2008 San Francisco 49ers

The Bay Area suffered through another disappointing year in 2007. For 2008, the Niners desperately need Alex Smith to live up to his breakthrough potential. Newcomers Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson promise to liven up the receiving corp, and Frank Gore hopes to return to the brilliance he showed in earlier seasons. Tough times may be ahead for the red and gold, as the 49ers figure to have another rebuilding season. However, there should be more excitement by the bay this year due to the offensive improvements under Mike Martz.

Some San Francisco 49ers history: Few NFL teams can boast the individual stars and strong teams that made the 49ers a dominant power in the 1980s and 1990s. While on their way to capturing five Super Bowl titles, the 49ers fielded such players as running back Roger Craig, wide receiver Jerry Rice, defensive end Fred Dean, and quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young. Earlier stars include Hall of Fame members quarterback Y. A. Tittle, and running backs Joe "The Jet" Perry and Hugh McElhenny.

Founded in 1946, the 49ers began as part of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), reaching the AAFC championship game in 1949. After the AAFC folded in 1949, the 49ers joined the NFL. San Francisco returned to the postseason in 1957 under head coach Frankie Albert.

In 1979 new head coach Bill Walsh and a brash rookie quarterback from Notre Dame named Joe Montana ushered in an era of unprecedented stability and success for the 49ers. Two years after the team posted a league-worst 2-14 record, Walsh won coach of the year honors for steering San Francisco to 13 regular season wins and a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals (26-21) in Super Bowl XVI. Carrying San Francisco into the Super Bowl was a last-minute touchdown pass from Montana to Dwight Clark that resulted in an NFC championship; it became known in football history as "The Catch."

San Francisco returned to the playoffs in 1983, something they would do in 11 of the following 12 seasons. Montana finished the year with a 93.1 quarterback rating -- the highest in league history. A season later the 49ers dominated the league with an 18-1 overall win-loss record (including the playoffs) and a victory over the Miami Dolphins (38-16) in Super Bowl XIX.

The 1985 season saw the arrival of Jerry Rice, who would go on to become the most prolific pass receiver in NFL history. First-round playoff defeats in the 1985, 1986, and 1987 seasons were followed by a last-minute victory over Cincinnati (20-16) in Super Bowl XXIII in 1989. Walsh, who had led the 49ers to three Super Bowl victories, retired at the season's end.

George Seifert, the 49ers defensive coordinator since 1983, became head coach in 1989 and the second rookie head coach in NFL history to lead a team to the Super Bowl. The 49ers set or matched 40 records in their defeat of the Denver Broncos (55-10) in Super Bowl XXIV.

Steve Young took over for Montana as San Francisco's starting quarterback in 1991, capturing the NFL passing title for the first of a league-record four consecutive times. Young's streak culminated in a Super Bowl XXIX victory over the San Diego Chargers (49-26), and his 112.8 rating in 1994 broke Montana's league mark. A year later, Rice broke the NFL's career receptions record by catching his 941st pass and the career yardage record with 14,004 yards. After the 1996 season coach Seifert retired. He was replaced by former Green Bay Packers assistant coach Steve Mariucci.