Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: Disastrous 2015 Offseason Not to Blame for Current Team Woes

By Peter Panacy

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 8
Next
December 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh watches from the sideline against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh watches from the sideline against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Former Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and His Coaching Staff

Let’s get this one out of the way first, because it’s essentially unavoidable.

We all know what happened. Rifts emerged between former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and the front office as early as 2014. General manager Trent Baalke won out, and Harbaugh “mutually” parted ways with the franchise early in 2015.

Harbaugh remains one of the most successful head coaches in 49ers history. Go look up the winning percentage. And his coaching staff, primarily defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, led one of the best defenses in the NFL over that span.

Had Harbaugh stayed, and nothing else changed, the Niners probably would have won a few more games in 2015. Exactly how many can never be determined. But the overall effectiveness of the still-depleted roster would have been better than what was seen under former head coach Jim Tomsula.

But only to an extent. Remember, talent trumps coaching in football.

As for Fangio? Well, his Chicago Bears defense currently ranks No. 21 in the league. The Bears lack talent on that side of the ball, which is just about what the 49ers are dealing with right now. The results would have been similar, most likely.