The last few years haven’t been great for the San Francisco 49ers. They had a disappointing 8-8 season in 2014, moved on from Jim Harbaugh, and went 5-11 in 2015 under Jim Tomsula and 2-14 in 2016 under Chip Kelly. So, how are things different in 2017? According to the team’s longest tenured player, offensive tackle Joe Staley, this 49ers team is smarter.
Joe Staley said this is a much smarter 49ers team than in years past: "They brought in football guys."
— Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) June 14, 2017
Staley also said Kyle Shanahan is “the smartest coach I’ve been around,” among other things.
#49ers @jstaley74 says Kyle Shanahan is "the smartest coach I've been around." Staley knows coaches. Niners on 6th HC in his 11 years pic.twitter.com/Qn1qYh6XSN
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) June 14, 2017
If you were a coach associated with the 49ers over the last few years, good luck not taking that one personally.
Time will tell if that translates into more success on the field. But if the last few seasons are the measuring stick, things can’t get much worse.