SANTA CLARA — Want to know why ESPN ranked the 49ers as the worst organization in all of sports? Come down to Santa Clara. I dare you.
The 49ers got their teeth kicked in by the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, a new weekly ritual. The defense allowed 240 yards rushing for the third straight game. The offense, headlined by DuJuan Harris and Quinton Patton, committed four turnovers. The stands were filled with black and gold Drew Brees jerseys.
The year 2016 has been a system wide failure, but the only people who seem to be outraged are 49ers fans.
We’ve blasted Trent Baalke, Jed York and the front office enough for the time being. It’s time to start rummaging around the locker room — and it’s not encouraging.
When a team loses seven games in a row, there are usually clear signs of tension. You won’t find that down in Santa Clara.
The lack of anger coming from the 49ers locker room makes you question the laissez faire culture Chip Kelly has created. Frustration isn’t mounting. Nobody is throwing a chair across the room. The 49ers have accepted the facts: they are the laughingstock of the NFL.
“I’m pretty sure everybody in this locker room is pissed about this losing streak,” Antoine Bethea said.
It’s not showing, Antoine. Not in the slightest. Here’s my best guess on what’s happened with the 49ers:
Kelly was accused of losing the locker room in Philadelphia, so he created a newer, likable version of himself. He’s been less demanding and more sympathetic because he realizes how tattered this roster really is. Practice schedules were made to give players more rest. How could they not be on-board?
But what happened instead is clearly too relaxed of an atmosphere. A humbled Kelly did not want to create internal conflict, so instead, poor practice habits have carried over to the practice field. The 49ers keep repeating the same mistakes because they don’t fear their head coach. Clearly, the repercussions for playing poorly don’t mean much. Kelly sacrificed some of his detail-oriented, hard-ass background so that players wouldn’t turn against him.
So that’s why after every defeat, it really doesn’t feel like one in the 49ers’s locker room. The 2016 season has become an extended preseason where losses don’t really matter. Losing has not only become acceptable, it’s this team’s comfort zone.
Listen, I’m not asking players to be a distraction and toss somebody under the bus. I also get that it’s difficult to define the emotional state of a football team, especially right after a game. But I’ve been in Washington and Cleveland locker rooms where you could sense the feeling of dejection in the air. Players would sometimes refuse to speak to the media because they were that traumatized after a crushing loss. Losing once made former Browns head coach Mike Pettine so upset, he became physically ill.
You can tell when a team is playing inspired, angry football, like they have something to prove. You won’t feel that way watching the 49ers, or walking into their locker room.
Nobody is being held accountable and it starts with Kelly and Jim O’Neil’s relationship. The defensive coordinator came to San Francisco with a checkered past in defending the run, and Kelly still refuses to acknowledge the shortcomings.
“I think it’s everybody’s fault on the defensive side of the football,” Kelly said. “That’s all of us. That’s me. That starts with the head coach.”
As long as this losing streak persists, Kelly’s job security is going to be a major discussion. I’ve been clear in my stance that very little of what’s happening on the field is his fault. The 49ers haven’t quit on Kelly, either. They put up a street fight for three quarters against the Saints when they could’ve laid down in the fetal position.
But when it comes to the 49ers shaking off losses like they don’t matter, Kelly should be held responsible. Veterans like Bethea need to jump out of their comfort zones. Players will say there aren’t really rah-rah speeches in professional sports, but someone needs their cage rattled. This team does not care enough.
It feels like this 2016 season is a mulligan for everyone — except the season ticket holders who have shelled out thousands of their dollars.
And that’s totally unfair.