Saturday, August 20, 2016

Checking in with Chip: How the 49ers & Their New Coach Will Attack Teams Through the Air



Chip Kelly’s stint with the Philadelphia Eagles was shorter than anticipated. In his final season, the offense struggled to produce on the ground, and through the air. In the passing game, the offense ranked 21st in the league in yards per attempt, and 22nd in passer rating. This is a startling decline from the 3rd ranked scoring offense in 2014. What went wrong? A big reason is the quarterback position, as the Eagles had a new quarterback. Sam Bradford did not perform as well as Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez had in the previous season.

So what will Chip Kelly change about his offense? From watching week 1 of the preseason, the base concepts will be similar to what was used in Philadelphia. In a trips-closed formation, inside zone paired with a quick screen is a staple of the Chip Kelly offense. The video below shows an example of the play:





After the 49ers used this play a couple of times in a no huddle manner, the 49ers scored a touchdown on a play that is designed to take advantages of defenses recognizing the formation. The smash concept to the tight end side will take advantage of a loaded box, and should get a tight end matched up with a run defender.





Chip often uses a trey formation in the run game. His main pass concept out of this formation takes advantage of defenses playing the run. The 49ers used a full field curl-flat concept, anticipating the defense loading up the box on a run down. This play works best against a cover three, which is typically what defensive coordinators will call against a run heavy look.






This last video shows a shallow cross concept the Eagles used quite often the past couple of seasons. This play was called on a 3rd and 8, and the 49ers converted for a first down.




With the right people around him, Chip Kelly can be a successful coach. He understands offense and puts his players in positions to make big plays. It will be interesting to see how his tenure in San Francisco concludes.

No comments:

Post a Comment