The 49ers have won 10 games in their first two years under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. That hasn't gotten in the way of their own sky-high expectations, however.
Shanahan reportedly told players at the end of the 2018 season -- in which the 49ers went 4-12 and lost quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a torn ACL in Week 3 -- that "the time for culture-changing had passed. It was time to win. Now." Bleacher Report's Tyler Dunne recounted the exchange in a lengthy feature story published Wednesday, and the 49ers players he interviewed seemed to have taken Shanahan's message to heart over the offseason.
"My opinion: I think it is [Super Bowl-or-bust]," 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said in the story. "If you're content with just winning the division, that's great, but the goal is that Lombardi. So people around this building have been talking about the 'Quest for Six.'"
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Optimism abounds in Santa Clara headed into the 2019 season. Garoppolo is healthy and looking to prove he's a worthy franchise QB, while a revamped defensive line now boasts rookie edge rusher Nick Bosa and free-agent signing Dee Ford in addition to breakout defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. On paper, the 49ers look much-improved.
But, there are still question marks. Garoppolo has not played a full season as a starter yet, while issues in the secondary largely went unaddressed. The 49ers also will rely on a young and largely inexperienced wide-receiving corps while trying to jump (at least) one team from their own division just to get back to the NFL playoffs. The Los Angeles Rams ran away with the division last year and look poised to remain in the league's elite, while the Seattle Seahawks can't be counted out as long as they have the NFC West's best QB in Russell Wilson.
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Despite all that, the 49ers believe in themselves. As veteran cornerback Richard Sherman put it to Dunne, what else are they supposed to think?
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"If you don't believe you're going to win it, why play?" Sherman said. "What the f--k is the point of playing if you don't think you're going to win it? Like, there's no point. Why go out there if, 'How do you think you guys will do?' 'Oh, I think we'll be middle of the road.' Like, what the f--k are you going to play for in the middle of the road?"
The 49ers had high expectations a season ago, too, but Garoppolo's injury threw a wrench into their best-laid plans. The team clearly believes things will be different this time around, and it will have to be in order for 2019 to live up to their own lofty expectations.