Sad news: The head coach of the San Francisco 49ers received sad news regarding his…

Sad news: The head coach of the San Francisco 49ers received sad news regarding his…

The San Francisco 49ers are headed straight back to being the NFL’s laughingstock. Over the past 18 months, the once-proud team known for its Super Bowl trophies, Hall of Fame players, and numerous unforgettable moments has been embarrassed.

And it’s a downward spiral that affects a company as a whole, top to bottom.

The 49ers were regarded as consistent Super Bowl contenders not too long ago. San Francisco doesn’t look like the teams that advanced to three consecutive NFC Championship Games after suffering a 17-3 defeat to the Green Bay Packers in Week 4.

What took place?

There is a lot of blame to be distributed when assessing this team at this time. It’s a horrible offense. There are inconsistencies in the defense. The coaching staff has taken on too much. Furthermore, it appears that the 49ers’ identity is unknown to the front office.

Sadly, it doesn’t appear like there is any hope in sight. San Francisco is perilously on the verge of experiencing the same drabness that prevailed in the middle to late 2000s.

Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback, doesn’t seem to be able to get back to the level that made him famous in 2012.
Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback, doesn’t seem to be able to get back to the level that made him famous in 2012.Marcio Jose Sanchez via the Associated Press
Colin Kaepernick’s Fall from Grace

Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback, had his best season in 2012. That year, the recently appointed starter recorded the highest completion percentage and passer rating of his career (62.4) of any player in the NFL.

While Kaepernick’s interception and sack totals keep rising, those numbers have gradually decreased. This year, Kaepernick has already experienced 14 layoffs. If things continue at that pace, the quarterback for San Francisco would have 56 touchdowns this season, which is four more than the staggering 52 he had in 2014.

Watch this Fox NFL coverage of the Packers vs. 49ers 2013 playoff game, when Kaepernick looked unbeatable:

The amount of time that has passed since then is depressing.

This collapse is detailed by Steve Berman of Bay Area Sports Guy, who also provides an example of how the 49ers organization destroyed its own quarterback prospect:

When Alex Smith faltered, the Candlestick faithful once chanted David Carr’s name as Mike Singletary, a completely inexperienced coach, stalked the sideline. Before the 49ers assembled one of the league’s top offensive lines and hired Jim Harbaugh, who highlighted Smith’s strengths—intelligence, mobility, and caution—he never played with anything like confidence.

Harbaugh was even more impressed by Kaepernick’s quickness, arm strength, and fearlessness, and the two quickly won a lot of games together. It’s amazing to consider that this is the same quarterback who led the 49ers to a 23-20 victory in 2015 despite going sleeveless in Lambeau when the wind chill made it feel like -14 degrees. Well, less than two years ago, that would have been difficult to comprehend. However, the 49ers killed a rising star by making a number of terrible choices.

The 49ers can no longer claim to have a potent offensive line or a qualified coaching staff. Kaepernick flourished under the assurance of a prosperous coaching staff and was surrounded by a strong group of players who could compete for the Super Bowl.

Kaepernick no longer exudes competence or confidence.

By streamlining the playbook—a topic covered in the B/R video below—the 2015 49ers indirectly conveyed their own lack of faith in Kaepernick’s continued development.

The idea behind this was to create an offensive scheme that would capitalize on Kaepernick’s advantages.