SANTA CLARA – After probably the most disappointing regular season in franchise history, it might have been improper to say so publicly, nevertheless it actually appeared like the 49ers wouldn't be changing much when it comes to organizational philosophy, scheme and personnel in 2025.

They'll do it again with largely the identical forged and hope for higher luck. Four championship games and two Super Bowls in a five-year span trumps one terrible season. Since this shouldn’t be a playoff team, there can be additional rest that comes with a No. 11 overall pick within the draft and a positive schedule for the ultimate spot.

Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch sat in front of the media at their season-ending press conference on Wednesday and asked a whole lot of questions that, at 6-11, they’re only now finding answers to concerning the 2024 faceplants.

But should you were expecting sweeping changes, you'll must wait one other 12 months for something like 6/11. happened again.

The 49ers fired defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen and special teams coordinator Brian Schneider, but promoted passing game specialist Klay Kubiak to offensive coordinator. With Shanahan still calling the plays.

In a producing company, the dismissals of Sorensen and Schneider were justified. As for the offense, it's not like Shanahan goes to fireplace himself. He's the guy who runs the show, and should you know anything about Shanahan, he's extremely confident in the way in which he runs his business.

When the 49ers hire their fourth coordinator in 4 years, we'll see largely the identical defensive schemes, with occasional changes if the top coach approves. It could possibly be defensive assistant Brandon Staley, nevertheless it's more likely that it's certainly one of a couple of serious candidates who aren't represented by the corporate.

“I want someone who aligns with what I believe in, but you have to come up with the best possible fit that fits our current situation,” Shanahan said.

The same goes for special teams, where Sorensen is a possibility and has experience in that area.

Left tackle Trent Williams and running back Christian McCaffrey are back and expected to be healthy, Williams recovering from a deep ankle bruise that ended his season early, and McCaffrey recovering from Achilles tendonitis and a PCL strain. None of the cornerstones required surgery.

The return date for Brandon Aiyuk (torn ACL) is an open query, but they get the second 12 months with a full offseason for Ricky Pearsall Jr. and Jauan Jennings. There's little likelihood the 49ers will part ways with George Kittle, the team's most efficient veteran and winner of the Len Eshmont Award for inspirational and courageous play. Maybe he'll even get a contract extension.

As for the speculation that Deebo Samuel was leaving town, Lynch appeared to put an end to that.

“Deebo is under contract,” Lynch said. “Good player, he's done a lot for this organization and it's not our job to let good players out here.”

Shanahan said he expects quarterback Brock Purdy to be around so long as he’s coach.

Age and wear and tear are an element with Williams, McCaffrey, Kittle and Samuel, nevertheless it may be a playoff offense.

Shanahan and Lynch appear to think so.

The key defensive players include edge rusher Nick Bosa, middle linebacker Fred Warner, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and two members of the secondary who made a big effect of their rookie seasons – cornerback Renardo Green and safety Malik Mustapha.

As much because the 49ers would really like to have Dre Greenlaw back, if one other team made a giant offer, he would likely be gone. The same goes for defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who can seek his own deal as a free agent, including to the 49ers if the worth is correct.

As for special teams, there was no mention of placekicker Jake Moody. The 49ers would really like to imagine that the three-week absence because of a high ankle sprain on the hitting foot doomed his season, but they can be able to move on if Moody looks or sounds shaky within the offseason program.

Special teams were never a giant a part of the equation under Shanahan anyway, although Lynch and the top coach tried to ward off on a narrative pushed by Shanahan by admitting that he was just in search of special teams to avoid losing games reasonably than winning them.

Lynch even stepped in as the first blocker for an issue directed at Shanahan about his indifference to special teams.

“Let me help Kyle there,” Lynch said. “I would tell you Kyle spends an inordinate amount of time on all phases of our team.”

For his part, Shanahan said, “Special teams is part of football and everything that is part of football is extremely important to us.”

For anyone hoping that the Shanahan-Lynch tandem has reached its expiration date, the 2 seem like as committed to their partnership as ever and intend to place things back together in 2025 with lots of the same pieces. This isn't Terry Donahue-Steve Mariucci or Trent Baalke-Jim Harbaugh. Far from it.

“John went into this with the right intent, he wanted to put together a team to win a Super Bowl and that’s what he’s committed to,” Shanahan said.

Lynch said: “When we got here we felt united and that has only increased since we've been here. And that's not always the case. It's not just about blind loyalty and blind trust. It’s earned every year.”

There is a growing segment of an impatient fan base that’s skeptical of the concept that the 49ers could bounce back and not using a major rebuild of their desire for a championship which will never come. Not winning a Super Bowl is forgivable. Being a follower shouldn’t be that.

They'll recover from it when the 49ers get back to double-digit wins in 2025. If that doesn't occur, next 12 months's season-ending press conference could possibly be preceded by a straightforward announcement announcing the firing of their coach and general manager.

Originally published: January 8, 2025 at 4:39 pm PST

Traveling during peak season generally is a nightmare. Those traveling to Europe in the summertime, for instance, should contend with higher prices, limited availability, and crowds of fellow travelers.

For this reason, many savvy travelers decide to vacation during “Low season” that lie between high season and low season – spring and autumn for a lot of destinations. But Remote work and overcrowding during peak season has increased the recognition of those off-seasons.

Take Jersey Shore, for instance, a well-liked seaside destination in New Jersey. This coastal region sees a big increase in visitors through the fall months. According to a report from AirDNA, a short-term rental analytics firm, occupancy rates from October to December in 2023 are up as much as 50% in comparison with pre-pandemic levels. And it's not the one place that's seeing more visitors outside of peak season.

