(Screengrab via NFL Network)
NFL Network analyst and longtime fullback Heath Evans has been one of Chip Kelly’s staunchest critics since the day the coach arrived in Philadelphia.
Evans joined P-Con Wednesday morning, reiterating Kelly doesn’t design plays that consistently work at the NFL level, that his defenses are always a trouble spot and that the 49ers should move on from Kelly before it gets worse.
“Based on plays that he puts on tape, he just doesn’t belong at this level,” Evans said. “It’s never going to work, it’s never going to hoist a Lombardi (trophy) and just the leadership of men aspect. This just isn’t his cup of tea.
“I don’t know what Trent Baalke ever saw on tape from three years in Philly that he thought he had a chance to do anything productive with Chip Kelly. Anything…You’ve got to start over, move on before this storied franchise is just completely run in the muck.”
One of the biggest issues with Kelly’s offense, according to Evans? Colin Kaepernick is not given the ability to pre-diagnose plays before the snap.
“Some of the stuff you see on tape is repetitively stupid,” Evans said. “No, I don’t think Colin has the power or ability, or has probably been coached well enough…One of the main knocks of the tempo in the three years in Philly and some this year in San Fran is that, listen, when you get up there, and you don’t give your quarterback any pre-snap tell of what that coverage is, you’re handicapping your team. Why wouldn’t you force that defense to tell you something?
“The run game stuff, Chip has always done a good job with, in the sense of creating lanes and running space. It’s one aspect, and it’s one aspect he’s done a pretty good job at. But there’s just so much more to NFL offensive football than what the 49ers have seen and really what Philly saw for three years.”
As much as Evans is critical of Kelly, he thought the 49ers would win a few games this season. The NFL Network analyst is adamant that Kelly’s coaching philosophy does not include defense enough. Now in his fourth NFL season, Kelly’s defenses have ranked 28th or worse each year.
“But again, you look back on this defense. I don’t want to say it’s lacking for talent, I don’t want to say it’s All-Star talent either,” Evans said. “But there’s some players here who can flat out play in this league, and this defense shouldn’t be ranked what it is. And I just think that’s a product of the head-down coaching, as well as the principles, I guess, stuffed down the teams’ throats is always going to handicap a defense.”
Finally, Evans said he agrees that Baalke needs to go, and he’d hire Scott Pioli to pick the next head coach. Poli is currently the assistant general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, was the GM of the KansasCity Chiefs from 2009-2012 and helped run operations with the New England Patriots from 2000-2008.
“I think you have to look back at his pedigree of what he built in Kansas City,” Evans said. “Head coaching wise, obviously that was a struggle to put it all together, but a GM is mostly responsible for what is the talent evaluation process, what are your scouts seeing, and then how quickly can you get in Pro Bowl players. And if anyone wants to go Google the Pro Bowl players Scott brought in during his short time there in Kansas City, the list is near staggering.
“What Scott brings to the table, in a sense of what’s needed — a mental and physically tough team that’s going to have to compete in that division — he knows how to build that type of program.”