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(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Yesterday, I mentioned the possibility of an NFC West title with only nine wins. But a part of that stems from the expectations for the 49ers for the upcoming season.
For any team in the NFL, certain expectations are put into place as the off-season rolls through. For the champion Steelers, people can expect them to make another run at a Super Bowl title.
For the Lions, a few game improvement from last season would probably the most reasonable expectation for the team.
Sometimes, expectations aren't always met. Like last year, the Browns were tagged as one of the up and coming teams. They were given a lot of nationally televised games but failed to make the playoffs.
After thinking about the potential of a 9-7 record for the 49ers, I started to think if my expectations for the team were too high or not high enough.
With a new full-time head coach, a new offense and a question mark at quarterback, it would make sense to scale back a little on my feelings for the team. Especially with the NFC Champion Cardinals in the division, it would be hard for me to find the 49ers as a division contender.
However, the optimism for this team still gets me going. For example, running back Frank Gore is in an offense that he's comfortable with and it looks like he can easily top the 1,000-yard rushing mark again.
Tight end Vernon Davis has been used more as a pass-catching receiver and that alone gives me hope that the passing game will excel. It still will depend on the quarterback that will pass the ball to him. But unlike last year, I don't think there is any favoritism towards any one quarterback. The best quarterback will win the starting job.
The defense will rely a lot on Manny Lawson to finally step up as a pass rusher and the play of the young Dashon Goldson as a new free safety.
The expectations for this team vary from a 7-9 record to possibly an 11-5 record. I think that is a reasonable range for the team. i would at least hope they improve from last year's record and finish over .500. But there is a chance that the 49ers could finish worse than last year. There is a lot of optimism I want to put into this year's team and I do hope that they will meet the goals set for this year.
At least for the 49ers, they expect to make it back to the playoffs. For us 49ers fans, we expect the same thing. And so for this upcoming season, we're hoping the team plays well enough to make the playoffs. That's the bar we've set for the team.
However, if the 49ers don't meet that expectation, it would mean another tough off-season to build upon. It would be hard for the fans also to stomach another losing season. But having lower expectations for the team isn't fun either.
The reason why I wanted to ponder this is because I have talked with several of my friends who follow the 49ers. There were mixed opinions on how much we should put on the team for this year. On one side, some say we should expect the team to make the playoffs and that anything less would be a disappointment.
Another view was that we shouldn't expect too much from the team and give them a little leeway if they miss the playoffs. That way we wouldn't be so harsh on the team as they try to rebuild.
I guess this goes to the question of whether or not we should hold this year's team that high up. For a team like the 49ers on the bubble, I don't find wrong in either way to look at it.
The 49ers are expected to be a playoff team this year. Yet on the other end, the team has a lot of unanswered questions that might not be enough to get them there. In either sense, the 49ers are right somewhere in the middle of it all. How high should we put this team up for this upcoming season? You can't go wrong either way because we really don't know what to expect from the team this year.
I do hope that the team makes the playoffs and makes good word on Jed York's prediction:
"This is the last time our season ends in December."
Trying out Twitter for 49ers updates. Check me out here @SLam49ers
Comments
The problem with the expectations being batted around is the finish from last year. Yes we finished strong, but we ground it out and played good D against a few underachieving teams. Unfortunately too many Niner fans think Shaun Hill was some kind of savior and the offense finaly came alive. Not so. Hill managed the game. Period. The defense and sp. teams gave the offense chances and they took them and managed to score some points. Yes there were flashes - Josh Morgan made some plays for example. However, the pipe dream that some fans have been living about the Niners finding some kind of offensive spark behind Hill are just that. We have SERIOUS QB issues. We also have serious pass rush issues. Maybe Haralson and Lawson will address that, but the truth is if the DL is not playing MUCH better than they did in 08-09, Parys and Manny will be non factors. Without a solid QB and an improved pass rush the 9ers will get crushed given the schedule they face in the 09-10 season.
