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Do you remember when the 49ers were good?

I'm not talking about Montana's 49ers. I'm talking about Harbaugh's. They were monsters. They were smartly run and nasty and brilliant. They were copied, feared, hated, taunted, did the taunting. They were an example, a blueprint, a rival, a bully. They were all these things. They were also something else: They were better than almost everyone else.

Harbaugh's first year, a rebuilding one in 2011, the 49ers went 13-3. It was the first time the franchise had gone to the playoffs in almost a decade. He'd go on to be the first coach to reach the NFC title game in each of his first three seasons. There was a Super Bowl appearance. There was an organization, helping to push another one located in Seattle to greatness. There was also a re-energizing of a great franchise.

Do you remember? Do you remember when the 49ers were good?

Keep those memories because after what is maybe the worst offseason any team has ever had, the 49ers are looking 3-13 squarely in the face.

Across the sport, interviews with team executives show a general shock at what's happened to the 49ers. That's the word used over and over: shock. One team executive said, "the 49ers are f----d." But generally, the emotion was shock.

Other teams look at the 49ers and, to a person, everyone I interviewed assigned blame for the current predicament to the front office. The 49ers are seen by others in the league as a dysfunctional unit: It was corralled by Harbaugh, and the absence of Harbaugh led to the current unraveling. But that is another story for another day.

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What's important now is the speed of the unraveling of this franchise. I spoke to a handful of front office people, and no one could ever remember an offseason atomization like this. The Ray Rice debacle with the Ravens was mentioned. The Ray Lewis murder charge was mentioned. But those situations, as chaotic as they were, involved just one player.

It is likely unprecedented to see a franchise go through this level of discombobulation. Some of the issues are blameless, others are not. Consider:

Harbaugh gone, along with most of his assistant coaches. While it's clear that Harbaugh did begin to irritate some in the locker room, it's also clear that Harbaugh was the glue.

Chris Borland gone. Had the potential to be one of the best young defensive players in football.

Frank Gore, one of the stabilizing forces in the locker room, gone.

Patrick Willis, multiple Pro Bowler, gone.

Michael Crabtree won't be back. Not a great player but had 68 catches last year.

Guard Mike Iupati went to Arizona. He's an extremely underrated player.

Cornerback Chris Culliver, who has had his own off-field issues, signed with Washington.

Dan Skuta, another promising player, signed with the Jaguars.

Justin Smith reportedly set to retire.

None of this includes the fact that some team officials still believe the 49ers will trade Colin Kaepernick despite the team's denials they will.

There are other issues, and not all of the issues were in management's control. Something has happened, though. Something more than what's on the surface. It's as if everyone capable of heading for the escape pods is indeed leaving.

All of this falls onto a coach, Jim Tomsula, who is unproven as a head coach. Welcome, Jim! If he is somehow able to get this carcass of a franchise to the postseason, he should win Coach of the Year for the next five years.

Torrey Smith? Good player. Reggie Bush, who the 49ers also signed? He's 800 years old. He caught passes from Y.A. Tittle.

The Browns haven't had a great offseason, with their starting quarterback in rehab, their GM texting and their wide receiver suspended, but they didn't lose a head coach.

Losing a coach the caliber of Harbaugh is what makes this maybe the worst offseason any franchise has ever seen. Maybe ever will see.

Do you remember when the 49ers were good?

Seems like such a long time ago.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.