Where To Start- 11/18/99
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The 49ers are in such disarray that when analyzing the team, one hardly knows where to start. The Quarterback position for example. Steve Young is concussed, out probably forever, Jeff Garcia is on the decline, Steve Stenstrom started the decline before he ever peaked and the 49ers don't want to sit still. In steps Jeff Hostetler? Not likely, especially not this season. Bill Walsh is smart enough to know that even if Hostetler can come back and contribute, it will be too little too late and the 49ers would be better of with a higher draft pick. That leaves the 49ers searching for someone, either by trade, free agency or the draft. What will most likely happen is that the 49ers will sign an old veteran, to keep the team going for a year or two, giving the 49ers time to develop a rookie, that was the plan with Ty Detmer - anyone missing him now?
Then there is the offensive line, without whom we would have nobody to blame for not keeping Steve Young healthy. When it comes to protecting the quarterback, there is no line quite like the 49ers, and believe me, that is not a good thing. While the protection is there some of the time, it is not there nearly enough of the time, and thus 49ers quarterbacks are under constant pressure. No wonder The Big Three are having such an off years. Ok enough offense, how about the defense. Well let’s see the obvious problem is that the carousel of cornerbacks just isn't fun. Nobody likes the roller coaster the 49ers are experiencing in the defensive backfield, but seriously who could blame them, there is nothing else left to do. The 49ers could sure have used Fernando Bryant from this years draft. The defensive line is bad, so bad in fact that if it were playing against the 49ers offensive line, even it could hit the quarterback. The good news here is that the 49ers do have a solid foundation with Jr. Bryant and Bryant Young, Chike Okeafor looks promising, but Gabe Wilkins and Charles Haley look way better on the bench. The problems the 49ers are facing are surely due to the salary cap and a lack of planning for the future. The good news is that the 49ers have a solid core of young players, who will one day be great players. The bad news is that these youngsters are not ready to step up just yet. In the past one reason why the 49ers were so strong was that all the players were competing against the elite in practice, therefore they had to push themselves extra hard. Too bad the 49ers let the elite slip through their fingers, now the rebuilding process begins. |
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