SANTA CLARA -- Kyle Shanahan isn't taking the 49ers' five-game losing streak in stride, but he's also realistic about the current state of his team.
“We knew when we came here it was going to take some time," the coach said Monday, one day after the 49ers dropped to 1-6 on the season with a 39-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Expectations were high for the 49ers to open the 2018 season. They finished 2017 with a new franchise quarterback and a five-game winning streak.
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Fast forward to Week 7, and the team only has one win. Their two top players on the offense -- quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Jerick McKinnon -- have been on injured reserve for several weeks with torn ACLs.
While the record is bleak, Shanahan said he hasn't lost confidence in the 49ers' long-term plan.
“Our record right now doesn’t impact the big picture to me,” Shanahan said. “It’s tough to deal with, it’s frustrating. We are all working extremely hard and want much better results. But just because the record doesn’t show, that isn’t going to make yourself doubt yourself and go rip up your plans and do something totally new.”
Shanahan and 49ers general manager John Lynch both were very tempered in their expectations during the offseason. When they received compliments and congratulations from colleagues after the 49ers' strong finish, their responses were in the vein of, “We are still a 6-10 team.” Now, their responses seem even more appropriate.
San Francisco 49ers
“We knew when we came here it was going to take some time,” Shanahan said. “And we want that to be as fast as possible, there’s no doubt about that, but you also don’t want to make stupid decisions because of that.
“We are trying to be smart in everything we do. We are not just trying to do it in a quick, easy-fix way. We are trying to build this thing to last, and to do that, it does take some time. We planned on it going faster, and it hasn’t so far.”
Even though the 49ers' progress has been stunted by injuries, Shanahan has this perspective: “That doesn’t make me lose any confidence in what we are doing and the people that we have here. I know we need to continue to work, and continue to get better. We’re going through a tough time right now, but that doesn’t change anything to me in where I feel we are going.”