It was just over a week ago that the 49ers seemed to hit rock bottom.
Monday, March 9, was labeled “Black Monday” by some Bay Area writers and fans, as one bad piece of news followed another out of team headquarters.
The loss of running back Frank Gore and linebacker Patrick Willis, the arrest of fullback Bruce Miller and news that guard Mike Iupati would soon sign elsewhere – along with reports that defensive end Justin Smith would soon retire – thickened the dark cloud hanging over the franchise.
Though the 49ers are still waiting for Smith’s final verdict – it could come soon – the 49ers have sunk even lower in the days since Black Monday.
Now Chris Borland, an outstanding young linebacker and the heir apparent to Willis, has announced he’s retiring because of concerns about his long-term health.
For the 49ers and their fans, it’s been one blow after another since the final day of a disappointing 8-8 season.
On Wednesday, it led Mike Freeman, a former New York Times NFL columnist and current Bleacher Report NFL lead writer, to ask, “Are the 49ers Experiencing the Worst Offseason in NFL history?”
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Freeman pointed to the team’s recent successes under former head coach Jim Harbaugh, writing: “Do you remember when the 49ers were good? Keep those memories because after what is maybe the worst offseason any team has ever had, the 49ers are looking 3-13 squarely in the face.”
Freeman cited interviews with executives across the NFL who said they were shocked at what’s happened to the team. They also assigned blame for the collapse on the front office, Freeman wrote.
“The 49ers are seen by others in the league as a dysfunctional unit,” he wrote. “It was corralled by Harbaugh, and the absence of Harbaugh led to the current unraveling.”
It’s hard to say for certain that the 49ers’ offseason has been the worst ever. In the long history of the NFL, there have been some epic flops after coaching shakeups and player moves. But Freeman noted “it is likely unprecedented to see a franchise go through this level of discombobulation.”
Aside from losing a proven head coach in Harbaugh, and most of his staff, the team now has an unproven head coach in Jim Tomsula and has lost Gore, Iupati, linebacker Dan Skuta, Willis, special teams ace Bubba Ventrone, wideout Stevie Johnson, starting cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox and Borland.
Receiver Michael Crabtree and Justin Smith, too, could be gone soon and Miller’s status is in doubt.
The Niners have added new pieces, such as wide receivers Torrey Smith and Jerome Simpson, running back Reggie Bush, defensive lineman Darnell Dockett and corner Shareece Wright. But it's not yet known how they will work out.
But at this point, Black Monday has morphed into the Horrible Offseason. Can it get any worse? Has the team finally hit the bottom of the well?
We’ll see.
As Freeman wrote, it “seems like such a long time ago” when the 49ers were good.
