with the Eagles. But that will allow him to focus strictly on coaching while also putting GM Trent Baalke on the hot seat who desperately needs the Kelly hire to work out for the 49ers or his days could be numbered. Kelly also has a few things of his own that he'll need to work on in his second rodeo including the relations he has with his players and the way he conducts things in the clubhouse, both of which were hot topics and areas of concern during his often criticized tenure with the Eagles. How things shape out in Kelly's first season in the Bay Area is anyone's guess at this point, but one thing that is certain is that April's NFL Draft should be an interesting one for the 49ers who own the 7th overall pick are in need of playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Chip Kelly on landing the job in SF: "As one of the most historic franchises in the National Football League, I realize the high standards and expectations that this position demands and I embrace the challenges ahead."
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After three consecutive trips to the NFC Championship followed by a disappointing 8-8 finish in 2014, the San Francisco 49ers brain trust decided to bid a farewell to head coach Jim Harbaugh as the two sides agreed to mutually part ways. With Harbaugh landing a job with his alma mater Michigan, the 49ers were left with a head coaching vacancy. After an extensive search to find the team's next head coach which included the interviewing of 8 other candidates, the 49ers had their man all along in Jim Tomsula. A name not widely known outside of the Bay Area, Tomsula has been on the 49ers' sidelines through the teachings of several head coaches with the likes of Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary and the recently departed Jim Harbaugh. And now, team owner Jed York and GM Trent Baalke will hand the gavel to Tomsula.
Despite his inexperience, Tomsula does however have a 38-7 victory over the Cardinals under his belt in the one game that he served as an interim head coach after the firing of Mike Singletary in 2010. Before that, you'd have to go all way back to 2006 when Tomsula served as head coach of NFL Europe's Rhein Fire who finished the season 6-4 with Tomsula at the helm. But experienced or not, not a single player has expressed their doubts regarding the 49ers new hire. Players took to Twitter to congratulate and express just how happy they are for Tomsula and how excited they are to be playing under him which tells a little about the guy and how much of a players coach he is. Something Jim Harbaugh was not, according to murmurs in and out of the 49ers locker room. Since Tomsula joined the team as the defensive line coach in 2007, only the Baltimore Ravens have allowed fewer rushing yards per rush at 3.6, one tick fewer than San Francisco's 3.7.
From a fan standpoint, the decision comes as somewhat of a surprise given the 49ers aren't too far from being Super Bowl contenders once again and yet they decided to hire someone with little to no head coaching experience. Not to mention the mountain high expectations Tomsula inherits from coach Harbaugh who went 49-22-1 during his tenure with the Niners and led the team to three consecutive NFC Championships in his first three seasons, a feat no other coach has accomplished. But perhaps Tomsula's 8-year familiarity with the team and its personnel will make up for that, knowing from the inside what kinks need to be worked on in order to help the team take that final step. With defensive coordinator Vic Fangio reportedly on his way out and offensive coordinator Greg Roman already agreeing to join the Buffalo Bills under the same job title, the 49ers will feature an entirely new coaching staff under Tomsula.
Whoever Tomsula decides to hire to stand alongside him on the sidelines or in the booth, will be given the task on offense to help mentor and groom QB Colin Kaepernick to regain his form after a down season which I blame in large part on Greg Roman's misuse of the duel-threat QB and poor play-calling. As for the defensive side of things, Vic Fangio's replacement will be taking over a defense which ranked fifth overall this year despite being without one of if not the best linebacker tandems in the league for most of the season.
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Only a month after the last snap of the 2013 NFL season and into the offseason and we've already got one of the more juicy coaching situations developing in the Bay Area. Since the firing of coach Steve Mariucci following the 2002 season, the San Francisco 49ers have looked high and low in search of a winning head coach to no avail. That was until 2011 when the 49ers handed the reigns to Jim Harbaugh who made the leap to the pros after a successful run at Stanford where he coached the program to its first Bowl win since 1996. Even prior to his tenure at Stanford, Harbaugh had tasted victory while at the University of San Diego where he won consecutive Pioneer League titles. So it was no surprise Harbaugh translated his winning ways to the professional level. The speed he did it in, however, was.
Sure he inherited a team rich in young talent, but it was one in need of guidance which Harbaugh supplied along with a system to buy into. Since the marriage that landed him in San Francisco, the 49ers have been one of the most winningest teams in the National Football League. Through three seasons, the 49ers are 41-14-1 (including playoffs) and have made it to three straight NFC title games as well as a Super Bowl appearance under Harbaugh who was named Coach of the Year in his first season and has done virtually everything but hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Something he came one play shy of in 2012. All things considered, the 49ers have finally found themselves a stable coach. However, reports as recent as last week had the 49ers front-office on the verge of sending Harbaugh on his way. News broke out that the relationship between Harbaugh and Niners GM Trent Baalke was a rocky one and has been for some time once trade talks began brewing with San Francisco possibly shipping Harbaugh to Cleveland after the Browns contacted the 49ers and inquired about their coach.
The negotiations that didn't last long before being put to bed were more than enough to send the sports world and social media networks alike, buzzing for days. Team owner Jed York confirmed the story by saying talks were made and discussions were had but nothing further came of it. But the first mistake the 49ers made was listening to the offer in the first place which regardless if the deal goes through or not, can only spell doom for a front-office and their relationship with a head coach moving forward, not to mention one that has already bumped heads with the GM. With the 49ers on the cusp of greatness and a sixth Super Bowl title on the horizon, the team would be stupid to show Harbaugh the door simply because there's no better coach that's currently available to fill the void.
As for those that are pointing the finger at Harbaugh and believe he's the one threatening to leave in favor of a head coaching position in the college ranks, consider this: Never has an NFL coach that endured such success as Harbaugh has, downgraded back to coach at the collegiate level. Why would one possibly leave a team that has made it to three straight NFC Championships and is nesting one of the brightest nucleus' of young NFL players for a college program he would have to recruit for and more than likely build from the ground up? Reports also claim Harbaugh has demanded that he wants more power in the organization as well as more money, both of which the 49ers coach has denied ever saying during an interview with Sports Illustrated where he also had nothing but positive things to say about the organization. Unlike many other feuds we've seen between a head coach and the front-office, Harbaugh has not lost the locker room as 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin told reporters shortly after agreeing to re-sign with the team on a two-year, $12 Million deal. Boldin who led the team in receiving this past season, also explained that coach Harbaugh was one of the main reasons he decided to return in the Bay Area for two more years instead of testing the market as a free-agent.
The funniest part of all might be that the media which has portrayed this whole thing as the downfall of the franchise, has already declared Harbaugh close to being on his way out after this season despite the two years remaining on his contract. The premature assumptions of Harbaugh needing an extension before his current contract is up only fuels this overblown story about the Niners possibly looking to shop their coach. A lot can happen in the course of a year including a Super Bowl victory which would be the perfect antidote to solve the ongoing dispute between Harbaugh and Baalke who's done nothing but draft star-studded talent since being named GM in 2005. While it's the GM who 49ers owner Jed York feels isn't going anywhere anytime soon and has leaned on the side of Harbaugh being the more expendable of the two according to sources, there's plenty of time between now and the start of the season for both sides to mend fences and squash this whole beef if in fact there is one.
Though often having a flair for the dramatic, Harbaugh has described both he and Baalke as being, "two competitive people that want the same thing." If that's true, they'll settle their differences and work things out for the betterment of the team. As long as San Francisco is putting up W's in the win column, the two can and will coexist on the team's quest for six.
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