The San Francisco 49ers sit at 0-6 right now, but they might be the best 0-6 team in NFL history. They set an NFL record with their fifth straight loss by a field goal or less, and their -33 point differential is significantly better than the next best 0-6 team in history (2000 San Diego Chargers, -84).
Being the best 0-6 team is not exactly something to jump for joy about, but given the state of the 49ers heading into this season, it’s a positive indicator in the rebuilding process. And thankfully, 49ers CEO Jed York seems to recognize that.
In a media session this afternoon, he talked about the state of the team, and is comfortable with how the process is unfolding. He made clear that John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are going to get time to put this thing together. After firing/parting ways with three coaches in three years, and firing general manager Trent Baalke this past year, there was a big rebuilding process in store.
York said he, “wanted to make sure that John and Kyle came in here and had a very, very long runway.” It should seem obvious, but given how things have gone dating back to 2014, nothing is really a guarantee. So, seeing York get where things stand right now is a plus.
You can watch his full comments above, but here is a transcription of them.
“We’re getting much closer to where we want to be. Obviously we’re not there yet. I wanted to make sure that John and Kyle came in here and had a very, very long runway. That they had the ability to get the roster to where they wanted it, and knew that this wasn’t going to happen overnight. And I think our players are encouraged — they see the progress that they’re making, they know that they’re not quite there yet. And when you’re losing on the last drive of sort of the last five games, and you’re really, really close — I mean, that’s part of having a really young team, having a team that there’s been a ton of turnover, almost historic turnover.
“We need to figure out, how do we fight together, and how do we make that last push to win on that last drive. And we’re starting to get there, and I think our players, as much as you might not like the record, I don’t get the sense that our players are discouraged at all. And I think there’s great belief in Kyle, there’s great belief in John, there’s great belief in the foundation that we’re building.
“And, we haven’t won enough games in the past few years. But I think our fans have been fantastic in supporting John, Kyle, this existing team, and knowing that we are building this thing for the future. We don’t want a quick fix and sacrifice the long-term success for a few wins that may or may not mean anything this season. We want to get our team back to championship caliber level, and I think that’s the trajectory that we’re on. The results might not show it, but I think the feeling that you get around this building, and the feeling that you get talking to the players, the coaches, we’re much closer than what our record would suggest.”