49ers Poised To Re-Take NFC West in 2014

[DrG 94]

Tough to lose a close game, but when the 49ers reflect on 2013:

1) They had one of the league's toughest schedules and roared back to nearly take the division.

2) They beat two playoff teams on the road at Green Bay and Carolina and came close to making that 3 in Seattle.

3) The NFC Championship game was a better indicator of how close these two teams were. Credit where credit is due: Seattle's D played tough and Seattle's own 2nd year QB made fewer mistakes than San Francisco's.

 

Heading into 2014, San Francisco is 10m under the cap and that figure may rise as certain players are released/let go.

Heading into 2014, the 49ers will have a gold mine of new talent:

 

Marcus Lattimore is expected to be fully healthy - this guy is 1st round talent if healthy.

In addition to the continued development of safety Eric Reid and TE Vance McDonald, the 49ers will once again have a multitude of picks. In addition to their 7 picks, the 49ers have additional picks as follows:

 

56 (2nd Round from Kansas City)

77 3rd from Tennesee

3rd Round compensation pick for Dashon Goldson

 

3 7th round picks.

 

[Saint Elistan 106]

49th Superbowl? They better get there.

[Hawkfin 32]

Good season!

It will be fun to watch this battle in the coming years. They are built the same with young talent, and both teams are oh so tough with hard hitters.

Arizona and Rams are no slouches either.

[weepaws 2,460]

i thought 49er fans said they where poised to win the super bowl this season after losing the super bowl in a close game ? so now we know its next season then

[DrG 94]

Forgot to add starting nose tackle Ian McDonald and nickel cb Culliver also coming back. I also expect a pro bowl year from Aldon Smith, he came and played well after rehab

 

This team overcame a lot of adversity and may be even a better team than last year's. that Crabtree came back so quickly after his Achilles injury is truly amazing

[Saint Elistan 106]

i thought 49er fans said they where poised to win the super bowl this season after losing the super bowl in a close game ? so now we know its next season then

 

Week attempt. They were poised to win the Superbowl this Season. And they'll be poised to win the Superbowl for many seasons to come too. Losing in the Conference Title game doesn't exempt them from making it back next season - perhaps you should consider that the 49ers have made it three years in a row, now.

 

I think many NFL fans forget that this was Kaepernicks first full year as a starter.

 

[FlaHawker 24]

 

Week attempt. They were poised to win the Superbowl this Season. And they'll be poised to win the Superbowl for many seasons to come too. Losing in the Conference Title game doesn't exempt them from making it back next season - perhaps you should consider that the 49ers have made it three years in a row, now.

 

I think many NFL fans forget that this was Kaepernicks first full year as a starter.

 

Your window is rapidly closing. Justin Smith, Boldin, Gore are ancient. Bowman and Iupati have long recoveries. Whitner is a FA. Crabtree has alligator arms and your QB now has the label of choker after the the way last year and this year ended. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

[DrG 94]

Gore will see a reduced role

This Lattimore kid could be really special too

Crabtree comes back to full health

Look out .... The o line is young and McDonald back next year is huge

It will be seattle s turn to have the tougher schedule

[FlaHawker 24]

Crabtree comes back to full health

 

Send him to Oz. Kid needs a heart. The duck away from Chancellor on the final drive was an embarrassment, smart but embarrassing.

[edjr 5,567]

Even though I am a Patriots fan, the 49ers next year appear to be a very dangerous team and will be a lot of fun to watch.

 

I'm sick and tired of seeing Harbaugh's sideline antics, but that is the networks fault for showing him every other play.

[Saint Elistan 106]

Your window is rapidly closing.

 

Dumbest thing I've ever read. Congrats!

[FlaHawker 24]

 

Dumbest thing I've ever read. Congrats!

The 49ers have appeared in 3 straight NFC Championship games. The Raiders lead the league in most consecutive appearances.with 5 during the 70s. The 70s. A few teams have made 4 straight appearances(Bills, Cowboy, Eagles). The 49ers window is rapidly closing. If you think that is a dumb statement, it is because you don't want to believe it. Your head is in the sand. Congrats!

[Joey Gladstone 33]

Your window is rapidly closing. Justin Smith, Boldin, Gore are ancient. Bowman and Iupati have long recoveries. Whitner is a FA. Crabtree has alligator arms and your QB now has the label of choker after the the way last year and this year ended. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

 

Not to mention HarBAWWW/Baalke can't even draft half as well as their predecessors.

[RoadLizard 73]

Your window is rapidly closing. Justin Smith, Boldin, Gore are ancient. Bowman and Iupati have long recoveries. Whitner is a FA. Crabtree has alligator arms and your QB now has the label of choker after the the way last year and this year ended. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

A tad harsh? Have you watched them play? The core is young enough and they can and will add players. Not for anything but Seattle hasnt won anything yet or ever for that matter. Lynch aint a spring chicken, Harvin is a girl, Wilson appears to be a Tier 2 QB - good but not great. Their defense will take free agency hits like everyone elses does.

