The season started with the 49ers adding quite a few big name free agents in the offseason, most notable Deion Sanders, Ken Norton Jr. and Gary Plummer among others. The 49ers also drafted a few players that would end up playing large roles in their rookies seasons. The 49ers drafted Bryant Young and William Floyd in the 1994 draft and both players ended up seeing significant time in the regular season and playoffs. This Niner team seemed to be destined for big things from the start of the 1994 season and they did not disappoint.

1994 was the 75th anniversary of the NFL and most teams donned throwback jerseys for much of the season and the Niner were no different. The white pants and 3D style numbers of the 49ers “throwback” jerseys were a matter of some debate, some thought they were ugly and others thought they were horrendous. I personally love them, the jerseys at least. In the first 5 weeks of the season the 49ers played the Raiders, Chiefs, Rams, Saints and Eagles. They came in to Week 6 at 3-2 with wins against the Raiders, Rams, and Saints and losses against the Chiefs (with former QB Joe Montana) and a embarassing 40-8 loss against the Eagles at Candlestick Park. Following the week 5 debacle the 49ers definitely took notice and put together a string of 10 consecutive victories including 8 where they scored more than 30 points. The 49ers ended the 1994 regular season with a loss to the Minnesota Vikings on the road, a game where most of their starters sat because they had already wrapped up home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Other accomplishments of note for the 1994 regular season where Steve Young won his second league MVP for the second time, recording the highest passer rating for a full season (at the time) at 112.8. He also threw for 35 touchdown passes in the regular season to just 10 interceptions along with 7 rushing touchdowns and 3,969 yards passing and a 70.3% completion percentage. Jerry Rice again eclipsed 100 receptions (112) and caught for almost 1,500 yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.  Deion Sanders was also awarded the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for his 6 interceptions, 3 of which were returned for touchdowns, and his all around dominant play on the field. Not so much as a tackler, just a fearsome defensive back in coverage. Rookie Defensive End Bryant Young also won Rookie of the Year honors for his outstanding play and 6 sacks as a rookie. The 49ers also can boast about the 3 future head coaches that were on the roster in 1994, Mike Shanahan, Gary Kubiak, and Ray Rhodes.

More than the stats of the regular season, more than the record setting offensive performances and the (at the time) record for most points scored in a season at 505, the 49ers were a team, they were undoubtedly a throw back  to the Bill Walsh teams of the 80′s with a little new school thrown in. What Bill Walsh invented in the West Coast Offense, the 49ers of the 1994 season most certainly perfected. At it’s core, the West Coast style is short to intermediate passes mostly replacing the running game, with occasional shots down the field when the defense starts to try and jump those short routes. It’s genius and still works to this day, but that 1994 squad were masters of it. They showed other teams what it really meant to be “West Coast” throughout the regular season and their dominance only continued into the playoffs where Steve Young and the rest of the 49ers put on one of the greatest team playoffs (stats and points wise) in the history of the NFL.

The 49ers were the #1 seed in the playoffs in 1994 affording them home field advantage throughout the playoffs and a first round bye. In the divisional round, they faced the Chicago Bears led by Erik Kramer and Lewis Tillman. The game was a blowout with the 49ers only allowing the Bears to score 3 points until the 4th quarter and eventually beating them 44-15 behind the 3 rushing touchdowns by William Floyd and a smothering performance by the Niners defense. Up next was the hated rivals the Dallas Cowboys, whom the 49ers had faced in the two previous NFC Championship Games and lost to. This game would prove to be different however. The week previous, the Cowboys had absolutely smothered the Packers in a 35-9 rout on the backs of Alvin Harper, Michael Irvin, and Jay Novacek’s 100+ yard receiving performances and Troy Aikman’s precision passing. But on January 15th, 1995 the 49ers were ready, Steve Young was ready to silence his critics, and the Niners as a whole were ready to make their 6th trip to the grandest stage of them all.

In the 1994-95 NFC Championship Game, the 49ers capitalized on 3 first quarter turnover by Dallas and turned them in to three touchdowns, the Cowboys would not go quietly though and made it a game, while Troy Aikman set a playoff record with 380 yards passing and Michael Irvin set a record with 192 receiving yards, the 49ers proved to be too much for the Cowboys that day and punched their ticket to Miami for Super Bowl XXIX with a 10 point victory 38-28.

