Which franchise for a period of time, in your opinion, underachieved?

[7DnBrnc53]

The 1990 49ers didn't have a great running game. Roger Craig should have been cut or released a year earlier (or traded for Marcus Allen or something).

Also, the 1995-98 49ers overachieved. They didn't have great offensive lines, and they had vastly overrated defenses. In the 1995 playoffs, the Packers played the 49ers the proper way: Tight man and under zone, and bumping their receivers at the line of scrimmage to disrupt timing. That's how you play the WCO, but a lot of coaches didn't do that.

[Brian wolf]

The 49ers from 1995-1998 had too much talent to "overachieve". The Packers under Holmgren simply outcoached them in the playoffs. With Young and Rice getting hurt, they couldnt maintain their standard but I still felt the team messed up getting rid of Seifert. Mariucci allowed Owens to poison the team.

[SeahawkFever]

The 1990 49ers didn't have a great running game. Roger Craig should have been cut or released a year earlier (or traded for Marcus Allen or something).

Also, the 1995-98 49ers overachieved. They didn't have great offensive lines, and they had vastly overrated defenses. In the 1995 playoffs, the Packers played the 49ers the proper way: Tight man and under zone, and bumping their receivers at the line of scrimmage to disrupt timing. That's how you play the WCO, but a lot of coaches didn't do that.

Yet another topic that leads to the 90’s Niners. It feels like a lot of roads lead there here. Fascinating team, can’t say I blame you all.

I would say they underachieved a bit, though I don’t know if they’d be the first team I’d think of.

In the last good year they had with that group, 1998, you have a great argument for overachieving. At that point the defense was showing age, and they were lucky to beat Green Bay. Offense had a really good year though.

I say slightly overachieving because of 98. While I’ve said what I’ve said about 1995 and it doesn’t need to be realitigated here, I think that one was more ruined by injuries than simply underachieving, though I think they did have the league’s best roster at 100% strength, and if fully healthy had a theoretical path to win it all.

96 and 97 it doesn’t feel like there’s much of a discrepancy either way.

If any Niners team from back then straight up underachieved to me, it’s 1987 because they had arguably the best roster in the league, had no major injuries and still went one and done.

You could say the Vikings team they lost to was better than their record because of the scab games, but either way if I looked at the matchup without knowing what happens, I probably would have picked San Francisco to win by at least one score.

[SeahawkFever]

Seattle Seahawks 2012 - 2021 ... to win only one championship in the Russell Wilson era was a travesty. Carroll deserves the blame. Schneider gave him great talent.

Was Schneider a better GM than Carroll was a coach?

[Brian wolf]

Thats a tough call SeahawkFever, because we all know that Carroll could coach. Still, when youre defense is the best in scoring defense for nearly five straight years, the team has to do more in postseason. The Seahawks could throw the ball better after 2016 but were decimated by injuries at RB and offensive line. Schneider provided plenty of talent but failed on receivers Richardson and Harvin, yet it wasnt his fault that they werent coached up. I felt alot of their toughness on offense went when Golden Tate left. Never could replace what he could do, though Kearse had some okay seasons.

[SeahawkFever]

Thats a tough call SeahawkFever, because we all know that Carroll could coach. Still, when youre defense is the best in scoring defense for nearly five straight years, the team has to do more in postseason. The Seahawks could throw the ball better after 2016 but were decimated by injuries at RB and offensive line. Schneider provided plenty of talent but failed on receivers Richardson and Harvin, yet it wasnt his fault that they werent coached up. I felt alot of their toughness on offense went when Golden Tate left. Never could replace what he could do, though Kearse had some okay seasons.

What’s your opinion of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf?

[readjack]

A team that I think underachieved was the 1990s 49ers.

