By Brent Warnken
The 49ers finished 2008-09 with a 7-9 record, good for second in their NFC West, one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. They had a -42 point differential and a -17 turnover differential. Usually, those are signs of a miserable existence. Yet, most Niners fans walk away from the season with a feeling of optimism, an overall sense that things are getting better. The season was turbulent, but the 49ers showed they were capable of fighting through adversity and succeeding. San Francisco 49ers tickets ought to spike in popularity at the beginning of next year. Here's how the season went, and where the Niners might want to take things in the near future.
Schedule Breakdown
Mike Nolan began the season with a loss to the Cardinals at home, but then won two in a row, including a nice, near-blowout win over Detroit. However, things quickly went south. Nolan and the Niners lost four in a row (to the Saints, Patriots, Eagles and Giants), while giving up over 32 points per game. While the teams they were loosing to were more than decent, the 49ers needed a change. Mike Singletary, previously the assistant coach, was promoted to head coach when Nolan was fired. At first things weren't going well with Singletary either. The Niners lost badly to divisional opponent Seattle, and then dropped a frustrating Monday Night game to Arizona, a team they needed a win against to keep playoff hopes somewhat alive. At this point, the Niners were 2-7. The Arizona loss made the coaching staff look foolish with their play calling on the potential game-winning drive. Players were getting called out, coaches were dropping trough, and with Prop 8 barely passing the Bay Area mood was snappish to say the least. But those were the darkest hours before the dawn. San Fran rallied behind their new leaders, Shaun Hill and Mike Singletary, and won five of the last seven, including a last-second victory versus Washington which seemed to mirror in reflex the last-second loss to the Cardinals when the Niners were reeling. Truly, it was a tale of two cities, the best of times and the worst of times, in San Francisco. Ending strong made all the difference, though, which should be evident in next year's San Francisco 49ers tickets sales numbers at http://www.stubhub.com/san-francisco-49ers-tickets.
Stats Highlights
Despite missing a few games, Frank Gore finished the year with his third-straight 1,000 yard rushing effort. He gained 1,409 yards from scrimmage total, scored 8 touchdowns while fumbling six times. Offseason pickup Isaac Bruce led the team in receiving with 835 yards and seven touchdowns. Patrick Willis continued tackling like it was his job, notching 109 on the year. He also had an 86 yard interception return for a touchdown. Rushing defense was one of the team's strengths.
Stats Lowlights
There were some ugly stats this season. Perhaps the most ghoulish was the 55 sacks the 49ers gave up- the most in the NFL. In a related note, J.T. O'Sullivan threw 11 interceptions in 9 games. Shaun Hill's 8 interceptions in 9 games were only slightly less awful. This led to a turnover differential of -17, the second worst in the league.
Possible Offseason Moves
The 49ers were coming together near the end, but they still lacked a few things which could be improved over the offseason. If the 49ers want to shore up their turnovers they might want to invest in some offensive line help. It's not as though Hill and O'Sullivan were making excellent decisions all season, but the sacks, knockdowns and hurried passes sure didn't help. Frank Gore will probably continue to cough the ball up about every other week, but the interceptions just killed this team's chances of getting to the next level. The 49ers should draft an O-lineman or two, then try like hell to get Tim Tebow (Steve Young 2.0) in the 2010 draft.
The preceding article was written by Brent Warnken and sponsored by one of the most popular places to get sold out tickets, StubHub.com. If you are looking for San Francisco 49ers tickets, or sports tickets like baseball tickets, basketball tickets, football tickets, soccer tickets, college sports tickets, or even concert tickets and theater tickets, Stubhub.com is your best bet.
Source:www.isnare.com |
