While I was writing up on the Mock Draft, a thought occurred to me. When looking at the 49ers situation, I noticed that they could draft a QB with their pick. Two things shocked me. For one, they had Colin Kapernick, so there isn't a need for a QB. Kapernick is a Playoff QB with great intangibles. Which leads me to my next thought: What happened? What happened? In 2011, the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh were looking to be the next dynasty in the NFL. And within years, the dynasty collapsed. And the only questioned that came to mind was, "How is this possible?" In order to understand why this power of a team failed, we need to look at every team from the start of the century. Let's start with the beginning of the era. NO No! Not 2010, let's go back even further.
1997-2002: THE STEVE MARIUCCI ERA
This era was considered the post Glory Days. Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Steve Young won countless Super Bowls and went through multiple playoff appearances. One of the greatest era's ever had been preceded by legendary Head Coach Bill Walsh and George Seifert, and it was up to first year head coach Steve Mariucci to keep the legacy going. The 1997 season was a good start, as the 49ers had a 13-3 year, the best in the NFC. But they couldn't succeed in the postseason, losing in the NFC Championship to the Packers. The Packers were considered a roadblock for the 49ers, as the young Brett Farve and Heisman winner Desmond Howard were too much for them, beating them in a muddy 23-10 game. The 1998 season had potential too, as Jerry Rice returned from a knee injury, and it also had young stud Terrell Owens. In the postseason, they finally beat the Packers on a game winning drive by Steve Young. However, the 49ers lost to the Falcons in the Divisional Round, which happened to be the last game of Steve Young's career. The effects showed, as the 49ers had back to back +10 losses. Although a young Jeff Garcia tried to bring the 49ers to the national pinnacle of success (12-4, 10-6 records), he couldn't lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl, let alone beat the Packers in the playoffs. After the 2002 season, Steve Mariucci was fired after miscommunication with management.
2002-2010: DARK TIMES BY THE BAY
Yikes. Here is where the bad times come into play. Similar to the "Decade of Sadness" of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, the 49ers went into sub-par performances. In this time period, the 49ers didn't go over .500 in any season. Thus, you can already tell they didn't make the playoffs. In 2003, Dennis Erickson was hired to help take the next step for the 49ers to win the Super Bowl. He had previously been a Head Coach at Miami, garnering two National Titles and Top 3 rankings every year (exception:1993). In two years, he recorded a 9-23 record. He was fired after the 2004 season. In addition, studs Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens left the team. In 2005, change was supposed to occur. After placing the worst record in the NFL, the 49ers had the Number 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. What perfect timing. Now the 49ers could select a QB, since its the biggest priority. The Question was, which Quarterback do you take? There were two noticeable prospects, Aaron Rodgers from Cal, and Alex Smith from Utah. Mike Nolan selected Smith, believing that he could co-exist with him better than Rodgers, and that there were concerns for Rodgers considering the fact he was not recruited during high school.
After the selection, Rodgers slipped to 24th to the Packers, and being the apparent heir to Brett Farve, Aaron Rodgers has had a successful career, winning a Super Bowl and two League MVP's. On the other hand, Alex Smith had a steep learning curve. His first year for him and the 49ers in General had one of the worst seasons in NFL history. Although they were 4-12, and didn't even have the worst record in the NFL, they had the worst statistical season recorded by Football Outsiders. Two more years of struggle and the 49ers parted ways with Mike Nolan. They tried to put 10x Pro-Bowler Mike Singletary as a Head Coach, but he couldn't succeed either, but then, came hope..
2010: THE BEGINNING OF THE REVIVAL
The 2010 season began real change for the 49ers organization. Not within the season, but in the drafts. Over the years, the 49ers drafted core talent they would use in their run. From 2006-11, the main core of the team came from the draft, and Undrafted Free Agency:
2006- Vernon Davis (1-6), Donte Whitner (1-8), Delanie Walker (6-175)
2007- Patrick Willis (1-11), Joe Staley (1-28), Ray McDonald (3-97), Dashon Goldson (4-126), Tarell Brown (5-147)
2008- Tavares Gooden (3-71)
2009- Michael Crabtree (1-10), Ricky Jean Francois (7-244)
2010- Anthony Davis (1-11), Mike Iupati (1-17), Navarro Bowman (3-91), Perrish Cox (5-137), Anthony Dixon (6-173)
2011- Aldon Smith (1-7), Colin Kaepernick (2-36), Daniel Kilgore (5-163), Chris Culliver (3-80),
Alex Boone (2009), Ian Williams (2011), and Ricardo Lockette (2011) were undrafted free agents.
Singletary did a great job of drafting and picking up good players, but he could never gameplan to win games. Mike Singletary was completing his second year as head coach. He finished with a 5-10 record, and after losing to the St. Louis Rams 25-17, he was fired. While he couldn't coach a team to get regular season wins, the one thing that he did well was draft, and he drafted good players. Which set up the success for the next head coach..
