NFC WEST 49ers are having worst start since the 1979 season

Coach Dennis Erickson is enduring his worst start (1-5) in six NFL seasons.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- During the San Francisco 49ers' bye week, Dennis Erickson wants his players to get as far away as possible from their burgeoning disaster of a season.
Erickson could use a bit of rest as well, but that's not part of the job description.
"Nobody gets used to anything like this," Erickson said. "It's hard for everyone involved. Nobody does these things on purpose. Nobody fumbles on purpose, nobody misses tackles on purpose. When you play hard and prepare like we all do and lose close games, it becomes hard."
After blowing a 14-point lead in a 22-14 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday, the 49ers (1-5) are off to their worst start since 1979 and Erickson's worst start in six NFL seasons. It's a young, inexpensive team with a rash of serious injuries and no front-office direction -- all in all, a recipe for the longest season of Erickson's life.
At least he's taking it with a sense of humor: Erickson joked Monday about "the 200 years that I've coached here in the past month."
Saw a challenge
After the off-season departures of seven offensive starters in the franchise's much-criticized salary purge, Erickson knew that even matching last season's 7-9 record would be difficult.
And the year has been every bit as tough as he expected: Without a frantic rally from a 16-point deficit for an overtime win over Arizona, the 49ers would be winless entering their off week.
Erickson has worked to keep his players upbeat despite being overmatched nearly every week so far this season. San Francisco kept it close in three of the losses, and the coaches have emphasized the positive aspects in an effort to avoid despair.
But the bye week arrives at an opportune time for the 49ers, who have nearly a third of their roster on the injury report. Quarterback Tim Rattay was the latest addition with a strained muscle in his forearm -- not the same muscle that hindered him earlier in the season, but a new injury in nearly the same spot.
"I was surprised that he could play [Sunday]," Erickson said of Rattay, who went 18-of-28 for 286 yards against the Jets. "We'll rest him this week, and hopefully he's ready to go next week."
Offense had struggled
Blame for the 49ers' struggles can't be assigned to one unit. Until taking an early 14-0 lead against the Jets, San Francisco's offense had struggled to move the ball on its early drives, repeatedly putting the 49ers in a hole. The defense has been intermittently effective -- but not enough to keep the 49ers close in most games.
San Francisco's offensive line has been hit by several injuries, most notably center Jeremy Newberry's knee surgery. The injuries and resulting substitutions have hampered the 49ers' traditionally sound running game, and Kevan Barlow has just 367 yards rushing after six games, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
"We've been playing musical chairs up front, and it's hard for the offensive line to get cohesiveness," Barlow said. "How can they get chemistry as a group? Hopefully once we get all the guys together, we can start to play together."