Why the 49ers Must Not Rely on Injuries as an Excuse for 2021
2020 did not go as planned for the San Francisco 49ers.
The immense amount of injuries that this team suffered week in and week out dating back as far as training camp was too great to overcome. No team saw as many injuries as the 49ers did this season.
There is really no explaining this phenomena. The only thing that comes to mind is if the 49ers set up ladders on the full length of their football field and sprinted under them.
Injuries derailed the season for the 49ers. Certainly if health was not an issue, then they would have been playing on Wild Card weekend. While I believe that would have been the case, the 49ers must not rely on injuries as an excuse for 2020.
If the 49ers themselves fully buy into injuries being the lone cause for why they failed to meet expectations, then they will fail to meet them again in 2021. Buying into the excuse would mean that the players and coaches have NOTHING to improve on. That everyone played solid throughout the season.
That line of thinking needs to be erased immediately.
Each player and coach needs to feel like they could have done more. They need to feel unsatisfied and cannot use injuries as a crutch. That will just make this team weak. One player that immediately comes to mind thinking that he and the 49ers are fine is Mike McGlinchey. With the way he carried himself in 2020, he would be the likeliest to think, "Oh, injuries ruined us, not our performance," and not look to improve himself.
In fact, I could argue he didn't look to improve himself coming off of a Super Bowl appearance. He got skinnier and exposed more often in pass protection on critical situations. If a gut wrenching loss doesn't motivate him, then I would believe he would easily feel that injuries are the only thing holding the 49ers back.
This team must not believe that injuries was the only factor that ruined them.
It would essentially be admitting that they are content and no team should ever get that way. Besides, what do the 49ers have reason to be content for? They have only one superb season in the last six years.
It is okay for fans to see the injuries being the lone cause. It is not okay for the everyone donning the red and gold to see it that way. The 49ers have to look themselves in the mirror and believe that they should have done more. In a way, it should be a humbling feeling for them. They need to be fueled this offseason.
For players, it is by getting stronger, polishing technique, and brushing up their intellect. For coaches, it is looking back at scheme, adding new plays, and possibly tinkering with their approach. Some players and coaches need more improvement than others, of course. But the overall point is that they cannot just feel they can be laxed just because of injuries.
Otherwise, the 2020 shortcomings will replicate itself in 2021.
