49ers Could Make 2011 Playoffs With Right Moves
Clifton Brown - SportingNews.com
Dec 27, 2010
The San Francisco 49ers have some nice ingredients, but their recipe for success needs tweaking.
With the talent they have, and playing in the weak NFC West, the 49ers have no business being 5-10 and out of playoff contention. Mike Singletary was fired Sunday night, and it hardly was a surprise.
"Obviously, we didn't achieve the things we set out to achieve. We should be a playoff team," 49ers president Jed York told reporters Sunday. "We aren't a playoff team this year. Very disappointed about that. We need to figure out how we can get into the playoffs and how we can start competing for Super Bowls."
However, in this division, the 49ers do not need to improve greatly to become a legitimate playoff contender in '11:
Hire a proven coach. The 49ers' next coach should be someone who has been successful as a NFL head coach or coordinator, and there will be plenty of ex-coaches -- Brian Billick, Jim Fassel, Jon Gruden, maybe Mike Holmgren if he can be pried away from the Browns -- who will be interested.
Singletary was a great player who coaches with passion, but there were times when he looked lost trying to help his team offensively -- changing quarterbacks, changing coordinators, seeking answers he never found.
Hire a general manager. The team has been without a GM since Scot McCloughan resigned last March. York says he plans to hire a GM and then a coach, which is the right way to go.
The next general manager and coach must work in harmony, putting together a solid staff that can maximize the abilities of playmakers like tight end Vernon Davis, running back Frank Gore and wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
Get a quarterback. Once the GM and coach are in place, they must turn their attention to getting a new quarterback. The Alex Smith experiment is over. If he has proven one thing in his six NFL seasons, it's that he is not a franchise quarterback. It took the 49ers' coaches far too long to figure that out.
Troy Smith is not the answer, either. Singletary waffled back and forth way too much between both Smiths. But neither was consistent, and it is getting more and more difficult to contend in the NFL without a trusted quarterback.
With Sam Bradford, the Rams are the only team in the NFC West that is set at quarterback. If the 49ers can upgrade the position though the draft, trade or free agency, they could compete for a division title next season, considering the other offensive weapons they have.
Wonder how Kyle Orton or Kevin Kolb or Donovan McNabb would look with the 49ers' next season? Stranger things have happened.
Follow the Chiefs. Kansas City was 2-14 two years ago but blew up the organization and now is the AFC West champion. General manager Scott Pioli had a great '10 draft, and he acquired quarterback Matt Cassel in a '09 trade. And coach Todd Haley assembled a solid staff that now includes an offensive coordinator (Charlie Weis) and defensive coordinator (Romeo Crennel) with vast NFL experience. Sounds like a blueprint for the 49ers.
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