Despite departures, the sky is not falling in 49er land

If you're interested in astronomy, you may have doing a lot of staring at the sky today trying to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse and, when you did, you will have noticed that the sky is not falling, which - after listening to a number of pundits dissect the 49ers' offseason - could come as a surprise.

The 49ers have lost a number of players this offseason, departures that have led many to determine that this is a franchise in the midst of a complete rebuild.

It's not difficult to see why people have come to that conclusion, in just one offseason the Niners have lost:

Losses

Jim Harbaugh - The Niners 'mutually' parted company with their head coach at the end of the season amid talk of discord with the front office. Highly respected co-ordinator Vic Fangio was among the members of Harbaugh's coaching staff to depart once Jim Tomsula was appointed as the replacement.

LB Patrick Willis - Willis retired with a year remaining on his contract citing injury concerns.

LB Chris Borland - Joined Willis in calling it quits due to fears over future head trauma.

RB Frank Gore - Joined the Indianapolis Colts in free agency on a three-year, $12million deal.

G Mike Iupati - Joined the Arizona Cardinals on a five-year, $40million deal.

CB Chris Culliver - Joined the Washington Redskins on four-year $32million deal..

CB Perrish Cox - Joined the Tennessee Titans on a three-year $15million deal.

WR Stevie Johnson - Released.

OLB Dan Skuta - Joined the Jacksonville Jaguars on five-year, $20.5million deal.

S Raymond Ventrone - Joined the New England Patriots as an assistant special-teams coach.

And for the sake of balance, here's who they have gained:

Gains

WR Torrey Smith — Signed on a five-year, $40million deal

DT Darnell Dockett — Signed on a two-year, $7.5million deal

WR Jerome Simpson — Signed on a two-year, $1.73million deal

TE Derek Carrier — Re-signed on a three-year, $2.985million deal

S Craig Dahl - Re-signed on a one-year, $1.3million deal

KR Jarryd Hayne — Signed on a three-year, $1.583million deal.

ILB Michael Wilhoite — Signed an exclusive rights free agency tender of $660,000.

DT Tony Jerod-Eddie — Signed on an exclusive rights free agency tender of $585,000.

QB Blaine Gabbert — Re-signed on a two-year, $2million deal.

OT/G Erik Pears — terms unknown.

RB Reggie Bush — terms unknown.

CB Shareece Wright — Signed on a one-year, $4million deal.

CB Chris Cook — Re-signed, terms not yet known.

The headline losses are of course Willis, Borland and Gore. Few expected Willis to call it a day despite his struggles with a two injury, however, it was Borland's decision to hang up the cleats up at the age of just 24 that has dominated the headlines in recent weeks.

Away from the discussions over the handling of concussions in the NFL, Borland's decision to give up the game ahead of a season in which he would have been viewed as Willis' replacement leaves the 49ers with a gaping hole next to NaVorro Bowman at inside linebacker, making the position a priority going into the draft. On the outside, though, the 49ers have decent depth despite losing Dan Skuta to the Jaguars.

Much has also been made of Gore's signing with the Colts but, with the details of his contract now revealed, it is understandable that the Niners elected not to match such an offer for a player who will be 32 when the season starts and does not have the same burst he once did, particularly with Carlos Hyde waiting in the wings to take over the starting running back role after averaging four yards per carry in 2014.

Mike Iupati's departure sees San Francisco lose one of the best run-blocking guards in the league, yet there was never any chance of the 49ers paying the kind of money the Cardinals are for an offensive lineman who has struggled markedly in pass protection, giving up seven sacks last season.

Perrish Cox was overpaid by the Titans following a campaign in which his play tailed off significantly towards the back end of the year, while Chris Culliver got the payday his performances in 2014 merited but was never likely to receive from the 49ers.

The 49ers have made smart business decisions not to bring back many of their free agents. Willis and Borland's retirements had nothing to do with the front office and yet the narrative remains that this a franchise heading for oblivion.

Of course it will be tough for the Niners to overcome the losses they have endured in terms of leadership but the fact is this is a team that still possesses plenty of talent and has been boosted by some decent acquisitions. Torrey Smith finally gives the 49ers a deep threat and is an upgrade on Michael Crabtree - who has yet to find a new home since hitting the open market - and Darnell Dockett should provide some extra pass-rush threat on the defensive line that could lose Justin Smith to retirement.

Reggie Bush figures to be a nice complement to Hyde if he can stay healthy and has previously excelled at catching passes out of the backfield, Erik Pears provides competition for the backup swing tackle role and Shareece Wright can fight it out with Jimmie Ward for the nickel cornerback role.

None of those deals, Smith aside, are going to wow people. But it feels as if, in the national media narrative, that they are not being taken into consideration when discussing the Niners.

Indeed, I've seen comments suggesting the 49ers will be a "legit bad team" in 2015 and that "8-8 may be there ceiling" and to be honest, even with everything that has gone, those remarks are baffling, not least because it is only March.

To be making such statements a month after the Super Bowl is asinine. Should the 49ers struggle, it will at least give the organisation and the fans a handle on Tomsula and his abilities and people will move on. My happiness is not absolutely dependent on the success of my sports teams and I would hope that is the case for most 49er fans.

There is pressure on Tomsula and his staff, there is pressure on Bowman and others to step up and fulfil the leadership roles vacated by Gore and Willis and there is of course a mountain of pressure on general manager Trent Baalke to deliver in the draft.

Despite all the upheaval, though, the 49ers are a team with plenty of promising players on the roster. The dissenting voices may have you believe otherwise, but there is good reason for the faithful to stay hopeful in 2015.