Tuesdays Reflections on the NFL - Where oh where did the 49ers go??

Remember the years when the 49ers where the most revered team in the NFL? Maybe not, because it is such a distant memory now after years of disappointment.

Decades of being the cream of the crop, the belle of the ball, the best of the best. No longer. The 49ers have now gone through years and years of "redevelopment". But after all this time, and all these early draft picks, and still no results, it is time to question the direction of the team, and exactly what it is going to take to get them back to their glory days.

Given the days of having talent like Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott and Steve Young are gone, it is still outrageous for San Fran to have not made the playoffs in 6 years and haven't won a Superbowl title since 1994. What makes this even worse is that in 6 years of missing the playoffs their best season record is 7-9. This was a team that was a contender year in and out, and won 7 NFC West titles, 4 NFC Championships and 4 Superbowls in the '80s. A proven winner with stars galore.

And now, the Bay Bombers sit last in the NFC West with a 2-6 record, they have squandered chances with high draft picks and have lost ground on all their division rivals. Their current QB, J.T. O'Sullivan leads the league in interceptions, fumbles and overall turnovers. They currently only have 2 of their previous 8 1st round draft picks on their starting roster. This includes number 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, Alex Smith. A quarterback who they paid $49.5 million over 6 seasons, and has lost his starting job at the beginning of the season to O'Sullivan. Given the fact that Smith is on the Injured Reserve for the rest of the season with a broken bone in his shoulder, he will go in to the '09 season, a team option season, with a record well below .500 and an abysmal 63.5 QB Rating.

Not all blame can be placed on one overpaid quarterback. There are many others on the roster who were drafted with the intentions of being superstars, but have never lived up to the hype. Vernon Davis has been a bust at the Tight End position, with a high of 509 receiving yards in 3 NFL seasons. Rashaun Woods, the 2004 pick by the Niners was later traded to the San Diego Chargers, then released and subsequently ended up in the CFL...where he was again released.

The team has not been able to come together and gel, which may be their biggest downfall. This, is most likely attributed to the fact that they have had 4 head coaches in the last 8 seasons, never allowing for any real growth under one set of ideals. With the firing of Mike Nolan in week 7 of this NFL season, the Niners have again proved that if anything goes wrong, fire the coach.

There seems to be no real solution on how to fix this monumental problem in San Fran, but firing another coach, isn't the way to do it. The Niners are going to miss the playoffs regardless and have no chance of rebuilding this season. Next year will have to be another exploratory season, trying to find the right players for the job in the Bay Area.

There is some hope, however, with a pro-bowl running back in Frank Gore and two fine draft picks over the last two seasons, taking Kentwan Balmer, a solid D.End and Patrick Willis, who set an unofficial record last season for tackles, it seems the 49ers may be on track. But for now, it'll be another losing season in San Fran, and at least another few more until the team can get back to winning seasons.

In the meantime the team is in disarray and will likely make some drastic changes before the season comes to an end. Shaun Hill came in on Sunday in relief of O'Sullivan, after a 2 turnover output, and played quite well. Hill should get the start perhaps sooner rather than later, he is an unproven QB, but nothing "proven" has worked for the 49ers.

Sunday's 34-13 loss to the Seahawks wasn't only terrible for the win-loss percentage, but also for the morale of Vernon Davis. Davis was taken off the field and sent to the showers by interim head coach Mike Singletary, after Davis took an unsportsmanlike penalty for slapping the 'Hawks Brian Russell in the facemask. Sending a superstar to the showers like some punk 14 year-old is a slap in the face, but maybe it's just what this team needs.

A team that has now become the beast of the ball, and well, the least creamy part of the crop.

Singletary's frustration with Davis continued after the game in one of the best NFL coaching rants ever. There have been some amazing breakdowns over the years, so I have chronicled the best.

October 26, 2008. Singletary's had enough of attitudes and he wants winners.

November 25, 2001. Jim Mora loses it after the Colts lose and fall to 4-6, and is incredulous about playoff questions.

October 16, 2006. The Cardinals lose a 20-point lead to the Chicago Bears prompting the Dennis Green "they were who we thought they were" tirade.

October 30, 2002. Herm Edwards gets into it with a reporter after a loss in week 8 to the Cleveland Browns.

October 20, 1996. Jim Mora, master of the mic, is too good. While coaching the Saints, the team falls to 2-5 and according to Mora, does "diddly-poo".