In Purdy, Saleh, Niners apparently have two essentials for victory

There are two essentials required to win in the NFL: a quarterback and a defense. The San Francisco 49ers seemingly will have both for this season.

They made sure Brock Purdy would be their QB by giving him a very large multi-year contract.

Then, smartly they brought in Robert Saleh to regain the position of defensive coordinator.  Whether these two men, along with the others on the field or sidelines, will be able to get the Niners to the playoffs will be discovered in time.

Purdy was retained, given a $265 million five-year no-cut contract extension that the Niners hope gives them a future, along with the present.

Saleh had left as an assistant with the 49ers to become head coach of the hopeless New York Jets. Now, he’s back, along with the understandable belief, so are the Niners' chances for success, minimally as they might be. 

This is all so important to the Niners, who long have held the role as the City’s established franchise. The Giants are here from New York. The Warriors from Philadelphia. The 49ers started here and have offered their fans—or tormented them—years of struggle and eventually success. 

All the history may not mean much to a fan base preoccupied by current season records. 

Referring to greats such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Ronny Lott doesn’t satisfy the public wondering why there hasn’t been a Super Bowl win in years. 

And also why San Francisco, which was so very close to a championship two years ago, not only ended up with a losing record last year,  but dropped the final seven games on their schedule. 

True, injuries played a big part of the failure last season, but good teams find a way to survive, which the Niners did not.

The offense with Purdy, relatively efficient, did what it could. The defense did virtually nothing.

There is an old coaching belief that defense wins. If the other team doesn’t score, the worst you will ever get is a 0-0 tie. So you’d better be able to stop the other guy from scoring, even if you can’t get points yourself. 

Saleh’s reputation is that of someone who has players “flying to the ball.” He’s known for an ability to develop high-intensity defenses, and certainly the Niners can use one of those. They can also use a strong running game, which they have when Christian McCaffrey is not restrained by his leg injuries. McCaffrey is one of the emotional leaders as well as one of the physical ones. He’s the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year.

San Francisco used to own the NFC West, but they not only fell behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, they also lost to the Arizona Cardinals, which used to be an unpardonable sin.

The problem is as other teams have ascended, the Niners have slipped or been pushed back.

They seem just part of the pack, no longer at the head of it. 

Maybe once the games get underway, we’ll learn differently, or maybe not.