Any task that requires repetition and precision in execution requires great discipline. Whether it's working on an assembly line or running routes over the middle, if your head's not focused and involved in the task at hand, mistakes will happen.
These 49ers certainly do not lack in the ability to execute nor do they lack talent. They lack accountability. Harbaugh came in 4 years ago and brought with him the mantra of "The Team, The Team, The Team" and right now, it seems this squad is a bunch of individuals playing for themselves.
I won't try to be dramatic about stating the obvious; the 49ers of the past couple of seasons have been a team that attracts a lot of flags. The past two weekends have been nothing short of astonishing at how predictably they would incur penalties in crucial moments.
You can break down the X's and O's of the games a million different ways and find plenty of "if only's", but the biggest question mark surrounding this team right now is one about discipline. It would appear that this group is lacking it in a way we haven't seen perhaps ever in the franchise's history. They've given away two games out of three so far this season and if we're being honest with ourselves, they could have let the Dallas game slip away just as easily if it weren't for a Romo-implosion.
Certainly, I can't ignore nor do I disagree with the sentiments shared by Anquan Boldin after Sunday's game. It would seem the flags fly far more readily against them than they do for them and certainly some of those have been very questionable. Fine, he's been on the receiving end of two of the more costly ones in the past two weeks and he's entitled to his opinion (which he'll most certainly be fined for). But it's his mistakes that are perhaps the most glaring. A player, proven to be one of the greatest of his generation and highly decorated, making great plays followed immediately by brain-numbing penalty flags you would expect reserved for the greenest of rookies. Did you need to face-bump that guy after the catch? Does that help you make the next one?
Regardless of how you care to look at it, the cat's out of the bag now. This team is marked, deservedly so or otherwise. Harbaugh, and perhaps even more so the senior members of this team, need to take control of what's happening in practice and stop this trend immediately. No sense griping about the officials, the only change the team can affect in this situation is from the inside out.
These past two weekends, the product on the field has been deplorable at the end of games. It's a waste of talent, time, and a golden opportunity to compete for what so few teams really can. In a sense, it's a relief that the problem is so clearly identified. Stop the penalties and this team will win. Sounds easy right?
Maybe it is. The will to win in this team is strong and they're a prideful group of men. Right now they look distracted and disoriented, but backs against walls can lead to some great things. I hope the leadership shines through on this team like I think it can.
But maybe it isn't. The problems this team is having at the end of games points to a cultural issue. I'd written before the season that this will have to be a Harbaugh masterpiece due to the changing talent on his team. The talent shift has shown us some things we thought we'd never see (4 WR Sets, Etc.) but with the new faces and talent, he's let something altogether different and far more important to slip out of his hands, that concept of "The Team, The Team, and The Team". This season's viability hinges on his ability to get it back.