How the San Francisco 49ers Can Get Back on Track in 2016

The 2015 season was not kind to the San Francisco 49ers.

The team won just five games, went just 1-5 in the NFC West and benched would-be franchise quarterback Colin Kaepernick before season's end. Jim Tomsula was relieved of his head coaching duties after just one season.

The last time San Francisco posted a 5-11 record, Patrick Willis won 2007 Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

However, the looming 2016 season provides the 49ers with an opportunity for redemption. The team has a new head coach in Chip Kelly and a quarterback competition that should allow the best player to rise to the top under center. While this is still a rebuilding year and expectations have to be tempered, 2016 can still bring a successful campaign for the 49ers.

In today's parity-driven NFL, there's even a chance San Francisco could battle for a playoff push. Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles did exactly that back in 2013, a year after Philadelphia went 4-12.

Today, we're going to look at five key goals the 49ers need to achieve in order to get things back on track in 2016.

1. Pick a Quarterback and Stick with Him

Associated Press

Blain Gabbert may have a slight edge in San Francisco's QB competition.

The first thing the 49ers need to do in order to get back on a successful track this season is to pick a starting quarterback and then throw their support behind him for the entire season.

This may sound like a common-sense goal, but NFL teams regularly give quarterbacks the starting job on a short leash. The two quarterbacks up for the starting job, Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick, are both coming into the 2016 season looking for a bit of a career rebirth. Establishing confidence will be key, and the 49ers need to back their starter even through times of struggle.

Since Kaepernick has been recovering from a fatigued throwing arm, he is definitely behind in the competition. Gabbert, meanwhile, has been steady, if unspectacular, in the preseason. Through two weeks of preseason action, he has gone 10-for-19 for 132 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Pro Football Focus rates him 35th overall among quarterbacks for the preseason so far.

The 49ers, though, aren't ready to give the job to Gabbert.

“It’s not time,” offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins said of naming a starter, per Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “It’s a competition, and Kap hasn’t had a chance to perform yet. So, when that happens and when coach feels like it’s time, we’ll do that. But right now it’s not time. We’ve still got a ways to go before we play.”

According to NFL Media's Chris Wesseling, Kaepernick should make his preseason debut in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers. This should make for an intriguing late stage of the quarterback battle.

Letting the competition play out at quarterback is a good start for Chip Kelly and the 49ers because the team has a better chance of picking the right guy by waiting. Once San Francisco has its man, though, the team needs to run with him and not look back.

2. Establish Top Targets in the Passing Game

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Can a receiver like Jerome Simpson establish himself as a go-to target for the 49ers?

The next step for the 49ers after finding their quarterback is finding quality go-to receivers for their signal-caller to target.

San Francisco had a difficult time fielding a quality receiving corps in 2015, which only added to the team's struggles at quarterback. As a team, the 49ers were rated just 29th in receiving by Pro Football Focus, and that group included star wideout Anquan Boldin.

Boldin now plays for the Detroit Lions.

The 49ers have an established deep threat in Torrey Smith and a group of talented but young pass-catchers behind him. Guys like Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington and DeAndrew White have shown promise in the past and during the 2016 preseason but have yet to prove they can be dependable and consistent options.

Jerome Simpson, who was suspended six games in 2015, is another guy who could emerge. Someone out of the group needs to reach out and grab that go-to receiver role.

“What we do need to see is consistency,” Kelly said of his receivers, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “We haven’t really seen a ton of that right now. We’ve seen them flash, which is awesome because you know what they can do, but it’s being consistent not only on a daily basis, but really on a play-to-play basis, that you can count on them.”

San Francisco does appear to have an up-and-coming pair of tight ends in Vance McDonald and Garrett Celek (eight combined receptions this preseason), so the 49ers quarterback should have a bit of a safety net.

Still, the 49ers need to identify some reliable threats on the outside to maximize the efficiency of their offense.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article96635012.html#storylink=cpy

3. Lean on the Running Game

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Carlos Hyde is expected to lead a rushing attack that could be quite good in 2016.

If the 49ers have shown a definitive strength this preseason, it has been in the running game. As a team, San Francisco has averaged a whopping 6.0 yards per rushing attempt. Say what you will about the 49ers' collection of pass-catchers, but the team has guys who can flat-out run the ball.

