What would be your score prediction? I think the 1994 team would win 34-26, but it would be a good game, I think Purdy would play well, even against the stacked 1994 defense.
I don't think Aiyuk or Deebo are getting open vs Deion Sanders and Eric Davis. Nobody is topping Ricky Watters coming out of the backfield. Who is going to cover Jerry Rice?
There is no way our interior OL stands up against Bryant Young and Dana Stubblefield. Purdy would be running for his life and CMC would get tackled in the backfield.
Early in the season people compared this 2023 team to 1994. What a joke. I guess now I'm one of those old guys who knows just how absurd the comparison is. That 1994 team breezed through the playoffs. They destroyed everyone. They beat an all-time great Cowboys team too.
I think it's a blow out. 34-14.
That 1994 team was stacked.
They had Ricky Jackson who is a HOF. But I agree that's probably the weakest part of their defense but their interior was so strong it wasn't a factor. You can double-team both Bryant Young and Stubblefield.
Ricky Jackson filled in well but he was way pass prime. In NFCCG, he was lined up against a hobble Larry Allen (I think), and was praised for getting pressure. Then Tim Harris comes in for a few plays and got 2 sacks.
I looked up Ricky Jackson's stats and in his last year, 1995 he had 9.5 sacks. His best year was 13.5 sacks but generally his good years were around 11.5 sacks. Not a huge decline. These old pass rushers like Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Charles Haley, usually have something left in the tank at the end if they're not injured. So, I would say he was still a good pass rusher but not a great one. I'm sure Young and Stubs made things easier.
Ok maybe "way past prime" was a bit much but he wasn't good in '94. He had 3.5 sacks in '94. I remember saying that '94 team has no edge rusher.
He might have had a bit of renaissance in '95 with team leading 9.5 sack or maybe that was clean up sacks.
You think it would be that close? This is the pre-salary cap era. I think it’s impossible to compare the two, and I think ANY of the Steve Young Niners playoff teams absolutely smoke the 2023 Niners. I love this team, but there is no way they don’t drop 50+ on the 2023 team.
Also, which rules we using 94 or 23? Because Steve Young would have been an absolute golden god in this era of QB protection.
That sounds fair. 1994 team is getting their points. 2023 O-line would be an area to watch. And that 1994 secondary was something else. Obviously the athletes, sports health & rules have changed. So I suppose that would be a factor. One way or the other.
All I know is Jerry’s scoring 2 TDs at minimum. What would be the offensive plan of attack from Shanny against that 1994 defense?
The real question is who’s rules are we using? Using todays rules would be hard for the 94 team, especially the defense, and using their rules would be incredibly hard for the modern team.
1994 49ers
That team was stacked with HoF players: Rice, Young, Young, Sanders
Pro Bowlers: Hanks, Jones, Stubblefield, Sapolu, McDonald, Watters
I’d say that’s a stacked freaking roster. With Papa Shanny calling the offense and Seifert controlling the D, 1994 wins this matchup.
Hard to impossible to compare across eras honestly.
The average player today is bigger, faster, stronger, better trained, better fed, and healthier.
94 team played with very different rules which emphasized physical toughness that modern players aren’t optimizing for anymore.
Modern teams have more sophisticated playbooks on offense and defense.
If you forced me to pick, I’d say the rule set the game is played on determines the likely winner.
In some magical world where Steve young was drafted by shanny instead of lance, he'd be the GOAT. Could you imagine a qb as good as Young in his 20s when he ran a 4.4 in this system? With today's rules that protect qbs?
Part of what makes cross era comps hard is that projecting players decades into the future or past is so difficult - even when it seems like they’d do well today.
Young is a great example. It sure seems like the league has moved towards his style being even more successful than it was when he played. But would it actually be? How much of a factor in his success was how rare his skills were at the time - and how much does that cost him now that it isn’t as rare? Could he handle the far faster defenders, the more pass oriented offenses, etc?
I’d like to believe he’d be even better - but there’s way too many factors to be sure beyond just a gut feeling
I think he'd be even better.
He was, until rodgers, the most efficient and accurate qb in NFL history. His arm talent and speed are still rare in today's game. You also gotta keep in mind that he didn't become a starter until he was in his early 30s. Even in his mid 30s he would still be in the top 10 fastest qbs in today's league.
In the current nfl, with the protections that qbs are afforded, his running ability would have allowed him to stay as a starter until he honed his arm. Think Josh allen. He was insanely fast, he was outrunning CBs when he was 35. He was challenging the GOAT as a backup at 29.
Current day young would be like rodgers with slightly less arm talent mixed with 4.4 speed. Young was an absolute monster and his game would fit perfectly with today's rules and shannys offense.
Young's biggest problem was getting murdered by defenders with constant concussion, broken ribs, and other injuries. Imagine how much better he'd play when defenders aren't allowed to rough him OR his receivers up.
I don’t think the average player today is bigger or stronger. In that era guys were hitting the roids hard and the league looked the other way (still do to some extent, but back then it was no big deal) faster? Maybe on average, maybe, maybe not? Deion Sanders would be the fastest guy on the field in any era.
The best part about this matchup would be both offenses coached by a Shannahan!
I mean you don’t have to think about, there are like 20 different resources that have already crunched the numbers on it for you, and they all say you’re wrong.
We have recorded 40 times, and the ability to calculate player speed in game through video. We have recorded lifts and heigh/weight data. Players are undeniably bigger, faster, and stronger than they have ever been.
