SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- There was a time, not so long ago, that the San Francisco 49ers appeared to be on their way back to being one of the NFL's marquee franchises. They went to three straight NFC championship games, including one trip to the Super Bowl, and seemed to be reclaiming the success that once made them the toast of the league.
As fast as the Niners' elevator carried them to the top, it's dropped them off back at the bottom. In the three years since they last tasted success, they've gotten progressively worse, dropping to 8-8 then 5-11 and now look poised to bottom out this year. At 1-8, the Niners have no chance for a winning season or a playoff appearance and they're riding an eight-game losing streak.
Meanwhile, this week's opponent, the New England Patriots, remain the league's most consistent and dominant franchise. The Patriots are humming along at 7-2 with the Hall of Fame duo Bill Belichick and Tom Brady still at the top of their games.
San Francisco safety Antoine Bethea, who spent eight years battling the Patriots as a member of the AFC-rival Indianapolis Colts, said that no matter how much disdain the Patriots might draw, you have to admire what they've done.
"As a competitor, you can hate them as much as you want but at the end of the day you have to respect them," Bethea said. "They’re year in, year out one of the best teams in the league regardless of who is out there at receiver or on the defensive side of the ball. You could see that earlier this year with Tom Brady not even playing quarterback, their team was still winning games, so you’ve got to have a lot of respect for that organization."
Those are the type of words that opposing players used to speak about the 49ers in the heyday of Joe Montana, Bill Walsh, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott and Co. The hard-nosed group that was winning big not so long ago seemed on its way to reaching a similar respect level around the league with the likes of Jim Harbaugh, Patrick Willis, Justin Smith and Frank Gore leading the charge.
In the less than four years since the 49ers came up just short in Super Bowl XLVII, they've lost most of the players that made the team go. In fact, they have just nine players remaining who were on the roster at the end of that NFC championship season.
Big names such as Gore, guard Mike Iupati, quarterback Alex Smith and receiver Michael Crabtree departed via trade or free agency. Other notable players such as Smith, Willis and offensive tackle Anthony Davis have retired (twice, in Davis' case). Linebacker Chris Borland, who was drafted in 2014, also retired after a promising rookie season.
The lack of stability is an easy way for things to fall apart. That's not to say the Patriots haven't gone through their share of attrition. They have said goodbye to multiple coordinators who have gone on to take head-coaching jobs and have parted with players before their production had decreased.
But at the core of it, the Patriots have been able to maintain success for so long because of their stability at the two most important positions in an NFL franchise: head coach and quarterback.
"You’re going against one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game in Tom Brady, a really good set of receivers, two outstanding tight ends," coach Chip Kelly said. "They can run the football. They’re very balanced in terms of how they can attack you from an offensive standpoint, and then Bill’s defenses are always going to be well coached and solid. So, it’s a huge task and a huge challenge for us this week."
With Brady, the only difference this week is the first chance to play against his childhood favorite team with friends and family in the stands. Otherwise, the Niners see the same old future Hall Of Famer.
"Obviously, he’s a really good quarterback," defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil said. "They’ve got a lot of weapons around him. He’s been in the same system for a really long time. So, they have answers for everything. He gets them in the right plays. He’s not a guy that you’re going to trick or fool. He gets the ball out fast. So, there’s not a lot of deficiencies in his game.”
In truth, there aren't many deficiencies in the Patriots at all. Belichick's ability to change from week to week is one of the hallmarks of the organization. The constant of the New England empire has been that ability to adapt, which has led to the other trademark of the franchise: lots and lots of winning.
Getting a victory on Sunday wouldn't turn around the Niners' season but it would be a confidence boost for a young team that, like so many around the NFL, is desperately seeking the stability and success New England has enjoyed for nearly two decades.
“I think you always have hope," Kelly said. "I don’t think anybody just says, ‘Let’s take the week off because we can’t win.’ But, we played this team last year when I was with Philadelphia and had a big victory up in Foxborough. It’s an entirely different situation, but we’ve played them before and I understand the challenge of it. I think if you’re a competitor you get excited about playing in games like this. You don’t think of it as, ‘Oh my god, we don’t have any hope.’ You get a chance to play against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. If that doesn’t get your blood boiling, then you’re in the wrong sport.”
