1976 49ers: What Could Have Been

[7DnBrnc53]

When I was watching NFL Network's The Timeline, Jeremy Renner talked about how the 49ers went so far into the wilderness for about 10 years after the 1972 playoff collapse against Dallas. In that time, though, there was brief ray of sunshine in 1976. The 49ers went 8-6 and looked to be on the rebound until Eddie D. came in and brought Joe "Demolition Man" Thomas with him.

If another owner took over (someone who would have let Clark be HC and GM), what would the 49ers have become?

[Mark L. Ford]

They probably would have won the Super Bowl within five years.

[BD Sullivan]

They probably would have won the Super Bowl within five years.

Not sure about that. He had total control in Detroit and really didn't do much over the course of his time there.

[7DnBrnc53]

They probably would have won the Super Bowl within five years.

Not sure about that. He had total control in Detroit and really didn't do much over the course of his time there.

In SF, he would have had a better QB (Plunkett) than the ones he had in Detroit (Danielson, Komlo, and Hipple). Also, didn't Detroit have a GM named Russ Thomas that had say in personnel matters around that time? I heard that he was awful.

[rhickok1109]

They probably would have won the Super Bowl within five years.

Not sure about that. He had total control in Detroit and really didn't do much over the course of his time there.

In SF, he would have had a better QB (Plunkett) than the ones he had in Detroit (Danielson, Komlo, and Hipple). Also, didn't Detroit have a GM named Russ Thomas that had say in personnel matters around that time? I heard that he was awful.

Yeah, Clarke went from one Thomas to another and it was like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Or maybe more like from the fire into the frying pan, since Russ wasn't as bad as Joe.

Russ Thomas tried to interfere with game planning and he was a very hard-line negotiator who made many, perhaps most, of the players unhappy in Detroit.

[Bryan]

In SF, he would have had a better QB (Plunkett) than the ones he had in Detroit (Danielson, Komlo, and Hipple). Also, didn't Detroit have a GM named Russ Thomas that had say in personnel matters around that time? I heard that he was awful.

Plunkett wasn't very good in SF. Obviously better than Komlo, but not any different than Danielson and Hipple IMO. The only noteworthy aspect of the 76 Niners was their D-line of Webb, Hardman, Hart and the magnificent Cleveland Elam. To show how lackluster the rest of the Niners team was...on defense they had 61 sacks in 14 games (one of the highest totals in history) yet the LBs and DBs could only manage 9 INTs on the year. I think the Niners had too many areas of their team to shore up (basically every area other than RB and DL) to compete with the Rams in their own division. The Rams went 17-3 against the Niners in the 70's.

[BD Sullivan]

Not sure about that. He had total control in Detroit and really didn't do much over the course of his time there.

In SF, he would have had a better QB (Plunkett) than the ones he had in Detroit (Danielson, Komlo, and Hipple). Also, didn't Detroit have a GM named Russ Thomas that had say in personnel matters around that time? I heard that he was awful.

Yeah, Clarke went from one Thomas to another and it was like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Or maybe more like from the fire into the frying pan, since Russ wasn't as bad as Joe.

While Thomas was a total disaster in SF, he had a pretty large role in helping the Vikings bring in a good deal of talent. That was followed by building up the Dolphins to the point where Shula was able to put together his brief dynasty. After the inevitable clash between those two egos, he moved on to Baltimore and turned the Colts from an embarrassment into a quality team for at least a few years. Of course, in that case, he had all the tact of a bulldozer, which not surprisingly got him pushed out after a while--which them led him to SF.

[Jay Z]

The Plunkett trade was costly because he didn't provide much value. 49ers QBs after Brodie (1974-75) were a disaster, but Plunkett was too banged up with the 49ers to help much.

The Simpson trade was beyond dumb. Simpson wasn't even as good as Delvin Williams at the time.

[BD Sullivan]

The Plunkett trade was costly because he didn't provide much value. 49ers QBs after Brodie (1974-75) were a disaster, but Plunkett was too banged up with the 49ers to help much.

Between Brodie and Montana, the Niners had the following QB's start a game: Steve Spurrier, Tom Owen, Joe Reed, Norm Snead, Dennis Morrison, Jim Plunkett, Scott Bull and Steve DeBerg.

Plunkett was able to "rest" on the Raider bench for two years after the Niners released him in 1978, which allowed him to get fully healthy. The rest is history.

The Patriots ended up getting the following players for Plunkett: Owen (in the trade) and draft picks used on Pete Brock, Tim Fox, Raymond Clayborn and Horace Ivory. I think NE won that deal.

[74_75_78_79_]

Wasn't Mayer, pretty much, the reason the '76 Niners didn't make the playoffs? Didn't he miss costly FGs in a few games, Cards & Wash amongst them? If so, that could have given them an even hotter start at 8-1 which should have gotten them in with 10 wins. If somehow they manage qualifying for the playoffs, could we have had a Bay Area SB (Niners DID beat Vikes in '76)??

Side question...WHY was there a Steelers/Niners MNF game in '78? Niners were bad the year before. A September match perhaps understandable (jury still out on if they'd be good or not), but to schedule it LATE in the season?