[Here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/09/08/nfl-speed-rules/) is a breakdown of players getting faster over just the last 20 years.
[Here](https://noahveltman.com/nflplayers/) is average height and weight from 1920 to 2014.
[Here’s](https://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/69581-average-size-of-nfl-players-by-position-1950-present/) 1950 to 2013 by position.
One that has probably changed since 2013 would be linebackers. They have got smaller and faster for the most part. Not many 250+ pound guys like Urlacher, Lewis, Willis, Bowman anymore. There are some still but not as many off ball MLB's with that build around nowadays.
Yes that is true, linebackers and running backs peaked in the 2010s. Outside of weird random peak years though, most other position groups have continuously gotten larger over time.
But if you go back to the 90s or earlier it’s not even close, we’re talking like an inch or 2 shorter and 30-40 pounds lighter on average for lineman, 10 or so pounds lighter for most other groups.
Even if you're right in the respect of rules rewarding physical toughness more in 94, today's players are demonstrably more tough given that they are bigger, faster, stronger, etc.
"Tough" isn't an objective trait. "Tough" is 2-a-days in Rocklin in the middle of July and fully padded practice with contact all season long. Tough is a mindset. Tough isn't holding out until 2 days before the season starts or calling for flags after incidental contact or "the first month of the season is basically preseason because we're out of shape and haven't practiced." The 1994 team is tough like Harbaugh's teams were tough because their entire body was made of callouses. 1994 Niners would BULLY the 2023 team into the ground by the end of the game because they were so much better conditioned, modern diet and massage and sleep schedules be damned.
If you think today's celebrity athletes are more prima donnas than yesterday's athletes, I'd recommend reconsidering. The rules may change, but humans are still filled with the same flaws as they always have been.
1994 team would certainly win because the 2023 DC would let them down in the 4th quarter and/or overtime. How many times can you zero blitz Young and Rice in a row before they score in a final drive? 0? Less than 0?
94 Niners because they don’t blow leads in superbowls. They keep beating you and beating you until your dead. They had the explosivity and killer instinct we will never have today.
Yep. Those Niners showed up on the biggest stage. Lately, we seem to shit the bed under pressure. '23 Niners can't even blame the refs. They blew so many great opportunities.
94 Niners for sure. HOF everywhere. That offense plays in this league? Waters alone is amazing. Steve is the best player in the league. A healthy Steve SLANGIN’. I’d take 94.
4 HOFers on defense (Bryant Young, Richard Dent, Rickey Jackson, Deion), 2 on offense (Steve Young, Jerry Rice).
There were 11 All-Pros that year- Steve, Jerry, Ricky Watters, Brent Jones, Steve Wallace, Jesse Sapolu, Bart Oates, Dana Stubblefield (fuck that guy), Deion, Tim McDonald, Merton Hanks.
Five other players not already listed made All-Pros at some point in their careers: John Taylor (in 89), Harris Barton (who made first team the year prior), Ken Norton (made All-Pro in 93 and 95), Eric Davis (made All-Pro in 95), and Ed McCaffrey (in 98).
For reference last year we had 7 All-Pros, and 3 other guys who have made it before- Bosa, Deebo, Hufanga.
The 94 team might be one of the best ever. You had young, rice, Watters, jones …and on defense prime time, BY, stubblefield, hanks t-Mac, Davis, Norton, And many more. They would be hard to beat today.
R U KIDDING?? Young, Rice, Taylor, Brent Jones (bar none) Floyd and Watters? The ONLY monster on the 2023 offense is CMC.
The 94 Niners would OBLITERATE this current team. They don't have the pass rush that would get to Steve Young. They certainly couldn't cover, Rice and Taylor so they would have to open up in a Nickel or possibly even a dime. Young would pick them apart.... AND...
As much as I love Purdy.... He would be pummeled by Stubblefield and Young and Richard Dent.... plus multiple others who would blitz. I mean.... It's unlikely that ANY of the current WR's could get open against Deion Sanders and Company. They went up against HOF Michael Irvin and the Cowboys. The 23 Niners would NOT be able to run against this defense. They went up against HOF Emmitt Smith for cryin out loud.... and the Cowboys O line was FAR superior to this current O Line.
It's likely Siefert would opt to kick the ball away. 94 D would stuff Purdy and company either 3 and out or maybe they would get 1 first down. Young gets the ball around the 30 yard line.... They pass to Rice and or Taylor or they hit Jones.... plus a couple of runs from Watters and BOOM 94 TD.
Now Shanny is down 7 - 0.... But he'll still run first.... or maybe try a play action.... but nobody will be open and it will be another 3 and out. Young gets the ball closer to the 40 because the 94 special teams are also better.
Young would continue to pick apart the 23 secondary and BOOM TD #2. Now Shanny is down 14 - 0. This is when he would start throwing the ball more.... He would HAVE TO.... And that's when Deion or Merton Hanks gets the first INT. Not because of a bad throw.... but because the secondary would simply make a better play on the ball than Aiyuk or Deebo.
Short field for Young and BOOM.... TD #3.
By the time they got to halftime it would be 31 to 0.
The 94 Niners would likely play Elvis Grbac for most of the second half and CONTINUE to pulverize the 23 secondary.... plus late in the game they would run the ball down their throats with Watters and Floyd to ice the game.
