SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The extensive rebuild required to make the San Francisco 49ers contenders again wasn't going to happen overnight. And it certainly wasn't going to happen in one week of the regular season.
For those hoping the 49ers' new regime could sprinkle a little red and gold pixie dust and begin a dramatic turnaround in Year 1 under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, Sunday's 23-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers served as a sobering reminder of just how much work remains to be done to right this ship.
“It was disappointing, but whether it was the first, last or any one I have the rest of my career, it was disappointing," Shanahan said. "I don’t think it matters that it was the first. Anytime you lose and lose that way, it’s frustrating and disappointing. I’ll feel that all day today and all night and I’m sure our players will too. We’ve got to watch the tape [Monday] morning and figure out a way to get better.”
Yes, the Niners went through an extreme makeover in the offseason, turning over the vast majority of the roster coming off a 2-14 season. They added new starters at key positions, including quarterback, receiver and linebacker, as well as at various other spots. But no matter how much cap space they had or how many draft picks were available to them, logic dictated they wouldn't be able to fix everything in one offseason.
Indeed, many of the warts that were obvious -- and a few that weren't so easily seen in the preseason -- showed themselves against the Panthers on Sunday.
Among the issues that carried over were penalties. The Niners repeatedly found ways to commit them at the most inopportune times. They finished with 10 infractions for 74 yards, including a handful of the avoidable types of penalties, such as illegal formation, that drive Shanahan crazy.
And the interior of the offensive line, where the 49ers tried to patch holes with experienced veterans, was mostly a sieve against a talented Carolina defensive line. Left guard Zane Beadles was beaten repeatedly, including one time that led to quarterback Brian Hoyer moving off his spot and coughing up a fumble that led to the Panthers' first touchdown.
All told, the Niners gave up four sacks and allowed eight quarterback hits.
“It’s always a constant work in progress, but this is the NFL," Hoyer said. "You have to give the other team credit too. They have Kawann Short. The two linebackers they have in the middle, they blitzed them a few times. I know the one, I had to get rid of the ball early, Julius Peppers wrapped in there. They’ve got a tough front seven. We knew it was going to be a tough challenge for us. We’ll go back, watch it and get as much corrected as we can and get ready to go towards Seattle.”
The 49ers traded for guard Laken Tomlinson in the last week of the preseason with an eye toward having him compete and potentially replace Beadles in the starting lineup. There wasn't enough time to make that happen this week, but it's safe to say that process will be expedited before next week's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks' fearsome front.
Those struggles on the line were only part of the problem for an offense that was out of sync for most of the Sunday's contest. After being on the mark throughout the summer, Hoyer and receiver Marquise Goodwin narrowly missed on a pair of deep balls, including one that went through Goodwin's hands. And though the run game had some moments of success, it wasn't able to get into a rhythm and, after falling behind, was nowhere to be found for most of the second half.
“Nobody likes to lose," Goodwin said. "I’m humbled by this. I needed this to get this out of the way early. I know how to work coming in [Monday] to prepare for Seattle. Like I said, you don’t want to lose in this situation, but you win some and you lose some. I have to come back stronger. I will come back stronger. The team will come back stronger."
The Niners didn't even score until kicker Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal with eight seconds left in the third quarter. They finished with just 217 yards, averaging 4 yards per play.
Perhaps worse than any of that was the ankle injury in the first quarter that sent rookie linebacker Reuben Foster to the sideline for the rest of the game. Foster had looked like the type of immediate difference-maker that the 49ers don't have elsewhere on the roster.
For those seeking silver linings, Foster was the brightest spot on a defense that did look much improved; the D just didn’t get a lot of help.
Foster's injury status will go a long way in determining just how much the 49ers and their faithful have to look forward to in a season that was always going to be the first in a long process.