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Bleacher Report recently named five teams that it felt were the
most overrated heading into the 2021 season. These are the squads that won't live up to expectations, according to contributor Maurice Moton.
The San Francisco 49ers were on his list. They are joined by the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, and New England Patriots.
The Niners dealt with a lot of adversity last season. All NFL teams did after being forced to navigate through a global pandemic. The 49ers, however, also dealt with an unprecedented number of injuries which transformed their roster from the start of the season.
San Francisco's players missed a total of 161.6 games last season,
according to Football Outsiders. The next-highest number was 126.1, which the Philadelphia Eagles owned. Only the 2016 Chicago Bears endured more adjusted games lost since 2001.
Injuries, and a lack of faith in the team's starting quarterback, are among the first reasons Moton provides for the 49ers being named among this year's most overrated teams.
"The 49ers have a playoff-caliber roster when they're relatively healthy," wrote Moton. "With that said, Garoppolo isn't a reliable starter. He's missed 23 games over the last three seasons. We could see rookie quarterback
Trey Lance take over for his oft-injured veteran counterpart.
"If Lance, Josh Rosen, Nate Sudfeld, or Josh Johnson start multiple games, the 49ers don't have much of a shot to reach Super Bowl LVI."
That isn't the only reason, though. Moton feels the loss of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, now the head coach of the New York Jets, creates some uncertainty surrounding the 49ers defense. The writer believes San Francisco could feel the loss this season as the unit adapts to a transition to DeMeco Ryans and possibly takes a step back.
"DeMeco Ryans, who will take over play-calling duties, has been an assistant on staff since 2017, but he's an unknown as a coordinator," wrote Moton.
One specific area of concern on that defense lies within the defensive backfield. Moton feels that's not an area you want to question when you have to face
Russell Wilson,
Matthew Stafford, and
Kyler Murray a total of six games a year. Richard Sherman is no longer with the team. Even he couldn't escape injuries last season, which followed a Pro Bowl-worthy 2019 campaign.
Sherman remains a free agent. The team brought back Jason Verrett and K'Waun Williams, but was it enough to solidify the position?
"Jason Verrett had a solid 2020 showing, but he's hard to rely on because of his injury history," Moton explained. "In the third round of this year's draft, San Francisco selected cornerback
Ambry Thomas, who must prove himself. Emmanuel Moseley is a decent starter, but he has just two interceptions in 29 games."
The 49ers' perceived deficiencies put more pressure on Garoppolo to stay healthy and perform, especially with a rookie quarterback getting up to speed. Moton wonders if the 49ers can heavily rely on the defense to overcome any other weaknesses, as it did in 2019.
"Without Saleh, San Francisco may need Garoppolo to shoulder more of an offensive load," Moton added. "If he's injured or a subpar performer while healthy, which was the case last season, the 49ers will struggle to even reach the playoffs. This squad has too many variables at play to be considered a top-five Super Bowl favorite."
NFL Media's Cynthia Frelund took on her annual offseason task of identifying the league's most underappreciated player for each team. The San Francisco 49ers certainly have their share of play-making superstars, from names like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle on offense to Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and Talanoa Hufanga on defense.
So how do you determine a team's "underappreciated" contributor?
"First, I calculate and then rank each player's season-long contribution metric by team (win share)," Frelund explains. "To sum it up without getting overly technical, the contribution metric (or win share) measures each
The San Francisco 49ers saw significant success in 2023, despite a slow start to the season and multiple midseason quarterback changes due to injury, forcing seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy into action.
A crucial part of that formula? Christian McCaffrey, who instantly elevated the 49ers' offense upon his arrival via trade at the midseason mark.
McCaffrey changed the outlook of the offense, creating a more efficient offense on the ground, but more importantly, changing the dynamics of the 49ers' passing attack with his presence out of the backfield.
Additionally, McCaffrey made the pace of the game easier for both veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Brock Purdy, as the 49ers' offense averaged over 30 points per game since the running back was fully
You've heard stories about San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan installing a play and breaking down exactly how he expects the defense to react. Then, when the players execute the play, everything occurs as the coach explained, as if he had a crystal ball to predict the outcome.
Shanahan is a confident play-caller, emphasizing execution by his players to ensure everything goes as planned. The 49ers acquired a big-time playmaker last season, trading for star running back Christian McCaffrey, who had already established himself as one of the most versatile players in the league.
Even McCaffrey marvels at the things his play-caller comes up
What happens if Sam Darnold beats out Trey Lance? We're answering this question and others in this week's edition of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag.
It's week two of OTAs, and the 49ers will have a session open to the media on Wednesday. It may even be happening as you're reading this. And Brock Purdy is believed to start throwing a ball this week (though probably not a regular football).
But for now, ignore those reports, and let's jump into our latest mailbag and answer your questions.
Who's starting on Opening Day at FS? - Chris W.
The 49ers re-signed veteran free safety Tashaun Gipson to a one-year deal and drafted Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown back in April. Brown is the future starting free safety. That future is most likely to