So the stage was set, the “Cinderella” team in the San Diego Chargers, with their stout defense against one of the most prolific scoring offenses in NFL history in the 49ers. On January 29th, 1995, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida the 49ers absolutely demolished the Chargers 49-26. You have heard the stats before so I won’t bore you with them here. Of course the biggest story line was Steve Young, since his promotion to starting quarterback of the 49ers, he was told he could not replace Joe Montana and until the 1994-95 season, the critics were right, he couldn’t win the big one, losing two straight NFC Championships to the Cowboys. Imagine that for a second, imagine you are Steve Young and you are replacing quite possibly the greatest clutch quarterback to ever put on a uniform. Imagine how daunting of a task that must have been, how emotionally and physically draining it must have to constantly be compared to Joe Cool. Steve Young put the 49ers on his back in 1994, he took the memory of Joe Montana off his back, and put the team on his back and led them to a 6th Lombardi Trophy for the greatest organization in history with 6 touchdown passes (still a record in a SB) and a unequivocal, unanimous selection for Super Bowl MVP. That 49ers team is my favorite, they are so probably because it is the last great team we had and therefore the freshest one in memory, that being said, I look forward to writing about another great 49ers team (hopefully from this decade) and another 2 or 3 Lombardi trophies in the case.

As a 49er fan I want the team to sign Crabtree because of the offensive threat he would be for the Red and Gold.  However after hearing about the possible tampering by another team and with Crabtree willing to listen and continue his holdout makes me want to say good riddance to Crabtree. Just for spite lets trade him to the New York Giants, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins or the Buffalo Bills to rub it in Ryan and the rest of the Jets organizations face.  Unfortunately for the 49ers Faithful who want Crabtree to sign with us I think this was the last straw for General Manager Scot McClougan and the rest of the front office.  Crabtree didn’t even respond to Jed York’s request to speak face to face to figure out what can be done to get him signed.  The Crabtree door is now closed for the 49ers.  He will not play this season and the 49ers I believe will trade him away on March 1, when teams a permitted to trade players for the 2010 season. Hopefully the 49ers are smart and want to stick it to the Jets for making this a mess for San Francisco.

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Crabtree wants his $dough$

Former 49ers cornerback and KPIX radio announcer Eric Davis is reporting the 49ers and Michael Crabtree are stalled in negotiations and are $7 million apart in guaranteed money.  In Crabtree’s fantasy world he was picked seventh in the draft but in the real world where the 49er Faithful and the 49ers organization live he was picked tenth and deserves only the contract players picked at that number are slotted to receive.  Davis also reported that Crabtree is still willing to sit out the season.

“They feel as should they should get more than where they are slotted and that’s going to be difficult to do. There’s a certain system in place and the 49ers organization is going to stick to that system. It’s going to be difficult to get anything worked out,” Davis said.

Davis has access to people in Crabtree’s camp most notably former teammate Deion Sanders.  This explains the holdout with Neon Deion being in Crabtree’s corner.  Both are flashy and have balloted egos.  But shouldn’t Sanders be telling Crabtree to sign the contract now, show you are worth what you think you are and then demand a higher contract either in the second or third season of the deal so long as you are putting up the big numbers?  You may not know this but there is a Deion Sanders rule in the NFL: A player salary rule which correlates a contract’s signing bonus with its yearly salary. Enacted after Sanders signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 1995 for a minimum salary and a $13 million signing bonus.  Basically Crabtree has surround himself with people who only see in dollar $ign$.  Sanders knows how to get the maximum payment, Crabtree thinks he deserves the maximum payment and his agent, Eugene Parker, thinks he deserves maximum because he wants to get as much of the 3% agents gets out of a player’s salary.  Speaking of salary how the hell is Crabtree living his life?  I don’t see any endorsements at all.  I am sure he has some sugar mama’s/daddy’s but one would think if this is all about money why would you sit out a season and miss out on millions?

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