Differences Exist Despite 49ers 2015 and 2016 Similarities
By Peter Panacy
On the surface, the 2016 San Francisco 49ers have gotten off to an eerily similar start as they did a year ago under former head coach Jim Tomsula. But there are some notable differences between head coach Chip Kelly’s bunch and the 2015 Niners.
The 1-2 San Francisco 49ers are starting to look a lot like the 2015 team, which bored Niner fans across the country for nearly 16 abysmal weeks.
True, there are a lot of eerily similar comparisons to be made between last year’s group and the team fielded by head coach Chip Kelly this season. Both teams kicked off their respective campaigns with a dominant victory on Monday Night Football. And yet both followed up the Week 1 victory with lackluster, unimpressive road defeats.
Week 3 of 2015 and 2016 also saw divisional losses to the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, respectively.
There are more comparisons too. A lack of playmakers, quarterbacking questions and a suspect defense parallel both teams.
And yet the differences between these two teams deserve recognition too.
Remember, the Niners are going through a rebuild. While the parity of the NFL can be quick, San Francisco is still trying to get the pieces in place first.
This is where we can see a major difference from last year. So let’s start with that.