Concerns, perceived or otherwise

Ten weeks ago, the San Francisco 49ers were mathematically ahead of the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter.

But the 49ers weren’t going to win that game.

Not as long as there was time left on the clock.

And the Seahawks had That Guy at quarterback.

Moments later, of course, Seattle was walking off its home field with the expected victory (12-9, for bookkeeping purposes) and the Seattle faithful could resume its hero worship with pride.

Today, the teams resume their “rivalry” in San Fran ... er, Santa Clara, the Seahawks (6-4) looking to make another playoff run, the Niners (1-9) in a rebuilding mode for a third straight year.

IN SEATTLE, fans are moaning over some alleged hardships — injuries to key players, a shoddy offensive line that forces their superhero QB to run for his life, and an unheard-of two home losses that have the Seahawks on the outside looking in “if the playoffs started today.”

So far, That Guy has been like the cute little dog that got loose on the busy freeway, but has avoided getting splattered by that semi. He has managed to run to safety every time, while cars pile into each other trying to avoid him, much like pass-rushers slam into each other trying to catch him.

Sure, they have injuries to some key players on defense, but so what? They only have like seven All-Pros playing on defense now, instead of 11? The guys that are still healthy — especially in the front seven — are still pretty darn good.

Those games against the Redskins and Falcons earlier this season were ruled losses because at the end of the game, the Seahawks had fewer points. But even at that, it still seems like teams are afraid to beat the Seahawks, especially in Seattle. Both Washington and Atlanta tried to let the Seahawks come back. Green Bay got so scared with the lead a few years back it coughed up the NFC title game.

One thing that gives other teams hope when playing Seattle — the possibility the Current Genius Coach will make another bonehead play call (too many to list here).

The Patriots seem to be the only team not afraid of being folded, spindled or mutilated by the Seahawks. Sure, Seattle might fall victim in the playoffs, perhaps for the third consecutive year to that year’s Flavor of the Month (which this year appears to be the Eagles, or perhaps the Vikings).

But if they do, it won’t be without a good scramble on the gridiron freeway.

IN S.F., we have players who were starters and even key players for us in recent years, but are no longer on our team and can’t even find a job these days with another NFL club.

People liked to bash Jim Tomsula, who as a head coach was a great defensive line coach. People liked to bash Chip Kelly, in part because he’s Chip Kelly — though things seem to have worked out pretty well for him lately.

There is no such bashing of the current regime of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. Shanahan has had success as an offensive coordinator at previous stops (of course, it helps to have an offense where Matt Ryan throws to Julio Jones), and Lynch, while a neophyte as an executive, was a heckuva safety and not a bad analyst on TV. They have been given a 6-year-long rope to tidy up this mess, and it may take nearly that long to show results.

Hopefully they will save their quarterback of the future — Jimmy Garappolo — for the future. No need to expose him to the brutes on the Seahawks’ front seven. Remember when one of them planted Alex Smith into the Candlestick Park turf in the season opener, and effectively ended his season?

Some like to compare Shanahan’s rebuilding job to the one Bill Walsh did in S.F. nearly four decades ago. In 1979, Walsh’s first year, the 49ers went 2-14. Two years later, San Francisco won the first of four Super Bowls in an nine-year span, and five in 14.

But that 49ers roster in 1979 included the likes of Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, Freddie Solomon, Randy Cross, Dwaine Board and Dwight Hicks.

This year’s roster would do well to even have a Hannah Montana on it. Suffice it to say, if Shanahan and Lynch do return the Niners to their glory days, most of the current roster will not be a part of that revival.

(As a side note, that ’79 49ers roster also included O.J. Simpson and Al Cowlings, but perhaps that’s a column for another day.)

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.