Fixing the San Francisco 49ers’ Offense in 3 Steps

Dec 20, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers team helmets on the sidelines during the game against the San Diego Chargers at Levi

Through the eyes of most, the San Francisco 49ers are in the midst of an implosion, doomed to slide back into the mediocrity that preceded the brief but very successful Jim Harbaugh era. And understandably, many of the 49er faithful seem to leaning to the pessimistic side of things, given the fact that the team has parted ways with Harbaugh, and has lost the majority of their core players. And because of a limited amount of cap space, San Francisco was not able to make a splash in free agency either.

Pessimism and negative attitudes always seem to come with uncertainty, and given the backward path the team has taken this offseason, the 49ers have more than their fair share of both.

San Francisco 49ers

So, for the first time since 2010, there are major questions facing the Red and Gold, as there are gaping holes in important positions that had once filled by 49er icons. Most of the departures seem to have had the most impact on the defensive side of the ball. However, San Francisco has a young core of players who have the talent and depth to remain a force in the National Football League.

And despite the offense underperforming in 2014, as well as the offseason departures, there are still reasons for 49ers fans to have hope.

Only Frank Gore and Mike Iupati‘s departures will adversely impact the 2015 San Francisco offense, leaving them with holes that still must be filled. But recent signee Torrey Smith comes in as an upgrade over Michael Crabtree and his selfish attitude. Signing Smith and former Detriot Lion, Reggie Bush were both solid additions because they both bring big play potential to an offense that had been lacking excitement.

The lack of scoring punch the 49ers displayed in 2014 is the reason fans at Levi’s Stadium were so silent for large parts of 2014. However, one must realize that even during the Harbaugh years, the offense had never been elite. The offense seemed to be built around Gore doing all he could to get the team close enough to field goal range — and then hope the defense would hold the slimmest of leads week after week.

So it would seem fitting that a main focus of the 49er rebuild would be on putting up more points. Here are three quick steps the Red and Gold must follow to rebrand themselves and successfully usher in the Jim Tomsula era…

Next: Is Colin Kaepernick a Bust?