Chargers vs 49ers: What Are Experts Saying About San Francisco?
The San Francisco 49ers host the San Diego Chargers in Week 16 with their season effectively over following their defeat to the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday.
With the Niners' hopes of a fourth straight postseason berth now in tatters, much of the focus has turned to the future of head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was reported to be the subject of a contract offer from his alma mater, Michigan, by NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.
Harbaugh, though, insists that he is focused on his current task, which is helping San Francisco to finish a hugely disappointing campaign on a high with a winning record and victories in their final two games.
Yet, with injuries mounting on both sides of the ball and the offense continuing to struggle, expectations should be significantly lowered for a game that is far more important for the visiting Chargers, a team aiming to keep pace in the race for the playoffs in the AFC.
For San Francisco, Saturday's game is all about morale and finishing strongly ahead of an offseason that figures to be one of great change if the speculation surrounding Harbaugh is to be believed.
Before that circus gets going, however, there is work to be done on the field. So let's take a look at what the experts are saying about a 49ers team eager to restore pride and treat the home fans to a win at Levi's Stadium.
David Fucillo: Frank Gore Is the Heart and Soul of the 49ers
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It has been a tough season for Frank Gore, and with his contract set to expire in 2015 and Carlos Hyde showing flashes to suggest he will be an able replacement, it could well be his last in a 49ers uniform.
Underused in 2014, Gore has continued to excel when he has been made the focal point of the offense and is averaging a decent 4.5 yards per carry this season, despite only being afforded 20 carries on two occasions this campaign.
Gore's decline in carries appears to have come as a result of a change in philosophy from the Niners, who now appear to be more focused on quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the passing attack rather than the running game that has made them so successful in recent years.
Yet, even with San Francisco apparently switching the focus of their offense, David Fucillo of Niners Nation insists that Gore remains the heart and soul of the 49ers, ahead of the likes of Anquan Boldin, Justin Smith and Patrick Willis.
"Throughout all the turmoil the last decade, Frank Gore has been a constant. Others have joined and become important pieces of the fabric of this franchise, but Gore has chugged along.
The 49ers have had vocal players, but Gore strikes me as representative of the kind of player leadership the 49ers have had. The leaders will talk to the team but it is more about their actions, and the leadership is an internal thing, not something that they need the whole world to see.
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It is tough to argue with Fucillo's assessment; through good times and bad, Gore has consistently performed and has seven 1,000-yard seasons in what has been a magnificent pro career for the former Miami Hurricane.
Perhaps the only thing that will keep Gore out of the Hall of Fame is the fact he has not won a Super Bowl, but ahead of what could be his final two games as a Niner, the 31-year-old has the chance to finish his time in San Francisco on a high.
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman seems to have been obsessed with getting the passing game going in 2014, but at the end of a surprisingly poor year, it would be fitting to use the winning formula of leaning on Gore and help him record an eighth 1,000-yard campaign.
Austin Murphy: 49ers Must Salvage Kaepernick's Confidence
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In 2012, Colin Kaepernick burst onto the scene as a brash and confident dual-threat quarterback whose self-assuredness saw him lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl XLVII.
Kaepernick was not as effective in 2013 but still largely excelled. However, fast forward to the present day, the San Francisco signal-caller is attracting much of the criticism for the Niners anaemic play on the offensive side of the ball.
Statistically, Kaepernick is on pace for his best year as an NFL quarterback, having already thrown for 3,051 yards and 16 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, but as Sports Illustrated's Austin Murphy points out, the former Nevada man is far from the player who terrorized teams with his skills as a runner in 2012 and '13.
"Kaepernick is a shell of the dazzling player who pureed the Packers for four touchdowns and 444 yards of total offense—181 of them on the ground—in his playoff debut two years ago.
There is a hesitation in his play, a doubt in his expression. He locks in on receivers, often fails to advance through his progression. He sprays the ball. Kaepernicking has been relegated, for now, to the dustbin of NFL history
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Murphy goes on to suggest that Kaepernick, who appears to be being forced to turn into a pocket passer, needs to evolve in order to once again become a threat to opposing defenses.
But at age 27 and in his fourth year in the NFL, is it too late to be talking about a player learning to feel pressure more effectively and see the field better? At a certain point, the Niners will have to accept Kaepernick's limitations for what they are.
As Murphy correctly points out, Kaepernick's struggles this season have been tied to the limited usage of Gore, and therein lies the all too well-known root cause of the 49ers' offensive issues.
San Francisco is attempting to a switch to a game plan that does not suit an offensive line built for run blocking and certainly does not suit a quarterback as mobile as Kaepernick.
Kaepernick is a player who can give defenses nightmares, but he only do that as part of a system in which he is not the focal point but merely a cast member in a philosophy centered predominantly around Gore and that previously dominant offensive line.
It is strange to be talking about rebuilding the confidence of a player who has always seemed to possess that trait. Yet if the Niners are to succeed in doing so, then they need to refocus their efforts on playing to his strengths as a runner.
