The 49ers' Final Report Card for 2020
This season, the 49ers finished 6-10 and dead last in the NFC West. Here is their final report card for their work in 2020.
QUARTERBACKS: D-MINUS
Jimmy Garoppolo had a miserable season, but it wasn't entirely his fault. He played behind an embarrassing offensive line that got him hurt during the first quarter of the second game. But he lost the first game of the season before he was injured, and played poorly during it. And he played poorly when he returned from his high-ankle injury. He could hardly throw a spiral. And the hurt his ankle a second time and never returned. Garoppolo is a serviceable starter when healthy, but he also is slow, injury-prone, turnover-prone, expensive and he doesn't play well if he's hurt at all. The 49ers should trade him now before he loses any more value. Had they traded him last year, they probably could have gotten a first-round pick. Now, they'll be lucky to get a fourth rounder. His backup, Nick Mullens, also committed tons of turnovers and got injured. And his backup, C.J. Beathard, had to start two games. The 49ers could replace all three of these quarterbacks this offseason. Beathard almost certainly is a goner.
RUNNING BACKS: B
Raheem Mostert played through a high-ankle sprain most of the season and still averaged 5 yards per carry, but missed eight games. He has the talent of a Pro Bowl running back, but is he durable? He hasn't proven it. His backup, Jeff Wilson Jr., was just as good if not better than Mostert this season. Wilson Jr. averaged 4.8 yards per carry, scored 10 touchdowns and missed four games. He probably would have scored more touchdowns, but he was stuck behind a couple of stiffs -- Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman -- early in the season. Those two never should have been 49ers and probably won't be next year. Goodbye. Wilson and Mostert could become a top-flight tandem. Kyle Juszczyk could leave, because he's a free agent. The 49ers gave him only 36 touches this season, and he still scored 6 touchdowns. Stud.
WIDE RECEIVERS: B
Brandon Aiyuk probably had the best rookie season of any 49ers wide receiver since Jerry Rice. Deebo Samuel was excellent when he played, but he started only five games because he kept injuring his hamstring. Kendrick Bourne took his place and played well enough to price himself off the team for 2021. I doubt the 49ers will re-sign him. Richie James Jr. should take his spot as the No. 3 receiver -- he's a good one who doesn't get enough targets. If James, Samuel and Aiyuk stay healthy next season, they could become an elite trio.
TIGHT ENDS: B
George Kittle might be the best player in the NFL when healthy. He certainly is the 49ers' best player, because he's their best receiver and their best blocker. He probably would be a better right tackle than Mike McGlinchey. But Kittle played only eight games this season. He's so violent that his body breaks down. His backup, Ross Dwelley, is underrated. He's the Jeff Wilson Jr. of the tight-end room -- just needs more opportunities to get the ball. Quarterbacks' had a team-high 123.1 passer rating this season when targeting Dwelley, who never has dropped a pass in his career.
OFFENSIVE LINE: F
Trent Williams is an excellent left tackle who played well this season, but the offensive line is a unit, not a collection of players. And this unit got two quarterbacks injured this season. It's the worst pass-protecting offensive line in the NFL -- it gave up 73 QB hits in 2020, 13 more than the next team. People say the 49ers' offensive line is great at run-blocking, but it's not great. Kittle is great. He makes the offensive line look good. But when he's out, the running game falls apart. That's a big reason the 49ers running game ranked just 16th out of 32 teams in yards per carry this season. And their right tackle, Mike McGlinchey, has to be the worst right tackle in the league. He's 6'8", 285 pounds when he should be at least 310 pounds. And the 49ers have no replacement for him. Yikes.
DEFENSIVE LINE: C-PLUS
This is supposed to be the strength of the team, but Dee Ford played only one game this season and Nick Bosa played just two. And the 49ers' highest-paid defensive lineman, Arik Armstead, floated through the season and made no impact. Plus, the rookie first-round pick Javon Kinlaw, made almost zero impact as a pass rusher. But the backups all were exceptional. Kerry Hyder, D.J. Jones, Kevin Givens, Dion Jordan, Jordan Willis, Kentavius Street and Darrion Daniels all played as well as the starters. And as a group, they defended the run quite well. But only Hyder could generate a pass rush on his own, and he's no Bosa or Ford.
LINEBACKERS: A
Fred Warner established himself as the best middle linebacker in the NFL. He's elite at playing both man-to-man and zone coverages. He can shut down the middle of the field, which is where most quarterbacks want to pass, because the middle of the field has the shortest, easiest throws. Warner's running mate, Dre Greenlaw, improved so quickly the 49ers traded Kwon Alexander to the Saints and made Greenlaw a full-time starter. And he's a stud, too. Even faster than Warner.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: A-MINUS
I thought this was the biggest weakness on the team heading into the season, and then Richard Sherman injured his calf after Week 1. In retrospect, that was the best thing that could have happened to the defense, because Sherman can't play man-to-man coverage anymore. And when he went out, Jason Verrett replaced him, and Verrett plays man to man well. So the defense played more man coverage, which allowed them to blitz and manufacture a pass rush, which made the 49ers a top-five defense. Verrett arguably was the MVP of the team. Now he's a free agent, and he might be too expensive for the 49ers to keep. Jaquiski Tartt also most likely will leave in free agency because he's a quality player, too, although he missed nine games this season.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
Robbie Gould is old, mediocre and declining. Mitch Wishnowsky is middle-aged, mediocre and not getting better. And their punt returner, Brandon Aiyuk, who's fabulous, hardly gets to return punts. Instead, the 49ers used fair-catch specialists Trent Taylor and Richie James Jr., who still fumble and muff punts. This unit cost the 49ers games. It doesn't have to be as bad as it is.
KYLE SHANAHAN: C
Shanahan is a terrific coach who fell short of his standard this season. To be fair, he had lots of bad luck, but he created some of that bad luck. Of course, it's not his fault Jimmy Garoppolo got injured and missed most of the season, but it is Shanahan's fault that Garoppolo still was on the team. Tom Freaking Brady wanted to join the 49ers this past offseason and Shanahan turned him down. Turned down the greatest quarterback of his era who hasn't missed a game due to injury since Garoppolo was a junior in high school. Meanwhile, Garoppolo now has suffered three serious injuries in his career and has missed 23 games the past three seasons, while Brady continues to chug along in Tampa. The 49ers would be in the playoffs right now had they ditched Garoppolo and signed Brady. Because Brady could have stayed healthy and fixed another issue that plagues the 49ers offense -- turnovers. The 49ers have committed more turnovers than any other team since Shanahan became head coach in 2017. This past season, Garoppolo's interception percentage was 3.6, and Nick Mullens' was 3.7. Way too high. The league average is 2.2. Brady's was 2.0 this season, and he threw 40 touchdown passes. Note to Shanahan: Never pass on a Hall of Fame quarterback if you don't have one.
ROBERT SALEH: A
He was the best defensive coordinator in the NFL this season. He essentially lost seven of his 11 starters from his historically good 2019 defense, and still led the 2020 defense to a top-5 ranking. Remarkable. Saleh did a better job in 2020 than he did in 2019, which is why he almost certainly will become a head coach any day now. Well deserved.
QUALITY CONTROL: D
I did lots of good things this season, but the 49ers still finished 6-10. So how effective was I? Sure, I ridiculed Mike McGlinchey all season, but he didn't improve, so what did I accomplish? I have to take a long, hard look in the mirror and see what I can do better next season. Because it starts with me. I'm the leader of this football team and I take full responsibility for this horrendous season. I must do better.
