49ers are the disaster we expected
The San Francisco 49ers are all kinds of dysfunctional and terrible. Imagine if you were told in 2013 that the 49ers would be one of the worst teams in the National Football League only two years later. People would have thought you were insane.
Instead, San Francisco is every bit the train wreck that was expected after a mass exodus in the offseason. The 49ers reached the NFC Championship game in 2013 and lost in the final seconds at CenturyLink Field to the Seattle Seahawks. Through the following spring there was talk of discontent between general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Jim Harbaugh.
The 2014 campaign brought San Francisco an extremely disappointing 8-8 record and the mutual agreement between franchise and Harbaugh to part ways. That was only the first departure in what became an incredible turnover of personnel, which included the retirements of inside linebackers Chris Borland and Patrick Willis, and defensive end Justin Smith. Then there was the hiatus of right tackle Anthony Davis and the free-agent fleeing of Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Mike Iupati, Chris Culliver, Aldon Smith and others.
Now, midway through the 2015 season, the 49ers are 2-6 after an embarrassing loss at the Edward Jones Dome to the St. Louis Rams. The contest brought us another lackluster performance from fifth-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who missed multiple open receivers. The supporting cast has clearly and visibly grown frustrated, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report writes that players are ready for change.
“Two 49ers players texted me and said after this game that it is time for Colin Kaepernick to be benched. This game lost to the Rams was the tipping point in a series of events that have been building and building and building to this point,” Cole reports. “What these players say is they don’t want Kaepernick’s to be out of the plans for the 49ers. But simply put they think he needs time on the bench to clear his head, get himself straight so he understands what the offense is trying to do and what he can do to make it work.”
At this point, those are extremely alarming comments. Kaepernick should be much further ahead in his development that a borderline starting quarterback, especially considering he was signed to a six-year, $114 million deal with $61 million guaranteed that kicked in starting this season.
Even more incredibly, players are calling for the backup quarterback over Kaepernick. Why is that amazing? The backup quarterback is Blaine Gabbert, one of the worst signal-callers in recent history.
San Francisco has turned into a total mess, with head coach Jim Tomsula seemingly in over his head. The 49ers need help on both sides of the ball, and perhaps at the most important position on the field.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
