Sense of urgency for 49ers, Raiders

Jim Harbaugh's full San Francisco 49ers squad hits the field in Santa Clara to start training camp Thursday, which is Day 1 of another planned gallop into the playoffs.

Dennis Allen's full Oakland Raiders squad starts practicing a day later in Napa, and this event should be cracking with kinetic energy, too.

Two edgy franchises, two high-strung coaches, two levels of expectation "but there's one unifying Bay Area training camp theme this summer:

No more patience.

Thanks to the lack of closure in the past few seasons, this year shapes up as either a long-awaited breakthrough or a breaking point for these teams.

And not much in between.

The 49ers crave a Super Bowl title after three bitter near-misses in Harbaugh's first three seasons; there's a natural buildup of angst and over-anticipation.

Meanwhile, Harbaugh's contractual situation looms as a larger issue every day, some significant players aren't so young anymore, and two stalwarts are upset about their own contracts.

That comes as the York family counts up all the money its new stadium is already producing. (Yes, Harbaugh -- who has two years left on his original five-year deal -- is very aware of this financial fact.)

Of course, the 49ers are still extremely talented; there are up-and-comers stocked everywhere on this roster.

But this season will determine whether owner Jed York and General Manager Trent Baalke have to recycle the roster in 2015 and how much leverage Harbaugh (and some star players) will have heading into next offseason.

There's tension; there's money everywhere; there's a lot riding on this single season.

And the Raiders need a breakthrough season for an entirely different reason:

Owner Mark Davis has kept Allen and General Manager Reggie McKenzie on the job through back-to-back 4-12 seasons, but it's hard to believe he would absolve them if they deliver another poor campaign.

Allen and McKenzie understand this, absolutely.

That's why they imported quarterback Matt Schaub and a slew of other mid-career veterans who might not be around much past this season but who are needed right now.

Because it's urgent.

That's not bad. That's just the way things work when the pressure builds for a few seasons, patience is displayed and then exhausted, and everything becomes a full mad rush to a conclusion.

Just a few more individual examples of how the pressure is working for both teams:

-- Urgent example: The 49ers' support of linebacker Aldon Smith through several legal problems, including his recent 12-day sentence on weapons and DUI charges and pending NFL punishment.

Harbaugh & Co. need a pass rusher to beat Seattle, Smith is one of the best in the league, and the 49ers are crossing their fingers and hoping Smith sacks Russell Wilson more often than he gets into trouble.

-- Urgent example: Schaub at quarterback, backed up by rookie Derek Carr.

The Raiders haven't had a quarterback they could depend on since Rich Gannon in the early 2000s, and this situation is much better than last year, when they banked on Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor.

But G.M./coach regimes only get two shots at picking the right quarterback, and this is their second shot at it.

-- Urgent example: Quarterback Colin Kaepernick as the prime focus of the 49ers offense.

For three years, the 49ers have had trouble scoring in the red zone and have bogged down in the passing game; but they just locked up Kaepernick to a rich new deal (that is mostly nonguaranteed).

There are large signs that they plan to move away from their standard run-first mentality and generally open things up to set up an offense that can beat the Seahawks.

That's putting a lot of responsibility on Kaepernick, who has earned it.

-- Urgent example: The Raiders' dependence on second-year cornerback D.J. Hayden, who was a disappointment in 2013, and rookie linebacker Khalil Mack, who could be the team's best player immediately.

If the Raiders can't produce instant stars out of high first-round picks, that will be a troubling sign for McKenzie and Allen's continued employment.

-- Urgent example: The 49ers' contract squabbles with tight end Vernon Davis and guard Alex Boone (while left tackle Joe Staley quietly sought and got an extension).

Davis and Boone are under contract, but both skipped most of the offseason workouts and might not show for the start of camp.

They're trying to use the 49ers' urgency against the team--with as much riding on this season, can the 49ers play hardball with two key parts?

In a way, the 49ers have set themselves up for this; when you want something that badly, it will cost you something.

The Raiders want stability. The 49ers want a title. The 2014 urgency is palpable, and the tackling and bellowing haven't even started yet.

Sports on 07/22/2014

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