Is this the greatest single season turnaround in NFL history? It very well could be.

by Blank x2 on Jan 17, 2012 7:53 AM PST

Hello, NinersNation. After an exhausting weekend, a remarkable game on Saturday, and time to sit and reflect on it all, I started to think about a post somebody made (forgive me for not finding it, credit to whoever wrote it) on NN regarding the best seasons for rookie head coaches. There was discussion in that post about rookie head coaches taking over various teams, and looking at the numbers to see how they did in their first year with their new teams. Tony Sparano (I believe) had the best record with a new team, taking the one win Dolphins all the way up to 11 wins and the playoffs in his first season. Numerically, that was the biggest improvement I can remember. But, this season in the Bay seems to trump this, at least for this fan. Is this season for our beloved San Francisco 49ers the biggest (or maybe most surprising) single season turnaround the NFL has ever seen? It very well could be. Join me after the jump to see why.

I was listening to the radio this morning, and it was brought up that this could be the biggest turnaround of a franchise in one season in NFL history. Does that have a little to do with the franchise being as prestigious as it is? I think so. But when you really sit and REALLY think about what we have witnessed this season, it seems to read like fiction.

- We have a rookie head coach.

- We have a QB long considered a huge bust, and who still (even after this beautiful 13-3 season) has a sub .500 record (32-34 - Pretty sure that's up to date).

- We haven't had a winning record since 2002, and that is in what many have considered to be the worst division in the NFL by a long shot.

- With the NFL lockout, there was no offseason programs, OTAs, or real practice time to get really familiar with Harbaugh, his staff, his playbook, or his schemes.

All of these things considered, we all knew we had talent on this team, it had just never gelled and came together. But, even on NinersNation, there wasn't a lot of major expectations for this team this year, mainly for the fourth reason listed regarding the lockout. I myself predicted about 8-8, maybe a game swing either way. But nobody was screaming playoffs, Super Bowl, or anything like that. Then, we went on a remarkable run in the regular season, grabbed a bye and the NFC's second seed, then went and beat what statistically could have been the greatest offense in NFL history. Some people, including a vast majority of the media and fans, never thought this was possible or likely.

Yet, here we are, gentlemen. We are one win away from the Super Bowl with a welcome mat for the NFC Championship sitting outside of the "fortress" (Thank you for that, also, Coach) known as Candlestick Park. The Niners went from being a laughing stock for a decade, to hiring Jim Harbaugh, and little over a year later being a home favorite in the NFC Title Game. The 10 win increase by Sparano I mentioned earlier is great, but he didn't make it this far. And his team wasn't that bad for that long. So, NinersNation faithful, do you honestly think this season for our San Francisco 49ers is the biggest, most shocking, or most impressive single season turnaround in NFL history? When you really sit and reflect and think about what we've been watching since September, how do you see it?

This homer thinks it is. And it has been a magical, emotional ride I hope lasts a few more weeks. Win or lose, I will NEVER forget this season.

GO NINERS.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.

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There was also Peyton Manning's second season...

Where they went from 3-13 to 13-3 AND grabbed the #2 seed…however….

I think what’s happened in SF is a bit more remarkable because of the history of Alex Smith. Nobody was ever booing Peyton Manning to the point that they were trying to run him out of town. They KNEW his upside, and that the 28 picks he through that rookie season wouldn’t be the standard.

In the case of Alex Smith and the Niners, it’s been the same core group of guys for a number of years now, and suddenly they went from a never-will-be-in-the-playoffs team to a favored-to-go-to-the-Super Bowl team.

Just my two cents – I think it’s really hard to objectively make those types of comparisons, because there are always different situations that create “bad teams.” Sometimes it’s a matter of a lack of talent, bad drafting, etc. Whereas in the case of the Niners, the talent’s been there, but it’s been horrible coaching hires and a never ending carousel of coordinators and offensive systems.

I guess my feeling is…why try and compare? Enjoy it for what it is and let this season stand on its own merit. Win or lose this Sunday, the 49ers have returned to relevance in the NFL.

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by LooseCannon79 on Jan 17, 2012 12:11 PM PST reply actions

Sam Wyche and the ‘88 Bengals. 4-12 the year before, would have won the Super Bowl if it wasn’t for Football Jesus and the drive of a lifetime.

by Bitter Fan on Jan 17, 2012 12:31 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

I think a lot of the perceived turnaround was due to the Niners being criminally underrated coming into this season.

They were certainly not a good team last year, but they were 6-10 and greatly underachieved. They lost many close games to decent teams, and winning the division would have been a very reasonable expectation this year. The idea that the Niners were in the run for Luck was merely reactionary, as many had them pegged as a contender for the 2010 season, the sexy pick from a weak division.

This season has greatly exceeded anything anyone expected, but expectations were artificially low to begin with. A great turnaround, certainly, but I don’t think it’s the greatest.

by Rhombus on Jan 17, 2012 1:15 PM PST reply actions

Liberty_JAC did a fanpost on turn around statistics

http://www.ninersnation.com/2012/1/11/2659078/payton-vs-harbaugh

When the 49ers win the superbowl it will officially be the biggest franchise turnaround in the history of the NFL.

by reedkrase on Jan 17, 2012 1:52 PM PST reply actions

Not really

the Niners were 6-10 last year and 8-8 in 2009. I know it may seem like like this was an unworldly and fast turnaround with our expectations being so low and our decade-long futility, but it’s not like the niners were the worst team on the planet last year or prior to that.

by salary_cap on Jan 17, 2012 2:53 PM PST reply actions