As part of a new tradition, the 49ers tend to change offensive coordinators this time of year.

Out with the old system, in with the new.
It has been that way since 2003.
Recent public endorsements for Jimmy Raye, however, suggest the cycle could come to a close. Coach Mike Singletary said earlier this month that Raye is doing a “fine job” and praised the coordinator’s ability to make changes on the fly.
Team president Jed York echoed that review.
“Guys trust Jimmy Raye. They believe in Jimmy Raye,” he said before a Dec. 14 game. “Even though we aren’t all the way where we want to be, I think we’re moving in that direction.”
Raye himself said he plans on being back for 2010.
Based on league rankings, though, it’s hard to see how he has distinguished himself from his replaceable predecessors. Entering Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions at Candlestick Park, the 49ers are 28th in the NFL in yards per game.
The 49ers are also bottom-feeders when it comes to converting on third down, at just 30 percent. Among 49ers coordinators since 2003, only Mike McCarthy (24 percent in 2005) fared worse.
So why not change play-callers again? 49ers quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson, 42, in his ninth year as an assistant, is considered a coordinator-in-waiting.
Singletary was asked recently if the long-term plan involved promoting Johnson to offensive coordinator.
“You know what, I want to talk about the short-term plan right now and stay focused on that before I talk about long-term plans,” Singletary responded.
Until then, the 49ers remain publicly committed to Raye.
Indeed, not all of the 49ers’ statistics this season are bleak. They rank seventh in red-zone efficiency, meaning they are making the most of their rare scoring chances.
Tight end Vernon Davis (11 touchdowns) and running back Frank Gore (10) are the first 49ers teammates with double-digit TD totals since Terrell Owens and Charlie Garner in 2000.
“Since I’ve been here, I haven’t really had the opportunity to show what I could do,” Davis said. “But now that Jimmy Raye has come in, he’s given me a lot more opportunity to make plays.”
The 49ers average 20.1 points per game, which ranks 18th in the league, and though that might not seem like much, it marks the first time they have ranked in the top 20 since 2003.
Raye’s supporters point out his ability to orchestrate an offensive overhaul in midstream.
Singletary originally ordered up a conservative offense led by Gore. But Gore’s ankle injury, a quarterback change from Shaun Hill to Alex Smith, the late addition of receiver Michael Crabtree and the emergence of Davis prompted the 49ers to re-evaluate.
In the blink of an eye, they became a shotgun-passing attack.
Over one three-game period starting Nov. 22, the 49ers ran just 42 times — the lowest number of rushes over a three-game stretch in 49ers history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“I think that Jimmy has adapted and adjusted,” Singletary said. “Anything that I’ve asked him to do, he’s been more than willing to do, and I think that he’s done a fine job.
“I think that Alex has adjusted to him well. I think that he (Jimmy) and Alex are on the same page.”
Still, Raye is putting up essentially the same numbers that got Mike Martz fired as offensive coordinator a year ago.
Martz averaged 311.1 yards and 21.2 points.
Raye averages 286.6 yards and 20.1 points.
And for all the early talk about establishing a running game, only two recent 49ers coordinators have fared worse than Raye’s 99.4-yard average on the ground. Jim Hostler averaged 92.3 yards (2007), and Ted Tollner managed just 90.6 (2004).
York has indicated that the best way for the 49ers to get out of their skid isn’t to have more change. It’s to have less. He said he plans to keep the same management team in place for 2010, including Singletary and general manager Scot McCloughan.
York said the ultimate call on the offensive coordinator belongs to Singletary. But in general, the 49ers think that keeping the same quarterback in the same system with the same supporting cast could lead to a long-awaited breakthrough.
“I think it’s very important to have continuity. I think (Singletary) has talked about the great job that Jimmy has done,” York said.
“It’s a process, it’s not something that happens overnight. I think you are starting to see the offense come together a little bit.”