With a new general manager and head coach on board to help right the ship in San Francisco, the 49ers made quite the splash in the free agent market and wasted little time to do so. In just the first 49 hours (instead of the first 48, get it?) of NFL free agency, the 49ers brain trust of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan signed a plethora of new talent as the franchise looks to turn the page under its newest regime. Day 1 of free agency opened with the Niners signing seven players to come aboard -- QB Brian Hoyer, WR Pierre Garcon, WR Marquis Goodwin, TE Logan Paulsen, FB Kyle Juszczyk, K Robbie Gould and LB Malcolm Smith. More signatures would hit the dotted-line on Day 2 as QB Matt Barkley, WR Aldrick Robinson, DB Don Jones and LB Brock Coyle all agreed to contracts to round out San Francisco's busy free-agent frenzy. But GM John Lynch began his new line of work even earlier than that.
With defense being the glaring weakness for San Francisco after allowing the most yards (both total and rushing) and points in franchise history this past season, the 49ers were quick to land a run-stuffer in DT Earl Mitchell who was recently released by the Miami Dolphins. Other early signings included WR DeAndre Carter and CB K'Waun Williams as well as Jeremy Kerley who was inked to a new three-year contract extension after leading the team in receptions (64) and receiving yards (667) in 2016. It's safe to say Shanahan is trying to duplicate what he had on offense in Atlanta by contacting players he's already familiar with and why wouldn't he? Carcon for example ran amok in Shanahan's system, totaling a career-best in receptions (113), targets (184), and yards (1,346) with the Redskins in 2013. Tight-end Logan Paulsen also served under Shanahan for all four of his years with Washington from 2010-13 and is known for being an exceptional blocker at the tight-end position. Receiver Aldrick Robinson is another player that is well familiar with Shanahan, having followed him around the league from Washington for three years to Atlanta this past season where he hauled in a season-high 111 receiving yards on four receptions vs the 49ers in Week 15.
There's also receiver and Olympian Marquise Goodwin who provides Shanahan with a burst of speed on offense, allowing him to stretch the field and help fill the void of the recently released Torrey Smith. And then there's the unknown of DeAndre Carter who grew up in San Jose just a stones throw away from Levi's Stadium and was a notable receiver at Sacramento State receiving FCS First-Team All-American honors in 2014 but went undrafted and has yet to hit the field in an NFL regular season game. All Shanahan is missing in terms of targets is a go up and get it receiver like he had in Julio Jones. However, that one will be much harder to come by as Jones is hands down the best receiver in the league and a once in a decade type talent. But we could all expect a receiver or two to be selected by San Francisco in April's Draft. After making the Pro Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2016, the 49ers made Kyle Juszczyk the highest-paid fullback in league history with a four-year, $21 Million contract. The signing comes a year after the team did away with the fullback position under head coach Chip Kelly and some reports say Juszczyk could've signed for more elsewhere but took less to play in Shanahan's system. Expected to be another target for the quarterback to throw to, the versatile fullback out of Harvard who caught 78 passes over the last two seasons will be used by Shanahan much like he used Patrick DiMarco in Atlanta.
As for the most important position in all of football -- quarterback, the 49ers finally added two QB's to the roster after Colin Kaepernick's recent decision to opt out left a gaping hole at the position. Veteran QB Brian Hoyer was the first to land via a 2-year deal after serving last season as Jay Cutler's backup before being forced into the starting role after Cutler sustained an injury in Week 2. Hoyer played well for the Bears and became the first QB in franchise history to throw for over 300 yards in four consecutive games before a broken arm ended his season in Week 7. Hoyer finished the season with six touchdowns and zero interceptions before being replaced by Matt Barkley who coincidentally signed a 2-year pact with the Niners a day after Hoyer did. Since falling from grace and once upon a time being projected as not only the first quarterback taken in the 2012 Draft but the first pick overall, the former USC Trojan has yet to prove that he's capable of being anything but a backup QB at the NFL level. Nonetheless, he and Hoyer will more than likely be competing alongside whoever the third and possibly fourth quarterback is come training camp.
