A Season that Began with High Hopes Looks to be Ending in Disappointment
During this offseason the two words that will be uttered the most around the 49ers clubhouse and throughout the city of San Francisco will be "What if". What if Brett Favre didn't throw that miracle last-second touchdown in Week 3? What if Alex Smith doesn't throw that ill-advised pass on the final drive against the Texans that was intercepted to end it? What if he didn't throw the two picks in the 4th quarter against Tennessee? What if the Niners found a way to hang on to that 4th quarter lead in Indianapolis? What if the defense found a way to stop the Packers in the final 5:30 in Lambeau and give the offense the ball back? Would they have been able to complete that 20 point comeback if they got that stop? What if Vernon Davis catches that touchdown pass late in last week's Seattle game and the Niners don't settle for a game-tying field goal? What if the Niners came into Monday night's matchup against the Cardinals with a chance to grab first place?
Unfortunately there are no answers to these questions and the "What ifs" will have to remain just that. It will be a tough offseason for this young team, a team that has yet to have the taste of playoff football. Barring some sort of miracle, the Niners will have to wait another year for that opportunity. Taking out their blowout loss to Atlanta, San Francisco lost their other 6 games by a total of 26 points. The 49ers were within one score in all six of those losses. It's simple...the 49ers just find ways to lose.
What's even more frustrating is that Mike Singletary preaches disciplined, tough football to this team. And then they play it for 45 minutes before folding when it matters most. Prime examples were the losses to Minnesota, Indianapolis and Tennessee. Or they'll come out totally flat and wake up sometime in the 2nd half when it's too late. This was the case in losses at Houston and Green Bay.
There might not be another team that can be as hot and cold in the course of one game. You'll see teams like Pittsburgh or Denver steamroll teams one week and then lose to awful teams the next. But how often do you see a team pull the Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde act during one game. This is what the offense does on a regular basis. And the defense certainly isn't the model of consistency. Good football teams find ways to overcome mistakes and make plays when there backs are against the wall. So if you put the pieces of the puzzle together...the Niners aren't a good football team, they just have the look of one at select, inconvenient times.
There is a lot of promise on this football team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Rookie Michael Crabtree missed training camp and the first five weeks of the regular season and has still played like a legitimate #1 wide receiver, catching 32 passes for 406 yards and a touchdown.. Wide receiver Josh Morgan is just in his second season and has played very well in this new spread offense and has been a great complement to Crabtree. These two young receivers could become one of the best tandems in the league in the future. Then there's Vernon Davis who has been the go-to receiver in this offense and maybe the best redzone tight end in the league this season. Davis leads the NFL with 10 TD receptions this season. He is a freak athlete, the most athletic of any tight end. No other tight end has his combination of strength (benches around 470 lbs), speed (ran a 4.38 at NFL combine) or his leaping ability (vertical jump of 42 inches). Gore is still just 26 years old and should be good for another 2 or 3 solid years, although he has dealt with numerous injuries over the past couple seasons.
The big decision in the offseason will be what to do with Alex Smith. The #1 overall pick in 2005 has been considered a bust until recently and after Week 4 it seemed certain that he would be gone after the season. He has surprised everyone with his play this year and there will be plenty of teams who could use him as a starter if the Niners don't hang on to him. Most likely Smith will remain a 49er, unless he tanks in the final four weeks of the season. I'm interested to see how he does under the bright spotlight on Monday Night. As well as Smith has played this year, he has still faded under pressure. As a 49er quarterback this isn't acceptable. This city is used to their leader rising to the occasion. Montana and Young were clutch performers. Smith is no Young or Montana, but he still has the potential to be better than he's been in big situations.
There is certainly plenty for this team to look back on and think about. And there's still a chance to make a mark this season with four more games on the schedule. The tough losses should serve as a learning experience for the team. After all, you have to experience failure before you can experience success. But for now they'll just have to stick with "What if?"
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