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GameDay: Despite 1-2 Record, It's Not Armageddon For The 49ers

KPIX 5 Sports Director Dennis O'Donnell hosts "Gameday" every Sunday night at 11:30pm on KPIX 5 and offers his unique sports analysis here.

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- The date was December 31, 1999.  Financial doom was predicted in the form of Y2K.  But when the calendar rolled into January 1 of the new millennium the Sun rose in the East and my mortgage bill arrived in the mail.

For the second straight year the 49ers are 1-2.   Theories of an organizational collapse abound, ranging from front office discord to referee conspiracy to the coach losing control.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS COVERAGE:

Let's look at the facts.  True, a 1-2 record is poor enough for third place in the NFC West, two games behind the undefeated Arizona Cardinals.  True, the 49ers lead the league in penalties with 12 per game and have apparently taken the mantle of the league's most penalized team from the Raiders, who are the fifth least penalized team in the league.   And it's true the 49ers have been outscored 56-3 in the second half through three games.

But is this it?  Is the Harbaugh era at an end?  Is the party over at Levi's stadium before I've been able to buy my first $10.25 Bud?

Let's look at a few other facts.  You know, the ones that are actually tangible and have a tangible effect.

The 49ers were forced to unveil the spread offense yesterday because Vernon Davis couldn't answer the bell with ankle and knee injuries.    Cardinal's coach Bruce Arians said his team figured out by halftime what the 49ers were doing and placed a spy on Colin Kaepernick.  San Francisco was shutout in the second half.  Vernon Davis is the fastest tight end in football, a pro bowler who scored 13 touchdowns last year.  During the Harbaugh era, the 49ers are 0-4 in games that Vernon Davis does not play.  He's irreplaceable.

Anthony Davis mans the 49ers right side of the offensive line.  He started every game through the first four years of his career in San Francisco.  This year, he has yet to suit up because of a hamstring injury.  His replacement, Jonathon Martin, allowed two sacks in the loss to the Bears.  Martin is a nice story, but the 49ers rank 17th in the NFL in rushing and the absence of the "other" Davis is part of the reason.

The suspension of Aldon Smith has cost the 49ers significantly in the two losses.  San Francisco's 4 sacks ranks 22nd in the NFL and Cory Lemonier might be Harbaugh's "next man up," but he just might be the next man out if he doesn't starting getting to the quarterback.

Michael Wilhoite knocked the ball loose from Larry Fitzgerald that gave the 49ers a chance to mount a comeback.  Never happened, but Wilhoite did make a play. He also has to be credited with the 49ers shutdown of the Bears and Cardinals running attack.  But NaVorro Bowman just might be the 49ers best defensive player.  He is a disruptive force who can dominate a game like few others in the NFL.

There are other injuries, but these four players are the reason the 49ers are 1-2.  Eventually, they'll all be back in the 49er's starting lineup and San Francisco will be back among the NFL's elite.   Every team suffers injuries.  Not every team loses three Pro Bowl players and one Pro Bowl alternate.

The challenge now is for Jim Harbaugh to make players understand that Y2K is a fear, not a reality. That he's not losing the team, that he's not bleeding Michigan blue, and that the 49ers remain a team of players, not individuals.   If the 49ers implode it will come from within.

To steal a line from our 16th President, "..destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors."

See you on TV.

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