Originally posted by NYniner85:
Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
Or staying healthy. I think a healthy FQB helps out a lot. The main reason we suck is because we lost our FQB, not the lack of an elite pass rusher. Now, one could argue Jimmy may not have risked himself of the defense was better, but it's clear we are a better team with him than without. What is also clear is that we have NO rush from the edges. At this point, an average player would make a world of difference. Not to say I want an average guy, but it just goes to show how bad we are in this area.
At any rate, the team won and slipped in the draft. As I asked in another thread, what was Kyle to do? Try to lose? That would've gone over well with the locker room.
All we can do now is hope the team shrewdly loads up on rushers. That + better health will ensure no repeats of 2018. That is something we actually can do, with or without Nick Bosa.
Edge rusher makes that whole D better...JG without question makes the team better overall, but it's not like Mullens has been the issue over the course of the season.
I want the best prospect possible for this team and most will agree that's Bosa. I've never stated kyle or the team would tank. I've been stating that Seattle win really didn't make the team better. That's all I care about.
Also, I'll ask you what position is this team lacking at the most? Imo edge rusher has been a huge issue since smith left. Bosa is the top prospect at that position (and in the class) I'll take him over a Seattle win...
I can respect that. It's a hard thing to put a value on wins in a way that isn't tangible but I think beating Seattle can potentially be one of those wins.
Potentially.
I'll start off with why I think this may be different than other late season wins like in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2015 (fun fact- had we lost Tomsula's final game, we could've had Joey Bosa), 2016, and 2017.
With every single one of those teams, the reason why we had losing records the following year save for 2010, is because the team was significantly different the very next year in a bad way. We lost Norv Turner during the offseason and replaced him with Jim Hostler after the 2006 season, we fired Harbaugh and replaced him with Tomsula and had the worse offseason of any team in NFL history after 2014, in 2015, the Kaepernick regression was full on (although 2016 Kap was far better than 2015 Kap), but our starting receivers were attrocious, and then we know what happened to affect this year.
Going into next season, our good coaching staff (at least on offense) will be in tact. We have an exceptional play caller that can win games with virtually anyone. We have a FQB. We have offensive players that are breaking out. We will not be hamstrung by the things that plagued us in previous years. Also, I think there is value in a team that is on the rise in winning games they are not supposed to win. The 49ers have done this a few times under Kyle. These kinds of wins lead me to believe that once we do become a playoff team, he can put together a game plan where we can upset a team on the road or put up a lot of points on a top-ranked D. It's the anti-thesis of the LA Rams who seemingly fold in the big moments. Granted, we still have to break the barrier of getting a winning record and making the playoffs, but collecting little things like this on the way IMO is important for teams to be able to draw on when they are in those big moments. For example, many 49ers historians (and some on this board- myself included) have pointed to the 49ers/Saints game in 1980 as the real beginning of the 1981 team.
Granted this is all, immeasurable stuff that can amount to nothing if this team lays an egg next year. But if we do take that next step, I guarantee this team will look back on beating Seattle in 2018 as a turning point (as well as hanging 44 on Jacksonville in 2017). It's these kind of things that may not seem like much because we are a 4-11 team, but they are things I point to when I think, yes we have the right coach in KS. Yes, when we turn this around, we are going to win and win big.
Now yes, we also need talent and A LOT of it. But because of victories like that, I don't think we will have to be like McVeigh, Harbaugh, and Tomlin (no disrespect to any of those coaches because the first one is a good coach and I consider the latter two to be great coaches), where we have to have a clear talent advantage to be able to win. It freaking helps, but with a guy like KS, we won't need it.
And for the record, I still prefer we get Nick Bosa lol. Just saying, all isn't lost for this team if we don't, so long as we get the right guys and don't whiff on these picks.
