Hell yes they are!
And can you blame them? The 49ers are in a full on cleanse, especially with the sudden retirements of offensive tackle Anthony Davis and linebacker Chris Borland. That pretty much closed the book on any (if they honestly thought they had any) chance of being competitive in the NFL this season, let alone in the NFC West.
The 49ers never really gave Colin Kaepernick a chance to succeed this season (part his fault as well), and because of his team friendly contract, San Francisco can move on from No. 7 after this season.
With Blaine Gabbert entrenched as the QB for the rest of the season, and with little hope to win maybe two or more games the rest of the way, the 49ers are looking easily at a top 10 pick in next year’s draft.
If the season ended today, only two teams in the bottom seven could/should consider picking a QB. One of them is Cleveland, and the other is San Francisco.
Thing is, Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine appears to be on the hot seat more than 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula, who was handpicked by the front office. In essence, Pettine needs to win games to keep his job, while according to several 49er beat writers, Tomsula is just trying to not lose bad.
Played hard. Weren’t good enough. Didn’t lose by that much. Is that the new barometer of 49ers success?
“To me, you’re not afraid to punt,” Tomsula said Sunday.
Which all fits the new, conservative theme of this franchise: Why take unnecessary risks if the 49ers can play it safe and make sure the loss looks semi-decent, while the Yorks rake in the cash from Levi’s Stadium?
Trailing 20-7 in the 3rd quarter of an already lost season, the 49ers kicked a field goal on 4th down and 3 from the Seattle 9, and again later in the 3rd, on 4th and 7 from the Seattle 7. The 49ers got to within 23-13, but never threatened again.
It’s the kind of game where you say “well at least they didn’t get blown out”. But a loss is a loss, by 3 or 15, doesn’t matter. The 49ers aren’t going to play to win the rest of the way, they are going to play not to lose, which equates to conservative play calling.
The end result will be the 49ers finishing 5-11 at best, and a top 5 pick, which in return, could land them the franchise QB that Trent Baalke wants- a California kid who happens to be a 49ers fan. No, not Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, but Jared Goff.
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