Rather than breakdown the latest meltdown by our beloved team, I think an honest and frank look at the organization at this very moment just feels right. Look, I bleed Red and Gold like the rest of you. I've loved this organization for more than two decades and through the ups and downs I have given my honest support. The key word in that last sentence is my honest support and if I am being honest, I will simply say. This team just isn't really that good right now. If you are a tried and true fan, you should be able to take an honest look at the situation and understand that. There are so many layers to what is going on with the 49ers now that it cannot even be covered up with smoke and mirrors.
But instead of beating up on what is going wrong. How can the 49ers as an organization fix the problem? In the short term, the team could lean on its strengths and run the ball some more. The 49ers passed nearly forty times against the Rams on Sunday in a tight game where running the ball more would have been very acceptable. In the 49ers previous game against Denver they threw the ball 39 times more out of necessity, so any fan can give them a pass on that one. However, in the other previous losses against Chicago and Arizona, the passing attempts were 34 and 37 respectively. While I'm all for taking what a defense will give you in games, there is little argument against the 49ers needing to run the ball more. In the 49ers four wins this season, the team has had under 20 rushing attempts once, against the Rams on Monday Night Football, which saw Kaepernick have a near career night. In the 49ers four losses, they have rushed over 20 attempts just once, with 21 against the Bears in week two. While it might be easy to just quote stats and call them the truth, just the small sample says that good things happen when this teams runs the ball over 22 times a game. I'm not even going to harp on the fact that our offensive line is offensive at pass blocking, but excels at run blocking. I think that point has been harped on enough.
In my article after the Arizona game, I indicated that the 49ers were being out-coached by other teams. While I think that Harbaugh and Roman are some of the better offensive minds in the league at the moment, I do think that they are suffering from a serious case of stubbornness this season. The eye test seems to tell me that they are trying to prove that the investment in Kaepernick was worth it. While I still think Kaepernick is a fine player, I still think the 49ers should have waited a season to make the investment. With the franchise tag available to them, the 49ers could have made him prove he was worth it this season with an all-star receiving core. Generally, I don't think Kaepernick has played terrible, but to say he isn't part of the problem would be letting him off too easy. He has committed costly turnovers and the team has won a few games even in spite of him. Outside of the Dallas and first St. Louis game, Kaepernick hasn't played lights out. Trust me I know, I've started him one to many times this season on my fantasy football teams to know.
Luckily, all hope is not lost for our beloved 49ers. They seem to be getting healthier at the right time of the season. With Willis, Aldon Smith, Dorsey, and Bowman all slated to be back over the next few weeks, the over achieving defense will get some much needed reinforcements that should only help the team. If the teams (and fans) are lucky the aliens that have stolen Vernon Davis will return him to us and that weapon will begin to emerge.
Sadly, the 49ers are on a thin margin to make the playoffs. The odds of three teams coming out the NFC West are not good. Just a glance at the remaining schedule is daunting. With the team likely needing to go 8-0 or 7-1 over the last half of the season to have solid chance at the playoffs in 2014, the odds just seem a bit too much. With games against the always tough Saints, the explosive Chargers and three more tough divisional games against the Seahawks and Cardinals also on tap, this team has their work cut out for them.
And if I am being the honest fan I am, I think this team has the potential to beat the odds, even if I know honestly the odds are stacked against them. NFL teams go on hot streaks all the time, so why would it be any different for us? I just know that honestly, the 49ers have a lot to fix in the next five days to climb that first mountain against New Orleans.
