SANTA CLARA — The 49ers (1-9) are still playing games in 2016, but their season is reeking of death.
From the very beginning, it was clear to so many of us (fans and media) that the 49ers were going to be a terrible team this year. Football seasons should not be allowed to go to waste like this. More could’ve been done in the offseason to help this team start moving in the right direction.
The 49ers are in rebuilding mode but they didn’t plan out this season like it was going to be one. There was no young quarterback, or any type of building block player selected on offense. There’s literally nothing to glean from this season, other than the fact that relying mostly on Trent Baalke’s draft picks alone was a recipe for failure.
A question that should be considered when pondering the lifeless 49ers: When assembling the roster, how inclusive was Baalke’s decision-making process? Did he and Chip Kelly create some masterplan together in 2016, or did Baalke act alone as a rogue agent?
Baalke did not have the job security for this team to tank in 2016, which is why his lack of moves to help the offense are head scratching. He had the No. 7 overall pick last season and $60 million in cap space. What more could a GM need to improve a football team?
Here’s what Jed York needs to figure out: Did 49ers coaches even try to alert Baalke of all the roster deficiencies? Or were they cool with letting Baalke stubbornly cling to his flawed way of thinking?
Quality quarterbacks and wide receivers don’t grow on trees, but that did not give this franchise an excuse to completely ignore both positions. Kelly can backtrack all he wants: There’s reason he said the 49ers aren’t built to throw every down.
In some power structures around the NFL, there are GM’s who actively seek out advice from the coaching staff, even the coordinators. Even though the scouting department does the heavy lifting in terms of the NFL Draft and free agency, it’s normal for a GM to have the pulse on what everyone inside his building is thinking.
That’s not how things seem to operate in San Francisco.
When asked whether they had any say in personnel matters — from big ones to acquiring a wide receiver, to small ones like promoting Marcus Rush from the practice quad — the 49ers coordinators said they do not discuss those matters with Baalke.
“I’m not involved in any discussion with Trent about anything like that,” offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins said. “We’ve got to make plays and we have guys to do it.”
“No. I don’t get involved in those conversations. If my opinion’s asked, I give it,” O’Neil said.
Two things from this
A) Modkins and O’Neil obviously recognize Baalke’s ship is sinking. They are not required to publicly endorse his shortcomings as a talent evaluator. This is every man for himself, especially in O’Neil’s case.
B) Or maybe these coaches are telling the truth. Maybe they had little idea of who the 49ers were going to select in the draft or why the team was so quiet in free agency.
Did nobody have the guts to urge Baalke to try and make this roster better?
But then again, that shouldn’t be a coordinator’s job. A GM should know how to properly assemble a football team and let the coaches go to work in the kitchen with their ingredients.