Blowout reveals harsh truth: 49ers lack talent
Don’t blame new 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard.
Don’t blame first-year 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan or any member coaching staff.
Don’t blame Joe Staley, or RayRay Armstrong, or Eli Harold, or Rashard Robinson, or Trent Brown.
This 49ers franchise might have hit rock bottom in a 40-10 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday — this pitiful 2017 season certainly found its nadir — but you can’t blame one individual for the seventh-straight loss to start this season or this team’s overarching problems.
“We got whooped today. That’s all you can say about it,” rookie wide receiver Trent Taylor said after the game.
This failure of a season — the 0-7 start is tied for the worst in the history of the franchise — has been in the making for years, and despite what the coaches and players said in the locker room and on the dais Sunday, it’s not going to get much better until next year.
The Cowboys won Sunday because they simply had more talent than the 49ers, across the board.
That’s the 49ers’ big problem — the reason this 2017 team is making a consistent habit of losing: they simply don’t have enough talent on their roster.
Every time I walk through the 49ers’ locker room, I seem to find a few new names and numbers over stalls. My phone’s data plan is being taxed by searches for “Leger Douzable”, “Tony McDaniel”, and “Mark Nzeocha”.
I didn’t make those names up. In fact, one of those players was listed as a starter on the 49ers’ depth chart Sunday.
And those were just the anonymous players on the 49ers’ defense. The offense is littered with them too. Can you tell me anything about Cole Hikutini or Raheem Mostert?
It’s not Shanahan or Lynch’s fault that they inherited the worst roster in the NFC when they joined the 49ers, but it is their problem to fix. And anyone who thinks a problem this big could have been fixed over the course of one offseason is delusional.
Jim Harbaugh, who went 13-3 in his first season in the NFL, inherited a roster that with Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Justin Smith, Dashon Goldson, and Staley.
Shanahan and Lynch inherited Staley and Bowman, but both of those players are shells of their former selves — Staley was woeful on Sunday and Bowman was cut for bad play and a bad attitude earlier this month.
Yes, the new brass took over a roster with Carlos Hyde (who is in a contract year and might not be a fit for the 49ers’ zone blocking system) and some promising defensive linemen, but the 49ers essentially had the roster of an expansion team heading into this season.
Actually, strike that — an expansion team might have been able to acquire more talent than the 49ers had coming into this year.
If you’re looking to blame someone for Sunday’s debacle and the current state of the franchise, blame former general manager Trent Baalke and the prior coaching staffs, who couldn’t do anything to salvage the GM’s poor draft selections.
When it comes to building this roster into a contender over the next few years (there’s not going to be a quick fix here — sorry), where does this new 49ers regime start?
Quarterback? Offensive line? Cornerback?
All are viable options because, at the moment, the 49ers have no idea if they have anything at any of those spots. And those are just the most glaring holes.
Beathard showed some promise in his first NFL start — he doesn’t the best arm, but he’s generally accurate, clearly understands the playbook, and keeps his eyes downfield and can extend plays with his legs — but it’s hard to evaluate if he’s the quarterback to build around (or be a stop gap) if he’s constantly under siege.
The Niners offensive line allowed five sacks, nine tackles for loss, and six quarterback hurries Sunday — that’s going to make it really hard to win.
Then again, how can this offense be expected to match the output of their opponents? The Cowboys had 501 yards of total offense (7.2 yards per play) on 70 offensive snaps Sunday.
The loss was the first time the 49ers have been smoked in a game this season — Shanahan has been able to use the “we’re close” excuse for weeks, because the 49ers have been close in games, but he won’t be able to say that after this loss to the Cowboys.
I’ve been adamant that Shanahan is building a strong culture in Santa Clara and I think he and his staff are excellent tacticians, but those culture-building skills will be put to the test in the coming days and weeks. A few more losses like this and all that positive culture could fly out the window.
(The tactician skills? They’re being tested every week — and validated with every score or stop.)
But no matter how the Niners respond to Sunday’s loss, don’t forget the overarching problem — this roster simply isn’t good enough to win consistently in the NFL. It never has been and there’s next-to-no-chance that’s going to change over the next nine games.