Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has a lot to prove this season. The entire San Francisco 49ers team has a lot to prove. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have had three offseasons to overhaul the roster. Injuries devastated the 49ers during the last two seasons, but fans and the media are ready to see the duo start winning football games.
Among those with high expectations for the Shanahan-led squad is Brian Baldinger. The NFL Network analyst joined 95.7 The Game on Wednesday and said the excuses for losing are gone.
"This is the best team that has been around Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco," Baldinger told Damon Bruce. "I mean, they've got depth; they've built their offensive and defensive lines; they've got talent in the backfield; they've got an [Pro Bowl] tight end. There's plenty to work with. Plenty.
"I don't see any glaring weaknesses on this team. I mean, they've been just butchered by injuries the last two years, but that's meant a lot of other guys have played. So you're not looking at a great deal of inexperience anywhere on the roster.
"It's time to just put it together, stop turning the ball over, stop being as careless with it as any team in the league was last year, and start putting some confidence together with some early wins, and go compete for the division because its up for grabs as far as I can see."
Bruce adds that he too is running out of excuses for the 49ers under this current regime. He notes that there are five first-round picks along the defensive line. Team decision-makers worked hard this offseason to bolster the defense's struggling pass rush. They added veteran Dee Ford and rookie Nick Bosa to bookend the defensive line.
"It was tough getting to the quarterback last year and turning the ball over," Bruce added. "It better not be this year."
Shanahan and Lynch have amassed just 10 wins compared to 22 losses over the past two seasons. Baldinger knows a good season in 2019 can erase any frustrations a 10-22 record has created.
"It's just a clean slate," Baldinger said. "Go win 10 games and nobody will care about being 10-22 the first two years of your career. Go win 10 games this year, and go get yourself a Wildcard spot. Go compete for the division, and people will go, 'Kyle Shanahan is a good coach. He's got a good staff. John Lynch has done a good job of building it.'"
You can listen to the entire conversation with Baldinger below.