5 Reasons That the San Francisco 49ers Run Will Prove to Be a Fluke

The San Francisco 49ers were the surprise team of the season. Alex Smith played great at times, and Jim Harbaugh brought passion and energy to take this team one game away from the Super Bowl.

Will they be able to duplicate this success next season? No.

Here are five reasons that the 49ers' run will prove to be a fluke.

Jim Harbaugh's May Endure a Sophomore Coaching Slump

Harbaugh was one of the stories of the NFL this season. Coming off of the success that he had at Stanford and inheriting a San Francisco 49er team with great talent, but in need of direction, Harbaugh gave guys like Alex Smith and Vernon Davis a clean slate, and they went out and played great football.

Harbaugh's passionate, borderline over-the-top coaching style took the NFL by storm this season and he will be a continue to be a great coach, but recently the league has had coaches have great starts only to flame out. It probably won't be Harbaugh, but it's just something to think about.

Frank Gore's Regression

Gore is one of the best running backs in the NFL, but he is also approaching the dreaded running back age of 30. Gore received a $21 million contract last fall, but the way the deal is structured, the 49ers can cut Gore after next season and Gore would have collected only a third of that money.

The 49ers have worked Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon into the rotation at times, so if Gore starts slowing slippage, the 49ers may part with him.

Is Michael Crabtree an Elite WR?

Crabtree disappeared in the playoffs. Five catches for 28 yards is not what San Francisco was hoping for from Crabtree. His career to this point has been disappointment. Some of it is based on the 49ers' run-first approach, but really, Crabtree just hasn't performed.

The St. Louis Rams

The Rams' hiring of Jeff Fisher has made this division interesting. Fisher will get the best out of his players and the Rams could win the division next year. They still have two of the best players in the division in Sam Bradford and Steven Jackson.

If the Rams draft Justin Blackmon, Bradford to Blackmon could become one of the best QB-WR duos in the NFL by 2013.

Alex Smith

Smith had the best season of his career last year, as he finally had a coach who trusted him. That said, Smith probably isn't a top-six or seven quarterback in the NFC. He will resign with the 49ers unless something drastic happens. Harbaugh drafted Colin Kaepernick; he's getting impatient. If Kaepernick is the starter in 2012, expect growing pains.