Do the 49ers overlook injury histories too much?

We know the story of the 2020 49ers: injuries. Truth be told, the 2019 49ers were also among the league leaders in games missed due to injury, and the 2018 49ers were not far behind them. Is it possible that this team has simply been unlucky since Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch took the reins, or is it something deeper than that? In today’s Gold Standard Podcast, Levin Black thinks the answer lies in the construction of the roster.

“This regime has already changed out the strength and conditioning team because of the injuries. Overhauled it. The problem is all of these injuries should not be unexpected. It is what is to be expected when you construct the roster in the manner it’s been constructed.”

(Click below to hear the full conversation in today’s Gold Standard Podcast)

As Black points out, there have been a number of players the team acquired with a history of injuries before wearing the scarlet and gold (even if some ended up being good acquisitions):

Jimmy Garoppolo, Dee Ford, Kwon Alexander, Richard Sherman, Tevin Coleman, Jason Verrett, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa, Jalen Hurd, Kentavius Street, Reuben Foster, and George Kittle.

And, yes, it is almost impossible to find a professional football player that’s never been hurt at all. That’s not what we’re saying. We’re saying you have to figure out the difference between a guy that’s been hurt and a guy that can’t stay healthy. You can’t simply ignore a history of repeated injuries when building your team. You also can’t do that multiple times at multiple key positions and expect to compete consistently.

There is no such thing as, “when everybody gets healthy” in a sport as physically punishing as the NFL. We know that. But when the foundation of your team is built with guys you can’t count on to be out there consistently, you can’t then be stunned when those guys aren’t playing on the field.

Take a listen to today’s Gold Standard Podcast and let us know what you think. If you’re already a fan of the show, please give us a rating and a review on iTunes. Five star ratings are our favorite, if you’re wondering.