Third-year man Carlos Hyde is expected to lead the rushing attack, and while injuries limited him to just seven games in 2015, he seems to be back to 100 percent. He has carried the ball 11 times for 55 yards and a touchdown through two preseason contests.

Kate Scott of KNBR 680 reported that the 49ers have named Shaun Draughn as Hyde's backup. He started six games in place of Hyde last season and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. He's averaged 6.0 yards per carry this preseason.

Mike Davis (9.8 yards per carry this preseason) and DuJuan Harris (5.8 yards per carry) are expected to compete for the No. 3 running back role.

If the 49ers backs continue to run like they have in the preseason, this team could boast a very strong ground game in 2016. If so, the team needs to do everything it can to lean on it.

Effectively and consistently running the football will take pressure off the quarterback and the passing game. It will also allow the 49ers to wear down the opposing defense and control the tempo of the game. This could prove especially important against teams with the talent level needed to pull away in elongated contests.

By effectively shortening games with consistent running, the 49ers can increase their chances against more talented opponents.

It would appear that a large portion of the 49ers' offensive talent resides in the backfield. Because of this, San Francisco should remain a run-first team throughout the season.

4. Improve the Pass Rush, Protect the Quarterback

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The 49ers are hoping that rookie DE DeForest Buckner (#99) can help jump-start the team's pass rush.

In today's pass-driven NFL, a sack can be a truly game-changing event. When your quarterback is sacked, it can kill a play, end a drive or even result in a turnover. When your defense is doing the sacking, you gain momentum, while the opposition is the one suffering the negative play.

Unfortunately, last year's 49ers team frequently found itself on the wrong side of the sack equation.

Gabbert and Kaepernick were sacked a combined 53 times in 2015. This clearly had to hurt the confidence levels and psyches of the team's quarterbacks, in addition to being bad business for the offense.

The San Francisco defense amassed just 28 sacks in 2015—only three defenses had fewer sacks on the season. Sacks tell only a part of the pass-rushing story, of course, but San Francisco just didn't excel at creating pressure. Pro Football Focus rated the 49ers just 30th in pass rush for the 2015 season.

It's probably not a coincidence that San Francisco's two first-round picks were edge-rusher DeForest Buckner and guard Joshua Garnett. The team needs to do a better job of protecting the quarterback while also getting to the opposing signal-caller. One way to increase the chances of doing so is to increase the level of talent on the offensive and defensive line.

The 49ers also brought in Hall of Fame edge-rusher Charles Haley (100.5 career sacks) to help with the team's pass rush in training camp.

"I think he’s really been an invaluable tool for us just because of the experience he has," Kelly said of Haley, per Taylor Price of the 49ers' official website.

If the 49ers can improve both their pass rush and their pass protection, they should have a very strong chance of improving their overall on-field product in 2016.

5. Win the Turnover Battle

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 14: Head Coach Chip Kelly of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines agains the Houston Texans at Levi's Stadium on August 14, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

This is another goal that might come across as common sense. While winning the turnover battle doesn't guarantee success on the scoreboard, it certainly makes the task of achieving victory easier.

The 49ers, though, had a difficult time winning the turnover battle in 2015, which often made an uphill climb even steeper. Despite throwing just 12 interceptions as a team, the 49ers still finished the season with a minus-five turnover differential.

Much of the blame for last season's struggles in the turnover department had to rest with the defense. As a unit, the San Francisco defense produced a mere nine interceptions in 2015. Only three teams produced fewer.

If the 49ers want to give themselves better odds in 2016, they absolutely must protect the football on offense while doing a better job of forcing turnovers on defense.

Improving the takeaway rate is a task that falls largely on the coaching of Kelly and defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil. For O'Neil, a key could be installing a more aggressive game plan than he has in the past. As defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns a year ago, O'Neil oversaw a defense that snagged just 11 interceptions and forced 14 fumbles. This is better than what the 2015 49ers produced (just five forced fumbles), but still a far cry from a turnover machine.

The 49ers defense was aggressive in the team's second preseason contest against the Denver Broncos, producing four turnovers, six sacks and a defensive touchdown.

“There were a lot of teachable moments that came up for our guys, a lot that we can learn and grow from,” O'Neil said after the game, per Joe Fann of the team's official website.

If the 49ers can learn to consistently force turnovers like they did against Denver, they'll have a much better chance of success in 2016.