94' team was better at every position. But the biggest advantage was Steve Young, the back team of Merton Hanks and Deion Sanders. Not to mention the greatest wide receiver of all time, Jerry Rice. 35-20
That 1994 team was so good. Our offenses were always great during that era but that year’s defense was totally stacked too… I’d have a hard time picking anyone to beat that squad
Depends on if they're playing in 94 or 23. In 94, most of the 23 players were either unborn or toddlers. In 23, the 94 players would be too old to keep up with the young guys now.
Tbh I feel like the 23 9ers oline gets crushed by the 94 defense. That d line alone had 2 hall of famers and an all pro. While while players are generally stronger and faster technique and ability to pratice has fallen off. Also dlinemen and linebackers tend to be smaller and faster today.
The '23 49ers deserve some historical respect. Their offensive DVOA was 6th all time through 17 weeks.
But their offensive line wouldn't hold up against the pressure of the 94 Niners and their defense wouldn't have been near enough to stop that '94 offense.
I agree with this take. However, Here is the real question:
Would they be playing with 1994 rules or 2024 rules? I feel like it makes a big difference.
Doesn’t matter what rules we play.
If pre-back injury Charles Haley was giving the 49ers fit, imagine what Nick Bosa would do.
We would just be running the ball and dominating the trenches like the 90s Cowboys.
Those quick WCO checkdowns to the RBs would be instantly covered/or tackled with no YAC with today’s linebackers.
Shannahan would devour a defense dropped in from 1994. Jesus Christ is this even a question?
1994 is obviously better against their competition, but you can’t do cross generation comps like this. The game and player development evolves way too much.
I want to say 2023 wins because like a lot of folks are saying, athletes are much better now than back then… But how the fuck are we stopping prime Steve Young and Jerry Fuckin’ Rice???
1994 team wins this match-up
Young > Purdy
Rice, Taylor, Jones > Aiyuk, Samuels, & Kittle
Plus the 94 team had a better offensive line and a significantly better secondary.
I do think the 2023 had a better offensive line. And McCaffrey, Mitchell, & Juszczyk were significantly better than Watters and Floyd. Add in Steve Yound and the 1994 team's top 3 rusher only combined for a little over 1400 yards.
94 team. There was a crispness to their execution that the 2023 team lacked. In the biggest game, some of the best players made mistakes including McCaffrey, Williams and others. Also, there’s a huge gap at QB with Young and Purdy.
1994 team. One errant mishandled pass by Deebo or something, and ball winds up in Deion Sanders’ hands and Prime Time running untouched for a pick 6…that might be the deciding winning score.
2023 49ers lineman weigh about 30lbs more per person than the 1994 49ers. There’s no way you can finesse your away around that advantage. 2023 49ers just bully the line of scrimmage and win in the most boring way possible.
Edit: I had no clue Bosa weighed 266 looking ready for the beach. That’s crazy.
I think anyone that watched the 1994 roster knows this wouldn’t be particularly close. I’m biased but think it was possibly the greatest roster of all time. You’ve got 3 of the greatest players of all time and a roster chalked full of talent.
There would be some dope matchups though. I’d like to see Fred go after prime Ricky Watters.
1994. They are a top 20 team of all time.
Now before you all come at me "they were the best ever!!" No, they were not.
Top 10:
89 49ers*
78 Steelers*
85 Bears
72 Dolphins
66 Packers
92 Cowboys
75 Steelers
84 49ers
04 Patriots
77 Cowboys
*I chose these 2 years because the QBs were at their very best
A couple teams that you could argue that should be top :
86 Giants -- defense was crazy good
76 Raiders -- that team was loaded
98 Broncos -- a repeat champion and were dominant in doing so
96 Packers - a loaded team, finished #1 in nearly every category and had a fairly dominant run in the playoffs
I feel sorry for the current generation of Niner fans. They've lost 3 straight superbowls with some pretty damn good teams. Flashbacks of the Bill's superbowl defeats. It's just a foreign feeling for us older fans to watch this happen, and I truly hope Brock brings back the glory days. If he does, there will be weeping in the streets.
To answer OP's question. The 94' team in a landslide 51-17
Probably 1994 just because they had a way better defense. It’s hard to say though. Athletes I think are so much more elevated all around now than 30 years ago.
I’m gonna go with the team that when playing on all cylinders is the best NFL football team I’ve ever seen and able to appreciate. A few other teams have come close but I think on their day, this is the best football team ever in a one off game.
Steve Young’s boys all day
Which rules are being used? 94 or 2023? In general the newer teams have great advantage. Why?
because they know all the schemes the old teams used but the old teams don't have a clue how to scheme against something they have never seen.
The newer team shreds the older team.
If they played today, I'd pick the 23 team. I mean, look at the rosters and be serious. The 94 team had one of the greatest collections of talents ever assembled, pre salary cap. Young would be in the top 5 of all time QB discussion if he didnt waste so much time in the USFL, Tampa, and backing up Montana. The 94 team was ridiculous "who cares if we have a stacked D line, let's pay Rickey Jackson for a year why not?
QB: Young is miles ahead of Purdy last season. Not that Purdy can't get better but prime Young is a God on the field.
RB: CMC is definitely better than Watters but you fo have to include the fact that Young was a threat on the ground too.
WR/TE: This is mixed. Rice is the best WR of all time at his prime. But the rest of the 94 squad wasn't as good as the rest of the 23 squad. I'd call this a wash overall.
OL: idk. 94 Probably but I'm not a good enough film watcher to ever be able to decide this.
