It's not a big surprise that the San Francisco 49ers are considered one of the teams most likely to win the Super Bowl. They came so close last year, and they return almost everyone while adding a bunch of quality players.
Evan Silva of Pro Football Talk filed this report that makes it clear why the 49ers are ranked so high. Retaining almost their entire defense that was one of the top units in the NFL goes a long way. Adding quality wide receivers and skill position players goes a long way to helping them out in terms of overall talent.
The biggest issue for the 49ers continues to be quarterback. Alex Smith proved he was a capable game manager, but will that be enough? There's also the issue of how good the wide receivers will be; Randy Moss is past his prime, Mario Manningham might not be capable of being a number one wideout and you don't know whether A.J. Jenkins is ready yet. There are a lot of questions that still have to be answered, but in general the 49ers should feel like they're in pretty good standing.
After the jump you can see some of the excerpts.
The 49ers’ defense is so physical, talented, and field-position altering that it’s probably good for eight wins in and of itself. No one runs on the Niners, and they affect opposing quarterbacks on virtually every dropback.
The offense remains a question mark. There is heavy turnover at the skill positions, and Moss and Manningham are both vertical, stretch-the-field receivers now playing with a quarterback who’s struggled to throw the football downfield throughout his career. Harbaugh must scheme to keep Moss and Manningham productive and content. If not, there is some potential for locker-room implosion.
Ultimately, we don’t see that happening. We see the Niners as a top-five NFL team that is a quarterback away from a top-three ranking.
Talk about the power rankings with 49ers fans by heading on over to Niners Nation.
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