San Francisco 49ers NFL Betting Odds

2010 Season

After finishing the 2009-10 NFL season second in the NFC West division on 8-8, many NFL betting fans thought the San Francisco 49ers were geared up for a great 2010-11 season. They were wrong, as the 49ers kicked off the season with five straight losses. Although they salvaged some pride by winning six games before the end of the season, the writing was on the wall for head coach Mike Singletary, and he was fired.

2011 Off Season

After San Francisco's poor start last season, it was clear coach Singletary's days were numbered, and after his departure, he was replaced by Jim Harbaugh, who made a name for himself by turning around the fortunes of NCAA football team, the Stanford Cardinal. Clearly the 49ers chiefs are hoping Harbaugh will do the same for their struggling franchise. In the off season San Francisco said goodbye to QBs Troy Smith and QB David Carr, K Joe Nedney, Cs Eric Heitmann and David Baas, LBs Manny Lawson, Travis LaBoy and Takeo Spikes, NT Aubrayo Franklin and CB Nate Clements. They signed veterans WR Braylon Edwards, FS Madieu Williams, C Jonathan Goodwin, SS Donte Whitner, LBs Larry Grant and Antwan Applewhite, CB Carlos Rogers and K David Akers. The 2011 NFL Draft yielded LB Aldon Smith, QB Colin Kaepernick, CB Chris Culliver and RB Kendall Hunter.

2011 Preview

As they say in the movies 'there's a new sheriff in town', which in the case of the San Francisco 49ers, is coach Harbaugh, and it will be very interesting to see how he fares this season. Where NFL betting fans see pitfalls, Harbaugh seems to see opportunities. Take QB Alex Smith for instance, although he has received a lot of guff for failing to play up to expectation (he was the first pick in round 1 of the 2005 NFL Draft), Harbaugh has been singing his praises in the press. Perhaps he knows something we don't. But even if Smith doesn't work out this season, the coach can fall back on newly drafted QB Colin Kaepernick, who many see as having star quality. Regardless, this season San Francisco's QB will supported by a host of talented players including RB Frank Gore, TE Vernon Davis as well as WR Michael Crabtree, who seems to be poised for a breakout season. As long as the offense can keep sacks to a minimum (they gave up 44 last season), they should be on the road to recovery. Defensively, the 49ers will have to do things differently this season, like get used to the 3-4 defense spearheaded by defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio. This could be crucial considering San Francisco lost a lot of key players last season including Takeo Spikes and Aubrayo Franklin, who joined other teams in the off season. This loss of talent may mean a weaker defense this season, but only time will tell.

2011 Prediction

There's no doubt that many NFL betting eyes will be on the San Francisco 49ers this season to see if coach Harbaugh can weave his magic in the big leagues, the way he did with the Stanford Cardinal. While offensively the 49ers seem ably shored up compared to last season, defensively they may struggle due to the loss of key players. But one thing is for sure, which is their playing style should be somewhat different to what 49ers fans are used to seeing.

**Our Pick

Like most NFL fans, I love an underdog. And while the San Francisco have a long and undoubtedly bumpy road ahead of them to once again become Super Bowl contenders, with a dynamic coach like Harbaugh at the helm, they could make great strides in a single season, which is why I see them finishing third in the NFC West division on 7-9.