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Disastrous season so far for Chip Kelly's San Francisco 49ers

By Dave Del Grande, The Sports Xchange
San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Chip Kelly watches his team warm up to play the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on September 12. 2016. The 49ers defeated the Rams 28-0. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI
San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Chip Kelly watches his team warm up to play the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on September 12. 2016. The 49ers defeated the Rams 28-0. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers enter their bye week with a better record than only the Cleveland Browns, the guy they tried to give away is now their starting quarterback, and two of their best players -- on each side of the ball -- are injured.

Suffice it to say, Chip Kelly's first year as head coach of the 49ers has been a complete disaster.

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And it's possible the worst is yet to come.

Hello, Coach Kelly, San Jose State is on the line ...

"No one's happy," Kelly said Monday, shortly after telling his guys to take a week off. "You try to keep it consistent in terms of your approach to everything that you do. I don't think being consistent and being even-keeled means that it doesn't bother you or that you're not frustrated in terms of what's gone on."

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Things have gone from bad to worse in the wake of star linebacker NaVorro Bowman's season-ending Achilles tendon injury against Dallas in Week 4.

The 49ers were outscored by just 4.1 points per game in the four started by their Pro Bowler; they've since gotten blown out three times by an average of 19.3 points a pop.

If you look at the corresponding numbers, the 49ers' 1-6 record is well deserved.

They employ the NFL's worst offense both in terms of passing yards and total yards, and the NFL's worst defense in terms of rushing yards.

If the NFL has a category for it, chances are the 49ers are at or near the bottom.

Even their average net points (minus-10.7) is right down there with the winless Browns (11.0) despite a 28-point win on opening week.

Kelly was asked who's at fault. His answer was predictably kind to his players.

"That's on us," he said of the coaches, shortly after insisting the 49ers have enough talent on the field to compete. "Our job is to put our players in position to make plays, and we're not doing a good enough job of that right now."

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So while the players got a chance to lick their wounds, watch the World Series from the couch or maybe even attend the Golden State Warriors' season opener, the 49ers coaching staff was informed Halloween was not an official NFL holiday, and neither were any days in the week prior or after.

"We'll be in here all week kind of looking at what we've done in the first seven games," Kelly said of the bye week.

"What have our opponents done to us in the first seven games relative to what we thought going into the game? If they were 60-percent pressure going into our game and they were only 30-percent pressure in our game, trying to delve into how people are defending us.

"People are attacking us from an offensive standpoint in terms of attacking our defense and what their tendencies were going into the game and then what actually transpired in the game.

"So we've got a lot of film work and a lot of studying to do here during this week."

NOTES: RB Carlos Hyde (sprained right shoulder) was seen without his arm in a sling Monday, leading to speculation he'll be available for practice when the 49ers reconvene after getting a week off for their Week 8 bye. Hyde sat out the Week 7 loss to Tampa Bay. ... WR Torrey Smith is being shopped by the 49ers ahead of the Nov. 1 trade deadline, ESPN reported. Pro Football Talk claimed that the 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles discussed Smith, but that no trade was imminent. ... CB Jimmie Ward appears ready to take on a heavier workload if CB Rashard Robinson cannot play against the New Orleans Saints after the 49ers return from their Week 8 bye. Ward returned from a quad injury to play 40 of 75 defensive snaps in the Week 7 loss to Tampa Bay, his first action after having to take three weeks off. ... CB Rashard Robinson (sprained knee) almost surely would not be practicing this week if the 49ers hadn't given the team the week off due to their Week 8 bye. Robinson suffered the injury in the Week 7 loss to Tampa Bay. The early outlook has him doubtful for the Week 9 return against New Orleans.

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