Ten Changes: Making The Quest For Six Real

A quest is defined as an arduous journey. This team and its staff need to commit to overdue change. If they do, they could be holding the Lombardi Trophy next year.

In the 49ers’ season ending press conference, General Manager John Lynch said, “Our job now is to find a way to get better, there’s challenges to that, but that’s what we’ll do.”

Lynch wants to make a list on how to get better, Quality Control is here to help with a top-ten list

1. “The Quest For Six” has to become an organizing principle, not just a marketing slogan.
This group has had success, but it has not made history. This franchise is about rings. Only. On crushing defeats, Bill Walsh said, “When things are at their worst you are closer than you can imagine to success. A good leader is always learning…and a team must hunger for improvement.” Learning and improvement come through change.

2. John Lynch must lead a culture change throughout the organization on how to improve.
John Lynch, Hall of Famer, NFL Champion. He must set a new championship standard internally – how to get there, from someone who knows the way.

3. A change in cap priorities to improve the offensive line.
Over the past seven seasons, the team has spent about 20% of the cap on the defensive line and 15% on the offensive line. In the wake of a huge number of quarterback injuries, and phenomenal stats when the 49er quarterback is untouched, a significant investment in the O-line is warranted.

With the goal being a near-term ring, Kansas City and Philadelphia stand in the 49ers' way. To win, the offense has to produce at a significantly higher level. Kaleb McGary in free agency is the league’s second-rated run blocker by Pro Football Focus and is projected to cost $2 million less than Mike McGlinchey. He would balance a running attack that has become too left-handed. If Colton McKivitz or Jaylon Moore is the 2023 starting right tackle, the team isn’t committing fully to needed change, The Quest for Six becomes The Barbecue for 53. Right tackle is the bellwether of this team’s title chances.

4. Improved drafting focused on impact talent, with every pick made by the GM and the scouts.
Many recent drafts have included a reach on offense that has failed. Last year Ty Davis-Price was taken at least a round early as the Niners were positioned to draft a starting safety such as Detroit’s Kerby Joseph.

The Niners were in position to draft Patrick Mahomes, Derwin James, and Justin Jefferson and passed. When the Niners picked McGlinchey they dealt Trent Brown and reached for a right tackle to plug in as a starter when Minkah Fitzpatrick, Vita Vea, Daron Payne, and James were on the board. There is no way McGlinchey was the best player available. None. Paraag Marathe is not the GM, but that day in that crucial draft he was. Optimizing the talent at pick No. 9 was not the priority and the Niners flushed an opportunity to add an All Pro. Using that draft for cap management and passing on Mahomes and Jefferson in other drafts were franchise-altering mistakes.

5. Draft within the team context.
The current team is in a championship window, gave two No. 1’s for Trey Lance, and most of this year’s picks for Christian McCaffrey. Get impact, trade up, don’t hoard picks for volume and competition, use UDFAs for that. This year, the pick cupboard is so bare it’s difficult to move up, but if the opportunity presents itself to get a player the staff values highly, go up for him. Philly has four picks before the Niners even draft, including two in the first. Detroit and Seattle have two first round picks as well.

6. Trade more. Extend less.
The Niners have extended so many players that the cap has become unmanageable and forced mistakes like scrimping on the O-line. This will only get worse when Deebo Samuel’s contract kicks in fully. To their credit, the 49ers have worked out a system of developing black coaches and executives while getting compensatory picks back. Now they need to take a similar systemic view of developing players to the end of their rookie deals and then trading them or getting comp picks in return.

As the high-priced contracts hit, and if Brock Purdy or Trey Lance is extended, the team will need more players on rookie deals and will be forced to let vets go. Talanoa Hufanga will test that. Kansas City will spend on a core eight after they franchise tag Orlando Brown. In 2024, the Niners will have five players making over $19.8 million per year.

7. Kyle Shanahan is too close to a core group of players and needs to create more separation.
A VIP getaway to Cabo with the head coach and a group of players sounds like a good time, but is it a good idea? In 2024, Kyle Juszczyk will only have a dead cap hit of 2.5, he can be cut with minimal impact. His $8 million will be too big of a cap hit on the roster and represent a big cap opportunity in 2024. But Juice is part of the VIP clique and he and Shanahan are friends. Will that then protect Juszczyk from the axe? The point is it shouldn’t be a question, but it becomes one when a select group hangs together at Cabo.

The Niners will enter a period during which they need to be cutthroat with the cap - and being too close to players, or valuing culture and continuity over the cap, can cause roster problems. The VIP group was also given veto power over Trey Lance and wants Brock Purdy, that’s another symptom of being too close. Not their call to make.

8. Be open to learning from your mistakes and from the best in the game.
A better O-line would help limit quarterback injuries, but the scheme needs to be reviewed as well. What is the trade-off in fewer routes but more protection on a given play? Mike Holmgren tossed Joe Montana’s interceptions from the playbook. Studying Andy Reid’s pass protection schemes versus Philadelphia would be warranted. Learning begins with humility, and humility is lacking in Shanahan.

9. Stop wishing things into being.
The team tends to be overly optimistic on injury return timeframes as if they can speak them into existence, as Shanahan has done with Purdy’s return. The team is the same way on playoff defeats, they don’t face the truth head-on. Be humble, accept defeat, learn from your mistakes, and grow. Win a championship and it does the talking for you.

10. Use camp as camp, be ready to begin the season.
Shanahan will take it easy through camp and essentially use the first 4-6 weeks as a ramp-up period when the Niners lose to questionable opponents. This in turn costs them the No. 1 seed, a bye week and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. If this is truly The Quest For Six then they need to play for January in September.

The Niners need to be ready to win, know who they are, and have the offense flowing for the opener. The NFL may choose Niners-Eagles as the season opener. If Shanahan does what he's done the past few years, the Niners won’t be ready and Philly will win in a blowout. If that's the opener, he could use it as motivation, calling on everyone to get ready now because they have to be ready now, it's Philly and payback.

A quest is defined as an arduous journey. This team and its staff need to commit to overdue change. If they do, they could be holding the Lombardi Trophy next year. If they hold to what they’ve always done, then they’re right back to The Quest For Six, which would be exposed as an empty slogan.

Are the Niners willing to make the difficult but necessary changes to win a championship? I do not see the willingness to learn or adapt. This is a team satisfied, comfortable, and cemented in its ways. Which is why it keeps coming up short. It is on the 49ers to decide if change and The Quest For Six are real or not. They can only choose one. Comfort zone or championship?