San Francisco 49ers: Why They Will Go from Pretender to Contender in 2011

For the past few seasons, the San Francisco 49ers have failed to meet expectations, despite a myriad of experts having picked them to win the division last year.

Despite the endeavors to solve this problem, no one seems to be able to pinpoint why the 49ers continually to fall short of the playoffs. However, provided that the lockout is lifted and we are actually able to watch some football, I believe this to be the year the 49ers are finally able to break through.

Firstly, the core of the young star players on offense has been set in place. Play-makers such as Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree are in their prime or have yet to enter it, and all would be a treasured asset on any NFL team.

Amidst numerous injuries and contract holdouts, the three play-makers have yet to play a full season together. With all three weapons out on the field at the same time, defensive coordinators will have nightmares trying to find ways to stop the triple-headed attack.

Opposite the offense, the 49ers defense thrives in stopping the run, ranking sixth-best in the league last season by allowing only 96.7 yards per game. It was also the first season since 1997 that the defense didn’t allow a halfback to rush for over 100 yards in a single game.

However, the team’s pass defense was a completely different story. It allowed 231 yards passing per game, ranking them the ninth worst in the NFL.

But with new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio’s knowledge of rushing the passer in a 3-4 defense, the 49ers secondary is capable of instantly improving due to his understanding of limiting the time the opposing quarterback has to go through his progressions.            

Vince Fangio worked directly under Dom Capers, the defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers in two separate stints with the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans. Capers is very omniscient of the 3-4 defense due to his time working with Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, and he has praised Fangio’s comprehension of the 3-4 defense many a time.

Lastly, the hiring of the new head coach in Jim Harbaugh has given the 49ers something they haven’t had since the days of Steve Mariucci, an offensive-minded leader with head coaching experience.

Not only does Harbaugh’s “one with the players” mentality differ from those of Nolan and Singletary, Harbaugh is known to be a quarterback “guru” due to his developments of Tampa Bay’s Josh Johnson and the future number one overall pick, Andrew Luck of Stanford.

Harbaugh now has a raw quarterback of his own in Colin Kaepernick, who Harbaugh can mold into the type of quarterback that best fits his west coast style of offense.

However, with Kaepernick being considered too young to grab the starting job right away, the team’s success in 2011 largely weighs on the success of a veteran quarterback’s ability to bridge the gap until Kaepernick is ready.