Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Former Head Coach Chip Kelly Deserves Some Credit for 2016 Efforts

By Peter Panacy

January 1, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly looks on before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 1, 2017; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly looks on before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Oct 23, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates ahead of wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (17) after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Shaun Draughn (24) celebrates ahead of wide receiver Jeremy Kerley (17) after scoring a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Revamping the Red-Zone Offense

For years, even under former head coach Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers’ red-zone offense was consistently one of the worst in the NFL.

Don’t believe us? Just take a look at these numbers from TeamRankings.com:

  • 2011 — 40.68 percent (30th)
  • 2012 — 54.69 percent (15th)
  • 2013 — 53.06 percent (15th)
  • 2014 — 43.18 percent (29th)
  • 2015 — 43.59 percent (31st)
  • 2016 — 68.18 percent (second)

Yeah, that’s a drastic difference.

True, Chip Kelly’s 49ers didn’t get into the red zone often — they had the 27th-ranked scoring offense in the league — but when they did, the offense made the trip count.

Fifteen of the 19 total passing touchdowns came within the red zone, which might not seem that important. But consider this — Niners quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick combined for a 107.6 passer rating when inside opponents’ 20-yard lines.

That’s impressive by any standards.

Speaking of Kaepernick…