Kurtenbach
who are now 0-5 on the season. Over the last four weeks, the 49ers have lost by a total of 11 points, and Sunday’s loss to the Colts was their second-straight road overtime loss that went down to the final minutes of the extra period.
Sunday’s game had all the trademarks of a 2017 49ers contest — a pregame protest that seemed to loom larger than the game, poor execution in all three areas of the game, and just enough positive play to make things interesting.
As Yogi Berra said, it was deja vu, all over again.
“We had opportunities there and we didn’t get it done again,” Shanahan said Sunday (or was it last Sunday? Or was it the Thursday before that? No, it must have been the second Sunday of the season). “So, I will say the same thing that I have been saying these last few weeks — there is nothing you can do but go back to work and get better.”
Sunday’s loss — just like the last few — was frustrating, no doubt. It was the kind of loss that could lead to a coach to pound his fist on the lectern and demand more from his players or changes would be made.
But Shanahan didn’t do that Sunday.
Instead, he repeated what he’s said — in some form or another — for the last few weeks:
“It’s time to find out what our guys are made of.”
At 0-5, that phrase takes a different tone.
The 49ers season is officially lost. Whatever postseason dreams fans, coaches, or players had coming into this season are gone. That’s not a problem — those were pipe dreams, anyway.
But that doesn’t mean this entire 49ers season is lost.
There’s a reason Shanahan signed a six-year deal instead of the standard five-year pact. Deep down, he knew this year was lost before he started it — there was no way he and his hand-picked general manager John Lynch could assemble the talent necessary to contend over the course of one offseason.
No, the real start of the Shanahan era is 2018.
This year, Shanahan is looking to find himself a few players of worth, and more importantly, establish a new culture in Santa Clara.
Because whatever culture Shanahan inherited wasn’t worth keeping around.
And five games, and five losses, into the campaign, it seems that he’s doing just that.
Shanahan is establishing a culture not by demanding wins — wins that might derail the Niners’ chances of landing the franchise quarterback Shanahan wants in April’s draft, by the way — but by demanding effort and character.
“It hurts,” Shanahan said of losing. “I think of it as an opportunity to really find out who you are and what you’re made of, because I don’t think it’s for everyone. Not a lot of people can handle it, and I’m counting on the guys in our (locker) room to handle it.”
And the guys who can’t handle it? They’re not going to be on this team next season.
One thing that we saw Sunday: Brian Hoyer can handle it.
For the past two weeks, I’ve wondered out loud — often in not-so-cleverly veiled comments directly to Hoyer — how long Shanahan would give the veteran quarterback to figure it out. The 49ers had not scored a touchdown on Sunday heading into this Sunday’s game — the heat was on and Hoyer knew it.
With a not-as-bad 29-of46, 353-yard, two-touchdown, zero-interception performance, Hoyer bought himself some more time under center — a few weeks, at least.
In the postgame presser, you could see and hear why Hoyer was Shanahan’s hand-picked guy for this stopgap year — he and Shanahan are on the same wavelength when it comes to handling the locker room.
“You gotta keep fighting. I know that we have the right guys in that room, and I know that I will (keep fighting) until they take (the quarterback job) away from me,” Hoyer said.
There’s a narrow window for Hoyer to be the starting quarterback of this team next year and it involves him thriving this year and then mentoring a high draft pick before handing over the reigns after a few games in 2018. Still, knowing his career as a starter in this league is on the line weekin, week-out, he remains a loyal disciple and positive figure, even when times are down.
No one will remember Hoyer’s time as 49ers quarterback fondly, but make no mistake, his influence on this team could have positive effects for years to come.
This 49ers team feels like it’s on the verge of a breakthrough. It’s hard to argue with that. The 49ers are putting in noble efforts week in, week out — they’re just not talented enough to win.
Eventually, they will get that win, though.
And when they do, it will be a cause to celebrate.
This 49ers team is frustrating — oh so frustrating — to watch because of poor execution, but five games into the season, they’ve shown character that’s worth applause.