The San Francisco 49ers appeared destined to win a championship. When the team hired John Harbaugh in 2011, the franchise was mired in a streak of eight consecutive losing seasons. The arrival of Harbaugh was an immediate turning point, with the 49ers reaching three consecutive NFC Championship Game, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2012.
Over Harbaugh’s first three seasons, San Francisco amassed a 36-11-1 record and a pair of NFC West titles, all with a roster that included Aldon Smith, Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Justin Smith, Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati and Joe Staley.
Incredibly, the team fell apart quicker than it rose to prominence. San Francisco slid to an 8-8 record in 2014 with the backdrop of Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke not seeing eye-to-eye. After the season, the sides parting company, and since, San Francisco has endured a 7-25 stretch under Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly. Of those aforementioned stars dotting the roster, only Bowman remains.
Now, Kyle Shanahan takes the reigns.
Shanahan, 37, comes from the Atlanta Falcons after helping them to a Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator. He leaves behind a top-ranked unit that had Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and a quality line. He won’t find anything close to that by the Bay.
Brian Hoyer will be the bridge quarterback for the 49ers, as the team begins its long climb back toward respectability. San Francisco could do worse than Hoyer, who throughout his career has been better than most give him credit for. Despite playing for a punchless Chicago Bears team last year, Hoyer posted 1,445 yards and six touchdowns against zero interceptions with a 67 percent completion rate in five games. In the four full games that he played in Chicago before being hurt, he posted 300-yard showings in each.
Still, Hoyer has been a journeyman for a reason. He struggles mightily with pressure and has a lengthy injury history. A best-case scenario from Hoyer would be a full season and production on par with Trevor Siemian. If San Francisco can’t hold up in front of him, we will see plenty of Matt Barkley and perhaps rookie C.J. Beathard, who has impressed in the preseason.
Regardless of the quarterback under center, the weapons around him are underwhelming. The receiving core has Pierre Garcon and little else. Jeremy Kerley led the team last year with a paltry 667 yards, and beyond Garcon, there is scant hope this group improves. Marquise Goodwin was signed away from the Buffalo Bills, and while Goodwin has legitimate track star speed, his route tree is quite limited.
Ultimately, Carlos Hyde is the focal point of the attack, a fourth-year back who rushed for 988 yards on 4.6 yards per carry a year ago. While Hyde is a legitimate sleeper to break out this season, he won’t be near enough for the Niners’ offense to scare anybody.
If a San Franciscan is looking for hope, it’s on the other side of the ball. The front seven is loaded with young talent, ranging from DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster to Arik Armstead, Aaron Lynch and NaVorro Bowman. The secondary does not have near the ability, with Rashard Robinson slated as the 49ers’ top corner. Robinson, a second-year man out of LSU, has raw skills and plenty to learn.
Defensively, the only player over the 30-year-old threshold projected to start is outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Beyond him, the 49ers are going with a youth movement predicated on speed and athleticism at all three levels, much like the Falcons have done under Dan Quinn.
Shanahan won’t perform any miracles this season. The 49ers will be lucky to win more than four games, and are likely ticketed for the basement of the NFC West. Then, they will have another round of high draft choices, perhaps using their first-rounder to land a franchise quarterback.
Darkness has been enveloping Levi’s Stadium, but light is beginning to shine through.