New 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula held court with reporters this week at the NFL’s annual meetings in Arizona, and talked about a number of topics related to his team.
One subject he addressed was how excited he is to see quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s development after working with former standout quarterback Kurt Warner and coach Dennis Gile for several weeks in Arizona.
The work – on everything from mechanics, footwork, fundamentals and the study of defenses – could pay off in a number of ways in 2015.
One key area could be the 49ers’ efficiency in the red zone.
In 2014, the 49ers ranked 29th of 32 teams in touchdown efficiency in the red zone, according to Dan Mori of Bleacher Report.
The inefficiency could be attributed to a number of factors: injuries along the offensive line, mistakes by Kaepernick, the play calling or the disappearance of tight end Vernon Davis from the red-zone playbook.
But with a new offensive coordinator, Geep Chryst taking over for Greg Roman, it’s likely that the 49ers will have a different approach when they get inside an opponent’s 20-yard line in 2015, and that approach could be even more effective because of the work Kaepernick has done this offseason. If, in working with Warner, Kaepernick has learned through film study how to better read defenses and deliver the ball more efficiently on short patterns, San Francisco could be scoring seven points more often than settling for three.
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In addition, Chryst’s offense could be more dynamic in the red zone, with a return to more read-option and pistol sets that can give the 49ers more run-throw options.
Under Roman, the 49ers offense often was terrific. But it also stagnated near the goal line. When the 49ers had a chance to win the Super Bowl and then the NFC Championship Game a year later in Seattle, the final play Kaepernick was given each time was a fade route to Michael Crabtree – a difficult, finesse pass that can be tough to execute. And, he didn't.
Now, after Kaepernick reportedly spent a great deal of time in Arizona working on short passes, and with an offense under Chryst that may be more creative near the goal line, those red zone numbers for the offense in 2015 have a chance to get a lot better.
And that could be great news for a team in transition that will need to take advantage of every opportunity in its first year under Tomsula.