 

Just saying.....

[FlaHawker 24]

A tad harsh? Have you watched them play? The core is young enough and they can and will add players. Not for anything but Seattle hasnt won anything yet or ever for that matter. Lynch aint a spring chicken, Harvin is a girl, Wilson appears to be a Tier 2 QB - good but not great. Their defense will take free agency hits like everyone elses does.

 

Just saying.....

I wasn't comparing and contrasting the Seahawks to the 49ers. History shows that they will not make it to the NFC Championship game on a yearly basis. I think last year was the year they should have won. Kaepernick couldn't close the deal. The window is closing.

[DrG 94]

It's funny, after the 9ers dropped game 3 in Seattle, some more rabid Hawk fans were talking about 'time to panic' and whatnot and couldn't get it that 9er fan weren't. The 49ers have simply had enough success that most seasoned 49er fans don't panic or lose faith with a bad outing or if the breaks don't go their way - the team has a solid core and is set to be a contender next year.

 

The Raiders did have 5 championship appearances in the 70s - they also won a Super Bowl and again in 83, so it would seem their repeated championship appearances were a sign that they were going to get a Super Bowl win and had a solid organization. Newer NFL fans may not know what a shrewd evaluator Al Davis was. I see a similar dynamic with San Francisco as the organization and talent acumen is there.

 

Seattle has to be concerned about their window. And one of the other posters were right - Arizona and St. Louis are no slouches. Seattle is going to experience coaches and players leaving after this year regardless of whether they win the Super Bowl or not. They easily could wind up being next year's Baltimore as they have some similar deficits in their receiving corps.

[FlaHawker 24]

It's funny, after the 9ers dropped game 3 in Seattle, some more rabid Hawk fans were talking about 'time to panic' and whatnot and couldn't get it that 9er fan weren't. The 49ers have simply had enough success that most seasoned 49er fans don't panic or lose faith with a bad outing or if the breaks don't go their way - the team has a solid core and is set to be a contender next year.

 

The Raiders did have 5 championship appearances in the 70s - they also won a Super Bowl and again in 83, so it would seem their repeated championship appearances were a sign that they were going to get a Super Bowl win and had a solid organization. Newer NFL fans may not know what a shrewd evaluator Al Davis was. I see a similar dynamic with San Francisco as the organization and talent acumen is there.

 

Seattle has to be concerned about their window. And one of the other posters were right - Arizona and St. Louis are no slouches. Seattle is going to experience coaches and players leaving after this year regardless of whether they win the Super Bowl or not. They easily could wind up being next year's Baltimore as they have some similar deficits in their receiving corps.

*sigh* you don't know history. Did that Raider team have to deal with free agency? *double sigh* are you really comparing the Seahawks and Ravens' situations?

[pittnthat 0]

I guess if the 49ers get a good doc to prescribe adderall then they can match Seattle..... Or maybe get an even called game next time around.

In all seriousness, lattimore really could be a stud and if you resign boldin then I can't see the 9ers not being in the playoffs next year.

[shorepatrol 1,737]

Division games are going to be BRUTAL for years to come.

[DrG 94]

Lynch has a lot of miles ... Any time now he will fade

[FlaHawker 24]

Division games are going to be BRUTAL for years to come.

This.

[Reality 2,710]

Your window is rapidly closing.

Wishful thinking.

[TheUsualSuspect 207]

Dudes, the Rams blow.

[Groundhog 24]

Of all the positives mentioned here, I'd say Lattimore is the biggest and probably the most important. Gore is now 30 which means there ain't much tread left on them tires. Smart draft move last year by the Niners.

 

The $10m under the cap number is incomplete - who stands to receive a big payday? I'm a Seahawks fan so we've got our own cap issues to look into during the offseason (Earl, Sherm and Bennett to name just a few) so we probably will not keep everybody. I assume the same can be said for your team.

[roroco 75]

There is a good reason to think the window is closing. Every time a team makes it to the Championship game and has a lot of Pro Bowlers, it inflates the market value of a lot of players on that team. This makes is very hard to resign stud players at value. There is a reason you don't see a Raiders or Bill situation of the past - where they are always playing in the Championship game or Superbowl. Keepign a team strong was easier before the player cap came into play.

 

Creating a dynasty team in this era is extremely difficult because you either have to let your ProBowlers go, or pay them over market value.

