Is the San Francisco 49ers Offense Too Complicated for Its Own Good?

2014 was supposed to be the year in which the San Francisco 49ers unveiled a new-look offense that was equipped with a flurry of new weapons and approaches.

In reality, offensive coordinator Greg Roman's offense has turned into an embarrassment—a unit that has fallen toward the bottom echelon of NFL offenses around the league.

Why has this happened? The season-long inconsistencies and struggles of this offense have stretched far beyond a stint of two or three flat appearances.

Is Roman to blame? Sure. He ultimately comes up with the scheme and game plan prior to each contest. But head coach Jim Harbaugh has to approve each and every play. Ultimately, if Harbaugh is approving every failed play, there has to be a level of blame placed on the head coach, right?

And what of the players? Neither Roman nor Harbaugh can execute an accurate pass. They can't run routes, catch passes or win the one-on-one matchups. Yes, the players share in the finger-pointing as well.

The widespread issues suggest a major problem within the 49ers offense: The overly complicated nature of San Francisco's offensive approach is doing a disservice to this franchise.

"But wait," you say. "How many times have we seen the 49ers offense get too predictable?"

Just like the offense, it is far more complicated than that.

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

It All Starts at the Top

Blaming Roman is the easiest and perhaps most popular thing to do at this point. He is the offensive coordinator, and the offense isn't playing well.

At all.

But one has to remember that Harbaugh built this staff after taking over in 2011. He has continued to back his coordinator, which isn't surprising considering that rarely do we see a head coach throw a member of his staff under the bus.

Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee describes this relationship in further detail:

"

Roman calls the plays from the coaching booth, but they go through Harbaugh on the sideline. (Theoretically, he has the ability to change plays he doesn’t like, but it’s unclear how often that happens.)

In the end, Harbaugh built the system, assembled the coaching pieces, picked the quarterback and trained the quarterback. Roman is a convenient fall guy. But the ultimate responsibility lies with Harbaugh.

"

So if Roman is blamed, one must at least acknowledge that Harbaugh bears some of the burden.

Still, this doesn't mean Roman gets a pass.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Back in January—just before San Francisco's dreaded loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game—@SocaliSteph of Niners Nation put together a piece suggesting the 49ers were already suffering a "paralysis by analysis" under Roman, in which she wrote:

"

Roman is a run specialist. 49ers have found success with it. However, the pass game and timing of plays does not appear to be Roman's strong point. And sometimes, I wonder if Roman is overwhelmed by too much information. It is almost like he prepares for a little of everything he could possibly face rather than learning his opponent's true tendencies. Does he consider what the 49ers do best? Come game day, it's not what Roman knows that matters, it's what the players know how to execute. Instead, we are almost paralyzed by the analysis.

I am not saying the game plan should be simple. It needs to be smart.

"

The words hit home. 2014 has been another perfect example of what was stated. Prior to this season, Roman stated—via NFL Media's Alex Flanagan (h/t Marc Sessler of NFL.com)—that he would unleash a new-look offense.

It made sense. The 49ers added additional receiving weapons such as wideouts Brandon Lloyd, Stevie Johnson and Bruce Ellington. A team that was toward the bottom in three-wide receiver sets in 2013 was poised to be much more dynamic, right?

Yet the results have not been there.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press/Associated Press

Compounding the Issue

If the Roman-Harbaugh relationship with the offense wasn't enough to raise concern, the fact that San Francisco employs one of the deepest offensive coaching staffs in the league should prompt more of an issue.

The 49ers employ a total of 12 offensive-minded coaches, per Mike Florio of NBC Sports' ProFootballTalk. That's more than the amount of players on the field at any given time. 

Among these staff members are quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst, running backs coach Tom Rathman and tight ends coach Eric Mangini. Receivers coach John Morton and offensive line coach Mike Solari are also a part of the fractured equation.

All of these coaches have sizable influence in deciding what happens on offense. But this influence is getting in the way.

