The goal, of course, is to build a candidate who remains a candidate on an annual basis.
The 49ers emerged last season from the ruins of a 4-12 year old who landed their No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The club came within a disastrous seven-minute stretch in the fourth quarter of winning Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This is the season that Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young believes will show if the 49ers have what it takes to stay among the elite teams in the NFL for years to come.
After all, Young said defensive coaching staff around the league have spent countless hours during the COVID-19 months looking for ways to decode the 49ers ’offense.
“That will be tested this year and it will be fun to watch,” Young said during a virtual event to remember the late Dwight Clark. ‘Because if they can resist that control and that intensity, it’s when you think,’ Oh, we’ll be great for a long time. ‘Because that’s a big filter, a big obstacle to get through.
“One of the easier obstacles comes from behind. People are not really ready for you. You get really good, and you run through the season and run the table. It happened almost last year. That’s the best kind of way to do it. Now comes the hard work, and if they can this year, you have to think that they can do it every year for four or five years. ”
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Coach Kyle Shanahan drafted and named plays for an offense that won fourth place in the NFL in yards and seconds in points at 29.9 per game in the regular season. The 49ers finished 13-3, beating NFC West and crossing through the NFC side of the bracket with 17-point victories over Minnesota and Green Bay.
“There’s an extra level of challenge this year, because the rest of the league now knows they’re the kings,” Young said. ‘It’s everyone’s homecoming. Every game they play will be the biggest game that other teams play.
“The challenge will be explained there.”
Young still marvels at the offensive innovation he witnessed when the 49ers traveled to the New Orleans Saints in December in a key for NFC playoff seedings.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns, and the 49ers rolled 516 yards of total foul in the 48-46 victory at the Superdome.
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“It was a remarkable game to watch, the play-callers and the offensive coordination,” Young said. ‘I can not remember ever feeling that way before where I just liked’ My gosh, the innovation and what’s going on in this game is great. ‘”
That game serves as a challenge for any defense on the 49ers’ 2020 schedule, as well as a guide for offensive coaches, Young said.
“And, well, that game is now … everyone in the world will perform those plays, and learn how to defend those plays, right?” Sei Young.
“You knew that most everything that Kyle and the 49ers did last year that was innovative will now happen everywhere in the league.”
