By John Sarianides
A golden revival is brewing in the Bay Area thanks to the 49ers hiring John Lynch as their new general manager and Kyle Shanahan as their new head coach. Both men have ties to the area and the organization.
In Lynch and Shanahan, 49ers owner Jed York hired two articulate, smart men who have a vision on how to return the 49ers to their glory days of the past. That vision centers around smart, tough football players who love the game and have an appreciation for the history of the organization.
Lynch and Shanahan want to return the 49ers to the glory of the 80’s and early 90’s. They know that the success of Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh was short lived and that is why they are taking a more long term view.
York is also taking a more long term view as well. That is why he gave both men long term contracts. After two head coaches in two years, York is willing to be patient and is willing to give Lynch and Shanahan the time to turn things around in San Francisco.
The 49ers will be better this season. Making the playoffs will be tough in the ultra competitive NFC but Lynch and Shanahan know that. That is why they are pointing to 2018 and beyond when it comes to this team being a playoff contender.
Here are three keys for the 49ers in 2017
1. Buy In: Shanahan is an x and o guru, no one is going to dispute that. It is more about changing the mindset in San Francisco. Shanahan has to create a tough minded mentality in San Francisco. He has to teach this team to play like a team. The players have to buy into that mentality.
2. Fitting Into the 4-3: New defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has a lot of talent to work with along the front seven. Saleh will install a 4-3 Under defense similar to the one in Seattle. The Niners will play a lot of Cover 1 and Cover 3.
If Saleh and the defensive staff can make all of the pieces fit, the 49ers have the potential to be very good defensively. The defense will keep this team in games.
3. Brian Hoyer Must Play Well: Brian Hoyer will be the starting quarterback in San Francisco unless he struggles. That being said, is a journeyman quarterback for a reason. He hasn’t been able to play well enough on a consistent basis to stick with one team for more than two seasons.
Hoyer has had success playing for Shanahan in the past and given the pieces he has to work with in San Francisco, he should put up some pretty good numbers in 2017. The 49ers will not score the same amount of the Falcons did in this system but they should be pretty good and they will surprise people.
In the End: The 49ers will be better than 2-14 this season. Lynch and Shanahan have infused the roster with talent and the team appears to be on more stable footing. That being said, the 49ers are still a ways away from contending for a play off spot. Despite that, a marked improvement is in order. Six wins is not out of the realm of possibility.