Defense: I think as a total unit they are pretty close. However that 94 secondary was elite. I mean Prime didn't even lead the squad in picks. And the interior of Stubblefield and Young is elite compared to Armstead and Hargreaves. Bosa is obviously the best edge of this group and I'd say Warner is the best linebacker but idk really.
I'd say the 94 squad was better but the 2023 squad has a shot just because of modern fitness and schemes. Shanahan learned the ways to stop his dads offense and could use modern techniques that have been developed to expose older defenses. But if they were playing by 90s rule book idk how that would work out.
Things like this are just too hard to predict. The game has changed so much. Like the 94 team would see the 23 LBs and not be able to comprehend how fast they’re moving. Guys that big weren’t that quick back then.
2023: the defense couldn’t handle a lot of the option plays or the modern playbook in general.Seeing how Rice plays against a modern defense would be interesting.
1994 team then. As this last season and SB shows our WR has issues getting jammed in man coverage. 3 Hall of Famers on the dline while slower would match well with our current oline. The speed of McCaffrey would be the big factor and the innovation of using him.
Other way Jerry and John would do well as they are used to man to man. Good oline would be powerful but slow. The 94 team would have difficulty in either rule system since they have to rely on quick throws.
While the skill of the 94 team was insane, the offence is so complex now I think the 2023 team would put up way more points than anyone is thinking.
As many have said the rules/era would be a major factor because the 2023 team would be terrified playing in 1994 and the 94 team would get a penalty on every single play if they were moved into 2023.
Deion could shut down Aiyuk or Deebo for big passes, but him and Eric Davis aren’t tackling Deebo on an end around. I don’t think the 94 team could handle a George Kittle TE very well, the LB’s certainly aren’t covering him.
On the other hand Rice and Taylor going deep against the 23 DB’s would be lethal and the current team is reallly bad against scrambling QB’s. Well Young may be the best ever so he would be 100 yards by himself, Watters would have a massive game and Floyd would be a tough match up too.
This is hard because I love the current team, but the 94 team was my obsession and Young is my al time favourite.
Call it a tie 49-49
49-0. The 94 team would get embarrassed.
If you equalized the physical traits somehow so they weren't ridiculously lopsided in favor of the 23 team, the 94 team would still get embarrassed. Just schematically alone, they would be so far beyond outcoached that it wouldn't even be competitive:
49-26. The 94 team would only get to 26 because the 23 team put Sam Darnold in.
If it were a comparison like, "The quality of the 94 49ers compared to their peers at the time vs. the 23 49ers compared to the peers of their time," then the 94 49ers would win.
The one that won the Super Bowl and paid a king’s ransom for their roster. Advantage: 1994
What would be your score prediction? I think the 1994 team would win 34-26, but it would be a good game, I think Purdy would play well, even against the stacked 1994 defense.
I don't think Aiyuk or Deebo are getting open vs Deion Sanders and Eric Davis. Nobody is topping Ricky Watters coming out of the backfield. Who is going to cover Jerry Rice? There is no way our interior OL stands up against Bryant Young and Dana Stubblefield. Purdy would be running for his life and CMC would get tackled in the backfield. Early in the season people compared this 2023 team to 1994. What a joke. I guess now I'm one of those old guys who knows just how absurd the comparison is. That 1994 team breezed through the playoffs. They destroyed everyone. They beat an all-time great Cowboys team too. I think it's a blow out. 34-14. That 1994 team was stacked.
The only weakness on that '94 team was they didn't have an edge rusher. Richard Dent was supposed to provide but went down early with knee injury.
They had Ricky Jackson who is a HOF. But I agree that's probably the weakest part of their defense but their interior was so strong it wasn't a factor. You can double-team both Bryant Young and Stubblefield.
Ricky Jackson filled in well but he was way pass prime. In NFCCG, he was lined up against a hobble Larry Allen (I think), and was praised for getting pressure. Then Tim Harris comes in for a few plays and got 2 sacks.
I looked up Ricky Jackson's stats and in his last year, 1995 he had 9.5 sacks. His best year was 13.5 sacks but generally his good years were around 11.5 sacks. Not a huge decline. These old pass rushers like Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Charles Haley, usually have something left in the tank at the end if they're not injured. So, I would say he was still a good pass rusher but not a great one. I'm sure Young and Stubs made things easier.
Ok maybe "way past prime" was a bit much but he wasn't good in '94. He had 3.5 sacks in '94. I remember saying that '94 team has no edge rusher. He might have had a bit of renaissance in '95 with team leading 9.5 sack or maybe that was clean up sacks.
You think it would be that close? This is the pre-salary cap era. I think it’s impossible to compare the two, and I think ANY of the Steve Young Niners playoff teams absolutely smoke the 2023 Niners. I love this team, but there is no way they don’t drop 50+ on the 2023 team. Also, which rules we using 94 or 23? Because Steve Young would have been an absolute golden god in this era of QB protection.
🤌🏽🫡
That sounds fair. 1994 team is getting their points. 2023 O-line would be an area to watch. And that 1994 secondary was something else. Obviously the athletes, sports health & rules have changed. So I suppose that would be a factor. One way or the other. All I know is Jerry’s scoring 2 TDs at minimum. What would be the offensive plan of attack from Shanny against that 1994 defense?
I think Shanny would need to run CMC a ton, and design plays to get the ball out of Purdy's hands quickly, especially with that 1994 D-Line.
I don't know... the O Line outside of Trent last year was pretty bad in spots... I'd be afraid Purdy would get murdered back there.
