The Biggest Obstacle Facing the 49ers
Sometimes kids know best.
The offseason is the perfect time to take stock of the 49ers, and to do so this time, I've enlisted an all-star panel of 13- and 14-year-old 49ers experts: Benjamin Kampermin, Amin the Dream and NotYourAverageSportsKid.
Here's what they think is the biggest obstacle facing the 49ers.
ATD: "Their biggest obstacle easily is their health. The 49ers don't have a bad roster. They have a defense. They have a run game. They drafted Trey Lance. The only thing that's holding them back is their injuries. The 49ers had some injuries in 2019, but when they were healthy, they made it to the Super Bowl. In 2020, injuries held them back. The only thing that could stop them from making the Super Bowl this season is injuries. That's it."
NYASK: "100-percent agree. We are such an injury-prone team. Most of our starters are going to get injured. Deebo Samuel is bound to miss at least five games. George Kittle is bound to miss at least three. In 2019, they could work around in the injuries, but in 2020, it was just injury after injury that ruined the season."
BK: "I'm going to say something different. The defense is going to take a step down. It's going to be interesting what happens with the defense now that Robert Saleh is gone. And the other thing is can Jimmy Garoppolo keep his confidence the whole season? Because the 49ers want to sit Trey Lance as long as they can. So I'm fine with Garoppolo starting the whole season, but can he stay confident the whole season?"
GC: "I'm going with Saleh. I think people are glossing over what a big loss he is. He's as good as any defensive coordinator in the NFL -- you could count on him to not get outcoached. And now you don't know that about the defense any more. And the point about Garoppolo is a good one. This team sees itself as a Super Bowl contender. And the 49ers probably are not going to win a Super Bowl with a rookie quarterback, although they could -- it just has never been done before. So if they really expect to win a Super Bowl, then Garoppolo is essential, both his health and his confidence. If he can play better than he did in 2019, this team could win the Super Bowl."
