We could keep writing about how Chip Kelly is making backhanded comments about the one-dimensional roster Trent Baalke has assembled.
Or we can try and help this San Francisco 49ers football team, the one stumbling through the dark trying to find a light switch.
As the leader of this football team, Kelly should be leading a conversation with his coaching staff about starting Christian Ponder. Nobody has any idea if he’s better than Colin Kaepernick, but the 49ers are completely out of options. A 1-9 record is the exact reason Ponder was left on this roster.
Look, Kaepernick has proven many people right: he should’ve been starting earlier in the season. Niners Wire’s Chris Biderman posted the statistical breakdown. Kap has thrown more touchdowns, less interceptions and has a higher yards per game average than Blaine Gabbert did in five starts. He’s more talented. The 49ers have graduated from unwatchable under Kaepernick’s direction.
But the bottom line is that Kaepernick cannot complete passes (53.1 percent). You can’t win in the NFL when you can’t complete passes. And when you identify a reason why you can’t win, you have to try and solve the problem.
Ponder is the only button Kelly has left to push if he wants to take away anything positive from 2016. Because I think there’s a chance Ponder could establish he’s the ideal backup next season alongside a rookie quarterback.
Unlike Kaepernick, Ponder would be totally fine with his role as a mentor in 2017. Kaepernick is still trying to prove he’s a starting quarterback; Ponder is cool with playing the veteran role, filling in whenever there is an injury and imparting wisdom in the film room for the betterment of the team. That’s a much safer atmosphere to groom a rookie in, especially if Ponder proves he can complete passes and put points on the scoreboard.
If this is Kelly’s decision, it could be coming down the pike sooner rather than later. In a coaching interview with the Browns in 2013, former Cleveland CEO Joe Banner revealed on ESPN Kelly said Ponder was the ideal fit for his offensive vision. Kelly’s ran with Gabbert, Kaepernick, Sam Bradford, Mark Sanchez and Nick Foles. So why the hell not Christian Ponder?
Kelly should give Kaepernick one final chance this Sunday in Miami. Obviously more than quarterback play determines a victory or a defeat. And Kelly now openly admits to the fact the 49ers don’t have one dynamic receiver.
Still, an ultimatum should be in play: If Kap wins he can remain the starter, if he loses, the time has come to see Ponder.
If this is really about evaluating who will be on this roster in 2017, Ponder deserves a shot. The 49ers don’t owe Kaepernick six more starts this season.
By the way, the San Francisco 49ers just conducted an entire football season determining who their backup quarterback will be in 2017. Good lord.