Another pair of shoes to fill will be those of kicker Phil Dawson who signed with the rival Arizona Cardinals and will now be replaced in San Francisco by long-time Bears kicker Robbie Gould who agreed to a two-year deal after signing late last season with the New York Giants where he converted on all six of his field goal attempts. At the time of his departure from Chicago, Gould had set franchise records for the most field goals made (276), field goal percentage (85.9), field goals made from 50-yards or more (23) and total points scored (1,207). Here's to hoping he can duplicate those numbers in a 49er uniform as the 42-year old Uncle Phil was a favorite among the fans and players alike.
Back to the defensive side and with the 49ers switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme on defense, linebacker Malcolm Smith who had a disappointing two-year stint across the Bay with the Raiders, will try and rebound under new 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Like Shanahan who targeted multiple players he was familiar with, Saleh spent three seasons with Smith in Seattle where he served as the Seahawks' defensive quality control coach and watched from the sidelines as Smith took home Super Bowl MVP honors in Super Bowl 48. Hopefully the two reuniting together again in the NFC West can do Smith some good. Two defensive players signed to help make an impact on special-teams is linebacker Brock Coyle and defensive back Don Jones. Though lots of work has been done in the short time Shanahan and Lynch have been with the team, there's still plenty of work to be done in preparation of the 2017-18 season and the Draft is the next area of focus.
It's worth noting that newly hired general manager John Lynch has already matched former Niners GM Trent Baalke's free-agnet signings from 2012 to 2016 in a matter of days. 49er fans haven't been the only ones giddy about the team's recent acquisitions as media members from both NFL Network (Ian Rapoport) and ESPN (John Clayton) have taken a liking to San Francisco's moves and praised them for adding depth and spending wisely opposed to shelling out cash to the top-tier names on the market. These deals have already made them one of the most improved teams in the league according to Clayton who ranked them fourth just behind Jacksonville, Detroit and Tennessee. Sure a few of the deals might have been slight overpays, but with more than enough in spending money and John Lynch in the drivers seat for the first time, it was to be expected. Not to mention the fact that incoming players know the rebuild in San Francisco is a process and thus a few more dollars will be needed to attract free-agents. That could all change in the coming years, though, if and when we begin to see positive results on the field.
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What had the makings to be one of the best Super Bowl's in recent years, turned ugly early, falling short of the hype and would be nothing short of a disappointment when the game clock hit double zero. The number one offense taking on the number one defense was just a few ingredients that we thought would eventually concoct a game for the ages, instead the halftime show headlined by Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers provided more entertainment than the game itself. Little did we know the league's highest-scoring offense that set numerous records led by quarterback Peyton Manning would be dismantled by the league's best defense which put up points on the board just 12 second in and never looked back.
Entering Sunday's game, all the talk was surrounding the legacy of Peyton Manning who one day earlier set an NFL record by winning his fifth MVP Award after his record-breaking season in which he threw for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns. With rumors swirling of this possibly being Peyton's final game, virtually everyone envisioned Manning to ride off into the sunset while hoisting his second career Lombardi Trophy and silencing the critics that have discredited Manning over the years for his lone Super Bowl title. Apparently, Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks didn't get that memo as their defense made Peyton Manning look rather pedestrian on the NFL's biggest stage. With Seattle winning the coin-toss and electing to defer, Denver would start the game off in the worst possible way as the ball sailed over Manning's head and into the end zone on the first play from scrimmage for a safety. The early miscue would be a bad omen of things to come for Denver who found themselves down 2-0 after one play despite Seattle's offense yet to touch the field.
The Seahawks who had zero Super Bowl experience on their entire roster entering the game, simply didn't need it. However, it would be Manning and the Broncos who showed up as if it was their first rodeo. From the first play on, Seattle played like a team possessed where as Denver appeared to have just crawled out of bed, resembling a marching band without their conductor who in this case was Peyton Manning, unsure of what to do or where to go when it came time for battle. By halftime, Seattle had already built a 22-0 lead, scoring on each of their first three offensive possessions (field goal, field goal, touchdown) to go along with a 69-yard interception taken to the house by the eventual Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith. Meanwhile, the Broncos offense which hadn't been shutout in the first half all season long would pick a terrible time to be held to their first goose egg.
