[OutsiderFan]

Difference with ‘84 and now is depth.  Which OF ignores.  Defensive line had Big Hands Johnson, Kelcher, Michael Carter. Backup TE was Earl Cooper.  Fuller backup safety.  Just a few examples.  Again, no cap.  But the depth of that team was remarkable.

I'm not ignoring anything. That 1984 team did have great depth on the DL, but not much elsewhere. And it only had 3 Hall of Fame players.

But when I say most talented team, I mean relative to everyone else. In a salary cap era, it's way, way harder to accumulate as much top tier talent on a roster that the Niners have. And a natural outgrowth is going to be sacrificing depth to some degree if you assume minimum level free agents and rookies aren't going to be top end right away.

The 2023 Niners had 8 guys in the NFL Top 100 players in the pre-season rankings. This was the most of any NFL team, and that didn't include several guys that arguably could or should be.

Would you say Brock Purdy is a Top 100 player?  I would. That's 9.
Kyle Juszcyzk was on Top 100 for two previous years, but not 2023 and will be a Pro Bowl FB again. He'd be 10.
Javon Hargrave? He was #98 in 2022 and somehow fell off after his monster 2022 season. That's 11.
How about Charvarious Ward? Was ranked #10 CB by NFL.com in pre-season, and is even better IMO. That's 12.
Brandon Aiyuk? Think he is a Top 100 talent? If so, he would be 13.
Arik Armstead, Tashaun Gipson, and Deommodore Lenoir might not be Top 100, but they are really good too.

Jake Brendel isn't Top 100, but I've seen David Andrews of the Patriots play this year who's suppose to be a Top 10 Center, and I'd take Brendel. He may give up more pressures than most people like, but his ability to block down field is more valuable to the Niners than the pressures he yields that don't result in sacks, especially with how quick Purdy gets rid of the ball.

The Niners have about 3-4x more top talent than the average NFL team in 2023 could have with an equal Top 100 talent distribution, including 5 HOF players not including Purdy if he were to be as good as he is is now for 10+ years.

All these "who's better" sports debates never really have definitive answers, but it is usually the case that the best teams have the most talent. The 2023 Niners are dominating in a way no Niners team in history has to this point in a season, suggesting historical talent on the roster. Obviously, coaching - putting players in the best position to succeed - is part of the equation too, so that's another variable to factor in. There is a reason this Niners team is also favored to win every game this season. 

And...Donte Whitner - who knows something about the NFL - has even boldly predicted 17-0 FWIW:
https://www.knbr.com/2023/10/09/donte-wh...ndefeated/

Look, I'm not making any bold prediction like this because it just seems so unrealistic. I saw the bogus PI on Eric Wright in 1984 that prevented perfection that year. But it is conceivably possible if they can win at Cleveland, which is arguably the toughest game they will have all year in terms of getting up to play it after the big Cowboys stomping. If they win this weekend, it will show they can handle success and win without their A game that I fully don't expect to see. The @Seattle, @Philly, vs. Seattle 3-game stretch will be a gauntlet.

[OutsiderFan]

Difference with ‘84 and now is depth.  Which OF ignores.  Defensive line had Big Hands Johnson, Kelcher, Michael Carter. Backup TE was Earl Cooper.  Fuller backup safety.  Just a few examples.  Again, no cap.  But the depth of that team was remarkable.

I'm not ignoring anything. That 1984 team did have great depth on the DL, but not much elsewhere. And it only had 3 Hall of Fame players.

But when I say most talented team, I mean relative to everyone else. In a salary cap era, it's way, way harder to accumulate as much top tier talent on a roster that the Niners have. And a natural outgrowth is going to be sacrificing depth to some degree if you assume minimum level free agents and rookies aren't going to be top end right away.

The 2023 Niners had 8 guys in the NFL Top 100 players in the pre-season rankings. This was the most of any NFL team, and that didn't include several guys that arguably could or should be.

Would you say Brock Purdy is a Top 100 player?  I would. That's 9.
Kyle Juszcyzk was on Top 100 for two previous years, but not 2023 and will be a Pro Bowl FB again. He'd be 10.
Javon Hargrave? He was #98 in 2022 and somehow fell off after his monster 2022 season. That's 11.
How about Charvarious Ward? Was ranked #10 CB by NFL.com in pre-season, and is even better IMO. That's 12.
Brandon Aiyuk? Think he is a Top 100 talent? If so, he would be 13.
Arik Armstead, Tashaun Gipson, and Deommodore Lenoir might not be Top 100, but they are really good too.

Jake Brendel isn't Top 100, but I've seen David Andrews of the Patriots play this year who's suppose to be a Top 10 Center, and I'd take Brendel. He may give up more pressures than most people like, but his ability to block down field is more valuable to the Niners than the pressures he yields that don't result in sacks, especially with how quick Purdy gets rid of the ball.

The Niners have about 3-4x more top talent than the average NFL team in 2023 could have with an equal Top 100 talent distribution, including 5 HOF players not including Purdy if he were to be as good as he is is now for 10+ years.

All these "who's better" sports debates never really have definitive answers, but it is usually the case that the best teams have the most talent. The 2023 Niners are dominating in a way no Niners team in history has to this point in a season, suggesting historical talent on the roster. Obviously, coaching - putting players in the best position to succeed - is part of the equation too, so that's another variable to factor in. There is a reason this Niners team is also favored to win every game this season. 

And...Donte Whitner - who knows something about the NFL - has even boldly predicted 17-0 FWIW:
https://www.knbr.com/2023/10/09/donte-wh...ndefeated/

Look, I'm not making any bold prediction like this because it just seems so unrealistic. I saw the bogus PI on Eric Wright in 1984 that prevented perfection that year. But it is conceivably possible if they can win at Cleveland, which is arguably the toughest game they will have all year in terms of getting up to play it after the big Cowboys stomping. If they win this weekend, it will show they can handle success and win without their A game that I fully don't expect to see. The @Seattle, @Philly, vs. Seattle 3-game stretch will be a gauntlet.