2014 San Francisco 49ers season: Year in review

Rookie review: Injury all stars

The San Francisco 49ers had a handful of rookies spend the season on one injured list or another. Let's take a look back at those players.

Rookie review: Asante Cleveland

How did Asante Cleveland fare as a rookie in 2014? Will there be an opportunity for him in 2015?

49ers 2014 season decimated by injuries

Every single team has to deal with injuries, but in 2014 the 49ers hd the most games missed due to injury than any other team in the NFL. We take a look at how it impacted the season.

Rookie review: Dillon Farrell

How did Dillon Farrell fare as a rookie in 2014? How will he build on it in 2015?

Rookie review: L.J. McCray

How did L.J. McCray fare as a rookie in 2014? Will he move beyond just a special teams role in 2015?

Rookie review: Aaron Lynch

How did Aaron Lynch fare as a rookie in 2014? Will he move into a starting role?

Rookie review: Bruce Ellington

How did the San Francisco 49ers' rookie wide receiver fare in 2014? Did he exceed our expectations or fall short?

49ers rookie review: Dontae Johnson

How did Dontae Johnson fare in 2014? Will he be a starter heading into next season?

Rookie review: Marcus Martin

How did the San Francisco 49ers' rookie center fare in 2014? Did he exceed our expectations or fall short? As is often the case, it was a bit of a mixed bag.

Rookie review: Carlos Hyde

How did the San Francisco 49ers' second-round pick fare in 2014? Did he exceed our expectations or fall short? We saw some good things.

How far away from SB contender were the 49ers?

PFF used their grades to try and figure out how far each NFL team was from being a Super Bowl contender. We've got the full rundown.

Rookie review: Jimmie Ward

How did the San Francisco 49ers' first-round pick fare in 2014? Did he exceed our expectations or fall short? It was kind of a mixed bag.

Rookie Review: Chris Borland

How did the San Francisco 49ers' third-round pick fare? Did he exceed our expectations or fall short? The answer should be obvious.

49ers middle of the pack with "young" talent

The San Francisco 49ers have some notable young talent, but where do they rank compared to the rest of the NFL? ESPN has a look at it.

Considering special teams rankings from 2014

The San Francisco 49ers special teams units have been all over the place the last four years, and the stats confirm it. Can they even out a bit in 2015?

Ellington named to PFF All-NFC West team as KR/PR

Pro Football Focus released their all division teams, and there were nine members of the San Francisco 49ers on the All-NFC West team. We break down the inclusion of return man Bruce Ellington.

Borland named to PFWA All-Rookie team

Chris Borland capped his strong rookie season with a postseason honor. We break down the PFWA All-Rookie team.

49ers release final special teams grades

The San Francisco 49ers grade out special teams performances each year. We've got a rundown of their 2014 grades.

49ers NFL word cloud

If you're never seen a Word Cloud, it's a fun way for software to emphasize what words were used at a higher frequency by fan bases throughout the year. Some words are expected, others are randomly interesting. Here is what 49ers fans had to say Redd

Borland, Lynch named to Kiper all-rookie team

Mel Kiper put together a list of the best rookies from 2014. He included two members of the San Francisco 49ers.

It was not exactly a "Professional Grade" season

Here’s my final #GMCPlaybook question for @SBNation this year: Did your team have a #ProfessionalGrade season? http://t.co/iQ1hxcHGwA

— Marshall Faulk (@marshallfaulk) December 24, 2014

Moving on from Harbaugh is a massive mistake

The 49ers appear ready to part ways with head coach Jim Harbaugh in the very near future. We look at how we arrived at this point and attempt to put Harbaugh's imminent departure into context.

Borland named to SI All-Rookie team

The San Francisco 49ers are getting some recognition for individual performances. First up, Chris Borland the SI all-rookie team.

49ers announced team award recipients

Why can't Kap run? (except that one time)

Colin Kaepernick broke onto the scene in 2012 and got everyone's attention with his rushing ability. We look at why that feels like a distant memory in 2014, and why it might not be as bad as you think.

Decline of the deep passing game

Once among the offense's biggest strengths, San Francisco's deep passing game has fallen off a cliff this season and it's perhaps the biggest reason the 49ers offense is a mess.

Surprises and Disappointments

Bay Area Sports Guy has a couple of recent articles that are worth examining.

The 49ers safeties at the midway point

The 49ers have gotten extremely solid work from their safeties. Could we see improvement when Aldon Smith returns and potentially boosts the pass rush?

Your 49ers free agents through seven games

The San Francisco 49ers have numerous free agents hitting the market in 2015. We take a look at where they stand through the first seven games of the season.

Considering the 49ers cornerback position

The San Francisco 49ers cornerback position was a big question mark heading into 2014. We break down how they performed, and what questions they face the rest of the season.

Considering the 49ers OLB position

The first of the season for the 49ers outside linebacker position saw the emergence of Aaron Lynch, and some regression from Ahmad Brooks. How will it shake out once Aldon returns?

Considering the inside linebackers

The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2014 season with a big question mark at inside linebacker. Michael Wilhoite has been a solid replacement through the first seven weeks, and now we just wait for the return of Bowman.

Considering the 49ers defensive line

The San Francisco 49ers defensive line has gotten solid work from their starters. Ian Williams in particular has been a strong presence in the middle. What can we expect when Glenn Dorsey returns?