After 2-5 Start, 49ers Now Facing Realities of Lost Season and Uncertain Future

After the team underwent one of the most disheartening NFL offseasons of recent memory, it seemed like a fairly safe bet that 2015 would be a rebuilding year for the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers parted ways with head coach Jim Harbaugh, who took the franchise to the NFC title game three times in his four seasons, and replaced him with longtime defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. The team then watched as it lost a slew of talented players—including offensive lineman Anthony Davis, linebacker Chris Borland, linebacker Patrick Willis and defensive end Justin Smith—to retirement.

Oh, and the 49ers let key players like running back Frank Gore and cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox leave in free agency. Pro Bowl punter Andy Lee was traded away.

Peter King of The MMQB explained just how much turnover the team had before the start of training camp:

"

When your coach and three coordinators go ... and two promising young players retire by the age of 25 ... and your defensive leader retires ... and your top wideout heads across town ... and two good cover corners go ... and a mauling guard goes to a division rival ... and when you’re putting your franchise quarterback coming off a checkered season in the hands of a position coach (Steve Logan) who was doing a talk show for the past couple of years...

The one thing the Niners have going for them is that the world will expect them to crash and burn.

"

It's true that many people did indeed expect the 49ers to be a disaster in 2015, but at least there was some room for hope—there always is in the offseason, right? Tomsula was a longtime member of the organization, and by most accounts, a coach well-liked by the San Francisco players.

Perhaps the ousting of Harbaugh wasn't totally an ego play on the part of owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke. Perhaps the 49ers, who went 8-8 in 2014 after three playoff seasons, really had stopped responding to the Michigan man. 

When San Francisco opened the season 20-3 win over the Minnesota Vikings and the players appeared to rally around Tomsula, it seemed that maybe, just maybe, change was the right call and the new coach might be able to lead this franchise to a surprisingly successful season.

It turns out that the 49ers opened the season with an aberration—and boy does that game feel like a long time ago.

The 49ers have won just once since the opening weekend, and that win came at home against an even more disappointing 1-5 Baltimore Ravens team. San Francisco has yet to win on the road and has lost by more than three touchdowns twice. 

However, Thursday night's 20-3 embarrassment at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks was probably the game that truly rang the death knell on the 49ers' 2015 season. It was a home game in front of a national audience and against a hated division rival—yet the 49ers never appeared to mentally be up for the game.

The play in the second half appeared particularly uninspired. Blocking for quarterback Colin Kaepernick was almost nonexistent (he was sacked six times, hurried several others), and the offense (only eight first downs) was nearly as invisible.

“That game today was not what we want," Tomsula said after the loss, per Taylor Price of 49ers.com. "It was not acceptable. We did not play well. We don’t have an excuse. Again, that lies right here. We need to do a better job.” 

At least we know that Tomsula has a better grasp on the obvious than he does on game management. 

When the 49ers chose to punt with just over seven minutes remaining in the game and a three-score deficit, they effectively gave up on the contest. As a practical matter, they might as well have also given up on their season. 

At 2-5, a comeback in the NFC West seems nearly impossible. Now the 49ers must turn their focus to the road ahead. Those who expected 2015 to be a rebuilding year for San Francisco were right, but the rebuild isn't going to end with this season. 

The rest of this season is about seeing what, if any, foundations the 49ers have. Ownership will have to evaluate just how well the team responds under Tomsula over the next couple of months. Considering the team seems to have lost its heart early in losing contests, it's fair to wonder if the players will respond at all.

Ownership also has to figure out if there's any saving the project that is Colin Kaepernick. The guy stands 6'4" and 230 pounds, and possesses a rocket arm and dazzling ground speed. Yet his mechanics and pocket awareness, while not exactly regressing, are wildly inconsistent and definitely aren't improving.

Kaepernick's accuracy is also completely inconsistent. He'll drop a laser into a tight window on one throw that most quarterbacks just can't make. On the next throw, he'll toss a ball so inaccurate that it seems to defy the laws of physics.

Some of his plays are downright painful, and not just for innocent bystanders. 

"

That throw drilled someone on the sideline https://t.co/XgsSP3W1gQ

— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) October 23, 2015"

It's very difficult to be a successful quarterback when the fundamentals cannot ever catch up to the raw potential. This is the position in which Kaepernick currently finds himself. Despite being one of the most physically gifted passers in the NFL, Pro Football Focus rates him just 47th among 49 quarterbacks for the season.

The old 49ers—the team loaded with defensive talent, a strong coaching staff and a grinding ground attack—could win with Kaepernick under center. This new-and-in-no-way-improved version obviously cannot and may never again.

The 49ers have until April 1, 2016 to avoid his 2016 salary becoming fully guaranteed. They have nine more games to determine if this is the best course of action. If Kaepernick is no longer in the team's plans, then this massive overhaul is also going to include the quarterback position.

It could include several other veteran players, along with the current coaching staff as well. If so, then learning that Kaepernick, Tomsula and Co. are not the answer will be the only thing keeping 2015 from being an entirely wasted season.