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San Francisco 49ers, Breaking Down Team’s Strengths, Liabilities in 2016

By Peter Panacy

October 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers center Daniel Kilgore (67) prepares to snap the football during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
October 5, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers center Daniel Kilgore (67) prepares to snap the football during the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Strength: The Coaching Staff

This may be up for interpretation, based on one’s viewpoint on head coach Chip Kelly and Co. But since I’m the one writing the article, and we’re comparing things to former 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula, let’s go ahead and state the Niners coaching staff is going to be a strength in 2016.

Few doubt Kelly is an upgrade over Tomsula. To sum it up, let’s just go with what Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Deeney said shortly after the 49ers hired Kelly:

But let’s dive a little deeper. When Kelly took over the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013, his offense finished with an offensive DVOA of plus 22.9 percent, according to Football Outsiders. That number ranked No. 3 in the NFL that year.

Have teams adjusted to Kelly’s scheme since then? Perhaps, but Kelly does have a proven capability for getting the most out of his players.

Let’s look at the quarterbacking situation for example. Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre broke this down with how Kelly handled his former quarterbacks, Nick Foles and Sam Bradford, in Philadelphia:

We’ll get to the quarterback situation shortly, but Kelly is the right kind of coach to turn around an anemic offense and maximize the available talent — something he’ll have to do with San Francisco’s current cast of players.

But Kelly’s offensive style may come at the expense of the defense — an argument made by NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell (h/t Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area).

This will put a lot of pressure on defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil, who didn’t exactly have the best numbers during his previous stint with the Cleveland Browns. Granted, the Browns weren’t exactly laden with defensive talent either, but the situation is still a bit concerning.

Yet these worries may be thwarted a bit by San Francisco’s actions via the 2016 NFL Draft. The Niners stockpiled defensive linemen and cornerbacks, which adds depth and helps keep these units rested and fresh.

Will it be enough? It’s hard to say at this point.

But the current 49ers coaching staff is a step up from last year’s group, which led a Niners team that ranked at, or near the bottom of, nearly every major offensive and defensive category.

Next: The Quarterback Situation