Ann Killion: Distractions Ramping Up for 49ers
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Since the early stages of the offseason, the 49ers have been plagued by off-the-field distractions.
From the report of trade talks between the Niners and the Cleveland Browns for Harbaugh by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk to Aldon Smith's nine-game ban and the investigation surrounding an incident in Miami involving Kaepernick that was eventually closed with no charges filed to the alleged indiscretions of Ray McDonald, the negative headlines have kept coming for San Francisco.
And as Ann Killion of The San Francisco Chronicle reports, those distractions are refusing to go away despite the 49ers' season dying down.
Killion points to the apparent six-year, $49 million contract offer from Michigan to Harbaugh, the release of McDonald from the roster following allegations of sexual assault and an email from the 49ers to fans detailing how can they pay for 2015 season tickets as the most recent disruptions for San Francisco.
It is a stretch to say that the last of those three events represents a distraction, but Killion's point is valid—although the speculation over a coach as high profile as Harbaugh was always going to attract significant attention with the 49ers having little to play for but pride.
What has been truly telling, though, is that the Niners have seemingly been unable to put these distractions to one side and silence them in the best way possible: winning.
NFC West rivals the Seattle Seahawks have had to cope with reports of a fallout from the decision to trade wide receiver Percy Harvin, with running back Marshawn Lynch reported to have shown his frustration after learning of the deal with the New York Jets, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Rapoport has also reported that Lynch is mulling retirement, and yet the Seahawks have kept on rolling and now appear primed to go into the postseason with momentum very much on their side.
One could make the point that the Seahawks' off-field issues have been far less worrying than those of the Niners, but it speaks volumes about the contrast in locker-room and front-office atmospheres that they have kept winning while the Niners have floundered.
It has been one of the worst-kept secrets in football over the past year, and the Niners' play on the field has, for many, confirmed that there is a disconnect in the heart of the organization. Most expect it to come to a head in the offseason.
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Eric Branch: Jerod-Eddie Gets His Chance
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The release of Ray McDonald following allegations of sexual assault has forced the 49ers to dip into their good depth on the defensive line for the clash with the Chargers.
And as The San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch observes, that has presented an unexpected opportunity for Tony Jerod-Eddie. Saturday will mark the defensive lineman's third NFL start and first this season.
Humbled and motivated by going undrafted in 2012, Jerod-Eddie signed with the Niners as a free agent and has proved to be a solid option in rotation throughout his career in San Francisco. This season, Jerod-Eddie has 15 tackles to his name, although Pro Football Focus' advanced metrics (subscription required) suggest that it has been a down year for the former Texas A&M man.
An exclusive rights free agent in the offseason, Jerod-Eddie is graded negatively against the run and in rushing the passer.
Branch suggests that his elevation to the starting role represents a chance for him to prove himself ahead of next season. But given his form and the relative emergence of second-year players Quinton Dial and Tank Carradine, Branch is perhaps understating the importance of these last two games.
The 49ers invested a second-round pick in Carradine and are starting to see a return. It is still possible that Justin Smith will return, while nose tackles Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey will both be back from injury next year.
Further depth could also be added from a 2015 draft class that on the surface projects to be deep in terms of defensive lineman. Unless he makes a significant impression between now and the end of preseason, Jerod-Eddie could find himself down the depth chart or even off the roster in 2015.
Matt Barrows: Harbaugh Vows to Finish the Job
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It is no secret that Harbaugh is not a quitter, the 49ers head coach has never been one to walk away and has indicated that he will not leave San Francisco before the end of his contract.
All the talk is that Harbaugh and the Niners are heading for divorce, but if his recent comments are to be believed, it will not come as a result of Harbaugh agreeing to walk away. Indeed, per Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee, the former Stanford coach is refusing to be drawn on speculation of an impending departure.
"Yeah, I've said I'm going to finish this until the end. My focus is the same as the players' focus, it's the same as the coaches' focus, the focus on the practice field, the focus in meetings, by our players, by our coaches and by me.
That is our focus—this football game against the San Diego Chargers. And playing well and winning. That's where our energy and focus is.
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It is unclear whether Harbaugh is referring to the end of the season or the end of his contract. If it is the latter, then word of a simple parting of the ways may be premature.
None of the teams that have been mooted as potential destinations for Harbaugh can be viewed as an upgrade on his current position with the Niners.
Harbaugh came a matter of yards away from winning Super Bowl XLVII with the 49ers, and with a year remaining on his contract, it may be the case that he intends to give the quest of bringing a sixth Lombardi Trophy to San Francisco one more shot.
If the discord between the front office and Harbaugh is too much to overcome, then there is the prospect that he could be traded, with the Oakland Raiders reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter to be the leading candidates to make such a deal.
Yet, Harbaugh would have to agree to a trade and the situation could become messy and complicated should he refuse to do so.
For all the talk of Harbaugh's inevitable divorce from the 49ers, his recent words suggest that this saga has a long way to go.
All statistics courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise stated.
Nicholas McGee is a San Francisco 49ers Featured Columnist based in Leeds, England. Follow him on Twitter @nicholasmcgee24.
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