:::[Official] San Francisco 49ers 2024 Offseason Thread [NFC CHAMPIONS]:::

Should UnicornHunter’s faithful card be revoked for his blasphemous Patrick Willis comments?

  • Yes permanently

    Votes: 31 79.5%
  • Yes temporarily

    Votes: 5 12.8%
  • No

    Votes: 3 7.7%

  • Total voters
    39
  • Poll closed .
watching that video of deandrew white got me hella excited to see bruce and white DEEEEP in secondary. I can picture the 4WR sets. hope geep turns this **** into a ******* track meet.
 
we went from one extreme to another. the only slow wide receiver on the roster now is Q. between torrey, simpson, deandrew and ellington, everyone can stretch the field vertically. 
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smelter just chilling in the shadows waiting for his time. 
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Navorro feeling like Frank Costanza from what I've been reading.

How the F do you embed on mobile.
 
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San Francisco 49ers fans aren't the only ones wondering what happened to their team this offseason. General managers, personnel directors and coaches around the NFL are wondering, too.

"I have never seen anything like this in the current era of football," one GM said.

Watching veterans Justin Smith and Patrick Willis walk away from the game was one thing. Having relative youngsters Anthony Davis and Chris Borland also retire was another.

"It's crazy," a personnel director marveled. "You just don't see a mass exodus like that."

Those weren't the only high-profile departures. Jim Harbaugh and most of his coaching staff are out. Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati left as free agents. The team even traded longtime punter Andy Lee. It's a lot to digest, but as the aftershocks from this offseason begin to subside, the footing beneath the 49ers isn't as tenuous as it has seemed. I count five reasons why a big drop-off should not await the 49ers in 2015.


1. The drop-off already happened

EDITOR'S PICKS

Torrey Smith is crucial if 49ers are to rebound
The former Ravens wide receiver teams up with Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis in hopes of invigorating a passing offense that has struggled the past two seasons, writes Jeffri Chadiha.
The 49ers averaged 12 victories per season in their first three years under Harbaugh. That impressive run isn't relevant as a reference point after the 49ers fell to 8-8 last season. Using my favorite metrics of expected points added (explained here), the 49ers' 2014 offense ranked 158th out of 288 offenses since 2006 (the 45th percentile). Their defense ranked 167th out of 288 defenses over the same period (42nd percentile). When oddsmakers recently set the 49ers' 2015 win total at 7.5, they were projecting very little change in the team's fortunes, despite the understandable consternation over a tumultuous offseason.

Willis and Davis did not factor much last season. Torrey Smith could be an upgrade over Crabtree. Talented second-year RB Carlos Hyde is stepping in for Gore. NaVorro Bowman is returning.

2. There is precedent for overcoming big defensive losses

Baltimore went through something similar after its 2012 Super Bowl season. That Ravens defense lost players who totaled 5,441 snaps, led by Cary Williams, Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard, Paul Kruger, Dannell Ellerbe and Ray Lewis. But the Ravens got better from a statistical standpoint the next season, improving from 13th to ninth in defensive expected points added.

The 49ers have lost players who combined for 4,107 snaps last season, counting Ray McDonald, who the team cut late last season. Like Lewis in 2012, Willis was not as dominant as he once was; slowed by foot trouble, he ranked 21st among inside linebackers last season in Pro Football Focus' grading. In 2014, the 49ers got only part-time work from talented young defenders Aldon Smith, Tank Carradine, Corey Lemonier, Jimmie Ward, Quinton Dial and Aaron Lynch. The Niners can reasonably expect much more from most of those players and others, including cornerback Dontae Johnson.

We cannot know whether the 49ers' young replacements will play well enough for the defense to improve upon its No. 14 ranking in defensive EPA. We do know the Ravens overcame similar challenges not long ago, and there's a lot of young talent on that side of the ball for the Niners.

3. Kaepernick could be in a better situation


Colin Kaepernick, shown here with QB coach Steve Logan, could benefit from a new coaching staff in 2015. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
QB Colin Kaepernick spent extra time this offseason working on fundamentals. It was needed work. Coaches familiar with the 49ers said they thought Kaepernick's fundamentals suffered last season, as if the quarterback, with a new contract in hand, lost sight of what had made him a rising star. There was some thought that Harbaugh, though well-intentioned, unwittingly enabled Kaepernick as the quarterback's unwavering supporter.

Whatever the case, Kaepernick is not the first young player to stumble after enjoying success initially. He previously made game-changing plays to get San Francisco to a Super Bowl. The 49ers need last season to serve as a wake-up call. They need a more disciplined Kaepernick.

"When they got behind and Kaepernick had to read defenses, he had his struggles," a personnel director said.

Indeed, Kaepernick ranked 14th out of 16 qualifying quarterbacks in Total QBR (42.8) when trailing by more than one score. Only rookies Derek Carr and Blake Bortles ranked lower in those situations.

4. There's a good plan in place at running back

Teams usually cannot go wrong moving on from 30-year-old running backs, but Gore defied age in his final season with the 49ers.

"He was the engine that drove that team," a personnel director said. "I do not know if he is still special, but he was the heart and soul of that team. Of all the guys they lost, he is the guy they will miss the most."

But in Hyde, the 49ers have a 23-year-old alternative. Kendall Hunter is also healthy again; he has looked good running with the ball in practice. Reggie Bush's addition provides further insurance and another dimension.

"Everyone in the league thinks Hyde is a good player," an offensive assistant coach said.

5. Organizational dysfunction should not be an issue

Plenty of questions remain about where this organization is headed over the long term. For now, though, the 49ers can move past the dysfunction that made headlines throughout last season, culminating in Harbaugh's departure.

"Last year was such a dysfunctional year for the whole organization," an opposing coordinator said. "But Kaepernick has taken them to the Super Bowl. Eric Mangini has done a good job with defenses in the past. Hyde is a good back. They have a chance to still be really hard to beat."
 
I'm in mobile and don't know how to embed but a good short video with QB Coach Logan



I agree... Let's get this rockin!!!
 
Steve Logan is my favorite coach on Tomsula's new staff. Dude has a really bright football mind.
 
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