2011: RE-DOMINATION (Harbaugh I)
January 7th, 2011, a day remembered in the minds of every 49er analyst, fan, etc. Jim Harbaugh is hired as the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers. A great coach with an even better pedigree. He was and still is, one of the best coaches out there. In 2011, he was able to utilize his drafted players and make them effective. He went 13-3, and led his team all the way to the NFC Championship Game. The game vs the NY Giants is to be remembered as a classic. In a great defensive game from both sides, the 49ers defense carried the offense throughout the game. At one point, the 49ers couldn't convert a 1st down for the first three quarters. With the score tied up at 17, the game was heading into overtime. In the first drive of the game, the 49ers made an excellent stop. But when Steve Weatherford punted the ball, he punted to Kyle Williams, who filled in Special Teams Duties for an injured Ted Ginn Jr. Knowing he had 2 fumbles (one of which he dove for instead of leaving the ball), and putting him in to receive the punt, is one of the worst calls in NFL Playoff history. It's a close second to the Seahawks passing the ball fiasco. As expected, Kyle Williams cracked under pressure and fumbled again. One 31 yard field goal later, and San Francisco is heartbreak city.
Nevertheless, this season, being the first of four for Harbaugh, was a complete success. Alex Smith had his best year in a 49er uniform. He threw for over 3000 yards, 17 TD's and only 5 INT's. Frank Gore had another 1000 yard rushing season, and Michael Crabtree had the most receiving yards in his first three years. And better yet, the best for the team was yet to come..
2012: GLORY DAYS IN THE BAY
The 2012 season was the best season the 49ers had in this millennial. All the talent collected together and was used for good purpose. The team collectively finished 11-4-1, good enough for a #2 seed in the playoffs. However, the regular season best remembered was Week 10 of the regular season, in which Alex Smith had gotten injured and was replaced by Colin Kaepernick. This wasn't the first time he got some playing time, as he filled in for Smith against the Jets, a game I fondly remember as a 49er whooping. This time, he was put in a game time situation, being the only QB available. He tied the game vs the Rams, but won the next two games. And because of this, Harbaugh ruled Kaepernick the starter for the rest of the season/postseason. He finished 5-2 as a starter.
---In the divisional round, he will be remembered for what is considered as the best sports playoff performance in this decade. In his first career playoff game, 25-year-old 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns, setting both the NFL single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback as well as the 49ers postseason record for rushing, regardless of position. He also passed for 263 yards and two scores, leading the 49ers to a 45-31 win.
---Next week, the 49ers faced the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game. The Falcons were riding the NFC's best record, and leading by the forces of Tony Gonzalez, Julio Jones, and Matt Ryan, the Falcons had their best offense yet. The first half was controlled by the Falcons, leading 24-14 from a Tony G TD at half. The 49ers then scored 14 unanswered points, and with a Frank Gore rushing TD, the 49ers led 28-24 with 5 minutes left to go in the game. Matt Ryan drove the offense down the field all the way to the 49ers 15 yard line. If the defense were to step up, now would be the time.
1st and 10 at the SF 16. Matt Ryan hands off to Jacquizz Rodgers, where he only gains 1 yard.
2nd and 9, SF 15. Matt Ryan drops back and throws it to Jason Snelling on an Angle route, and before he can gain any more yards, he is stopped by NaVarro Bowman and Patrick WIllis.
3rd and 4. SF 10. Matt Ryan is in a Shotgun Set. He hikes and rolls out only to have his pass batted down by Ahmad Brooks.
4th and 4. Matt Ryan in shotgun set. This the moment where champions and legends were made. And Ahmad Brooks cemented his status as an elite defender, making one of the best plays of the 49er season. Stopping a pass meant for Roddy White, it locked up the 49ers win and led them to the Super Bowl.
---SUPER BOWL 47: Ravens vs. 49ers, or better known as the Blackout Bowl. The Ravens, who were led by longtime veterans Ed Reed and Ray Lewis (from The U), who were riding on their last years. They came motivated after wins against the Colts, Broncos, and Patriots, and wanted to come out the gates strong. It looked that way at the start, as they led 7-3 at the end of the first quarter. The 49ers were hurt by an abomination of a first half performance, and were down 21-6 at the half. It only got worse at the start of the second half.
Jacoby Jones - who already had a 56 yard TD catch - decided to return the ball from deep in the endzone. It paid off, as he had a 109 yard kickoff return for a TD, the longest kickoff return in Super Bowl history. 28-6. Game over. The hopes for the 49ers to win wasn't looking bright at all (see what I did there?). Then all of a sudden..
Blackout.
