Will San Francisco 49ers Tickets Be Cherished Again?

San Francisco 49ers tickets were once the premier sports tickets in the country. The 49ers' run in the 1980's and early 1990's is nearly unmatched in the history of the NFL. The team featured some of the best and most recognizable players and coaches on the planet, and for years, the team was the gold standard by which every other NFL club was measured.

Since then, however, the team has gone almost literally from the "penthouse" to the "outhouse." The 49ers finally had years of salary cap issues catch up with them, and they bottomed out completely in recent years. It was hard to imagine, when watching the team over the past couple of seasons, that this was the best team in football for so many years. Below we'll look at how the rebuilding effort is coming along, and attempt to answer whether the 49ers can realistically expect to return to their perch atop the NFL anytime soon.

New Coach

Mike Nolan is currently in his second season with the 49ers, and his first season was a total washout. Nolan had no talent to work with as the team attempted to right their salary cap situation, and he almost had to play a rookie QB with no playmakers around him. As expected, the team finished with a dismal 4-12 record, and San Francisco 49ers tickets were basically being given away outside the stadium.

However, Nolan did get to work on laying a cultural foundation, and he jettisoned veterans who weren't buying in to his plan. He took his lumps with his young players as they gained experience, and he instilled a discipline that had been missing in San Francisco for many years. If one wanted to take a close look at how Nolan was doing, he or she needed to dig much deeper than the team's record.

New Quarterback

Alex Smith came into the league in 2005 as the top pick in the NFL draft. There simply is not any situation in football where a player can come into the league with higher expectations and more pressure, as every QB who is the top overall pick is expected to be a franchise savior. Looking at past results, some of these top picks succeed and others fail.

After the 2005 season was completed, the jury was still way out on Smith. He threw only one touchdown pass against 11 interceptions, but again, he had no talent around him. So far in 2006, Smith has shown marked improvement. He's got a few more players around him, but it's hardly an all-star team. Regardless, Smith is having a much better season, is showing much more football-savvy on the field and has led the 49ers to more wins in 2006 after 10 games than they had in all of 2005.

Overall Progress

It appears that the centerpieces are in place with a good coach and a talented young QB. Those are usually the most difficult pieces to find when building a team, so now that the 49ers are getting cap-healthy, it's time to start adding complimentary pieces that will push the team over the top.

Overall, the 49ers are headed in the right direction. It's going to take a few more seasons with good drafts and wise free agent additions, but if the team can keep their momentum, San Francisco 49ers tickets will be "the" sports tickets to get once again.