As the NFL offseason
is in full swing, it’s a perfect opportunity to evaluate where each team was in
2017, and where they plan to go in the New Year. Let’s begin the review of
the San Francisco 49ers.
2017 Season Recap:
After a horrendous 2016 season that saw the 49ers find their way to a
2-14 record, the ownership decided enough was enough and remade the front
office starting from scratch again. Knowing they required a big name to bring
the home town fans back to the stadium, San Francisco hired former Atlanta
Falcons offensive coordinator and offensive genius Kyle Shanahan to take over
as the head coach. Adding to that transaction, the 49ers placed former player
John Lynch to take over as general manager for the club. While most praised the
Shanahan move, some were left scratching their heads regarding the hire of John
Lynch who was an inexperienced for the position and tasked with the difficult
job of an entire rebuild. In some NFL circles nowadays, teams are providing the
coach with complete autonomy while placing a figurehead in the front office to
handle the media relations, while most moves would go through the coach as he
would act as the engineer to build the organization. In the 49ers case, it
seems Shanahan would have more pull to who he wants on the roster.
The expectations were extremely low for the first year of tenure for
coach Shanahan as he inherited a roster that saw a mass-exodus when former
coach Jim Harbaugh chose to move on to the college ranks. Having no viable
option at quarterback and a receiving core that was average at best (though
trending upward), the season was set up for disaster right from the start. With
veterans Carlos Hyde and Pierre Garcon seemingly being the only players with
standout ability, the rest of the offense was filled with depth players from
other programs. As the season began, the 49ers found themselves dropping their
first nine games of the season, proving this team was in crash and burn mode and
chasing the number one overall selection in the 2018 NFL draft. In that losing
process, coach Shanahan chose to see what he had in his youngster C.J Beathard,
rather than to continue with Brian Hoyer as his starting quarterback. Much to
the same results, Beathard was able to produce just one victory for the 49ers
in the five games he started.
While the 2017 season was a complete wash, San Fran was able to make
waves with a gigantic move in trading for former Patriots backup – Jimmy Garoppolo.
Sending the Patriots their original second round selection in the upcoming
draft, on paper it already seemed as though the 49ers had stolen the young pivot
for pennies on the dollar. While Jimmy found his way to the bay area, coach Shanahan
chose to sit him for the first four weeks (he was on the roster), to get better
acclimated to the playbook. After a week 12 loss to the Seahawks, Shanahan
obviously saw enough from C.J Beathard and decided to unleash Garoppolo starting
his tenure with the club. While San Fran was somewhat competitive in contests
of equal rosters, Jimmy brought a flash and experience to the team that was welcomed
with much enthusiasm. Jimmy G took the role and never looked back elevating the
play of all which surrounded him. The 49ers wouldn’t lose another game in the
2017 season once Garoppolo took over - winning five of their last five games
ending the season on a high note. Understanding that Jimmy looked the part of a
franchise quarterback, Shanahan and Lynch began licking their chops as to what
they would be able to add around him for the following season.
2018 Offseason
Workbook:
Offseason Review:
Once Jimmy took over
the reins as lead dog behind center, it was clear the 49ers had their man and
would begin the planning process for the offseason. Offensively, the 49ers weren’t
as bad as their record indicated, finishing the year ranked fairly high in two
categories – Total yards and passing yards. Finishing the year ranked 12th
in total yards (349.2 YPG) and 9th in passing yards (245.3 YPG) gave
a clear insight that Garoppolo inflated those statistics in the five games he
played. Realistically, this offense does need a lot of work to garner any fear
from the opposition. Carlos Hyde has been the main stay on this team the last
four seasons though never hitting the 1000 yard mark in his career. Injuries
have been a common thread in his time in San Francisco where he’s lost 14 games
to aliments, but found a way to stay healthy for the entirety of the 2017
season. Offensive line help is drastically needed as well, as the 49ers gave up
a whopping 43 sacks to their quarterbacks over the course of the season. With
the injury to Pierre Garcon, a surprise player came out of the woodwork to take
over the reins and prove he was more than a simple track star speedster. Former
Buffalo Bills receiver Marquise Goodwin showed flash and skill especially when
Jimmy was throwing him the ball. The concern with Goodwin is also his frequent
trips to the medical room which was the reason his time in Buffalo was cut short.
If he can stay on the field and produce much like he did at the latter points
of the year, he could be a difference maker for this team for many years to
come.