Barrows describes further:

"

The 49ers have a huge and expensive offensive staff. Including Harbaugh and entry-level assistants, they have 12 coaches on offense, which currently ranks 23rd in the NFL in yards per game but is sure to slip in that category after this week’s slate of games. By contrast, they have six coaches on their No. 3-ranked defense with coordinator Vic Fangio doubling as the outside linebackers coach.

The problem is that the sprawling offensive staff has created a complex and byzantine offensive system. The 49ers are bad on offense not because of one individual but because so many different individuals have a say. It’s like asking a dozen people to make one omelet. Too many cooks spoil the dish and too many assistants stop the offense.

"

Combine this notion with the new-look offense that Roman promised during the offseason, and perhaps this is the primary reason why we have seen San Francisco do so many questionable things while attempting to move the ball.

The complex approach is intended to keep opposing defenses guessing. In years prior, when the 49ers were heralded as a run-first, play-action team, opponents knew what San Francisco was good at. Yet the offense still came out with that approach, using a ground-and-pound mentality.

It worked. Perhaps the stats weren't as sexy. But the 49ers put up points, dominated the clock and wore down defenses.

The change in theory has offset this type of game plan. It also has moved away from Roman's strength as a run-based coordinator. More significantly though, it has spoiled any chance for the 49ers to establish some sort of identity or rhythm over the course of the season.

Who are the 49ers on offense? It's hard to say.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

The Results

This part isn't pretty. None of the offensive stats emanating from the 49ers' 2014 campaign really are.

San Francisco's last three contests have put an exclamation point upon what had been a question mark over much of the season—the offense is inert.

During this stretch, the 49ers have mustered just 36 points combined against the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and the Seahawks. They gained just 809 total yards of offense—an average of just 269.7 yards per game.

And it is not as if San Francisco's offseason acquisitions are making a major impact either.

Johnson is by far the most notable signing. He has posted 35 receptions for 435 yards and three touchdowns as the 49ers' No. 3 receiver. Lloyd has just 12 catches for 268 yards and one touchdown. Ellington is scantly used on offense and is featured primarily as a return man.

Then there is quarterback Colin Kaepernick's development.

Some, like CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, feel as if Kaepernick is not maturing as a passer. But others, like CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco, wonder if the 49ers—if they do decide to part ways with Harbaugh and/or Roman—think Kaepernick's development could be improved within a different system.

The reality is up for debate.

One thing is clear: The numbers don't lie. And it's not just on the shoulders of Kaepernick. Here's a breakdown of San Francisco's offense in each season under Harbaugh:

	Points For	Total Yards	Pass Yards	Rush Yards	Sacks
2011	380	4,974	2,930	2,044	44
Rank	No. 11	No. 26	No. 29	No. 8	No. 7
2012	397	5,789	3,298	2,491	41
Rank	No. 11	No. 11	No. 23	No. 4	No. 10
2013	406	5,180	2,979	2,201	39
Rank	No. 11	No. 24	No. 30	No. 3	No. 22
2014	231	3,904	2,526	1,378	38
Rank	No. 25	No. 20	No. 23	No. 11	No. 2

These numbers suggest one thing—this new-look, overly complicated offense is not producing the desired results. In fact, it's muddling any hope that the franchise could improve in this area.

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

The Fix

Is there a swift way to correct what has gone wrong?

Firing Roman would likely be the easiest thing to do in this situation. But is it necessarily the best? After all, Roman is directly tied to Harbaugh. Roman's dismissal could suggest Harbaugh would also be let go, but parting with a head coach who boasts a .716 winning percentage and three consecutive trips to the NFC Championship Game is a tough choice to make.

And if Harbaugh does stay but Roman goes, what will Harbaugh's relationship with the front office look like? Will it get any better if the head coach is forced to recognize that his man ultimately did not meet expectations?

In reality, the 49ers can make one easy change that would at least allow them to ride out the rest of 2014 with a shot at making the postseason.

They can simplify things.

There isn't any need to overcomplicate and overscrutinize an offense that, by all indication, is vastly underachieving despite a deep and talented roster.

San Francisco needs to focus on what it does best. The 49ers need to reestablish an identity and find some rhythm in short order.

They have four games left in which to figure out how to do this.

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated. 

Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive on 49ers' news, insight and analysis. 

Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.