 

All that said, San Fran is one of the favored to win it all next year. They have a good shot at it. I personally think Kaep needs to develop into a much better passer (get a better touch pass and stop staring down receivers), but they can win it all despite his weaknesses. I personally think they will have a down year next year. SEA is still going to be good. ATL and GB will get much healthier, and NO and CAR will still be in the mix.

 

It is a toss up next year.

[DrG 94]

Greg Cosell take on the int is that kap made the right read but Abril had pushed rt Davis into kap and he released off back foot

 

Kudos to lb smith for braking off assignment on gore to help Sherman

 

I'm also looking forward to seeing what tank Carradine will do next year. Bowman injury decreases his market value unfortunately and probably works to 9ers favor

[R8RMick 242]

*sigh* you don't know history. Did that Raider team have to deal with free agency? *double sigh* are you really comparing the Seahawks and Ravens' situations?

Somebody needs to take away your rattle son, before you hurt yourself. Those Raider teams were dealing with the greatest football team in the history of the NFL in the Steel Curtain, and an out of control Orange Crush team which beat them both in 1977. You're a funny guy.

[FlaHawker 24]

Somebody needs to take away your rattle son, before you hurt yourself. Those Raider teams were dealing with the greatest football team in the history of the NFL in the Steel Curtain, and an out of control Orange Crush team which beat them both in 1977. You're a funny guy.

I don't give a rat's arse who won the games; the point was about making it to the championship game in consecutive years. But thanks for chiming in with a useless comment.

[DrG 94]

I don't know that chickenhawk is capable of saying something useful, but he does crack me up.

 

It is difficult to create a dynasty in this era, but Bellicek seems to have been able to do it and I see the same thing emerging in San Francisco. The young O line hasn't come close to hitting its prime yet and the team is showing an ability to manage the cap. Anthony Davis, the RT has to step up a bit, but this is a big athletic kid who came out of college a year early.

 

It won't surprise me if some of the picks are traded for extra value in 2015, especially with Lattimore and Carradine coming back. Somebody said something about the team's drafts, but Eric Reid made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and Vance McDonald will be a contributor at the 2nd tight end spot.

 

I expect some of the veterans like Manningham and Rogers to be gone so there will be cap room to make deals as necessary. Won't be surprised if Gore, Willis and a few other vets restructure their contracts.

[Raider 84 29]

Looks like it will be a home game for the Raiders in the SB next year

[DrG 94]

Greg Cosell of NFL Films was on KNBR today and broke down the INT at the end of the game. He gets the 'All 22' coaches tape. Seattle was in their base Cover 3 defense and had 5 players rolled to the left side of the field. Kap made both the right read on the right throw, but the real hero on that play was Avril who pushed RT Davis back into Kap so that Kap threw off his back foot and leaning back. The window was there and he is one of the guys in the NFL who can make the 'tight window' throws as Cosell puts it, but Avril's push was really the difference maker on that play and looked like the reason that ball wasn't just a little higher.

 

What is important is that Kaepernick is further along in reading coverages and decision-making than a lot of the media recognize. Davis would be one year out of college if he hadn't left early. Kap's development and ethic bode well for the future. If the 49ers can add a 3rd receiver and get one more decent year out of Boldin, this offense will be downright scary in 2014.

[Sho Nuff 719]

 

Dumbest thing I've ever read. Congrats!

 

I wouldn't say rapidly...but the window shortens with teams like that in today's NFL.

Both Seattle and SF (or other teams like that as I will explain) have a nice window while their QBs are on their cheaper rookie contracts.

When they get paid...they have to sacrifice elsewhere. This may compound eventually in SEA with a lot of young talent out there that is still on their early contracts.

Schneider is smart and can get it worked out...but will take some movement and decisions on which guys are truely core guys.

[Sho Nuff 719]

Dudes, the Rams blow.

 

That defensive front does not blow.

[DrG 94]

They are already blogging on the cowboys board that they might be wise to trade down w SF so they can add picks

[shorepatrol 1,737]

Looks like it will be a home game for the Raiders in the SB next year

Arizona next year

[DrG 94]

Some scouts had tank a top 5 talent

Can't wait

[thePRO 78]

Boldin will be gone. Kaepernick still can't throw half of the time. He still makes stupid decisions. Harbaugh is a fairy, 3-13 next season.

[DrG 94]

T p you should scroll up and see Greg cosells analysis. There are a select group of qbs who can make tight window throws and he's in that group

[TheUsualSuspect 207]

Harbaugh is a fairy, 3-13 next season.

I will take SF OVER 3 wins next season for a very large amount of money.

[giraldi02 470]

Some scouts had tank a top 5 talent

Can't wait

I absolutely despise these comments. So some media member puts a guy in his mock draft as a top 10 guy and his talent level is matched to that? There is no woulda coulda shoulda with mock-to-real draft rankings.

 

Some people had Geno Smith as a top 10 talent.