I don't understand. They were still great in 1995-1998, then they lost their Hall of Fame QB to an injury when they were 2-1. There was no decline whatsoever. No fade into mediocrity. They were great, then they weren't, immediately, due to the QB situation.I can read their records too. That doesn't tell me anything. Maybe, with the benefit of hindsight, there were signs in 96. Was the defense getting old? Was the drafting shitty? Just like maybe there are signs today with the Patriots that can put the current team future in some historical context. Maybe there weren't and we can learn nothing and people can just argue about whether the end is nigh, or the end is truly nigh.
Edit: oh and Jerry Rice moved on after 1999