This image is a derivative of San Francisco 49ers by .sanden. (CC BY-SA 2.0)

They've endured five seasons without playoffs, three last-place division finishes, moved on from three head coaches, while their 25 wins was a number only the basket case Cleveland Browns performed worse in during this period.

In the five seasons preceding this incredible Super Bowl run, the San Francisco 49ers had fallen considerably from their glorious past.

For a proud franchise already with a handful of Lombardi trophies, the Niners fall from grace had been as pronounced as any team in contemporary pro sports. It’s also what’s made their incredibly fast turnaround so impressive, while potentially doubling as a template for other franchises not performing to expectation.

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Just how have the 49ers returned to the cusp of the NFL greatness so quickly? 

How is it that a team who won just four games last season - with a massive -93 point differential - is now on the verge of claiming the most iconic trophy in US sports?

RELATED: How The Kansas City Chiefs Broke Finally Broke Through To Super Bowl LIV

The Head Coach: KYLE SHANAHAN

Outside of Bill Belichick in New England, there might not be a single non-playing staff member in the NFL who wields as much power within his organisation than 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan.

While current general manager - and former nine-time NFL Pro Bowler - John Lynch’s role in the San Francisco resurrection can’t be underestimated, it’s widely acknowledged that there’s hardly a decision at Niners HQ made without Shanahan's tick of approval.

On the one hand, it might appear strange that a 40-year-old in just his third season as an NFL head coach could (or should) wield such power, yet his elevation to the very top has to be understood through the lens of recent 49er history.

After appearing in Super Bowl XLVII - a 34-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in 2013 - the 49ers spiral into league irrelevance was brutally swift. Following four seasons of relative success under Jim Harbaugh, their top-heavy, talent-drained roster was left highly exposed, with owner Jed York forced to fire Harbaugh, before ushering in the disastrous Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly eras. 

York had to dismiss both coaches before also ending general manager Trent Baalke's tenure, completing a circle of devastation in the Bay Area.

Under York, the 49ers had become a shell of its former self, and light-years from the bastion of stability and progression that characterised the franchise throughout the eighties and nineties.

Thankfully, York recognised his continual interference wasn’t helping his team on the field, or in the front office. 

In order for them to crawl out of their demoralising hole, he had to hire both a GM and head coach he could trust, while most importantly providing them with the kind of canvass they could each paint independently of meddling from above.

Enter John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan. 

While the latter was just 37 at the time of his appointment, he was by no means a babe in the woods where the NFL was concerned.

On one hand, he came from football royalty, with his father a two-time Super Bowl-winning coach in Denver. More importantly, however, Shanahan had already demonstrated his own NFL IQ, most recently coordinating a high-powered Atlanta Falconsoffense, good enough to skip out to a now-infamous 28-3 Super Bowl LI lead.

Shanahan’s decades worth of experience in the NFL began when he was appointed Houston Texans offensive coordinator at just 29 years of age. His stint as Washington Redskins OC under his father, meanwhile, was one of the rare bright lights in recent Redskins history, with Shanahan showcasing an unconventional - though highly successful - offense, with the transformative Robert Griffin III at quarterback. His sole season as Cleveland BrownsOC - though an unmitigated disaster - was crucial in demonstrating to Shanahan just how he wouldn’t run a team should he ever receive a head coaching opportunity.

And it is San Francisco where the opportunity indeed came, and which Shanahan has grabbed with both hands. He's completely re-energised this proud franchise, firmly establishing himself as one of the NFL’s sharpest minds. He’s not only re-imagined the function of running the football in the modern-day NFL, but implemented an overall highly sophisticated attack that is in season-best form at the most important time of the season.

In three short years, Shanahan has restored the 49ers to the kind of franchise the league will once again look to for innovation, integrity and ingenuity. 

He may just provide his team with a record-equaling sixth Super Bowl crown as well.

THE DEFENSE

In the season before the final purge - before the hirings of Lynch and Shanahan - the San Francisco 49er's defense had shipped a franchise-high, league-worst 480 points. It had yielded 2,654 rushing yards against, and 25 touchdowns on the ground and was a unit was very much complicit in the 49ers 2-14 nadir.

While so much needed fixing in San Francisco, defense was arguably at the forefront, and in hiring defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, just a week after capturing Shanahan's signature, the 49ers had in place the foundations which would return them to league relevence.

In three seasons, the 49ers have morphed into the league’s second-best defensive unit outside of Belichick's New England Patriots, and one which has arguably contributed more to this Super Bowl run than anything else.

Over the last three drafts, Lynch has used six of his eleven top 100 picks on defensive talent, providing Saleh with one of the most talented stopping units in the league, and one that has specifically been designed with dominating at the line of scrimmage firmly in mind.