That is what I am worried about. A part of me wants to believe that the strong finish last year is a start of something new. Yet I have to be realistic and wait and see if that kind of consistency continues.
I would love for red and gold to make it back to the promise land! The spark last year felt like we got something going but the pass rush concerns me and qb play concerns me. There is a whole bunch of factors that will affect next season, to include injuries and no has really mentioned injuries plagued the niners too. I believe injuries and bad play call last year cost us a shot in few close games. I'm optimistic about my team and I will go out and say we are a playoff team. I hope like what the cards did, we will make the superbowl and hopefully even out wins with the steelers cuz I hate them and the cowboys! Go niners and bring back the winning tradition!
You guys are being a little negative. I think 9-7 is attainable and would be a win for Sing and the organization. Even 8-8, however, with a quality win or two against an Indy or Tenn. Another reason for the 8-8 is the first 5 games before the bye. We could end up 1-4 or 2-3. That would suck, but possible. Again as long as we show improvement in coaching and play we should be very happy with the outcome of the 09 season. This is make it or break it for some this year and they know who they are.
I agree OLB and overall pass rush MUST step up. As for QB, we don’t need a stud back there this year. Just a manager as we find our way. If QB is still an issue next year we have two draft picks in 2010, go get your QB.
how about 6 and 10, are you kidding me? nine wins? look at their schedule. get ready for another losing season and somebody better gag jed york. this organization is all smoke and mirrors and does not fool me. second rate from the top down and everyone is sold on singletary. what kind of moron pulls his pants down? they think they are going to run the ball too with their offensive line haha another pipe dream. the yorks breed losing so be prepared.....
Jed: Mission Accomplished! The last regular season game takes place Jan 3rd! Season will not end in December.
I think too much emphasis is being put on W/L record. The analysis I believe in is as follows. The 9ers should split with the 'Hawks and Cards and take two from the Lams, as should the 'Hawks and Cards. That would leave the three relevant teams tied in Division play. All three play common oponents in the NFC North and East and the AFC South. Here defense should make the difference and the 9ers have the advantage there. I expect the 9ers to come out of the season with a better out of Division record and even it's by only one game it will result in a Divisional win for the 9ers.
Well people should stop being so negative towards one of the up and coming teams. I know that this is said pretty much every year but this year really should be the breakthrough year. The defense is stout, should be in the top 10 possibly the top 5 with the likes of willis and clements as leaders. Offense is improving. They are built as a running team and hey lets bring in an OC that wants to run rather than pass. Rookie Boone will get a lot of pt in the preseason and I feel will probably start later on in the season. The passing game will also average more than 211 yards a game due to defenses focusing on stopping Gore. They will finally utilize Davis as the pass catching TE like he is and Crabtree, Hill, and Morgan will take over the receiving corps. Im looking at a pretty decent season. Most likely 9-7 but an 11-5 record wouldnt surprise me...look at the dolphins lol
niners need to get over .500 before anyone should talk about 11 wins. How long has it been since they had a winning record??? a decade???
Different offense last year just kickin into gear the last few games against lousier, easier to fool, softer teams. This year another new offense. It'll take half a year to get automatic/automonic muscle responses. We wont see a savior year. Not until 2010.
To be honest..... Qb play wasnt the problem. The niners finished 13th in passing. It was the o-line that failed in the trenches to protect the qb and grind out the yards to run out the clock. I really thought we were going to draft an offensive tackle but, marvel smith could fill a huge gap, if he can stay healthy. Getting Michael Crabtree might just get us over the hump, because of his game changing talent. V.D could could also change the game with his speed if used properly and I.Bruce will be go the go to man on third downs. With the talent we have on offense now, it wouldnt matter who the qb is because plays are going to be designed for a short to intermidiate passing game, with the threat of the run, which should keep defenses honest and there will always be outlet for the qb, if he cant progress through his reads quickly.
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