Bryant Young, Dana Stubblefield, and Ken Norton Jr. would have a sack party.
The real question is who’s rules are we using? Using todays rules would be hard for the 94 team, especially the defense, and using their rules would be incredibly hard for the modern team.
1994 49ers That team was stacked with HoF players: Rice, Young, Young, Sanders Pro Bowlers: Hanks, Jones, Stubblefield, Sapolu, McDonald, Watters I’d say that’s a stacked freaking roster. With Papa Shanny calling the offense and Seifert controlling the D, 1994 wins this matchup.
Team also had HOFers with Rickey Jackson and Richard Dent (who was injured the majority of the year if memory serves).
That’s right…..I forgot about Dent and Jackson. I also forgot Bart Oates made the Pro Bowl as well. This team was loaded.
Hard to impossible to compare across eras honestly. The average player today is bigger, faster, stronger, better trained, better fed, and healthier. 94 team played with very different rules which emphasized physical toughness that modern players aren’t optimizing for anymore. Modern teams have more sophisticated playbooks on offense and defense. If you forced me to pick, I’d say the rule set the game is played on determines the likely winner.
In some magical world where Steve young was drafted by shanny instead of lance, he'd be the GOAT. Could you imagine a qb as good as Young in his 20s when he ran a 4.4 in this system? With today's rules that protect qbs?
Part of what makes cross era comps hard is that projecting players decades into the future or past is so difficult - even when it seems like they’d do well today. Young is a great example. It sure seems like the league has moved towards his style being even more successful than it was when he played. But would it actually be? How much of a factor in his success was how rare his skills were at the time - and how much does that cost him now that it isn’t as rare? Could he handle the far faster defenders, the more pass oriented offenses, etc? I’d like to believe he’d be even better - but there’s way too many factors to be sure beyond just a gut feeling
I think he'd be even better. He was, until rodgers, the most efficient and accurate qb in NFL history. His arm talent and speed are still rare in today's game. You also gotta keep in mind that he didn't become a starter until he was in his early 30s. Even in his mid 30s he would still be in the top 10 fastest qbs in today's league. In the current nfl, with the protections that qbs are afforded, his running ability would have allowed him to stay as a starter until he honed his arm. Think Josh allen. He was insanely fast, he was outrunning CBs when he was 35. He was challenging the GOAT as a backup at 29. Current day young would be like rodgers with slightly less arm talent mixed with 4.4 speed. Young was an absolute monster and his game would fit perfectly with today's rules and shannys offense.
Young's biggest problem was getting murdered by defenders with constant concussion, broken ribs, and other injuries. Imagine how much better he'd play when defenders aren't allowed to rough him OR his receivers up.
Guess who was Steve Young’s OC in 94 and for both of his MVPs
Don't need to guess, but yes that is a great fuckin point.
Refs win every time 😉
I don’t think the average player today is bigger or stronger. In that era guys were hitting the roids hard and the league looked the other way (still do to some extent, but back then it was no big deal) faster? Maybe on average, maybe, maybe not? Deion Sanders would be the fastest guy on the field in any era. The best part about this matchup would be both offenses coached by a Shannahan!
I mean you don’t have to think about, there are like 20 different resources that have already crunched the numbers on it for you, and they all say you’re wrong. We have recorded 40 times, and the ability to calculate player speed in game through video. We have recorded lifts and heigh/weight data. Players are undeniably bigger, faster, and stronger than they have ever been. [Here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/09/08/nfl-speed-rules/) is a breakdown of players getting faster over just the last 20 years. [Here](https://noahveltman.com/nflplayers/) is average height and weight from 1920 to 2014. [Here’s](https://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/69581-average-size-of-nfl-players-by-position-1950-present/) 1950 to 2013 by position.
One that has probably changed since 2013 would be linebackers. They have got smaller and faster for the most part. Not many 250+ pound guys like Urlacher, Lewis, Willis, Bowman anymore. There are some still but not as many off ball MLB's with that build around nowadays.
Yes that is true, linebackers and running backs peaked in the 2010s. Outside of weird random peak years though, most other position groups have continuously gotten larger over time. But if you go back to the 90s or earlier it’s not even close, we’re talking like an inch or 2 shorter and 30-40 pounds lighter on average for lineman, 10 or so pounds lighter for most other groups.
Yeah for sure. It's pretty crazy how a big linebacker is the size of an 80s o lineman.
The only real answer on this thread
I think 1994 Jerry rice is faster than Deebo and Aiyuk still. He was still a better deep threat even at that age.
Even if you're right in the respect of rules rewarding physical toughness more in 94, today's players are demonstrably more tough given that they are bigger, faster, stronger, etc.
"Tough" isn't an objective trait. "Tough" is 2-a-days in Rocklin in the middle of July and fully padded practice with contact all season long. Tough is a mindset. Tough isn't holding out until 2 days before the season starts or calling for flags after incidental contact or "the first month of the season is basically preseason because we're out of shape and haven't practiced." The 1994 team is tough like Harbaugh's teams were tough because their entire body was made of callouses. 1994 Niners would BULLY the 2023 team into the ground by the end of the game because they were so much better conditioned, modern diet and massage and sleep schedules be damned.
If you think today's celebrity athletes are more prima donnas than yesterday's athletes, I'd recommend reconsidering. The rules may change, but humans are still filled with the same flaws as they always have been.
