Have the San Francisco 49ers Improved since 2020?

While 2019 was the perfect summer day on the beach for 49ers, 2020 turned out to be a tsunami. “The Revenge Tour” was a horror film. Although injuries contributed to the fall from Everest, we need to investigate whether the 49ers have advanced into the 2021 season.

1) Special teams

Special teams were the Achilles heel in 2020. In the Week 1 game against the Arizona Cardinals, Mitch Wishnowsky’s punt was blocked when the 49ers led 10-0. In the following game, the Cardinals scored a touchdown to reduce the lead by 7 points. Throughout the season, the 49ers had costly fumbles and fluctuations in special teams. We don’t know how much the coaching staff has prepared to fix that. A reliable kick / punt returner and improved punt production from Wishnowsky are a necessity for the 49ers in 2021. Robbie Gould must maintain his fame to advance the 49ers.

Improved – Too early to predict

2) quarterback

What hurt the 49ers the most last season wasn’t Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury, but the quality of the backups ready to step in. This has formed the legend that Kyle Shanahan cannot win without Garoppolo, which is embarrassing for one of the most gifted game callers. The 49ers corrected their previous mistakes by running Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard and adding Josh Rosen to the crew. The only question mark remains what the role of Nate Sudfeld will be.

Improved – yes

3) offensive line

In 2020, Mike McGlinchey made headlines for the wrong reasons. The 26-year-old offensive tackle went through a difficult time under the intensive media control of his passport protection and his physical condition. With the signing of Alex Mack and the rookies in the draft, the 49ers expect to turn the tables in 2021.

Improved – yes

4) defense

Robert Saleh left the organization while DeMeco Ryans took over the defensive coordinator for the first time. Ryans needs to learn and acclimatize quickly, and the return of Nick Bosa should strengthen the team. But even Saleh fought mobile quarterbacks like Josh Allen in 2020. This fight could go on for Ryans. But most importantly, the schedule consists of 5 teams that ended up in their league last year. That will give Ryan’s air to breathe.

Improved – soon

5) running backs

The running game is the trademark of the 49ers. Since the golden boy Raheem Mostert was unable to stay healthy, the team struggled to find suitable replacements to carry out the branded running game. Even with Jeff Wilson Jr. injured during this off-season, the running back group looks promising with free agent signing Wayne Gallman and the rookies. The overhaul of the running backs will allow Shanahan to dominate the defense through his ground play while using Mostert as a striker with fewer carries per game.

Improved – yes

6) injuries

Anyone who is related to the 49ers does not want to hear the word “injuries”. The epidemic began as early as 2021 with injuries to Jeff Wilson, Justin Skule and Tarvarius Moore. It’s shocking to see that Shanahan hasn’t revealed the secret behind what makes the 49ers one of the most injury-prone teams in the league after four seasons at the top. Until properly corrected, injuries will continue to be common to the team in the future.

Improved – no

7) Kyle Shanahan

The addition of Shanahan to this list can be unexpected. With a winning record of less than 0.500, he must mature as a coach by 2021. During media interviews, Shanahan could not justify the reasons for the injuries. Finally, the quarterback room appears to be stable for the first time in his tenure, an encouraging sign that Shanahan is realizing the need for a more dynamic quarterback to improve his offense and quality backup.

But he needs to avoid ambitious game calls that hurt the 49ers. In 2020, Shanahan made a few calls with its backup quarterbacks that resulted in sales. These are backup quarterbacks execution mistakes, but adapting to the limits of your players is a must. For the coach, who has only had one successful season under his belt, this is a crucial season.

Improved – Maybe