I usually reserve this sort of thing for the actual midseason, but let's face it; we suck balls right now. And one game may not change that one bit. Where did it go wrong? When did this window of opportunity end for the Niners?
Since our Super Bowl appearance, and loss, we have been on a gradual decline. Yes, the following year we got close, but then Bow went down, Kap threw a fade to the right side of the end zone that led to a Richard Sherman tip that led to a pick (and some serious s**t talking about Crabtree) and the end of our hopes of returning to the Super Bowl with that team.
Super Bowl ring of the Baltimore Ravens. I know it hurts to see, but I think this is where it began to unravel. I will always wonder what the ring would've looked like had the Niners won.
Since that loss, and the following defeat in the NFC Title game in Seattle, we have been steadily losing talent on both sides of the ball; we have lost talent in the coaching staff as well. To think we were going to do well this year now is clearly pie-in-the-sky thinking.
I had predicted we would land somewhere between 7-9, 8-8, or 9-7. But now...
And, of course, that thought seems highly unlikely (though mathematically possible).
I think part of the reason many of us held out hope is because this team, though lacking many of its leaders and perennial all-pros, was still the Harbaugh run niners. We were winners again. Camelot was back, baby! Joe Montana and Steve Young were around--hell, they were on the same field, which is minor miracle. And, lest we forget, we had the most dynamic young player at QB in the league.
We rejoiced in the power of Kap. Don't lie, you were there. You saw what he was capable of doing. You kissed your biceps and you chased Aldon Smith's ex just like him.
We were true-believers in the organization. Keep in mind, I don't mean Jed York, Trent Baalke, or Jim Tomsula. I mean the heritage of the Five Time World Champions. We believed in our tradition above all else. It is telling that our five titles came under the tutelage of the great Bill Walsh and those men, led by George Seifert, that protected his legacy.
My friends, we just believed that no matter who left, who retired, who got fired and went to Michigan and lost against Michigan St in a most heinous and hilarious way (sorry, that was catty). You get the point, though. You, I, your crazy uncle that plays Banjos at Niner games, your wife who gets your love of the Niners, your children who have seen something very special the past four seasons, we all believed that we were back. And for a moment, a fleeting moment, we were.
And so now, we have been treated to a firm does of reality.
This is how I listened to the Seahawks game last weekend. Though my wife and I enjoyed our night out--we saw Madonna. And yes, she is old, but she still has got it. Don't look at me like that. I know you dudes would shag "the Material Girl" if given a shot. Dirty hookers, the lot of you.
I know you dudes and dudettes. You hang around a place for over a decade and you begin to get to know folks. Y'all (excuse my southern dialect coming out) are pissed. You are dapper dan men and women. You do not want no goddamn fop!
And, you know what? I'm with you. I want to go back to our roots. I want, we need, to return to the WCO.
Without the WCO, well, you've seen the results.
Harbaugh lied. Or at the very least failed to incorporate the WCO into our offensive schme--I blame him because he said he would honor Walsh and do it. He is a Bo Schembechler guy, though. And that is okay. He needed to be him. But it was not good enough to win a championship for us here, it was not good enough to get back, and his last year with us, Harbaugh/Roman's offense was turrible. We need to return to the WCO. I've said it before, but I believe the man for the job is....
Pie-in-the-sky, right? Wrong.
Sean Payton is our man and I do think we will make a run for him. And I think we get him. Here is why. He runs a modified WCO (yes, I've been doing my homework), he is a Bill Parcells' guy (connection to Baalke--just think of the poetic irony if Parcells' guys rebuilt the Niners and won a title. f**k me, I would be happy but confused. For those new to all this please revisit our history against Parcells), and it is clear that he is on his way out of New Orleans. He has to go somewhere, right? RIGHT?!?!? He might want the challenge. Hell, he might need it.
Spare me with the old hack argument that York won't spend money, he will. That he won't go get players, he has. That he won't get us a new stadium, he has. That he won't help get us to a Super Bowl, he has. This isn't the days of Dr. York not giving out water bottles to players. This is a new era. I think the Eddie D side of him, the side that fights viciously against the Dr. York side of him, wants a title.
Now, a word on Jim Tomsula...
Goodbye.
I was not crazy about the Jimmy T hire, but I accepted it as something more than it was (I hoped John Madden, I got, well, not John Madden.). In the end, it was a good story but one that had little chance to succeed. Unlike many, I think that man can motivate and coach, but can he lead? He is some weird opposite of Singletary. Both are good positions coaches, where their fire works. I wonder if Jed thought or believed, like us, in the heritage of the organization too much? Either that or he thought Baalke was really coaching the team. If Baalke is coaching the team, he should be fired. Because he sucks. Again, I like Jimmy T, I really do. But not as head coach.
A word about our beleaguered QB
Love ya, bro. But you cannot let these dudes get in your head, yo. Just play. Also get the ball out faster, KTHXBYE.
I remember when Steve Young struggled to perform in the 90s, but he never struggled like this. Kap is still fairly young and is developing. That is not good enough for many fans who believe that he should be fully ready. They choose to blame him, in spite of his work ethic, for all of it. But had the previous regime developed him beyond giving him the confidence to play, things might be different. Indeed, I see that as the lasting gift of the Harbaugh run, he brought confidence to Alex Smith and then Kap. He made them believe. Powerful thing, belief in yourself to accomplish. Right now, we do not believe. We need to do so.
Can we get it back? Belief?
Yes, I think we can. It starts with winning ball games and building for next season; these guys aren't built to tank. If we lose, it is because we were beat. Not because the boys quit on us. You can say they quit, but they haven't. They are just not very consistent or good enough to overcome issues at this point in time. But that does not mean forever.
Final analysis: 2-5 is goddamn awful, Bethea is out for the year, Hyde is hurt, supposed divide in the locker room, our HC is a dead man walking, and our QB is flaking out a bit. But, if we are fortunate, open up the pocket book, and go after a WCO guy. I think we can get Kap going consistently, we can fix the defense, and we can win. We have some nice young pieces; we need some more.
Why read a dang thing I have said? Because, what else are you going to do the rest of the season? Besides, we need hope. We need direction. We need leadership. Above all of this,
I am Fropwns.
[ Edited by fropwns on Oct 25, 2015 at 10:21 PM ]