The San Francisco 49ers 2018 season has fallen to nothing short of disaster and disappointment. 2017 was a rebuild that appeared accelerated with the arrival of Jimmy Garoppolo. Before everything began, many thought this was a Wild Card team. Now the 49ers are in the running for the first pick of the 2019 NFL draft. All disappointment considered, Adam Schefter still thinks the 49ers rebuild is going just as scheduled. The ESPN insider was on KNBR’s Murph and Mac and had this to say regarding the team:
“You knew when they suffered some of these injuries that this was going to be a tough season, and there were going to be some challenges—and there have been—and there will continue to be. And the season is not going to work out a lot of people expected or anticipated for a variety of reasons, many of which are injury-based. But, I still believe that the team is absolutely on track, that they have roster space, they will have a lot of flexibility, they’ve got some talent. No, they’re not where they want to be, and they knew they were not where they want it to be. So, to me, it’s interesting that people are finally figuring out, ‘Oh boy, there’s some roster holes.’ Yeah, there was. There were a lot when they came in. A lot. And it’s going to take some time to repair and rebuild everything, and they’re continuing to do that, and I believe they’re on track. If they can stay healthy, they’ll be where they want to be”
Schefter also later pointed out that the 49ers did their due diligence on Josh Gordon (whom he reminded Kyle Shanahan worked with while offensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns) and also Khalil Mack (whom Schefter called the 49ers a finalist for). The entire interview is worth a listen (it’s roughly 10 minutes) and if nothing else, has a voice of reason for 49ers fans.
When Jerick McKinnon tore his ACL in the final practice of training camp, it was a omen of things to come. A few weeks later, Jimmy Garoppolo followed in the same injury and now the 49ers have an injury report longer than the classic novel War and Peace. Many were optimism for a playoff appearance, but no one could have predicted this skid of one win to their name. Some are wondering with the recent losses if John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are doing all they can to help this team.
If anyone can give an unbiased opinion of everything, it’s Schefter. The 49ers were rebuilding no matter how this season goes and as far as improving on the win total from last year, the team has just hit a fountain of bad luck.