Panda Sees All: San Francisco 49ers Preview
Our 2009 football previews have three parts: 1) A review of last year’s predictions. 2) Four bold predictions for 2009. 3) Who’s Your Panda? — the player who will emerge as a fan favorite like the Giants’ Pablo Sandoval. Hence the name.
WHAT THEY SAID LAST YEAR ABOUT THE 49ERS
Mike Sando, ESPN.com: “The 49ers have improved on both sides of the ball. A messy quarterback situation threatens to drag them down. Mike Nolan needs to win a few games early.”
How’d that work out?: Mike Nolan and his messy quarterback, J.T. O’Sullivan, started the season with a loss but won their next two. Next stop, Super Bowl? Nope. Next stop, four straight losses, then Nolan losing his job, then two more losses under Mike Singletary before a 5-2 finish.
Chronicle: “Mike Martz will have to keep the offense clicking in what may well be his only year as coordinator here. If he succeeds, he’ll probably get another shot as a head coach. If not, the whole staff is probably gone.”
How’d that work out?: Martz’s Crappiest Show on Grass didn’t do much for his job prospects. The 49ers finished the season ranked 23rd in overall offense and 13th in pass offense. Martz was fired two days after Singletary officially earned the head coaching position.
Kawakami: “Best 49ers offensive player: Frank Gore, if Martz doesn’t forget about him. I can see Gore getting 1,110 rushing yards, 65 catches, and 10 total TDs.”
How’d that work out?: Gore continued to be a workhorse in 2008 despite Martz’s passing mentality. Gore had 1,036 yards, 43 catches and eight total TDs.
NFL.com: “The defense will play well but it may not be enough to prevent a losing record.”
How’d that work out?: The 49ers’ defense wasn’t exactly Monsters of the Midway-level, but they did show marked improvement. Ranked 25th in total defense in 2007, the 49ers improved to 13th in ‘08.
TMQ’s all-haiku preview: “Hey, weren’t you good once?; Rice, Young, distant memories.; The S.F. Niners.; Forecast finish: 7-9″
How’d that work out?: The power of haiku is scary. The Niners did finish 7-9.
SI.com: “I can’t find many reasons to believe this year isn’t just the depressing precursor to another fresh start for San Francisco’s beleaguered fans in 2009.”
How’d that work out?: Well sort of. The 49ers had to get through the depressing times of the early season to get to the fresh start, which happened at the end of 2008. So, 49ers fans are still beleaguered but hopeful. Smooth transition to the bold predictions…
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By Peter on Saturday, September 12th, 2009 at 3:35 pm.
Tags: San Francisco 49ers
September 16th, 2009 at 6:09 am
[...] Singletary’s admirers range from fans to 49ers great Roger Craig, who spoke to students at San Pasqual High School on Monday. Dennis Dillon suggests the 49ers could be a darkhorse in the NFC, but you didn’t hear it from him first. [...]