49ers don’t have to make the playoffs to be successful

By Marc Hudgens  |   Monday, September 10, 2007  |  Comments( 14 )

San Francisco 49ers
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Entering the San Francisco 49ers' Monday night opener against the Arizona Cardinals, it seems as though nothing matters for fans of the former than for their team to make the playoffs in 2007.

Considering the amount of success the San Francisco franchise had had over the years, high expectations are OK. Standards in the Bay have long been high because of five Super Bowl rings, so there's a very natural justification for the fans' mind sets.

However, the unfortunate fact is that the Niners are not out of their recent slump yet. Last time they were in the playoffs happens to be the last time they had a winning season -- 2002.

That was five seasons, multiple QBs and three coaches ago. Since the 1999 campaign, the club has racked up only two winning seasons. Six of the past eight years were disappointments.

With all that said, the question is: Will a winning season in spite of no playoffs be considered a success in '07 for the 49ers?

There is no question that Niners coach Mike Nolan has assembled a team to be reckoned with, and his records have steadily improved since he took over two short seasons ago. There's a ton of hype and expectations entering his third season, with many believing the team will turn the corner this year.

Therefore, if Nolan doesn't get San Francisco to the playoffs he might find himself on the hot seat pretty quickly. That would be an unfair scenario if Nolan's team accumulates, say, a nine- win season and misses the playoffs.

If Nolan can muster just two more wins from last year's total of seven, it would be the Niners' first winning season in five seasons and should be considered marked improvement, thus securing his job for the upcoming future. When you consider that the NFC West has the potential to be one of the NFL's top divisions, a winning season for Nolan amid stronger opposition is a definite improvement.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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CommentsComments: 14  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
spectorns6		04:20 AM
09/10/2007
I just want them to keep improving,9-7 would be fine with me,even if that is not good enough to get us in the post season.Only a...
No.2
fr8ttrain		11:39 AM
09/10/2007
A winning season would be a nice start. And to answer spectorns question, the Raiders will draft a kicker #1 next year. Oh they...
No.3
jeremy		12:28 PM
09/10/2007
9-7 is a fair stand point in which we could say than nobody would be putting him on the hot seat. I would like this team to cont....
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