San Francisco 49ers: How Can They Keep It Rolling Under Troy Smith?

After starting the season 0-5, the prospects for the San Francisco 49ers finally ending their seven-year playoff drought looked pretty dim.

Yes, they play in by far the most pedestrian division in the NFL, and yes, 11 games still remained for the very talented team to find a way to right the ship and make a run toward the postseason.

But reality cast an ugly shadow on even these rays of hope, dragging even the most optimistic of fans to at least prepare themselves to face the prospect of again missing the playoffs, which would trigger major changes.

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