Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area joined Rise Guys on ESPN 1320 yesterday to discuss the current attitude of the San Francisco 49ers players amidst a 1-13 season. The 49ers beat writer was asked what the feeling was like around the players and if the team seemed desperate for a win. What exactly is the team's mindset going into the final two games of the season?
"You know, honestly, I'm not sure I sense a whole lot of desperation," Maiocco answered. "I think it's more kind of resignation. I think that there are only a few veteran players – a handful of veteran players – who are really bothered by this. I think a lot of the young guys are just kind of happy to be there in a lot of ways. I think there's frustration with some people but I don't think as much frustration as there was last year.
"I think kind of the word I would use to sum up the mindset in the locker room is just kind of 'resignation.' Everyone's kind of resigned to being a part of the team that's simply horrible."
You can listen to the entire interview on ESPN 1320.
Of course, Matt Maiocco is one of a few insiders that has a good grasp on what is going on with the team right now. He follows them and has access to the 49ers on a daily basis. Maiocco is not the first beat writer to notice the sense of resignation, which is an acceptance of the current situation, with the team. Grant Cohn, who covers the team for the Press Democrat, has been very public in his criticism of the acceptance of a lost season by the players. He has noticed that, despite having only one win, most players seem to be in good spirits.
The most serious players in the 49ers locker room are the ones playing ping pong.
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) December 15, 2016
Chip Kelly laughs a lot and so do his players. Big of them not to dwell on their 8-game losing streak.
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) November 17, 2016
On Wednesday, 49ers head coach Chip Kelly was asked about the "jovial" mood in the locker room in spite of a franchise record 13-game losing streak. He was asked if that was a good thing or if the team would benefit from a little anger. "Well, I think they control their effort and their attitudes," Kelly answered. "Those are things you can control and they worry about the things that they can control and they don't dwell on the negative. But, I don't take jovial as that they don't take it very seriously in terms of what they're doing. I think they're very serious in their preparation and how they do it. So, it's just they don't have to dwell on the negative part of it. They deal on how do we become part of the solution and how do we fix this thing."
The Kelly-led 49ers are on the verge of setting a franchise record for the fewest wins in a season. That record is currently set at two wins, which has been achieved four times (1963, 1978, 1979, 2004). This 2016 squad has two remaining games to try to avoid setting such an embarrassing franchise record.
Winning another game would be unlikely to impact their draft status for 2017. They currently project to earn the second overall selection in the draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who sit right behind them at the number three spot, have two wins. If the 49ers and Jaguars tied records at the end of the season, San Francisco would likely win the tiebreaker due to a weaker strength of schedule (currently .513 vs .546). Of course, the problem would be if the Cleveland Browns actually win a game. Then the 49ers would benefit from having only one win because the Browns have a stronger strength of schedule (.564) than the 49ers too.
Regardless, spirits among most of the players seem good as this disastrous season nears an end. Whether that is a good or bad thing appears to be up for debate.