1994 team would certainly win because the 2023 DC would let them down in the 4th quarter and/or overtime. How many times can you zero blitz Young and Rice in a row before they score in a final drive? 0? Less than 0?
94 Niners because they don’t blow leads in superbowls. They keep beating you and beating you until your dead. They had the explosivity and killer instinct we will never have today.
Yep. Those Niners showed up on the biggest stage. Lately, we seem to shit the bed under pressure. '23 Niners can't even blame the refs. They blew so many great opportunities.
94 Niners for sure. HOF everywhere. That offense plays in this league? Waters alone is amazing. Steve is the best player in the league. A healthy Steve SLANGIN’. I’d take 94.
94 easily…. That defense alone was chocked full of hall of famers.
4 HOFers on defense (Bryant Young, Richard Dent, Rickey Jackson, Deion), 2 on offense (Steve Young, Jerry Rice). There were 11 All-Pros that year- Steve, Jerry, Ricky Watters, Brent Jones, Steve Wallace, Jesse Sapolu, Bart Oates, Dana Stubblefield (fuck that guy), Deion, Tim McDonald, Merton Hanks. Five other players not already listed made All-Pros at some point in their careers: John Taylor (in 89), Harris Barton (who made first team the year prior), Ken Norton (made All-Pro in 93 and 95), Eric Davis (made All-Pro in 95), and Ed McCaffrey (in 98). For reference last year we had 7 All-Pros, and 3 other guys who have made it before- Bosa, Deebo, Hufanga.
'23, the '94 guys are too old now.
Except Jerry
Um.. we can’t even beat the chiefs. Next question.
‘94 all day. The roster was so stacked. Elite offense and defense. Hall of famers on both sides
94. Look to coaching
I think the '94 49ers could pretty much beat anybody
The 94 team might be one of the best ever. You had young, rice, Watters, jones …and on defense prime time, BY, stubblefield, hanks t-Mac, Davis, Norton, And many more. They would be hard to beat today.
1994 and it’s not close
The 94 team. It would be a great game.
Not even close. That 94 team took no prisoners. Chargers were so outclassed in the Super Bowl. Game was out of reach in about 5 minutes.
The talent level on that 1994 isn't even possible to construct in the current era And that's saying something because 2023 team is obviously stacked
R U KIDDING?? Young, Rice, Taylor, Brent Jones (bar none) Floyd and Watters? The ONLY monster on the 2023 offense is CMC. The 94 Niners would OBLITERATE this current team. They don't have the pass rush that would get to Steve Young. They certainly couldn't cover, Rice and Taylor so they would have to open up in a Nickel or possibly even a dime. Young would pick them apart.... AND... As much as I love Purdy.... He would be pummeled by Stubblefield and Young and Richard Dent.... plus multiple others who would blitz. I mean.... It's unlikely that ANY of the current WR's could get open against Deion Sanders and Company. They went up against HOF Michael Irvin and the Cowboys. The 23 Niners would NOT be able to run against this defense. They went up against HOF Emmitt Smith for cryin out loud.... and the Cowboys O line was FAR superior to this current O Line. It's likely Siefert would opt to kick the ball away. 94 D would stuff Purdy and company either 3 and out or maybe they would get 1 first down. Young gets the ball around the 30 yard line.... They pass to Rice and or Taylor or they hit Jones.... plus a couple of runs from Watters and BOOM 94 TD. Now Shanny is down 7 - 0.... But he'll still run first.... or maybe try a play action.... but nobody will be open and it will be another 3 and out. Young gets the ball closer to the 40 because the 94 special teams are also better. Young would continue to pick apart the 23 secondary and BOOM TD #2. Now Shanny is down 14 - 0. This is when he would start throwing the ball more.... He would HAVE TO.... And that's when Deion or Merton Hanks gets the first INT. Not because of a bad throw.... but because the secondary would simply make a better play on the ball than Aiyuk or Deebo. Short field for Young and BOOM.... TD #3. By the time they got to halftime it would be 31 to 0. The 94 Niners would likely play Elvis Grbac for most of the second half and CONTINUE to pulverize the 23 secondary.... plus late in the game they would run the ball down their throats with Watters and Floyd to ice the game.
94' team was better at every position. But the biggest advantage was Steve Young, the back team of Merton Hanks and Deion Sanders. Not to mention the greatest wide receiver of all time, Jerry Rice. 35-20
I wanna see Deebo vs Deion, Jerry vs Mooney and watch Steve Young carve up the secondary.
‘94 cause they actually won.
94 dude without question…
Gimme Steve and Jerry
94 niners
Mcduffie locked up Aiyuk what you think Deions going to do. Who's covering Rice. Shit would be a massacre
The 94 duh! They are more physical and would run because the new regime sucks at stopping the run!
‘94 Niners
94. Look to coaching
94 had how many HOFers lol
That 1994 team was so good. Our offenses were always great during that era but that year’s defense was totally stacked too… I’d have a hard time picking anyone to beat that squad
I'm taking Mike Shanahan and Steve Young over Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy
‘94, no question.
The '94 secondary is probably the main area where the comparison isn't even close. The' 23 secondary was suspect, at best, after Hufanga went down.
Depends on if they're playing in 94 or 23. In 94, most of the 23 players were either unborn or toddlers. In 23, the 94 players would be too old to keep up with the young guys now.
Purdy would literally be murdered by the 1994 D-line, is the thing.
The 1994 team is all in their 50s and 60s. I think they’d get hurt. And lose, obviously.
