2015 San Francisco 49ers Season Predictions
It is hard to imagine a team having a worse NFL offseason than the San Francisco 49ers. Any hope of improving on an uber-disappointing 8-8 campaign from last year took a hit seemingly every week when the season concluded.
NFL Handicapping Insight
***2015 BONUSES***
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San Francisco 49ers Betting Lines to win the 2016 Super Bowl 33/1
San Francisco 49ers Betting Lines to win the 2016 NFC Conference 18/1
San Francisco 49ers Betting Lines to Win the 2015 NFC West +800
Jim Harbaugh is gone along with offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Starting linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland, defensive tackle Justin Smith and right tackle Anthony Davis all retired, guard Mike Iupati, cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox, receiver Michael Crabtree and running back Frank Gore left via free agency and even their punter who was third best in the NFL was traded away. Yikes!
That leaves former defensive line coach Jim Tomsula to pick up the pieces – to resurrect Colin Kaepernick, to make up for the losses on defense and to turn around a San Francisco offense that was absolutely awful at times last year.
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So what does all of this equate to for the 49ers? Let’s take a look.
2015 49ers Season Preview
Let’s start with the offense – a unit that struggled last year and could do so again with the departure of offensively minded head coach Jim Harbaugh. Colin Kaepernick stands to be the player most affected by the loss of the QB guru Harbaugh – Kaep wasn’t great last year and will likely take another huge step back. In a quarterback-driven league, the 49ers are lagging behind already.
Kaepernick will have a new toy in town – Torrey Smith comes over from Baltimore to replace Michael Crabtree – Smith was second in the NFL last year in dropped passes – yuk! Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis, along with Smith make up a serviceable but not great receiving corp – one that will be hoping that Kaep developed some touch during the offseason.
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The running game lost franchise stud Frank Gore but picked up oft-injured Reggie Bush to play alongside Carlos Hyde. Hyde has yet to prove that he can handle an expanded roll. Just like the rest of the offense the rushing situation is an enormous question mark – not exactly where a team hopes to be with the season just around the corner.
Need more reason for concern? How about the loss of guard Mike Iupati who will suit up for the Cardinals. Iupati is a top tier run blocker and was solid in pass protection as well. He will arguably be the most difficult player on the roster to replace. The 49ers offensive line could be a sore spot – add it to the pile!
And now for the defense! A once solid, terrorizing unit looks like a shadow of its former self! Six defensive starters from last year are gone – all of which were key contributors to the team. Patrick Willis, Chris Borland and Justin Smith all retired – Willis and Boreland unexpectedly.
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We can’t forget about Ray McDonald who was released after his third arrest for domestic violence and Cornerbacks Perrish Cox and Chris Culliver who also managed to get off this sinking ship.
So that leaves newcomer Darnell Dockett, a seemingly mentally unstable Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks to anchor the defense. They are decent pieces but would look a whole lot better with any semblance of a supporting cast.
49ers 2015 Predictions:
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that I don’t have a whole lot of faith in the San Francisco 49ers. Their season depends on Colin Kaepernick – period. We can’t expect the defense to be near where they were the past few seasons so it will be up to the offense to be a difference maker. With Kaepernick’s struggles last year I fear what is in store for this club. Reggie Bush will get hurt, Kaepernick will overthrow his receivers a ton and the defense will give up its share of points.
Look for the Niners to finish 5-11, far below the 8.5 win total that Vegas has set. It’s going to be a long year San Francisco fans – expect a high draft pick next year.
The 2015 NFL futures betting season is right around the corner! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting.
CappersPicks.com has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well.
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