2014 Record: 8-8
2015 Non Division Opponents: NFC North, AFC North, New York Giants, & Atlanta
2014 in review: The Jim Harbaugh era came to a crashing halt. It was the worst kept secret in the league that Harbaugh was going to be out at the end of the season, and the niners suffered for it. Of course, a terrible year in San Francisco still netted an 8-8 record.
2015 Offseason: The dismissal of Harbaugh was no surprise. The hiring of Jim Tomsula, however, was. Tomsula, the former Defensive Line coach, was hired in house over Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio. That caused Fangio to leave for Chicago, and the strength of the team left with him. Things didn’t go much better in free agency, as Chris Culliver, Dan Skuta, Perrish Cox, Frank Gore, and Michael Crabtree all left for greener pastures. The did sign Reggie Bush to a one year deal, and woefully overpaid Torrey Smith by signing him to a 5 year 40 million dollar contract.
2015 Draft: San Francisco continued their defensive mindset, drafting defensive players with their first three picks. However, neither Arik Armstead, Jaquiski Tartt, nor Eli Harold are projected to start this season for the Niners.
Player on the hot seat: Carlos Hyde. Hyde has the keys to the backfield now after the departure of Frank Gore. He needs to step up and prove he can handle it. He should concentrate on being an effective runner, because Reggie Bush is still all world out of the backfield. If the Niners have any hope this year, Hyde needs to become a big time back.
Players you want on your fantasy team: If you believe in Carlos Hyde, he’s the best 49er for fantasy leagues. I don’t. Kaepernick is a boom or bust just like Robert Griffin III so he’s tough to rely on as your full time starter. Boldin is a solid veteran and Torrey Smith will have some good games here and there, but the 49ers are not going to be a high powered offense. It’s best to find your players elsewhere.
Season Prediction: 49er fans are going to yearn for the Harbaugh era after this season. It will be a struggle to get to 8 wins again in this division. The best San Francisco can hope for this season is likely 6-10.