San Francisco 49ers Tickets

San Francisco 49ers 2011 Season Preview The San Francisco 49ers made a coaching change in the offseason, luring Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh away from Palo Alto just down the coast to the Bay Area.

The 49ers are behind the eight-ball this year because the coaching change occurred during the lockout, giving Harbaugh little time to work with his players and install new schemes and playbooks.

San Francisco is in a good situation because they have good players on both sides of the ball and play in a division without a true favorite, giving them just a decent shot at reaching the postseason.

Alex Smith is expected to return as the starting quarterback, but the 49ers will lean heavily on their rebuilt offensive line and running back Frank Gore. Keeping Gore healthy will be a big key to the season, as will Harbaugh's tutelage of Smith at the quarterback position.