I think Garoppolo is good and will help make the 49ers competitive again but I agree it's way, way too preliminary to anoint him a guy that's going to lead them to 12+ wins. I do see the 49ers as the Rams main competition in the West, though. If Cousins goes to ARZ and David Johnson comes back 100% then things could be interesting there...
Tougher schedule (on paper) but 1/3 the travel miles, so...
My only 'what if' is injury. It's absolutely true they were a
very healthy team and fortunate on that front. But if they improve depth in some areas (like OL) and develop some young guys further they can weather that.
The stability the team has now is undeniable. For McVay and Goff coming into the offseason with the offense in place and focusing more on improvement vs. learning their jobs could be a huge difference. At the end of the day if Goff takes another step forward the team will be better. Cousins improved his QB rating 15 points in year 2 under McVay. Now it's doubtful Goff goes from 100.5 to 115 but the point remains they have a very good coach/QB combo which puts them ahead of 2/3 of the league immediately.
I also think the Rams will start becoming an even more attractive free agent destination. Between their success, McVay, the move being far behind them, the new stadium a year closer, etc. I would not be surprised about some free agents eying LA.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2018 03:06AM by LMU93.
