Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #6
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #6
Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.
COVERED TEAMS: Lions, Jaguars, Bengals, Patriots, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Seahawks, Rams, Giants, Cowboys, Saints, Steelers, Panthers, Raiders, Browns, Texans, Jets, Cardinals, Falcons, Bills, Washington Football Team, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Broncos
I actually put this preview on hold on purpose until we announced the new coach. Unfortunately, Sin is MIA, and hopefully he returns soon so we can at least know he is okay.
But the preview goes on, nothing stops this train, and this team just annouced a big hire.
#6 - San Francisco 49ers (Ernest)
(13-3 Projected Record)
1st Seed, Loss in the Divisional Round
I'm sure you all saw the breaking news this morning...
As former NHL goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov used to say, 'That is humongous big'.
Yes, yes it is.
Ernest is back, after a brief hiatus from Red Zone, he joins San Francisco as their head coaching coming into the cycle. I already had the 49ers finishing 13-3, and my prediction remains the same with Ernest at the helm, a decorated coach who already has a few rings.
He returns to Red Zone with arguably the best team in the NFC, and one of the deepest defensive rosters. Ernest has proven that he is a winner in his time here, from Dallas, to Detroit, to Kansas City, he gets the job done everywhere he goes. Now he enters a situation where most of the team building work has been completed.
Obviously my prediction indicates his success comes quickly, but what about the future? Let's take a look.
One Big Question
With a three title cycle behind them, Coach Ernest takes over the 49ers with high expectations. A stacked roster, loaded with youth, and talent all over the defense. The question here is not if, but when?
Let's get one thing straight, I'm actually more excited about Ernest in San Francisco then I was about Sin. I just like his style of football more, along with his patient GM work.
Ernest enters the best situation he has had, and he has had success everywhere he has been. He rebuilt Detroit, he brought Dallas to multiple titles, and he went head-to-head with the best in the AFC West before he retired. Why shouldn't he now succeed with the best roster he has been with?
There are so many things to be excited about here; the cap room, the young talent, the defensive line, the veterans at key spots. The 49ers are just ran well, and now they have a perfect fit in coach/GM combo to lead them.
The NFC improved dramatically with the additions of Ernest and Kad, while the favorites were already mentioned in the Buccaneers, Packers, Eagles, Arizona, and Washington. Once Ernest is able to add more to this roster, specifically at the quarterback and wide receiver position, I think he will be the team to beat year in and year out, but this year I forsee some issues.
One Big Schedule Issue
Well, the NFC West is a lot better today than it was 24 hours ago.
The fact that Ernest has to play Ramesu, Jim, and Kad twice a year now is a tall task, regardless if he holds the superior roster or not. All of those teams are talented in their own ways, and all of the coaches are above average.
My biggest question is how will they fare against equal competition? In their first four games, they will face Arizona and Philadelphia, tough opponents, while also facing both New York teams. Sure, the 49ers should easily beat those teams, but will they? It's a total crapshoot in the beginning of a cycle.
As the season goes on, the 49ers will find their rhythm. I do have them going 3-3 in their division, which account for their only 3 losses. Once they get to the postseason and have to face a gauntlet of at least 2 tough NFC opponents, I see them struggling with limited quarterback play.
Reasons for Optimism
The 49ers are 4 running backs deep, one of the areas of offense that Ernest typically excels at. Raheem Mostert broke out last season, along with guys like Tevin Coleman, Jeff Wilson, and the returning Jerick McKinnon from injury. Any of these guys can lead the offense, but expect Mostert and Coleman to get most of the touches.
Deebo Samuel was a fantastic find in the draft last year, and earned the starting spot on the offense, along with rookie 1st rounder Brandon Aiyuk, who will compete with Bourne and Pettis for snaps. The best part about this receiving core? They are all dirt cheap. The obvious A+ threat on this offense is tight end George Kittle, who is arguably the best in the business. He is an elite route runner and after the catch player, and will likely lead all statistics in the receiving category.
Trent Williams arrives at left tackle to replace Joe Staley, while right tackle Mike McGlinchey has improved every year of his career. Even Laken Tomlinson has improved at left guard. This offensive line has been constructed to run the football, and it does it's job very well.
Defensively, I might as well list the whole roster. They traded away DeForest Buckner to the Colts, and still remain one of the deepest groups in the league. Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead are the headliners, Bosa entering his 2nd year and Armstead just inked a 5 year extension with the club. Dee Ford is under contract for the next 4 seasons, while Solomon Thomas is in the final year of his rookie deal. Thomas is unlikely to strike a big extension wtih San Francsico, due to the drafting of 1st round defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, who will compete for a big role.
Fred Warner has enjoyed a nice two year career at linebacker, and figures to continue to improve for the 49ers, while the underrated Dre Greenlaw will compete for more snaps at outside linebacker.
Richard Sherman has been worth every penny, returning to the top cornerback status in the league, and the cast around him is great. K'Waun Williams is a fantastic slot corner, while Emmanuel Moseley and Akhello Witherspoon are very serviceable. Even Jimmie Ward continues to remain a top 6-7 safety in the league.
Like I said, try and find some holes on this team.
Reasons for Negativity
Is there a quarterback that is more of a hot-button talking point than Jimmy Garoppolo? Retired Red Zone Coach Terrence Porter certainly doesn't hide his feelings for this quarterback, but is he deserving of the hate? Jimmy G is solid, he isn't going to win you 3 playoff games in a row just because of his arm, but he may be the perfect quarterback for this system.
The problem for me, is that you can't go into the NFC playoffs with an average quarterback, you need someone you can count on to win you at least one or two big games, and I don't envision that for Jimmy. It would be different if he had more than just Kittle around him, but this receiving core is still very young an inexperienced.
The biggest thing that skews my vision of him is the contract, he is under a deal with San Francisco for 3 more years at $26 million per. Granted, the 49ers have plenty of cap room, but do you really want to be using $26 million of it on Jimmy G? Part of me thinks Ernest looks early for his quarterback of the future in the first two drafts.
The 49ers could use an upgrade at right guard, as Tom Compton doesn't seem to be the answer there, but the presence of McGlinchey will help.
The entire secondary outside of Jimmie Ward is up for an extension this offseason, so Ernest will have to make choices on the cornerback situation. Sherman will likely return, but it will come at a pretty penny.
Last Word
Honestly, this is one of my favorite fits in the league right now. It really got my excited about the NFC West, what a combination of smart coaches to pair together for an entire cycle. I do believe that this is Ernest's division to lose for the forseeable future, as the Cardinals and Seahawks are still behind them in terms of roster talent, and Jim needs to prove he can compete within this group.
When do I see Ernest making the jump? It all comes from experience on offense. Maybe it's a quarterback upgrade, or a year of developing these young wideouts, or acquiring another big playmaker. I just think this roster is one year away from really taking a step, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if it happened right away.
I think we can all agree on one thing, having Ernest back is fantastic!