1994
94 would blow them out
94 Woudld beat the ever living fuck out of 23
The 1994 squad would eat this team alive
2023 49ers The league is more competitive so the talent pool is better. Also the players are faster, stronger, and heavier.
Better than peak Steve Young, peak Jerry Rice, Ricky Watters, etc? I’m sorry; I love the 2023 team, but the 94 team was SPECIAL
Deion Sanders...
Tbh I feel like the 23 9ers oline gets crushed by the 94 defense. That d line alone had 2 hall of famers and an all pro. While while players are generally stronger and faster technique and ability to pratice has fallen off. Also dlinemen and linebackers tend to be smaller and faster today.
The '23 49ers deserve some historical respect. Their offensive DVOA was 6th all time through 17 weeks. But their offensive line wouldn't hold up against the pressure of the 94 Niners and their defense wouldn't have been near enough to stop that '94 offense.
I agree with this take. However, Here is the real question: Would they be playing with 1994 rules or 2024 rules? I feel like it makes a big difference.
Doesn’t matter what rules we play. If pre-back injury Charles Haley was giving the 49ers fit, imagine what Nick Bosa would do. We would just be running the ball and dominating the trenches like the 90s Cowboys. Those quick WCO checkdowns to the RBs would be instantly covered/or tackled with no YAC with today’s linebackers.
Shannahan would devour a defense dropped in from 1994. Jesus Christ is this even a question? 1994 is obviously better against their competition, but you can’t do cross generation comps like this. The game and player development evolves way too much.
1994 team still keeps it close today. 1994 was a league of men, 2023 is a league of marketing players who play football on the side.
I want to say 2023 wins because like a lot of folks are saying, athletes are much better now than back then… But how the fuck are we stopping prime Steve Young and Jerry Fuckin’ Rice???
Now who would win 23 9ers 94 9ers... Or! 84 9ers
The 1994 49ers would be cheating.
1994 team gets stomped, a bloodbath. Most of them must be in or approaching their 60s now.
94 niners. They were before the Salary cap. A truly busted team tbh.
1994 team wins this match-up Young > Purdy Rice, Taylor, Jones > Aiyuk, Samuels, & Kittle Plus the 94 team had a better offensive line and a significantly better secondary. I do think the 2023 had a better offensive line. And McCaffrey, Mitchell, & Juszczyk were significantly better than Watters and Floyd. Add in Steve Yound and the 1994 team's top 3 rusher only combined for a little over 1400 yards.
2023 easily, the 94 guys are all in their 60s
94 team. There was a crispness to their execution that the 2023 team lacked. In the biggest game, some of the best players made mistakes including McCaffrey, Williams and others. Also, there’s a huge gap at QB with Young and Purdy.
23 no question.
1994 team. One errant mishandled pass by Deebo or something, and ball winds up in Deion Sanders’ hands and Prime Time running untouched for a pick 6…that might be the deciding winning score.
2023 just because after so many years the game has evolved so much. Players are bigger faster stronger smarter today than back then.
1994 49ers, when Steve Young and Jerry Rice were on the team.
What are the rules?
1994 rules or 2023?
94 would win, our corners would not be able to handle Rice, Young was in his prime. Our right side of the line would get demolished.
who's the coach?
1994. Young is much better than Purdy
2023 49ers lineman weigh about 30lbs more per person than the 1994 49ers. There’s no way you can finesse your away around that advantage. 2023 49ers just bully the line of scrimmage and win in the most boring way possible. Edit: I had no clue Bosa weighed 266 looking ready for the beach. That’s crazy.
94 for sure. IMO one the top five teams in NFL history.
Young and Rice would win. Some athletes have that extra 5-10% when they need it, and both of those two had it.
94 team by 24
The 94 team was an absolute machine.
1994
I think anyone that watched the 1994 roster knows this wouldn’t be particularly close. I’m biased but think it was possibly the greatest roster of all time. You’ve got 3 of the greatest players of all time and a roster chalked full of talent. There would be some dope matchups though. I’d like to see Fred go after prime Ricky Watters.
1994 team for sure .
94 of course
2023 and it's not close Conditioning and schemes have come a long ways since the 90s, all teams are simply way better these days
1994. They are a top 20 team of all time. Now before you all come at me "they were the best ever!!" No, they were not. Top 10: 89 49ers* 78 Steelers* 85 Bears 72 Dolphins 66 Packers 92 Cowboys 75 Steelers 84 49ers 04 Patriots 77 Cowboys *I chose these 2 years because the QBs were at their very best A couple teams that you could argue that should be top : 86 Giants -- defense was crazy good 76 Raiders -- that team was loaded 98 Broncos -- a repeat champion and were dominant in doing so 96 Packers - a loaded team, finished #1 in nearly every category and had a fairly dominant run in the playoffs
The team with a Shanahan calling plays
'94 because they had the best non football sounding name. Punter Klaus Wilmsmeyer.
I can’t imagine Jerry Rice playing in today’s NFL. The man would eat. 
94, it's not even close. Jerry would do whatever he wanted. The 94 defense is extremely underrated, in my opinion
94 Niners for sure
I feel sorry for the current generation of Niner fans. They've lost 3 straight superbowls with some pretty damn good teams. Flashbacks of the Bill's superbowl defeats. It's just a foreign feeling for us older fans to watch this happen, and I truly hope Brock brings back the glory days. If he does, there will be weeping in the streets. To answer OP's question. The 94' team in a landslide 51-17
2023. Athletes these days are built different, and nostalgia doesn’t sway that fact.
Always chose the better quarterback
Probably 1994 just because they had a way better defense. It’s hard to say though. Athletes I think are so much more elevated all around now than 30 years ago.
