(My Sportsbook) - Improvement in the NFL is measured by wins and losses, and in that regard, the
San Francisco 49ers made strides in 2005.
In their first year under head coach Mike Nolan, the Niners jumped from 2-14 to 4-12, ending the season on the high of a two-game winning streak. If nothing else, Nolan deserves credit for doubling the team's win total.
But is San Francisco close to winning a NFC West title, which was Nolan's stated first goal when he took the helm? What changes the organization makes in the offseason will likely help answer that question.
The 49ers managed to finish dead last in the NFL in both total offense (224.2 yards per game) and total defense (391.2 yards per game), so there is not much in the way of a base from which to build.
Much of the offense's struggles had to do with the early switch to rookie quarterback Alex Smith, who never found much of a rhythm while working with a depleted receiving corps and toiling behind a woeful offensive line.
Defensively, injuries took their toll. Three quarters of the opening day secondary - safeties Mike Rumph and Tony Parrish along with cornerback Ahmed Plummer - missed most of the season. The team's best pass rusher, end Bryant Young, saw his season de-railed by injury as well, and the club's top tackler, Jeff Ulbrich, missed 11 games.
Clearly, San Francisco was not deep enough to contend with all of the injuries, and positional depth is a matter that will have to be addressed in the next eight months. The team was able to identify a few former backups that could play key roles, such as cornerback Bruce Thornton, safety Mike Adams, and linebacker Brandon Moore. It has to decide whether a few players that were banged-up, aging, or seemed out of place - center Jeremy Newberry, fullback Fred Beasley, and outside linebacker Julian Peterson chief among them - fit into the franchise's long-range plans.
Rest assured, Nolan, his staff, and the 49ers' front office are poring over all of these predicaments.
"[49ers personnel man] Scot [McCloughan] and I have talked about a lot of areas, to be perfectly honest with you," said Nolan. "We've talked about every position. If I run through them, I can give a reason for each one. On the offensive line, for example, I want to continue to build that because that builds the quarterback position. An experienced player would be a great addition to that group, somebody those guys could look up to. At the quarterback position, it would be nice to have an experienced quarterback. One that's not trying to get Alex's job, but one that's ready to be there when we need him, and more importantly, to educate the young guy. A wide receiver would be a position where I'd like to add somebody, although I think we've got two solid starters when they're healthy. We need more depth there."
Realistically, the 49ers are probably two years away from making a serious playoff push and/or a Super Bowl run. Another losing season in 2006 would be the club's fourth straight, matching the franchise's worst stretch, established between 1977 and 1980. But it should fill Niners fans with optimism that at the end of that late 1970s stretch, which included the first two seasons in the tenure of legendary head coach Bill Walsh, San Francisco would emerge from the darkness with a period of prosperity that saw the organization win five Super Bowls in the next 14 seasons.
"Going with the purpose, personnel, structure and community were the areas we made the biggest strides in the entire season," said Nolan. "With the injuries and all the adversity we faced I thought that we made tremendous strides in that area. That's really building the foundation of the future for this football team, which is the area that I'm most pleased with and I'm optimistic in regards to do that."
VOTE FOR GORE
Any blueprint for 2006 success will likely include the name of 49ers running back Frank Gore, who took over primary rushing duties late in the season and ended up leading the club with 608 rushing yards. Gore was the first Niners rookie to lead the team in rushing since Dexter Carter in 1990, and his 4.8 yards per carry were best among NFL rookies.
The second-round draft choice out of Miami (FL) saved his best for last, rushing 25 times for a season-high 108 yards in the season-ending 20-17 overtime win over the Texans.
DRAFT NOTICE
San Francisco went into the final two weeks of the season still very much in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the 2006 Draft, but because of their two wins, fell to seventh on that list.
Offensive line, receiver, and secondary help will be the 49ers' likely targets in the early rounds of the draft, to be held April 29-30 in New York City.
NO ORDINARY JOE
The Niners' team MVP was kicker Joe Nedney, who was 26-of-28 in field goals in 2005 and finished the year off by booting a 33-yard game-winner to beat the Texans in overtime. Nedney's 92.9 percent success rate in kicks this year was bettered among the league's regular kickers by only the Cardinals' Neil Rackers (95.2) and Browns' Phil Dawson (93.1).
THE ROOKIE
Alex Smith's rookie stat line of 875 passing yards with one touchdown and 11 interceptions will not be something for the No. 1 pick to look back upon with fondness, but Smith was able to make progress in his final two starts. The Utah product posted passer ratings of 98.0 and 68.0 - his best marks of the season - in his final two games, both San Francisco wins. Smith finished the year with just a 40.8 passer rating, but did manage to throw his first NFL touchdown pass - a 14-yard strike to Brandon Lloyd - in the second quarter of the Houston win.
SUNRISE, SUNSET
Of the 22 players to grace the 49ers' opening game starting lineup against the Rams on Sept. 11, only nine were in the same spot on the final depth chart against the Texans on Jan. 1. Wideouts Arnaz Battle and Brandon Lloyd, left guard Justin Smiley, and right tackle Kwame Harris were the members of the offense that made it to Week 17, and left end Bryant Young, nose tackle Anthony Adams, right end Marques Douglas, left outside linebacker Julian Peterson, and right cornerback Shawntae Spencer made it to January in their familiar spots as well. Two other players - right guard-turned-center Eric Heitmann and left inside linebacker-turned-RILB Derek Smith - started the Houston game at different slots than they had against St. Louis.
UP NEXT: 2006
Following the New Year's Day finale, the 49ers' roster of opponents for the 2006 season was established. In addition to the usual home-and-homes against the team's three NFC West foes, the Niners will take on every member of the NFC North and AFC West, which means home games against the Packers, Vikings, Raiders, and Chargers and trips to meet the Bears, Lions, Broncos, and Chiefs. Because San Francisco finished last in the division, Nolan and company will also play a pair of fellow last-place finishers, hosting the Eagles and visiting the Saints at a site to be determined.
The dates for the 49ers' 2006 schedule, as well as the rest of the NFL slate, will be revealed in mid-April.