The lights turn off on what already was already an ugly game, and could have turned worse. Play was stopped for 34 minutes, as the power had been out throughout this time. Emergency lights powered the stadium. When the power came back, the game resumed. It's questioned whether it was an act of god, a coincidence, or great timing, but when play resumed, the 49ers got back into this game, and were fighting back.
As play resumed, both teams traded punts. Kaepernick drove 80 yards and a Michael Crabtree TD Catch made things interesting again. After a 32 yard punt return by Ted GInn Jr, Frank Gore punched the ball in for a TD, making the score 28-20. After a few drives and points by both teams, the score was 34-29, the Ravens leading with 4 minutes left in regulation. Kaepernick drives the team down the field, leading them all the way to the Ravens 7 yard line. After a 2 yard run and two straight incompletions, the 49ers were facing a 4th down at the 5 yard line. As Kaepernick dropped back, he lobbed up a ball for Michael Crabtree, hoping he would somehow go and get the ball and get a TD. Jimmy Smith, who had been covering Crabtree all game, got in his way so that Crabtree couldn't go to where the ball was and catch it. Many people have debated the questioning of a holding call, as Skip Bayless from First Take infamously stated "The 49ers were robbed of the Super Bowl." While it may have appeared that Smith held Crabtree, the call was incomplete. This "took away our energy from the game" as stated by OG Aaron Boone. The 49ers lost the game, and their season ended on the lowest of notes.
2013: THE "TIPPING" POINT
In the beginning of the 2013 NFL Season, many analysts believed that the San Francisco 49ers were a step away from glory. They have achieved elite status, and were regarded as one of the best teams in the NFL, if not the best. However, after losing the Super Bowl, they had something to prove. After coming so close to the Lombardi Trophy, they worked at nothing to go back to the big stage. The teams mentality in a way, was "Championship or Bust." Their regular season proved they were good, but questions arose about their ability to win the Super Bowl, since they relied off a wild card berth, couldn't clinch the division, and were the 5th seed coming into the field. In the Wild Card game, the 49ers defeated the Packers for the fourth straight time on a game winning field goal with no time left, and in the Divisional Round, the 49ers went into Carolina and defeated the Panthers 23-10. The NFC Championship matchup was set. Seahawks vs 49ers. January 19. CenturyLink Field. This was the opportunity for the 49ers to prove all of the naysayers wrong, to prove to America and everyone in the world that they are still an elite team. This was another great game to watch. A solid but unimpressive first half meant the 49ers led 10-3 at half. But the Seahawks, resilient as they always are, got back into the game, and led 20-17 in the 4th quarter. Colin Kaepernick tried to rally them back but after two turnovers it wasn't so clear the 49ers would win this game. They had one final drive in which the 49ers drove all the way into the Seahawks territory. But Kaepernick attempted a Fade Route Lob to Crabtree thinking he won win the positional matchup. But Sherman, who for the most part, had locked up Crabtree for only 52 yards, tipped the ball up in the air and Malcolm Smith caught the pick, ending the 49ers season, and spelling doom for the 49ers team, in which their break up which was soon to come. But afterwards, Richard Sherman made headlines after his controversial post-game interview..
2014: DOWNFALL
The 2014 season, or the season to be known as the beginning of the end. Throughout the off-season, most of the team was distorted about not winning a Super Bowl, that the team chemistry started to change. It affected the internal core of the team, and it's management, and in the off-season, people left. Most of the starting secondary in Donte Whitner and Tarell Brown left for new teams, and Mario Manningham left to rejoin the Giants. New signings Antoine Beathea and Chris Cook proved to be beneficial, but they haven't proved to be effective on this team. The magic that this team used to have was gone. The team was poised to make another run, starting off 7-4. But the team crumbled, losing the last 5 out of 6, including a game vs. the 4-12 Oakland Raiders, and a game vs. defending champions Seattle Seahawks, which eliminated them out of playoff contention Ultimately after an 8-8 season, there were too many leaks for Jim Harbaugh, so he got off the ship entirely and went back to coach to his Alma mater at the university of Michigan. It's truly upsetting to see dynasties tumble, but the way this dynasty collapsed was way different than other ones.
2015: THE END OF THE DYNASTY
The iconic end for the 49ers didn't occur when Harbaugh left the team, but events that happened afterwards. Everyone who were core members of the 49ers Harbaugh team had left. Patrick Willis, the heart and soul of the team, retired on March 10th. Aldon Smith, a defensive stud, left on August 7, and was later signed to the Oakland Raiders. Other key players like Chris Boreland, Vernon Davis, and Anthony Davis, left the team as well. When the start of the season came, it was too late. The team went 5-11, their worst record since the 2007 season.
Now that I am typing this up, and looking back at the great 49ers legacy of the 1980's and 90's, I look at what could have been another great dynasty come to a close. When I look at this great era the 49ers had with Jim Harbaugh, and a near Super Bowl win, I ask one question:
What happened?
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