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2016-2017 San Francisco 49ers Team Preview
Key Additions: G Zane Beadles
Key Subtractions: WR Anquan Boldin, RB Reggie Bush, G Alex Boone
Strengths
Five-time Pro Bowl selection Joe Staley will still be the team’s starting blindside tackle, but he won’t be of much value to the O-line if the entire unit down in the trenches is filled with nobodies. Over on defense, four-time First Team All-Pro NaVorro Bowman regressed pretty badly from last season because of two things: he had to recover from a torn ACL and MCL from the previous season, and, like Staley, saw little to no help from his supporting crew in the front seven.
If you still believe that this Niners campaign will not be as terrible as it sounds right now, wait ’til you read the next section.
Weaknesses
Yeesh, where do we even begin? Can we just say “everything”?
First off, props to the team for nabbing a prolific (yet borderline maniacal) head coach in Chip Kelly. However, Kelly has already proven himself in previous seasons as a take-charge, no-nonsense tyrant who loves to run the no-huddle offense. Sadly, that’s not what the Niners are about at all. Plus, the roster is not even built to cater to Kelly’s style.
For one, (presumed) starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert lacks the arm and internal fortitude to turn the passing game into a viable downfield weapon (just watch this clip). Gabbert’s top target, Torrey Smith, had a miserable 2015 and is only a threat when his speed is maximized. But in Kelly’s fast-paced offense, crisp route-running is key, and Smith will only get worse at his position. And remember wideout and human highlight reel Anquan Boldin? Yup, he’s had it with this team and left in free agency.
Back on the other side of the ball, Kelly will be glad to take over a defense that already runs a 3-4 scheme, which he utterly failed to implement in Philly last season. Then again, which team in the league will actually be frightened of a stop unit consisting of an over-the-hill (and likely frustrated) Bowman and a few other average defenders like safety Eric Reid and linebacker Aaron Lynch?
To save the worst for last, the Niners are in complete dysfunction even from the management level. San Francisco fans are now calling for the head of CEO Jed York for building the shoddiest stadium in the NFL 50 miles away from San Fran itself, for failing to spend even a fraction of the team’s sizeable $48.9 million cap room in the offseason (just look at the Niners’ “Key Additions” segment above), and for just being an all-around douchebag.
Key Player – Carlos Hyde
Forget Chip Kelly for a moment, and let’s remember what the 49ers offense is all about: power running.
Running back Carlos Hyde got his sophomore season off on the right foot last year, rumbling for 168 yards and two TDs in a Week 1 win over the Minnesota Vikings. After that game, though, Hyde would never eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark and would only start six more games since before suffering a season-ending foot injury. The former Ohio State standout could have performed much better if it wasn’t for the Niners’ leaky O-line, and sadly, that unit appears to have even gotten weaker this season.
Hyde would need to almost literally put the entire San Francisco offense on his back this year given how little support he has at his disposal in the offense. We don’t even think that he’ll breach the 1,000-yard-rushing plateau at all this season, but at least he’ll be the most interesting player to keep an eye on (and only if ever you do happen to want to watch a Niners game at all this year).
Key Game – vs Los Angeles (September 12)
When even the oddsmakers predict that your team won’t win a single game this season, you’re pretty much cooked. So let’s just come to the hasty conclusion that the Monday Night Football matchup on opening week against the newly-relocated Los Angeles Rams will be as good as it gets for the 49ers.
This will be San Francisco’s first and best chance to give a little optimism for its downtrodden fan base that maybe, just maybe… a Week 1 win will provide the spark to the flame that will at least make the team remotely competitive week-in and week-out. It happened last year with the Vikings game that we mentioned earlier, and this time the Niners will square off against a division rival with nearly as much speculation surrounding its club.
And take it whichever way you want, but we get two of these inter-state showdowns every year now that the Rams are back in Cali. (Yay?)
2015 Team Stats:
| Category | Stat (Rank) |
|---|---|
| Points per game | 14.9 (#32) |
| Passing yards per game | 207.3 (#29) |
| Rushing Yards per game | 96.5 (#21) |
| Scoring Defense | 24.2 (#18) |
Writer’s Prediction
The 49ers, who are priced at a distant +2,000 to win the NFC West, do indeed finish at the bottom of the division. We also predict them to win no more than five games, which puts them under the 5.5 season-wins-total line.
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