Niner Noise
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5 Pros and 5 Cons of Head Coach Chip Kelly Leaving the San Francisco 49ers

By Peter Panacy

Chip Kelly before an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Chip Kelly before an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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November 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly (left) talks to quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) during the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Levi’s Stadium. The Saints defeated the 49ers 41-23. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly (left) talks to quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) during the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Levi’s Stadium. The Saints defeated the 49ers 41-23. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Con: The “What Could Have Been” Argument

Let’s go back in time to a year in which the 49ers finished 2-14 and had one of the least talented rosters in the NFL.

1979 marked the first year Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh took over the franchise, and he finished with what many consider to be one of the worst seasons in San Francisco history. The roster was in terrible shape, and Walsh regularly held open tryouts, according to NFL Network’s A Football Life.

It took time for the Niners to go from a 2-14 team in 1979 to a Super Bowl champion after 1981.

We won’t say head coach Chip Kelly is the next coming of Walsh. No one is. But if Kelly departs, one can only wonder if the long game would have ended up working in Santa Clara.

Last offseason, ESPN analysts Field Yates and John Clayton both felt Kelly would be the best offseason hiring five years from now.

“He’s still a gifted offensive coach and should have time working on his side in San Francisco,” Yates wrote of Kelly. “If the organization is willing to be patient — and this roster isn’t ready to win right now — Kelly can help architect a turnaround.”

If he’s gone, we’ll never know.