Restoring the Swagger

The twenty-one season run of glory for the San Francisco 49ers was characterized by individual stars, team accomplishments, and a franchise-wide commitment to winning with class. But underneath all of the collective achievements, the driving force behind the 49ers success was their swagger; every time they stepped on the field, they knew they were the better team and expected to win every game. All great teams have this quality; the Niners oozed it. Of course, the successful string has been personified by the great offenses of that era and deservedly so. Joe Montana; Jerry Rice; Steve Young; Roger Craig; John Taylor; Terrell Owens; the list goes on. The Niners perfected the West Coast offense, created and mastered by Bill Walsh. Those units set the bar for 49er pride and intimidation.

But for all the years the Niners were led by great offenses, they always had a tough defense backing them up. In the 1980s, Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott served as the defense's enforcer, gaining the respect of teammates and opponents for his recklessly fearless play. Charles Haley and Bill Romanowski came along later in the decade, but exhibited the same qualities as Lott. Though Super Joe stole the spotlight, the teams of the '80s always had a prideful defense. (One of the greatest sequence of plays from any Niner Super Bowl is the goal line stand against the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.) The players from '80s gave way to a new breed of defenders, all flashing the same confident swagger. Whether it was through Tim Harris' pistol-holstering, Deion Sanders' flamboyance, or Merton Hanks' neck celebration (see below), the message was simple: we are not the black sheep sibling to the offense.

Merton's Chicken Dance

Over the coming years, players like Tim McDonald, Eric Davis, Ken Norton Jr., Lee Woodall, Gary Plummer, Hanks, Dana Stubblefield, and Bryant Young, though not all spectacular, epitomized the 49er aura. Two indelible memories of the '90s came in the 1995-96 season--the year after the Super Bowl--when Norton Jr. used the goalpost as a punching bag against the Rams, and Plummer changed the tide of a Sunday night game against the Bills with a goal line fumble-forcing hit. These were moments that forged the Niner mystique as much as any Montana/Young to Rice connection. The words of Hanks say it best:

There's no disrespect to the Rams. They were just on our schedule. Count it as a loss. That's how we look at it. If San Francisco's on your schedule, you count it as a loss. Point blank. That's how we approach games from here on out.

That is swagger.

But sometime during 1998, Young's last as full-time quarterback, the Niners defense lost its passion. Stalwarts like Norton Jr., Plummer, Woodall, Davis, McDonald, Stubblefield, Toi Cook, and Marquez Pope were gone shortly thereafter and the defense was in shambles. Though the Niners experienced an offense resurgence under Jeff Garcia and Owens, the defense, though talented, never brought it like their predecessors, and San Francisco has not been a legitimate Super Bowl contender since.

The past two seasons, the Niners defense has not only failed to display its once-trademark tenacity, but statiscally ranked among the NFL's worst. To that end, the Niners made a slew of changes through the draft and free agency in an attempt to change the recent persona of the 49er defense.

The 49er coaching staff hopes two former North Carolina State defenders play an integral role in determining the successes or failures of this year's defense. The most prominent, of course, is first-round pick Manny Lawson (insider required). Lawson is being groomed as a starter at outside linebacker despite playing defensive end for the Wolfpack. He teamed up with #1 overall pick Mario Williams to form one of the country's most devastating pass-rushing duos. Though scouts often overlooked Manny in favor of Mario, he could be the more gifted athlete and football player. Aside from his obvious athletic talents, the coaches have been impressed with Lawson's agressive play and willingness to take on challenges, especially from the team's other highly-regarded first-round choice. The long-term hope is that Lawson will become a fearsome edge rusher in the 3-4 defense like a Haley or a Greg Lloyd, and a leader in the clubhouse.

Defensive back Marcus Hudson arrived at 49er camp as the unknown teammate of the three first-round Wolfpack defensive lineman (the other being John McCargo). It did not take the sixth-round pick long to impress coaches with his versatility as a safety or cornerback. He has also displayed a knack for making plays (intercepting Alex Smith multiple times in red-zone drills during mini-camp), and has made enough of an early impression for the coaches to cut loose some of last year's secondary.

Restoring the swagger of the old 49ers' defenses is not something that will happen overnight. But the defense is finding a direction, and has two young talents that should help restore some of the edge that San Francisco defenses always exuded. The old adage that "defense wins championships" has only been reinforced the past few seasons with the success of New England and Pittsburgh. Even in the 1980s-90s, when Montana and Young were rewriting the record books, they always knew that they had a defense with an attitude at their side. Often, it was a Sanders or Hanks interception, or a big play from Norton, Stubblefield or Bryant Young that energized the offense and crowd; this was by no means a solo act. So while the development of Alex Smith and the offense is crucial, the efforts of Lawson, Hudson and Co. in restoring the pride to the Niner D is just as vital--if not more--to bringing back the golden days.