San Francisco 49ers: Chip Kelly and Colin Kaepernick Combo is Golden

The San Francisco 49ers can stop playing coy. They have a recipe for real success with Chip Kelly and Colin Kaepernick under center. Eleven draft picks should help as well. Do we smell playoffs?

We’re tackling each team in the league, traveling alphabetically to debate their biggest offseason issues. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

The San Francisco 49ers were one of the least active NFL teams during free agency this offseason. They essentially added and lost no one of note in either direction outside of replacing Alex Boone with Zane Beadles along the offensive line. The release of Anquan Boldin was more noteworthy in the headlines than on the football field. Essentially, the 49ers of last year are coming back this year, and that is simply terrible news for 49ers fans.

After the mass exodus that coincided with Jim Harbaugh leaving as head coach prior to 2015, the roster remained thin for Jim Tomsula in his first year as coach, yet that didn’t prevent management from tossing him aside after just one season of underwhelming results. In his place was put Chip Kelly, a man who wore out his own welcome in Philadelphia, and who failed as a roster creator. It remains to be seen how good of an actual coach Kelly is and can be. I’m still on the side of believing he can do well in that department. 2016 in San Francisco will certainly be a great test of that. The roster here is much worse than any year he was in charge of the Eagles.

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Whether or not Colin Kaepernick is sent out the door in a trade is one of the lingering storylines surrounding Kelly’s new club. Put me in the boat of wanting to hold onto him and see what Kaep can do in Kelly’s offense. It is not like the team needs the cap room taken up by his contract, and what it gets back in return if it deals the quarterback will have nowhere near the upside that Kaepernick himself has. The offense is very weak at wide receiver, which hurts both Colin’s and Kelly’s chances of succeeding in this first season, but if management gives that more than one season, it might turn into something.

The defense is also surprisingly poor for a San Francisco team, but it’s not really surprising after realizing how many pieces voluntarily left this team. NaVorro Bowman is still around; safety should be an area of strength; outside of that, the 49ers have lots of work to do.

San Fran has the seventh pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Because of the trade by Los Angeles (yes, I originally typed St. Louis Rams and had to edit it) into the number-one spot, that almost assures neither of the draft’s top two quarterbacks will fall to SF at seven. Where does that leave its draft plan? Trading back and gathering more picks to refill this roster may be the best course of action, assuming someone wants to hop up into the seventh spot.

DAN:

I know the 49ers were not good last season and I know Chip Kelly burned his bridges in Philadelphia, but something about this pairing has me excited. Kelly has returned to the part of the country where he gained his fame, with a roster in need of a spark and a new dynamic. I don’t know why San Francisco tossed aside its head coach after one rebuilding year, but perhaps its because they knew Kelly was on the market. If anyone can pull magic out of a hat, its Chip Kelly.

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Colin Kaepernick needs a second chance and the 49ers must give him one. Under Kelly, the San Francisco offense will no longer be the same system which doomed Kaepernick last season. Kelly’s offense needs a player like Kaep to step up and take over. They really don’t have anyone else right now and Kaep is too young to have legitimately lost his football abilities. If he finds his swagger, the 49ers offense is one star talent away from being dynamic once again.

I’d hate to see San Francisco trade up or use the seventh pick in the draft to grab a quarterback. If Chip Kelly taught me anything, its that he can get a lot from quarterbacks who have previously given very little. Mark Sanchez and Nick Foles come to mind. Both players exceeded expectations in Philadelphia under Kelly. Neither player was ever as good as Kaepernick once was. With that in mind, the 49ers can likely add either Ezekiel Elliott at running back with the seventh pick, or a game changing talent on defense. Sure, they could grab an offensive linemen, but with Chip Kelly at the helm, I’d rather see them add a speedy defender or true playmaker on offense like Elliott.

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There’s no rule that says a team can’t have two outstanding running backs. I’m very high on Elliott right now and he’d compliment the growing talent that is Carlos Hyde in the San Francisco backfield. You noted that defense is a mess for the 49ers. Good thing this NFL Draft is heavy on defenders. After staying quiet during the offseason, the team should stay the course and avoid the big splash come draft day. They select at the top of rounds one through four and have an outstanding eleven picks overall, including three fifth rounders and three sixth rounders.

It will be hard to best Seattle and Arizona this season, but don’t be surprised if Chip Kelly finds a way to get his 49ers into the playoffs.