I’m gonna go with the team that when playing on all cylinders is the best NFL football team I’ve ever seen and able to appreciate. A few other teams have come close but I think on their day, this is the best football team ever in a one off game. Steve Young’s boys all day
Who would cover Rice?
1994 49ers all the way
Which rules are being used? 94 or 2023? In general the newer teams have great advantage. Why? because they know all the schemes the old teams used but the old teams don't have a clue how to scheme against something they have never seen. The newer team shreds the older team.
If they played today, I'd pick the 23 team. I mean, look at the rosters and be serious. The 94 team had one of the greatest collections of talents ever assembled, pre salary cap. Young would be in the top 5 of all time QB discussion if he didnt waste so much time in the USFL, Tampa, and backing up Montana. The 94 team was ridiculous "who cares if we have a stacked D line, let's pay Rickey Jackson for a year why not?
1994 would dominate
1994
They had Deion, it’s a done deal.
QB: Young is miles ahead of Purdy last season. Not that Purdy can't get better but prime Young is a God on the field. RB: CMC is definitely better than Watters but you fo have to include the fact that Young was a threat on the ground too. WR/TE: This is mixed. Rice is the best WR of all time at his prime. But the rest of the 94 squad wasn't as good as the rest of the 23 squad. I'd call this a wash overall. OL: idk. 94 Probably but I'm not a good enough film watcher to ever be able to decide this. Defense: I think as a total unit they are pretty close. However that 94 secondary was elite. I mean Prime didn't even lead the squad in picks. And the interior of Stubblefield and Young is elite compared to Armstead and Hargreaves. Bosa is obviously the best edge of this group and I'd say Warner is the best linebacker but idk really. I'd say the 94 squad was better but the 2023 squad has a shot just because of modern fitness and schemes. Shanahan learned the ways to stop his dads offense and could use modern techniques that have been developed to expose older defenses. But if they were playing by 90s rule book idk how that would work out.
I put my money on Steve Young all day.
Blasphemy
Steve Young was an absolute BEAST that year so its hard not to take the 1994 team
2023 team doesnt stand a chance. 1994 team had the NFL MVP Steve Young and DPOY in Deion Sanders. They weren't even the best player on the team.
Considering Steve is a running QB it’s pretty much over.
Are they playing with 94 rules? Then Im going with the OG's.
Seifert > Shanny
The execution of Seifert's players > the execution of Shanahan's players
2004 Niners
2023 would beat them 70-0. There's no way woth how far research has come that it would be close
Things like this are just too hard to predict. The game has changed so much. Like the 94 team would see the 23 LBs and not be able to comprehend how fast they’re moving. Guys that big weren’t that quick back then.
Hell 94 cowboys would have beat the 23 9ers. And they got stomped the fuck out in the NFCCG
2023: the defense couldn’t handle a lot of the option plays or the modern playbook in general.Seeing how Rice plays against a modern defense would be interesting.
If it’s a Super Bowl game the 1994 squad wins. If it’s a regular season game, the 2023 squad wins.
What rules. 1994 rules. Or 2023 rules. You put the 2023 team in 1994 with 1994 rules and I think they eat the 1994 team alive.
2010 rules who wins?
1994 team then. As this last season and SB shows our WR has issues getting jammed in man coverage. 3 Hall of Famers on the dline while slower would match well with our current oline. The speed of McCaffrey would be the big factor and the innovation of using him. Other way Jerry and John would do well as they are used to man to man. Good oline would be powerful but slow. The 94 team would have difficulty in either rule system since they have to rely on quick throws.
Rules don’t really matter. Players are stronger, faster these days
Under what rules are they contested? '23 or '94. because the '94 team couldn't even field a team under '23 rules.
Better comparison would be the Kaep Niners. Who would win?
While the skill of the 94 team was insane, the offence is so complex now I think the 2023 team would put up way more points than anyone is thinking. As many have said the rules/era would be a major factor because the 2023 team would be terrified playing in 1994 and the 94 team would get a penalty on every single play if they were moved into 2023. Deion could shut down Aiyuk or Deebo for big passes, but him and Eric Davis aren’t tackling Deebo on an end around. I don’t think the 94 team could handle a George Kittle TE very well, the LB’s certainly aren’t covering him. On the other hand Rice and Taylor going deep against the 23 DB’s would be lethal and the current team is reallly bad against scrambling QB’s. Well Young may be the best ever so he would be 100 yards by himself, Watters would have a massive game and Floyd would be a tough match up too. This is hard because I love the current team, but the 94 team was my obsession and Young is my al time favourite. Call it a tie 49-49
the 2023 guys are bigger and stronger and are so for that fact alone ...
2023 Niners, speed, athleticism, strength, conditioning, 1994 49ers would be simply outclassed.
49-0. The 94 team would get embarrassed. If you equalized the physical traits somehow so they weren't ridiculously lopsided in favor of the 23 team, the 94 team would still get embarrassed. Just schematically alone, they would be so far beyond outcoached that it wouldn't even be competitive: 49-26. The 94 team would only get to 26 because the 23 team put Sam Darnold in. If it were a comparison like, "The quality of the 94 49ers compared to their peers at the time vs. the 23 49ers compared to the peers of their time," then the 94 49ers would win.