![]() ![]() As the game wore on, though, The 49ers began to wear Dallas down by constantly moving Steve Young out of a somewhat porous pocket. were completely blanketed by the Cowboys defense and were lucky to get into halftime with the seven points they did get. The first half of the game was an exercise in frustration. For November football, the stakes could not have been higher. This was a game that everybody assumed was a playoff preview. This was the game that had been circled on the calendar from the day schedules had been announced. Though still banged up, the 49ers put their struggles behind them and rallied off four consecutive victories, none of them particularly close.Īnd this was all simply a precursor to the November 13 matchup against the Cowboys. The single act sent a ripple through the entire team. Never one to wear his heart on his sleeve, and rarely outspoken, Young exploded the decision, openly yelling and cursing at his coach on the sideline in front of every cameras in the stadium. The 49ers' defense, still struggling to cohere, had no response.īut perhaps the most important thing to come out of the game was Young's reaction to being pulled. Randall Cunningham threw for nearly 250 yards and two scores while Charlie Garner ran wild from the Philadelphia backfield. The beating was so bad that George Seifert removed Steve Young, again hounded by the opposing pass rush, from the game just to ensure that he wouldn't get injured trying to lead an impossible comeback. Simply put, the Eagles crushed the 49ers. It wasn't until, at 3-1 and playing the Eagles at home, that the season began to take on a new atmosphere. After this, they pulled themselves together to defeat their next two - albeit inferior - opponents. The huge turnover on defense had created a unit that was missing an identity and a leader and, to add to the team's troubles, the offensive line was racked with injury early on, opening Steve Young up to significant abuse.Īfter splitting the first two games of the year, one a painful loss to Joe Montana's Chiefs, the 49ers signed the final piece of their defensive puzzle: Deion Sanders. ![]() The start of the season was not particularly encouraging. This one draft netter the team players like Bryant Young, William Floyd, Doug Brien, and Lee Woodall - many of who came in and made an immediate impact on the field. Every key player they targeted on defense was signed, not to mention Pro Bowl offensive lineman Bart Oates and tackle Derrick Deese.Įven better, the 49ers had one of the best drafts that they had seen since Seifert had taken over head coaching responsibilities from Bill Walsh. Tom Rathman, Don Griffin, Guy McIntyre, and Ted Washington were all let go.īut the 49ers got their men. The cost of acquiring these players would call for some difficult and even drastic moves to clear enough cap room. Among these were Ken Norton, Jr., Gary Plummer and Ricky Jackson. Carmen Policy sat down with George Seifert to make a list of targets. If the 49ers could beat Dallas, the Super Bowl would be a cakewalk.īut to do that, they would have to deal with the salary cap. Even the Super Bowl was a second thought when it came to Dallas. The aims of the offseason were clear: rebuild the defense to beat the Cowboys. To be staring up at them was like taking a blow to the gut. With Steve Young as the starter, the 49ers had failed to make the playoffs once, and lost twice to the Cowboys - a team that represented so much of the team's history of success and failure. A 10-6 season in 1993 was more than easy to read as the start of a decline. Once again, the team was showing the signs of age around the edges. There were many questions about the quality of their defense, and whether or not it would be good enough to actually support a successful overall program - even to support one of the most dynamic offenses in the league.įor the 49ers and their fans, frustrations were reaching a head. This was also the year that the Phoenix Cardinals changed their name to the Arizona Cardinals.Īround the NFL, it was widely agreed that the 49ers and the Cowboys represented two of the top teams in the league, but after two consecutive playoff losses to Dallas, popular opinion was starting to flag on the 49ers. This was mostly an unheralded event, but every uniform was adorned with a special 25 th anniversary patch. Key Additions: FB William Floyd, C Bart Oates, T Derrick Deese, DT Bryant Young, LB Ken Norton, Jr., LB Gary Plummer, LB Lee Woodall, DE Ricky Jackson, CB Deion Sanders, K Doug Brien, HB Derrick Loville, CB Tyrone Drakefordġ994 was the 75 th anniversary of the NFL. Key Losses: G Guy McIntyre, DT Ted Washington, DE Kevin Fagan, LB Mike Walter, LB Bill Romanowski, CB Don Griffin, K Mike Cofer, QB Steve Bono, LB Keith DeLong, FB Tom Rathman This season doesn't need much of an introduction, so I won't spend a lot of time introducing it. Please enjoy this recap of the San Francisco 49ers' 1994 season. ![]()
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