Percy Harvin who was brought in during the offseason with high expectations to aid Seattle's aerial attack and special-teams before missing all but two games for the Seahawks this season due to an injury, brought a dimension on offense that Seattle has been unable to show off virtually all year long. But on Sunday Seattle was able to let loose a healthy Harvin who caught the Broncos defense sleeping with a 30-yard run on the Seahawks first possession. He would later put an end to any sort of momentum swing Denver was hoping to open the second half with when he ran back the opening kick 87-yard to begin the third quarter. At that point you knew the Broncos had no chance of pulling off the miraculous comeback as the deficit only grew.
Coming into the game, if anything was supposed to deprive Manning of his second Super Bowl title in three tries, it was the elements which were first thought to be a factor and one that would favor the defense. Instead, the weather ended up not being as big a factor as everyone initially thought as it turned out to be a very cooperative 49 degrees at kickoff, making it the third coldest game in Super Bowl history. But in the end it wouldn't matter as Seattle's suffocating defense proved to be too much for Peyton and company who's only points in the game came on the final play of the third quarter when Manning connected with Demariyus Thomas in the end zone followed by a successful two-point conversion. By then it would be too late as the Broncos dug a hole too big for even the league's best offense to climb out of as Seattle practically eliminated Knoshawn Moreno (17 yards on 5 rushes) and Denver's run game and held them in check when attempting cross routes, both of which are integral components when Denver's offense is at its best.
Seattle was able to put up points on both sides of the ball without running back Marshawn Lynch being much of a factor, something many including myself thought wouldn't be possible without their workhorse having a big day on the ground. Lynch finished the game with fewer rushing yards than Harvin, tallying just 39 yards on 15 carries to go along with his 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Seattle QB Russell Wilson was another name that didn't put up eye-popping numbers but did what he needed to in order for his team to come out victorious at the end of the day as he completed 18 of 25 pass attempts for 206 yards and a pair of second half touchdowns to receivers Jermaine Kearse and Doug Baldwin as the Seattle Seahawks trampled the Denver Broncos, 43-8 in route to their first ever Super Bowl title. With the win, Russell Wilson becomes just the fourth second-year QB to win a Super Bowl, reminding us that a conservative, game manager type of quarterback can win a Super Bowl when backed by a stellar defense.
While Manning who was under constant duress did set a Super Bowl record by completing 34 of 49 pass attempts while throwing for 280 yards, it was the two interceptions in the game he'll most be remembered for as Seattle won the turnover battle: 4-0 after recovering a pair of forced fumbles. Though statistically Manning had the greatest season every by a QB, I think it's safe to say he would have much rather traded in those records for a second Lombardi Trophy as he fails to become the first QB in NFL history to win a Super Bowl title with two different franchises. With the loss, the Denver Broncos have fallen in a record five of seven Super Bowl's. Meanwhile, Manning falls to 11-12 in the postseason, the most losses in postseason history. And while he ranks in the top 3 greatest regular season QB's, he's no Joe Montana when it comes to the biggest game on the biggest stage. Assuming he's healthy, unless he can rally the Broncos to another Super Bowl title in these next three years of his contract, in spite of having a much easier road back to the big game than Seattle who will first have to get through their difficult division, Manning just might go down as the greatest quarterback to ever be held to just one Super Bowl win.
But enough about Manning, it's time to give credit to Seattle's stout defense which has drawn comparisons to the '85 Chicago Bears and held Denver's high-powered offense to just 8-points, the team's fewest since Manning joined the team in 2012. The 2013 Seahawks are proof that defense wins championships, as all eight of the highest-scoring offenses in NFL history have now all came short of winning the Super Bowl. Seattle, the fourth youngest team to win a Super Bowl, also pulled off the third largest margin of victory in Super Bowl history (35 points) in what was a total team effort that took the work and dedication of each and every player on the squad.
Coming into the game, the Denver Broncos were the odds on favorite in what many expected to be a close game at best for Seattle with the Broncos likely to run away with it. Those that did think there would be a lopsided affair thought only Denver was capable of pulling off the blowout. Not even those that did have Seattle winning envisioned a beat down of this magnitude which once again just goes to show how much we know about the grand game of Football.
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