Are The 49ers Lost At Sea?

Just what is going on in San Francisco? One of the great franchises is crumbling from the ground up. Yes, you can argue that things were worse at the start of this decade, but the rumblings that we’re hearing from the franchise isn’t the norm for this once classy organisation.

Rumours about Jim Harbaugh’s future have engulfed The Bay all year and now we’re witnessing the effects. The team lacks leadership. It needs direction and it’s desperate for solidarity. Defeat to their archrivals, the Seattle Seahawks, this weekend will end their season. The team that has reached the NFC Championship game three years running under Harbaugh just might finish bottom of their division later this month.

The 49ers have the players to win their next three games and gatecrash the postseason, but what they need is faith in their leadership. You live and die as a team, but are they prepared to die on their sword for their coach? It doesn’t look like it.

The Jim Harbaugh effect has worn off on this group. The youngsters in the squad appear to buy into his college-style leadership, but the others have heard it all before. It’s time for a fresh start. When, not if, Harbaugh goes, the coach who takes over this franchise will have an impressive roster to take over.

How do you solve a problem like Kaepernick?

The offense needs sorting. The receivers look like they’re out of sorts. Their strong run game has gone and the quarterback looks lost.

When Kaepernick burst onto the scene two years ago he had a few of the top pundits predicting that he would be the best signal-caller of his generation. His superb athleticism and strong arm would strike fear into all who faced him. But, look at footage of that raw QB and then play the tape of this campaign and you’ll see that he hasn’t improved. He’s made the occasional big play, but he’s consistently been poor. Sack after sack, pick after pick, missed pass after missed pass. He was supposed to have been working hard on his game in the off season, but what was he doing? His O-line hasn’t helped, but you get the feeling that 2015 will be make or break for him.

Week 15 is also make or break for this franchise. There’s nothing Pete Carroll would like more than to end Jim Harbaugh’s time in San Francisco. The 49ers are capable of beating Seattle, but it depends on whether they’re prepared to fight for the man who appears to be leaving them anyway.