Is the 49er Championship Window Closing?

Originally posted by Oscar:
I think there's negativity and then there's realism. A 5-year window is a long time to be consistently vying for a championship. Usually when windows are open that long there is a wonderful Head Coach/QB relationship where each is coaching/playing at an elite level. Belichick/Brady, Manning/Coughlin, Bress/Payton, Manning/Dungy, McNabb/Reid - and we simply don't have that. We relied on our defense to win games and while we certainly loaded up on some pieces offensively, we do not have a Stafford/Megatron kind of pairing on offense. We do on defense. So what happens when one part of the pair of the duo begins to decline? Well, the strength of the team does as well.

I WANT the 49ers to have a 10-year window. I want Alex Smith to win a ring. I want Harbaugh to be the new Belichick. I want the 49ers to be the first team to go three years in a row with the Lombardi trophy. But to think that it's likely, or that our window will be open that long, well, probability says otherwise. I really do hope it's open for 5-10 years. But reality says that this is year two of three. And honestly I don't know if we are ever going to get as easy of a road as we did in this year's playoffs (home field).

But hey, that's why we're fans, right? We want the team to win and I will celebrate those wins and scream from the rooftops. I just don't have to think the team will be successful for 5 because it was successful for 1.

Depressing way to look at it, but everyone's entitled to their opinions. Hope the Niners surprise you and get you back to the path of belief.

I'm pretty sure our window has closed. Time to rebuild. It will be just like 2003 thru 2011 all over again.

Originally posted by Oakland-Niner:
I'm pretty sure our window has closed. Time to rebuild. It will be just like 2003 thru 2011 all over again.

You are either a sadist, a masochist or both! LOL!

our window just opened up last year but harbaugh and baalke just took a sledgehammer to the whole wall this offseason and gave us an even bigger window now with our revamped offense. i think this team is good for atleast a solid 2 or 3 year consistent run and depending on how harbs and cousin balkie can keep this team fresh we should be good for a very long time

As long as we have Harbaugh our window is wide open.

We've just started...the window isn't closing.

It may be closing for certain players but that's bout it

The door just opened

Only closing for Gore, maybe Justin Smith, obviously Randy Moss.

Everyone else is pretty young.

Hasn't even opened.

Oscar, no offense, but I don't think you are thinking big enough. 4 SBs in next 6-8 yrs is very much within our reach. Why?

We have a great team, just missed winning it all by a guy substituting for our #1 PR. Our D and ST are primed to play better this yr than last due to familiarity with one another, and 2ndly, because of incr familiarity with Coach H's playbook. Look for both to be better.(Really)

Somehow, the FO came together, and i would have to thank Jed , in part, for that. We are keeping player-value/$$ at a maximum, which is the cornerstone of building a machine that cranks out Ws and SBs, one yr after another.

GM-HC in a very few short space of time have displayed a talent for renewing the Value/$$ model so that we already are bringing on more p52s, Justins, not to mention WRs, RBs, DLs, OLs, DBs, LBs, and Qbs. Man, Oscar, we have an incredible team, maximally coached up in a few short months, with wise replacement draft picks ....and this is only JHs and TBs first yr together. They aren't just putting together a team, they are laying the groundwork for a dynasty.

The COY and GM of the yr awards were not given to a pair of putzes. What amazes is that Coach H is now one of the top 2 or 3 coaches in the league, and our GM is similarly gifted. No, Oscar, these guys are not just going to win the SB this yr, they are laying groundwork for a long time. Justin will one day give out, p52 the same. But for the first time since coach Walsh, i feel comfortable that these guys are doing the winning thing for the long term, not just this yr.

no

I think the only way you could look at that is Gore. But Gore is somewhat replaced for the future by LaMicael James and Kendall Hunter. So I think his loss is a tad bit overstated. Justin Smith I think we need to worry about more. Him getting older or retiring could change the character of this defense enormously. A top teir young guy on the defensive line would make this team at the top for say 5 more years. Most of the other key positions are young or peak career. Not really at the end.

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by Oscar:
I think there's negativity and then there's realism. A 5-year window is a long time to be consistently vying for a championship. Usually when windows are open that long there is a wonderful Head Coach/QB relationship where each is coaching/playing at an elite level. Belichick/Brady, Manning/Coughlin, Bress/Payton, Manning/Dungy, McNabb/Reid - and we simply don't have that. We relied on our defense to win games and while we certainly loaded up on some pieces offensively, we do not have a Stafford/Megatron kind of pairing on offense. We do on defense. So what happens when one part of the pair of the duo begins to decline? Well, the strength of the team does as well.

I WANT the 49ers to have a 10-year window. I want Alex Smith to win a ring. I want Harbaugh to be the new Belichick. I want the 49ers to be the first team to go three years in a row with the Lombardi trophy. But to think that it's likely, or that our window will be open that long, well, probability says otherwise. I really do hope it's open for 5-10 years. But reality says that this is year two of three. And honestly I don't know if we are ever going to get as easy of a road as we did in this year's playoffs (home field).

But hey, that's why we're fans, right? We want the team to win and I will celebrate those wins and scream from the rooftops. I just don't have to think the team will be successful for 5 because it was successful for 1.

Depressing way to look at it, but everyone's entitled to their opinions. Hope the Niners surprise you and get you back to the path of belief.

No one else but Oscar could write that and the OP without getting attacked by all the Alex Smith faithfuls. This really should be a place where differing opinions could be voiced without getting ratpacked by everyone including some mods.

Originally posted by Ronnie49Lott:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by Oscar:
I think there's negativity and then there's realism. A 5-year window is a long time to be consistently vying for a championship. Usually when windows are open that long there is a wonderful Head Coach/QB relationship where each is coaching/playing at an elite level. Belichick/Brady, Manning/Coughlin, Bress/Payton, Manning/Dungy, McNabb/Reid - and we simply don't have that. We relied on our defense to win games and while we certainly loaded up on some pieces offensively, we do not have a Stafford/Megatron kind of pairing on offense. We do on defense. So what happens when one part of the pair of the duo begins to decline? Well, the strength of the team does as well.

I WANT the 49ers to have a 10-year window. I want Alex Smith to win a ring. I want Harbaugh to be the new Belichick. I want the 49ers to be the first team to go three years in a row with the Lombardi trophy. But to think that it's likely, or that our window will be open that long, well, probability says otherwise. I really do hope it's open for 5-10 years. But reality says that this is year two of three. And honestly I don't know if we are ever going to get as easy of a road as we did in this year's playoffs (home field).

But hey, that's why we're fans, right? We want the team to win and I will celebrate those wins and scream from the rooftops. I just don't have to think the team will be successful for 5 because it was successful for 1.

Depressing way to look at it, but everyone's entitled to their opinions. Hope the Niners surprise you and get you back to the path of belief.

No one else but Oscar could write that and the OP without getting attacked by all the Alex Smith faithfuls. This really should be a place where differing opinions could be voiced without getting ratpacked by everyone including some mods.

Not 100% on what you mean. Care to elaborate?