It's a mix of things:

• Current head coach in his first head coaching position at a place with high expectations and pressure.

• Same coach is following the best coach of program history

• Lots of "first time head coach-isms": lack of recruiting, not as effective as motivating players, in game management blunders, etc.

• Breaking in a new defensive philosophy with a new defensive coordinator

Even if this is year 4 on the job for Mark Helfrich, this is still his first head coaching position. It has to be unbelievably suffocating the amount of pressure and expectation following up the most successful coach in program history.

Chip Kelly also had the advantage of having defensive, special teams, and offensive coaching experience. Mark Helfrich does not have that same background as his is almost purely QB and offensive coaching experience.

Should he then be fired? Maybe. Maybe not. Is this type of season going to be a trend? Or does he turn it around and achieve at least some consistency on the job?