Harbaugh's 2011 49ers VERSUS Shanahan's 2019 49ers(hypothetical)Who would win?

Feel like other than Joe Staley the turnover has reached a point to where it's finally time to ponder about this, as I have the past couple days..

Was re-watching our 2011 playoff win over the saints, and the 2012 game vs. the Packers. after watching both I've come to the conclusion, I really don't miss what we had anymore.. especially compared to what we have now offensively, and even defensively. we had studs don't get me wrong, but man, going back and watching Harbaugh's offense in 2011 and heck even 2012 with Kap, it just felt so 'limited' or inefficient. we had "ball-hawk" or "big hitters" in the secondary, but they were never known as great cover safetys in my opinion. the only player I miss is our ILB duo with Willis and Bo in his prime defensive-wise. I won't say I missed Aldon, he just had too many issues, and Justin Smith I mean, he's a beast. but damn we are so stacked at D-line now. offensively I miss Gore and just how so good he was at pass-blocking. Miss having the huge value.

so it got me thinking, what do you think it'd be like if Shanny's current 49ers went up against Harbaugh's 2011 niners? I think we'd eat them alive defensively, (I just don't think Alex was good at all in 2011. it's like night and day watching him back then compared to his last season on the Chiefs) but our offense vs. that defense back then? oh man, that'd be interesting and fun to watch. (Just put Joe Staley as the LT for both scenarios, lol)

Another coincidence between this year and the 2011 year -- we are playing many of the same teams: begals, browns, bucs, steelers, redskins, and ravens.

Just saying.

Our offense is much more 3 dimensional. We are not relying so much on a couple of key talented individuals but rather a much better mix of talent who can step up if the main man is down.

Our QB and back up are much smarter

The defensive front 7. Very comparable. Talented and emerging. A lot of 2nd and 3rd year guys, with one proven established vet -- Justin Smith and Dee Ford respectively.

Well Harbs team would still be getting DOG penalties for not getting the play call in on time.

It's been that way since Mooch. We completely lost our identity for a long while. It finally feels like 49er football again.

Originally posted by HawkBearPig:
Another coincidence between this year and the 2011 year -- we are playing many of the same teams: begals, browns, bucs, steelers, redskins, and ravens.

Just saying.

You play the same AFC division every four years, and at the same location every 8 years.......so we have an identical home/away for the AFC North this year just like 2011. Kinda crazy we played the Bengals roughly the same time in both seasons.

The rotation with NFC divisions is every 3 years. In 2011 we played the NFC East, but just so happens this year we play the 3rd place finishing Redskins of last year, away, which just happens to be a coincidence with where we played them back then.

Tampa is the same thing except we played them on the road this year as opposed to last. We were shut out by them in 2010 before blowing them out in 2011, which is another similarity with this year, minus the shut out.

If W/L similarities will be upheld we will beat the Browns and lose to the Ravens.

But we will also sweep the Rams & Seahawks.

To answer the OP's question, the 2011 49ers were fortunate to go 13-3 because of all the turnovers and were likely a 10-6/11-5 team all things considered that had the ability to beat any one on any given Sunday (the 2012 49ers going 11-5-1 sorta confirms that). The +28 turnover ratio with that efficient, safe, ball control offense was a perfect formula to win so many games, but when they couldn't produce the net positive TO ratio they wouldn't always win (2011 NFC Championship ).

It's crazy to think that the 2019 49ers could be on that level, and they might be there already. I feel that the turnovers are masking just how good this 49er offense is, because reliable power running with Gore (who had several big games that year plus a great run blocking OL scheme/talent) meant you could count on consistent offensive success in that 17-20 point range week in and week out. That defense more than anything was super consistent....amazing against the run, great pass rush......and a good enough secondary for most teams.

End of the day, the 2011 49ers were 5 years removed from an NFC team with a far worse QB (2006 Bears with Rex Grossman). As such, the QB/QB coaching wasn't on the level it needed to be, and it didn't get done with a defense that IMO was superior to what the Bears had. I coincidentally watched the 2011 NFC Championship Game on condensed today (don't ask, lol), and I would take Jimmy G in any iteration of his career over what I saw in that game. To say that Smith only made two throws that entire game might not be an understatement...and if it's not his fault, then that HaRoman offense was the anti-Shanahan for sure. McVay's Rams looked better in this past SB than that nonsense.....

We worry about the QB, and it's really what separates teams on a championship level. Going back to 2003, the list of QB winners is rather small........filled with the likes of Brady, Peyton, Roethlisberger, Brees, Eli, Flacco, Wilson....7 QBs for 16 Super Bowls.....crazy. Betting on a roster is much, much harder than betting on a QB. If Jimmy G gets to the level we want him to get to, we could be in for a nice ride.

While we may not have the deeper roster than 2011 now, our offense is better, while defense is as good as 2011.

Originally posted by evil:

Well Harbs team would still be getting DOG penalties for not getting the play call in on time.

Originally posted by English:

Originally posted by evil:
Well Harbs team would still be getting DOG penalties for not getting the play call in on time.

I agree with evil on this lol

Originally posted by Goatie:
Our offense is much more 3 dimensional. We are not relying so much on a couple of key talented individuals but rather a much better mix of talent who can step up if the main man is down.

Our QB and back up are much smarter

yeah that's what I took away again after re-watching some harbaugh games. we were so limited. Alex was not the same QB he would eventually be for KC, our offense felt very 1-dimensional and limited. our QB play seemed skiddish and quite honestly anxious to leave the pocket too soon if the first read was taken away. a lot of quick, short consistent slants. a lot of designed plays. we never had a WR corps lol. Vernon only had his speed. once that completely goes he'll be nothing. I used to think he was the best TE or one of them in the league, but not even close. but yeah, 1-dimensional, clock management was bad, play-calling process was inefficient. couldnt execute a screen to save our lives.

feels like we have a true and real NFL offense

so who would win? in a game? 2011 niners or 2019?

2019. Afraid 2011 team would have a tough time scoring on the 2019 class.

Originally posted by AB81Rules:

Originally posted by English:

Originally posted by evil:

Well Harbs team would still be getting DOG penalties for not getting the play call in on time.

I agree with evil on this lol

4 years and that was never fixed. 4 FREAKING YEARS.

Sorry, was always a major gripe for me. You can't keep making that same stupid mistake for 4 years, just no excuse for it. How as a HC does one chew out players for asinine penalties when you yourself are responsible for the same asinine penalty time and time again.