Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
I think the Niners are the best team in the NFL. For three and two thirds quarters the Cards gave the Niners all they could handle. The Cards were tenacious. Though they fell short in end, they accomplished far more than most and I believed was possible for this team. After Deion Sanders lost to Oregon he said, “You better get me now, this is the worst we’re gonna be.”
His point was simple. He just got started creating his team. Give him some time to get more built and just wait until you see what that team can do. Gannon could have uttered the same statement. This front office is just getting started. Most knowledgeable observers would tell you this is not a strong roster. If Ossenfort does his job, Gannon just might build a juggernaut in the desert. The other thing he has going for him is that his coordinators are young. Hopefully their youth and inexperience will discourage other teams from poaching them to be Assistant Head Coaches. That’s a title designed to circumvent NFL rules and allow teams to steal coordinators by offering them “promotions.”
This is not to say Gannon and his staff are perfect. They still haven’t built a reliable 2 minute drill. The team still commits too many penalties. They are sometimes too conventional when playing defense. Nonetheless they are so vastly improved from the previous administration. It seems like quibbling to criticize them. The play design is both creative and harkens back to long underused techniques, like pulling multiple linemen. This staff knows football. On both sides of the ball their player development has been outstanding. Their ability to motivate, especially veterans, has been exceptional. Working with less than optimum athletes they’ve produced nearly optimal results.
The scary thing for the rest of the league is they appear to learn from their mistakes. They also aren’t afraid to push all their chips to the center of the table. Their first 2 games were played conservatively. The last 2 were among the most aggressive games coached this year. They now play to win.
I don’t know how the Murray experiment will workout. I don’t know how quickly they can get the roster to playoff contention level. They will likely have substantial roster turnover, which always means challenges in player integration. On the other hand more internal competition could lead to improved production. It’s a process, but often not a swift one. Still I’m totally confident they will be a force in years to come.
The nice thing about not having heavy pressure to win means the staff is free to try anything. They can experiment as much as they desire. What ideas have they always wondered would work, if tried? They now have the power. There is literally nothing to lose. They can just tell themselves this is the worst we’re gonna be.
His point was simple. He just got started creating his team. Give him some time to get more built and just wait until you see what that team can do. Gannon could have uttered the same statement. This front office is just getting started. Most knowledgeable observers would tell you this is not a strong roster. If Ossenfort does his job, Gannon just might build a juggernaut in the desert. The other thing he has going for him is that his coordinators are young. Hopefully their youth and inexperience will discourage other teams from poaching them to be Assistant Head Coaches. That’s a title designed to circumvent NFL rules and allow teams to steal coordinators by offering them “promotions.”
This is not to say Gannon and his staff are perfect. They still haven’t built a reliable 2 minute drill. The team still commits too many penalties. They are sometimes too conventional when playing defense. Nonetheless they are so vastly improved from the previous administration. It seems like quibbling to criticize them. The play design is both creative and harkens back to long underused techniques, like pulling multiple linemen. This staff knows football. On both sides of the ball their player development has been outstanding. Their ability to motivate, especially veterans, has been exceptional. Working with less than optimum athletes they’ve produced nearly optimal results.
The scary thing for the rest of the league is they appear to learn from their mistakes. They also aren’t afraid to push all their chips to the center of the table. Their first 2 games were played conservatively. The last 2 were among the most aggressive games coached this year. They now play to win.
I don’t know how the Murray experiment will workout. I don’t know how quickly they can get the roster to playoff contention level. They will likely have substantial roster turnover, which always means challenges in player integration. On the other hand more internal competition could lead to improved production. It’s a process, but often not a swift one. Still I’m totally confident they will be a force in years to come.
The nice thing about not having heavy pressure to win means the staff is free to try anything. They can experiment as much as they desire. What ideas have they always wondered would work, if tried? They now have the power. There is literally nothing to lose. They can just tell themselves this is the worst we’re gonna be.
