Ten months ago, there was talk of the 49ers' being the next great dynasty. Nine games into the 2020 NFL season and some now are wondering if the success of the 2019 team was as good as it's going to get.
My, how turntables ...
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have built a winning roster, with a few holes they need to address if the Revenge Tour is going to recommence in 2021.
First of all, the quarterback position is the elephant in the room. Jimmy Garoppolo can rack up wins as a starting quarterback if he is surrounded by a talented roster and an innovative offensive play-caller. But so can Jared Goff. Garoppolo was solid during last year's Super Bowl run, but it was clear Shanahan wasn't running the system he preferred to -- see 2016 Atlanta Falcons -- and the 49ers wanted Garoppolo to take a leap this season.
That's why they discussed bringing in Tom Brady (a whiff that looks bad even with Brady's clunker against the Saints). But they backed Garoppolo, believing his ceiling was that of a semi-elite quarterback and not just a game manager who you had to scheme to success.
It appears they were wrong.
Perhaps you can chalk Garoppolo's awful 2020 season up to the two high ankle sprains and call it a day. But the fact remains that the 49ers have a giant question mark at the most critical position in sports.
The days of winning with Trent Dilfer at quarterback are long gone. You need to look no further than Super Bowl LIV to see the importance of having a star at quarterback instead of a great roster surrounding an average one.
It makes all the difference.
This NFL era will be defined by the dynamic quarterbacks that headline. The days of statuesque quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger is ending.
The dual-threat quarterbacks -- not "running quarterbacks" but genuine duel threats -- will own the next decade of the NFL, and have their teams in the running for Super Bowls year-in and year-out.
Quarterback is the 49ers' most glaring issue, but it's not their only one.
The defense, when healthy, is legit. The 49ers will need to figure out the future of their secondary with Richard Sherman, K'Waun Williams, Emmanuel Moseley and Jason Verrett all set to hit free agency at the end of this season. They still have to find a way to replace DeForest Buckner. Rookie Javon Kinlaw may still become a star but it's clear he has a long way to go before he can truly be relied on.
The 49ers have a litany of offensive playmakers that would make a number of teams drool. But they have issues on the interior of their offensive line and right tackle Mike McGlinchey has been up-and-down in Year 3.
If the 49ers truly plan to rebound in 2021, they must answer their quarterback question first and foremost. But they'll have a long list of to-dos in order to climb back to the top and re-open a Super Bowl window that appeared years from shutting just 10 months ago.
Verdict: Sell, but the jury is still debating