Dear Jed York,
The San Francisco 49ers are an embarassment. This once-proud franchise is now officially a laughingstock and you, as team president, need to take action.
A division title was not an absurd expectation going into this season. The 49ers play in the NFL's worst division and the mere fact that they could win the division at 7-9 is all the proof you need. The 49ers didn't have to be elite, they simply had to be the best of the worst. And yet, the 49ers find themselves assured of a losing record for the 8th straight year.
In the face of a decade of ineptitude, your playoff declarations are laughable. I envoke the coaching ghost of Jim Mora Sr. when I say, "You want to to talk about playoffs?!" If your aim is to ensure the world is aware of how abysmally bad this team is then please, continue with your playoff drivel. This team cannot even hang with the worst team in the NFL, falling to the oh so mighty Carolina Panthers. On Thursday, the 49ers exhibited what would happen against the NFL elite.
The San Diego Chargers absolutely obliterated our pedestrian and elementary offense. Simply rushing four players they were able to consistenly harass Captain Checkdown, who sometimes goes by Alex Smith. They did this against an offensive line with FOUR players selected in the first two rounds. Joe Staley, the regular left tackle, would make that total five. The Atlanta Falcons have arguably the best offensive line in the NFL and from the center to the right tackle they field two undrafted players and a 7th round draft pick.
This is not to say the 49ers are completely devoid of talent. Our offense has an elite tight end and running back. Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan are not elite, but starting quality receivers. Delanie Walker is a versatile chess piece that creates mis-matches. Patrick Willis is the best middle linebacker in the NFL and Takeo Spikes is having a career season. Aubrayo Franklin is a top five nose tackle and Justin Smith is perhaps the most underrated player in the NFL. And yet, the 49ers find themselves against fighting to climb out of the cellar of the NFL's worst division.
The 49ers are squandering what talent they have. They are squandering talent because its head coach has no idea how to craft an innovative offense. It pains me to hear Mike Singletary use his oft stated, "I have to look at film" refrain, as if staring at a screen will turn Sing into Bill Belichick. It's deflating as a fan to see your team fire Jimmy Raye mid-season because his offense was as diverse as a neo-nazi rally.
If you don't believe me, believe the man who built the throne you awkwardly attempt to fill. "Like everything else in society, coaching has become more sohisticated," opined the late Bill Walsh. "There's much more science to coaching, more reasearch. The game is more refined, strategies and tactics have changed. It's certainly a faster game, more wide-open."
It is in this enviromnent that you try to shove pre-historic football down our throats. You try to sell motivational speeches wrapped as if they were a strategy. If you want motivation, hire Tony Robbins. The 49ers require more. You need innovation. You need an offense. You need change.
I emplore you to hire someone who is on the cutting edge because, quite simply, I am tired of having my soul crushed every Sunday. I am tired of being a laughingstock. I am tired of losing.
I am tired of losing.
Sincerely,
Oscar Aparicio