Yes, they do have a Super Bowl Championship after the 1994 season over San Diego. Outside of that:

1990 - Lost in NFC Championship Game to the New York Giants (Shout out Jeff Hostetler)
1991 - Missed Playoffs with a 10-6 record (Lost in a tiebreaker to Atlanta)
1992 - Lost in NFC Championship Game to the Cowboys (Start of Their Dynasty)
1993 - Lost in NFC Championship Game to the Cowboys AGAIN (2nd Super Bowl Win)
1995 - One and Done in the Playoffs, Lost to Green Bay in the Divisional Round
1996 - Lost to Green Bay in the Divisional Round AGAIN (@ Lambeau; Eventual SB Champs)
1997 - Lost in NFC Championship Game to Green Bay a 3rd Time
1998 - Lost in the Divisional Round to Atlanta's Ground and Pound Attack
1999 - Missed Playoffs, Steve Young's Career Ends due to Injury

To think of all the talent that was on that squad: Young, Jerry Rice, Ricky Watters, Terrell Owens, Deion Sanders, Charles Haley, Brent Jones, John Taylor, Bryant Young, Tom Rathman, Dana Stubblefield, Eric Davis, Guy McIntyre, and Bill Romanowski.

That squad yielded just one Super Bowl Championship in the decade. Dallas had three, Green Bay had one, the Giants had one, Washington had one, Denver had two, and St. Louis won their first.

This is definitely fair. And of their seven playoff losses in the 90s, four were at home, including three NFC title games.

They were also insanely stacked in '94. On defense alone, they added Rickey Jackson, Ken Norton, Gary Plummer, and Richard Dent... and THEN added Deion. Added Tim McDonald the year before along with Dana Stubblefield in the draft. 1994, drafted Bryant Young and Lee Woodall, both starters. If Dent hadn't gotten injured, nine of their 11 defensive starters would have been new starting in '93, the year after they went 14-2 and lost the NFCCG at home. They really tooled up in a major way to knock off Dallas.

[Brian wolf]

Thats a tough call SeahawkFever, because we all know that Carroll could coach. Still, when youre defense is the best in scoring defense for nearly five straight years, the team has to do more in postseason. The Seahawks could throw the ball better after 2016 but were decimated by injuries at RB and offensive line. Schneider provided plenty of talent but failed on receivers Richardson and Harvin, yet it wasnt his fault that they werent coached up. I felt alot of their toughness on offense went when Golden Tate left. Never could replace what he could do, though Kearse had some okay seasons.

What’s your opinion of Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf?

It actually took awhile for Wilson to warm up to Lockett, as Baldwin stayed his go-to receiver but Wilson hit his passing stride with Lockett and Metcalf as starters. Geno Smith went to them quickly as well. I feel the Seahawks gave up too soon on TE Jimmy Graham, who might have made the HOF had he stayed with the team longer. Like Percy Harvin, he had team issues that clouded his time there.

[Brian wolf]

Even after their championship in 1994, the 49ers kept adding quality players to their team. Imagine had JJ Stokes not gotten injured at receiver? He might have held off Terrell Owens longer.
Brent Jones declined and the team had other options at tight end but they couldnt get the production out of that position like they wanted to. They added pass rushers Barker and Doleman and later added Pope and Rod Woodson to the secondary. This team had plenty of talent, also adding Terry Kirby and Garrison Hearst to the offense. Their underachievement, is why we dont hear Steve Young more often discussed as one of the greatest QBs, ever. Dallas and GB just took their chances away.

[CSKreager]

Even after their championship in 1994, the 49ers kept adding quality players to their team. Imagine had JJ Stokes not gotten injured at receiver? He might have held off Terrell Owens longer.
Brent Jones declined and the team had other options at tight end but they couldnt get the production out of that position like they wanted to. They added pass rushers Barker and Doleman and later added Pope and Rod Woodson to the secondary. This team had plenty of talent, also adding Terry Kirby and Garrison Hearst to the offense. Their underachievement, is why we dont hear Steve Young more often discussed as one of the greatest QBs, ever. Dallas and GB just took their chances away.

Ironically once they finally figure out how to beat Dallas in 94-95 here comes Green Bay in January 1996