Buffalo fans are justified in wondering why the Bills can't put together a season as successful as the San Francisco 49ers, who slugged it out with the NFC's best right until the end. It would seem like the Niners, to whom we've paid scant attention of late, have been a class team for a while.
Not really. They were just as bad as the Bills until the clock struck 2011. Between 2003 and 2010 they had nothing but losing seasons. They fired just as many coaches as Buffalo too. The 49ers dismissed Steve Mariucci, Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary while the Bills were saying goodbye to Wade Phillips, Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey and Dick Jauron.
In 2010 the 49ers' seventh-year starting quarterback, Alex Smith, threw just 14 touchdown passes with 2,370 yards and a passer rating of 82.1. Meanwhile, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who took over the Bills' quarterback job in late September, threw for 23 touchdowns, 3,000 yards and a rating of 81.8.
What was the difference? There were a couple of important ones.....
Comment