San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst isn’t falling on the sword for his offense’s failure to produce this year.
Quite the opposite. Instead of taking responsibility for a lackluster showing against the Cleveland Browns last weekend, Chryst pointed to his players not executing, speaking with reporters Thursday in Santa Clara.
“There were a series of factors where we had an opportunity to make a play, especially in the first half and the first portion of the third quarter, and we failed in every instance to make a play,” he said, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Branch points out Chryst hasn’t been shy about putting blame on others this year. Back in November he said he was taking responsibility for a lack of production but also said “and yet at the same time, as a coach, you know the hand that you’re dealt.”
Likely he was referring to a lack of talent up front on the offensive line, which has been absolutely abysmal this year, and a less-than-ideal situation at the quarterback position. Additionally, the 49ers have been hit hard with injuries at the running back position.
However, regardless of talent deficiencies, we’ve seen plenty of instances where good coaching has made up for a lack of talent in the past. When asked about his own responsibility for the team’s failings on Thursday, Chryst deflected blame and listed off some of the team’s many injuries.
“First off, what you evaluate is — I went back through the other day — we have completion to 19 different 49ers,” Chryst said. “I’m proud of that stat because that means there’s a lot of people we’ve had to fold into and ramp up for games.”
Essentially what he’s saying is, “I’ve got a bunch of nobodies to work with here.”
While he’s not exactly wrong, Chryst shouldn’t be throwing his players or his front office under the bus. One wonders how the coaches for teams like the Baltimore Ravens or even Green Bay Packers must feel reading about Chryst pointing at all the challenges he’s faced as the offensive coordinator for the 49ers this year.
Injuries happen to every team, and you don’t hear other coaches complaining about the hands they’ve been dealt.
It’s likely Chryst won’t be retaining his job after this year, and nobody should be surprised if the entire coaching staff is fired after the embarrassing season the 49ers have endured in 2015.