Counter-Point: 49ers Are Very Bad, But Not A Laughing-Stock

It's no secret that Bay Area professional football is in a bit of a rut. Ok, more like a rut the size of the Grand Canyon. But that doesn't mean that the 49ers are a laughing-stock for the rest of the league.

No franchise that went 5-0 in Super Bowls over 15 years should be considered a laughing-stock. While it's been very, very ugly since 2002, it's "only" been 6 years since the last playoff win by the Niners.

After 16-straight winning seasons, some losing was bound to happen, especially after Steve Young retired so early (and somewhat unexpectedly).

Yes, there have been some indefensible decisions by Niners management: Keeping T.O. for too long, jettisoning Jeff Garcia way too early in his career, Dennis Erickson . ..

But even the Steelers went through a few transition years when the core of their championship teams aged and retired. And Dallas has had some Ken Dorsey moments of their own: Quincy Carter and Ryan Leaf were not exactly Aikman or Staubach. And Dallas has not won a playoff game in more than a decade, despite fielding teams have been consistently much better than those in post-Garcia San Francisco.

Perhaps the Niners and their fans became greedy, wanting more even after a playoff run, and tinkering with the core of the team after the 2002 season.

If the Niners had drafted Aaron Rodgers, the Niners might be battling for the division (such as it is). Nolan definitely lost some games with his conservative style, and the free agent market hasn't been kind lately, but the fact that the Niners haven't drafted a great (or even good) offensive player since T.O. (except for maybe Gore) has made the Niners Ravens-lite.

What franchise can compete at a high-level without any standout players on the offensive side of the ball? The Ravens at least had Jamal Lewis to go along with a dominant defense.

New coach Mike Singletary will definitely up the intensity-level on defense, but without a QB or decent offensive, or receivers, it's not looking good, even if Eddie D. comes back to the rescue.

All it takes is a great find in one of these areas, and things could improve rapidly. But for now, it's Gore vs. the world, and the world is winning.

The Niners were arguably the last of the great pre-free-agency dynasties (The great Cowboy teams of the 90's were mostly built through the draft, but had some key free agents).

In an era where even the Colts and the Patriots have only made the playoffs six straight seasons, San Francisco is past due for a playoff appearance.

If there have been true laughing-stocks of the league they would be teams such as the Arizona Cardinals (over fifty years between playoff wins), 1970-1995 Patriots (crushed 46-10 in their only Super Bowl appearance), 1990-2005 Bengals (no playoff appearances). The Cardinals are leading their "division," and of course the Patriots are still having a decent season by pre-Brady standards even without the man himself.

Of the current worst teams in the league (other than San Francisco), the Rams may be very bad, but they just won easily against a Dallas team that is in disarray (can a team that is playing far below its potential be considered a laughing-stock?). And the Super Bowl run is not that far in the past. 

The Dolphins smacked the Patriots around. A laughing-stock doesn't do that, even if it is coming off one of the worst seasons in NFL history.

The Seahawks are truly bad, and might end up with one of the worst defenses in NFL history. But they are the four-time defending NFC West Champions, and have a recent Super Bowl berth.

The Chiefs picked high in the last draft, and could possibly pick higher next year. But back when they had a decent team, they won the division. It may be hard for non-Chiefs fans to remember, but that was only two years ago.

The Bengals, while definitely going in the wrong direction, also have a division title under their belt in the last three seasons.

The Raiders? Al Davis is a laughing matter to many - except in the Bay Area, where it's not funny. But say what you want about Davis, Gruden did get them to the Super Bowl in the last five years. This team could definitely qualify as a laughing-stock - and soon. Then they go out and beat Brett Favre and the Jets. But in Niner-esque fashion, a time-out by new coach Tom Cable negates a missed field-goal which would've won the game for Oakland in regulation. A border-line case.

And last - and least - the Detroit Lions. Does a nearly decade-long absence from the playoffs qualify a team as a laughing-stock? Does the infamous string of wide receivers taken in the draft qualify Detroit? It's tough to argue that the Lions haven't been at least one of the worst franchises in the NFL over the last decade plus. If there has been a franchise that is approaching laughing-stock status, it's the Lions.

On the other hand, the Lions did fire Matt Millen this year, so the end might be in sight. And of course, there's the Wings and their fifteen-plus season playoff streak and multiple Cups to watch.

As for the Niners, they've escaped the franchise cellar for now. But rebuilding should only take so long for the team that once had Steve Young as a backup.