Has the 49ers dynasty ended?
September 30, 2015
The last 49ers Super Bowl victory came in 1995. That was against the Chargers. From there on, San Francisco experienced a drought until 2011 when they made a playoff run with new head coach Jim Harbaugh.
They advanced as far to the NFC Championship where they fell to the (then dominant) New York Giants, led by Eli Manning.
The next year? Alex Smith fades out of the picture after a concussion and number 7 Colin Kaepernick takes the reins. The NFL was not ready for Colin Kaepernick. He enjoyed much success as a rookie, resulting in a trip to the Super Bowl, where 49ers fell to the Ravens 34-31.
The next year, the NFL was ready for Kaepernick, and it showed. Still, he managed to get to the NFC championship where San Francisco fell to their rival the Seattle Seahawks.
The next year, the NFL had Kaepernick down, and the 49ers struggled to an 8-8 season.
Fast forward to the present. The 49ers had arguably the worst offseason in sports history. Big names like Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Frank Gore, Aldon Smith, and rising star Chris Borland are out of the picture. Oh yeah, Anthony Davis says “peace” too and is suddenly gone. Look at the picture now. One more thing; how could I forget: Jim Harbaugh, who took the team to the playoffs multiple times, is gone too.
Now, it’s a brand new head coach, who has never been an NFL head coach before. This is a team who’s missing franchise players. The glory years, I believe, will come to a brief halt. This is a brand new offense, new names that have to adjust and mold to work with a brand new head coaching staff.
This team’s defense doesn’t have it any easier. Well-known defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is gone. Eric Mangini isn’t bad….but let’s be honest. He’s not Vic Fangio.
San Francisco certainly isn’t out of talent. There are still many good player to work with on the team. But the 49ers are gonna take some time to adjust. These are the rebuilding years. Every team goes through them. This may not be the year they hoist the Lombardi trophy in the air, but believe me, that time is bound to come soon.