Defensively, this
49ers team has some workable pieces that could help build a solid foundation
which could turn into a much better unit. Ranking 22nd or below in
all statistical categories leaves much to be desired. The 49ers defense houses
talent with prime youth in - DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, and Reuben
Foster. Unfortunately the offseason got off on the wrong foot with Reuben
Foster as a multitude of run-ins with law enforcement officials could be the beginning
of derailing his young career. His first encounter saw him arrested for
possession of marijuana which would undoubtedly get him a call from the commissioner’s
office for future disciplinary actions. The second of such situations saw
Foster arrested again, this time related to domestic violence and a weapons
charge. The offseason of horror was only getting started, as Foster again found
himself in hot water, this time being accused of another domestic violence
situation against his girlfriend. Regardless of how these situations turn out,
Foster is proving to be unreliable and somewhat of a loose cannon and should
see NFL discipline come his way while placing another hole on this defense for
the 49er brain trust to figure out.
This team could
literally go in any direction in 2018 as they begin the rebuild of this once
proud franchise. Having Jimmy Garoppolo pegged as the savior already, starting
with the offensive and defensive lines will provide a much needed face lift to
the overall outlook of this team. While Shanahan is the offensive mastermind,
ADF fully expects San Fran to attack the offensive build much more than the
defense, like we witnessed in his days in Atlanta. Amidst all the excitement for
Jimmy Garoppolo, there is a great possibility that this situation could have
large hiccups along the way. While he’s played in 23 contests in his four year
career, Garoppolo has seven starts in the NFL to which not much tape exists on
the young pivot showing his weaknesses. NFL defensive coordinators are
masterful in exposing player’s inadequacies which could definitely happen in
Jimmy’s case. Not anointing Jimmy the next coming just yet, ADF would like to
witness more on field production with consistency and sustainment. We aren’t arguing
the talent he possesses and the tutelage he will receive under Shanahan, but
the commitment the 49ers have invested in him already (137.5 million), it has
the potential to go sideways leaving the 49ers in a massive hole yet again.
Rostered Free Agents:
With recent moves, the
49ers have already accomplished (Garoppolo, & Sherman signings), San Fran
still houses a healthy 64 million dollars in cap space to continue to build
this team. Making Jimmy the highest paid quarterback in the NFL came at a cost
of 137.5 million over 5 years, while former Seattle Seahawks standout defensive
back - Richard Sherman received a contract that will pay him 27 million over
the next 3 years. San Francisco currently has a listing of 15 free agents that
are vying for contracts to return to the club. Most notable names that could
gain consideration are; Carlos Hyde, Elvis Dumervil, and Eric Reid. The 49er
brass has already hinted that these three players would find their way to the
open market as over paying talent from previous regimes isn’t something they
are prepared to do. The remaining list of potential free agents should act as
more depth pieces if they chose to retain their rights.
Always looking for an opportunity
to shed contracts that may be overvalued, the 49ers have options to increase an
already large amount of room on the books. Safety Jimmy Ward is a decent talent
that has played fairly well for the 49ers but currently holds a contract of 8.5
million for the 2018 season. Cutting bait with Ward would give San Fran more money
but leaving them a decent hole to fill. Ward likely finds himself as a member of
the team this season, but his future would be in doubt with that number.
Upgrading the offensive line is a glaring need, and releasing journeymen guard
Zane Beadles would create an additional 3.5 million on the books. Outside of
that, the current contracts seem favorable for the 49ers to build and move on
as they chose. With rumors of interest in the top end talent of the receiver
market, we should see the 49ers add quality players to help Garoppolo develop
further.
NFL Draft:
Entering the 2018
draft the 49ers have nine selections on their board to start the rebuilding
process. Having extra picks in the 3rd and 7th round
while entertaining top 10 picks based on their season standings, the 49ers a
poised to gain top tier talent from this draft class. Again as mentioned, with
not having to deal with finding a franchise quarterback, San Fran has just
lifted themselves into a superior situation compared to other teams with that
very need. While the 49ers could move in any direction taking literally the best
players off the board with every pick, ADF wouldn’t be surprised to see Lynch
trade down to acquire more selections to fill the many needs on the roster.
Holding the 9th overall selection in the first round, their phone
should be ringing off the hook for teams wanting to move up and steal a potential
quarterback off the board. San Fran is definitely in a position of power as
they could dictate their terms and fleece other teams in giving up their draft
board and watching the 49ers reap the benefits.
Overall for 2018:
As the 49er faithful
have been patiently waiting for the return to glory, this will be the defining
year to add credence to that argument. In locking up Garoppolo for the next 5
years, it’s a clear path in the right direction even though it still comes with
a monster risk. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will this San Francisco
team, so tempering the expectations would be sensible. The potential to add creditable
pieces to this offense is right in front of their nose and we fully suspect
general manager John Lynch to attack. As teams cut players with large contracts
and the free agent pool about to open, we could be saying the word “WOW” more
often with reference to the 49ers.
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