San Francisco 49ers: The ‘brick by brick’ approach is finally starting to show signs of life

Despite a frustrating start to 2017, the San Francisco 49ers brass under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are finally seeing their “brick by brick” approach coming to form.

Don’t look now, but the San Francisco 49ers might be further along the rebuild path than we may have thought.

After beating the Houston Texans 26-16 in Week 14, the Niners now have three wins on the season and are enjoying their first winning streak since 2014. And while this team is far away from competing for a Super Bowl, perhaps they’re nowhere near as bad as everyone pegged them to be to start 2017.

Sure, going 0-10 to start the year is all any naysayer would need to point out the issues. But what general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are doing is trying to establish the criteria for long-term success.

San Francisco 49ers

And it’s starting to work.

The “brick by brick” approach, made so notable during training camp, has taken shape over the last couple of weeks. While three wins this late in the season leave little room to brag, the aura surrounding this team feels vastly different than the other struggling franchises out there.

Rookie defensive end Solomon Thomas backed this up, during his exclusive interview with Niner Noise, saying:

"We’ve had a tough year, gone through a lot of adversity and lost a lot of key players. A lot of stuff is going on, but we don’t play like a 2-10 team, or whatever our record is. We play like a great football team.And if you really watch our film, you’ll see how much we have going on.From John Lynch to Kyle Shanahan, they have everything going in the right direction. They’re amazing people, and they’re really paving the way for the organization. Having all the players buy in, the energy and the chemistry in the locker room is amazing right now. It’s pretty special to see."

Compare these sentiments with all the things going on with other bottom-dwelling teams like, let’s say, the New York Giants or Cleveland Browns, and it’s clear the Niners are heading in the right direction.

The Most Important Position in Football

It’s a bit cliche, but NFL teams can enjoy repeated success as long as they have a good quarterback under center.

Prior to Week 13, the 49ers didn’t have this. Nothing against previous Niners starters Brian Hoyer and C.J. Beathard, but neither quarterback demonstrated the kind of on-field prowess necessary to engineer effective offenses.

Enter Jimmy Garoppolo, and that all changes.

We can go over stats, Pro Football Focus grades and analytics all we want. And the results would back the conclusion. But what’s more important is the simple eye test.

Garoppolo’s handling of the offense over two games is a small sample size. But for the first time all season, the offense actually moves. It’s effective.

Think about the context too, as pointed out by former KNBR 680 insider Kevin Jones:

Enough said. And it points to the situation only getting better, as the team improves its roster and Garoppolo develops his understanding of Shanahan’s playbook.

49ers’ Offseason Needs No Longer Seem as Daunting

Yes, Lynch has his work cut out for him this offseason. The team still needs help along the offensive line, another cornerback, a pass-rusher, a No. 1 wide receiver and, possibly, a featured running back.

But a lot of the bricks are in place, and they’re holding.

For example, the Niners are allowing an average of just 3.9 yards per carry on the ground this season — far cry from the disastrous 4.8 average from 2016.

Unlike 2016, there are cornerstone pieces in place. And a good number of them too. It’s why Lynch and Shanahan went with the youth movement this year, giving guys like linebacker Reuben Foster a chance to shine instead of a favorite veteran, NaVorro Bowman.

Let’s look at another example: wide receiver.

While San Francisco still lacks a top-tier threat, the receiving options between spot Nos. 2 and 4 are filled nicely. Assuming the 49ers land a true No. 1 this offseason, backing this spot up with wideouts like Pierre Garçon, the speedy Marquise Goodwin and emerging slot receiver Trent Taylor would be enough to make any NFL offensive coordinator happy.

True, there are a lot of needs remaining. But it’s not anywhere near as bad as you think.

A 49ers Turnaround Quicker than We Thought

The 49ers could eek out a win between now and 2017’s conclusion, giving the team a 4-12 finish. But that record would feel a lot better than many of the other lowly performing teams out there right now.

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And considering just how young San Francisco’s roster is right now, that’s a great sign the team is moving in the right direction.

Shanahan and Lynch are still going through growing pains and will continue to make mistakes. But the last two weeks have revealed they’re making serious progress.

It’s further along than we might have seen only a few short weeks ago.

Armed with that momentum, the Niners may still be a bit removed from playoff discussions in 2018. But the fact we’re at a point where we can even fathom the idea speaks measures to their efforts.

Next: NFL free agency, 5 players the 49ers should target in 2018

Get excited, 49ers fans. The time is coming, and soon.