With increasingly more tourists flocking to the back streets in lots of destinations, the query arises: what’s the perfect option to avoid these crowds through the off-season?

Avoid trendy destinations

When everyone seems to be zigzagging with their travel plans, possibly it's time to zigzag.

Japan, for instance, experienced an enormous influx of travelers this spring. The variety of U.S. residents departing for Japan between March and May 2024 increased 17% in comparison with the identical months in 2023 and a whopping 41% in comparison with the identical months in 2019, in accordance with the International Trade Administration. Greece also saw nearly 3 times as many U.S. visitors between March and May 2024 because it did through the same period in 2019.

Closer to home, popular National Parks have experienced a big increase in visitor numbers through the off-season.

In Maine, “Acadia National Park, which used to be highly seasonal and only had peak demand in July and August, now sees high demand from June to October,” said Chloé Garlaschi, communications manager at AirDNA, in an email. “This trend is part of a broader evolution where national parks are attracting visitors outside of their traditional peak times.”

If everyone you realize is talking about visiting Tokyo or Athens, Greece, it may be value researching places which have had fewer tourists in recent times. For example, Australia saw 27% fewer visitors from the US within the spring months of 2024 than in the identical months of 2019. China, which has seen much less US tourism because the COVID-19 pandemic began, had 78% fewer US visitors this spring than in 2019.

Embrace the unconventional

Even in popular destinations, you may enterprise to lesser-known places where there are far fewer tourists. Most travelers to Japan visit the eastern cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, but fewer enterprise inland to mountain towns like Takayama, which boasts impressive temples and a quiet, picturesque atmosphere. And few foreign tourists visit the island prefecture of Okinawa in southern Japan, despite the nice and cozy weather and different culture from the mainland.

In the USA, well-known national parks reminiscent of Acadia (in Maine) and Yosemite (in California) are very talked-about within the off-season. Less well-known parks reminiscent of Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado or Channel Islands National Park in California are often less crowded.

Avoid high prices

When demand for travel to a destination peaks, prices for airline tickets, accommodations and ground transportation also rise, so searching for deals can allow you to lower your expenses and avoid probably the most crowded places.

According to data from travel booking platform Hopper, these U.S. destinations are seeing the most important increase in demand for flight bookings this fall:

• Seattle.
• Portland, Oregon.
• Salt Lake City – a must-see city.
• San Jose, California.
• Hawaiian Island, Hawaii.
• The Washington Post.
• Hawaii.
• ^ “Indianapolis: The Secret World”.
• Portland, Maine.
• Asheville, North Carolina

These international travel destinations at the moment are seeing the most important price increases:

• Seoul, South Korea.
• Shanghai.
• Athens, Greece.
• Frankfurt, Germany.
• Venice, Italy.
• Zurich.
• Peruvian culture
• Brussels.
• Malaysia
• Bangalore, India.

Of course, an expensive flight doesn't mean that the destination shall be crowded, nevertheless it is an indicator of demand. These lists give an idea of ​​which places are popular even when the weather is bad.

Know your shoulder

Not all shoulder seasons follow the identical pattern, so knowing when to travel to avoid crowds means greater than just heading out within the spring or fall.

“In Phoenix and Scottsdale [Arizona]we’re seeing an unconventional seasonal pattern,” said Garlaschi. “The peak season actually falls within the months of February and March because of the mild winter climate.”

And remember that while travel data shows that shoulder seasons are becoming increasingly popular, crowds (and prices) are still much smaller during these off-seasons. You don't have to travel to the North Pole in winter to avoid overtourism.

Originally published: September 6, 2024 at 1:18 p.m.

Summer is coming to an end, but that doesn't mean you’ve gotten to place your travel plans on hold until the vacations.

Labor Day weekend heralds the arrival of the shoulder season, a improbable time for travelers who want some flexibility and wish to save lots of big on a spectacular getaway while avoiding the big crowds.

Make this 12 months the 12 months you seize this golden opportunity.

In the approaching days and weeks, airfares will drop and change into cheaper before beginning to rise again, eventually peaking around Thanksgiving.

“As summer draws to a close and consumers are focused on returning to normal work and school schedules, our data shows that airfares are falling and we expect this trend to continue in the near future,” says Glenn Cusano, president of Fareportal, the corporate behind the OTA brands CheapOair and OneTravel.

There are loads of great deals available immediately, with several airlines launching specials with individual fares under $40 and even offering discounted all-you-can-fly passes as demand drops.

Additionally, travelers should give you the chance to seek out loads of reasonably priced hotel rates, especially in the event that they can reap the benefits of their unused vacation days and stay in the course of the week.

Globetrotters traveling within the off-season may give you the chance to save lots of even more cash by booking a vacation rental and having fun with a more comfortable stay. Experts at Vrbo indicate that travelers can save a whole lot per night on beach homes in popular coastal areas just like the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Gulf Shores in Alabama, Charleston in South Carolina and Pensacola in Florida.

Guests may even save as much as $900 per night on an eight-bedroom beachfront property in Miramar, Florida, in the course of the off-season moderately than the height summer season.

In addition to lower prices and fewer crowds, travelers may also enjoy great weather, especially in southern regions where it stays warm well into October.

However, the chance of destructive and disruptive tropical storm systems and hurricanes stays through November, so anyone traveling to essentially the most at-risk destinations should definitely consider protecting their investment with travel insurance.

If planning a visit in the course of the off-season daunts you, working with a trusted travel advisor may also help, as these helpful experts cannot only point you to the perfect savings based in your individual interests and aid you protect your trip, but may also get you special discounts through their connections with various suppliers.

Whatever your plans, don't miss out on one other golden offseason.

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