While the 49ers did inherit the highly productive DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead from previous regimes, much of the 49ers' talent has arrived in the last few seasons, with Nick Bosa about to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honours, and Dee Ford, who has exploded over the second half of the season. Linebacker, Fred Warner, has started every game since being drafted, while even Richard Sherman- one of the greatest cornerbacks the game has ever seen - has resuscitated his career in San Francisco, earning himself Second-Team All-Pro status - and a mighty bonus payout - in the process.

But it’s the defensive line which remains the calling card of these 49ers, and the fulcrum of everything devastating about this defensive unit.  

This season, the 49ers hurried opposition quarterbacks on a league-high 14.7% of dropbacks, dialled-up 48 regular-season sacks, and made life utterly miserable for opposing QBs. Incredibly, much of the damage was done without being a blitz-heavy team, with the 49ers bringing the heat on just 20.9% of opposition plays - the 29th lowest rate in the league. 

Generating so much pressure, whilst making such an impact, allowed the Niners to drop as many as eight players into coverage which is why no team conceded less yards through the air than San Francisco, and why opposing QBs were only able to convert 61.3% of their passes against them.

While their pending assignment against the Kansas City Chiefs - specifically Patrick Mahomes - is an entirely different kettle of fish, it is also the ultimate challenge for any defense, and one that could be the difference between breaking their 25-year Championship drought or waiting at least one more season for redemption.

The QB: JIMMY GAROPPOLO 

The quarterback position in San Francisco is one that’s historically been taken very seriously with reverential qualities.

Some of the sports' most enduring figures have thrived under centre in the Bay Area, such as Hall of Famers, Joe Montana and Steve Young. In recent times, Alex Smith generated league-wide respect, while few QB's have entered the NFL and mesmerised fans as much as Colin Kaepernick, even if some of the more unsavoury elements of society have ensured that his time as an NFL quarterback was cut short.

Which brings us, of course, to Jimmy Garoppolo.

In that 2016 franchise low-point, the 49ers had one of the worst offensive units in the league, highlighted by some disastrous play at QB, cobbling together a league-low 2,911 pass yards while also functioning as an automatic door for opposition pass rushes, with San Francisco allowing 47 sacks, which was the third-worst mark in the league.

Memories of Montana and Young had never seemed so distant while the 49ers and Kaepernick struggled mightily, as the NFL world knew the winds of change were blowing hard in San Francisco.

At the conclusion of that season, the franchises quarterback situation looked bleak, and, despite the enthusiasm surrounding the Shanahan appointment, their QB depth chart consisted of C.J Beathard, and NFL journeyman, Brian Hoyer, which didn't exactly embolden fans to the thought that playoff football was even close to being on the radar.

As with other parts of the franchise, drastic changes were needed, and what followed was one of the most significant trades in 49ers history. 

On the 31^st of October, 2017, the New England Patriots dealt backup QB, Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick. The trade shocked the NFL community, not only because of how paltry the compensation seemed, but because Bill Belichick hadn't given any indication he was prepared to part ways with Tom Brady’s brilliant under-study.

If that trade hadn't been consummated, it is absolutely worth pondering whether the 49ers would still be on their way to Miami for Super Bowl LIV.

One strength of 'Jimmy G' is his ability to work in concert with Shanahan's multi-faceted attack, which places a higher priority on running the ball than most. It's a system that requires Garoppolo to be able to execute the pass at high efficiency, with a sublime rushing unit needing the QB threat to be both real and devastating, which is precisely what the former Patriot provides. 

2019 has functioned as Garoppolo's breakout season, throwing for 28 touchdowns and more than 4,000 yards, but, most importantly, completing his passes at a 69.1% clip which sits comfortably as the fourth-best mark in the NFL.

Incredibly, Super Bowl LIV will only be Garoppolo 46^th game as an NFL starting QB, and - at just 28 years of age - coupled with having Shanahan in his corner, this could genuinely be the start of something special in San Francisco, with 49er fans entitled to imagine an era of sustained success.

Montana and Young are the only quarterbacks to ever win Super Bowl trophies in San Francisco. Jimmy Garoppolo is just four quarters away from becoming the third.

CONCLUSION

San Francisco has proven that while there isn’t a 'magic pill' to rapidly jolt back to league prominence, a manageable path can present itself when a clear front office structure is in place.

If there’s a lesson the 49ers can pass on to other struggling sporting teams the world over, it is that progressive management is vital, and, while it's equally crucial to make sure you hire the right people, it's just as important to stay out of their way. 

If Jed York hadn't a) hired Lynch and Shanahan, and b) given them the mandate to paint their own masterpiece without fear of interference, the 49ers would - probably - have continued their pathetic trajectory, quietly and in irrelevance. 

They are now just a single game away from one of the most rapid turnarounds in NFL history, with a golden opportunity to add a record-equalling sixth Super Bowl trophy to their cabinet.

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