Going into the offseason, there were a few concerns about the San Francisco 49ers. During the offseason, the 49ers have made some changes, and going into next season, their future looks bright. At the end of last season, the 49ers narrowly lost in the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks, and were only a couple of points away from making it to their second straight Super Bowl. Going into next season, the 49ers have filled all the major gaps in their lineup, and it is expected that they will be able to keep pace with the Seahawks in their competitive decision.
Firstly, the play of Colin Kaepernick was a huge concern in 2013, especially after he declined from his performance in 2012. Sure, he is one of the fastest and most talented quarterbacks in the entire NFL; however, he was still playing a style of football that was half college and half pro. Many were concerned that he would fail to adapt completely, and he would eventually end up like Robert Griffin III – young, injured, and unable to succeed.
During the offseason and in OTAs, he has been playing almost exclusively in the pocket. He has been learning under the advice of his quarterbacks coaches, and for the first time in his career, he is actually learning how to throw accurate passes. Right now, Kaepernick has one of the strongest passing arms in the league; however, in college he never needed to use it. Currently, the NFL is moving away from the read option offense that Kaepernick was getting used to. Previously, the read option would only work if the defensive end fell for the trap. Now, the defensive end goes after the quarterback every time, making it far too dangerous to run. Kaepernick has another three months to work on his pocket presence and his accuracy before he needs to play on the big stage, and his progress so far is encouraging.
The other concern for the 49ers last season was their receivers. Sure, WR Michael Crabtree is solid, but he is just one player who is not elite. In the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers lost because they got shutdown by the entire Hawks defense, and Richard Sherman covered Crabtree with ease. Because of this, the 49ers brought in two big name receivers. In addition to Michael Crabtree and TE Vernon Davis, the Niners brought former Pats WR Brandon Lloyd and former Bills WR Stevie Johnson. So far, these two players have been amazing in OTAs, and they have found a great deal of chemistry with Kaepernick.
Next season, for the first time in the since the Steve Young era, the 49ers will actually have a complete offense. Considering that last season, they got to the NFC Championship Game without a great receiving group, the additions of Lloyd and Johnson should really help them out down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Expect them to have a fantastic 2014 NFL season.
Ron – Lead Editor Fantasy Football Overdose. Follow Fantasy Football Overdose on Twitter @NFLRankings.
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