Starting strong safety Michael Lewis suffered his third concussion since August 18 in the Falcons loss.  For any football player to have three concussions in their career is a serious thing and for Lewis to have his third in almost as many months is not good.  I don’t expect Lewis to play the rest of the season and with strong safety backup Reggie Smith out of action in recent weeks because of a groin injury it looks like free safety Mark Roman will start until Smith comes back from his injury.  After the 49ers secondary got scorched and exposed by Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and the rest of his offense the absence of Lewis and Smith does not bode well for the 49ers when they face the high powered offenses of the Texans and Colts on the road.

Coach Mike Singletary said in his news conference on Monday that there might be a change at right guard.  Chilo Rachal who has been starting at right guard did not play well against the Falcons.  Rachal was responsible for a sack when the Falcons only rushed three defensive lineman and still managed to get to quarterback Shaun Hill.  I thought Rachal was going to be solid at right guard but so far this year he has been a disappointment.  Backup guard Tony Wragge might be in the starting lineup after the bye week.  The right side of the 49ers offensive line is a mess.  Not only do we have issues with Rachal being able to block but also at right tackle with Adam Snyder and Tony Pashos who have been alternating because neither seem to be able to consistently block on any play.  As bad and slow starting the offense has been some blame can go to offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, the running game and Shaun Hill but all plays start and end with the offensive line.  If one side of your O-line is not getting the job done the defense will exploit the weakness.

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Boo Brett Favre

I hate Brett Favre.  He always seems to find a way to beat the Niners.  The 49ers were so close on a number fronts in pulling off the win and a 3-0 start to the season.  You can even say that it was a game of inches.  In the final seconds of the game with the 49ers up 24-20 Favre was pursued by DE Justin Smith who was an inch away from sacking Favre before he threw his heartbreaking TD pass to WR Greg Lewis; sack, end of game, Niners are 3-0.  With Safety Mark Roman covering Lewis if the throw was one more inch to the left Roman would have broken the pass up, end of game, Niners are 3-0.  When Lewis came down with the catch if his foot was half an inch more towards the end of the end zone, no TD, end of game, Niners are 3-0.

Well, none of it went that way for the 49ers and they lost 27-24 and have a 2-1 record on the season.  The fact that the 49ers did not give up after a dismal first-half on offense shows the 49ers have confidence in what they can accomplish.  Nate Clements 59 yard touchdown after he picked up a blocked field by Ray McDonald helped the 49ers confidence going to into half-time.  Losing Frank Gore for the game with an ankle sprain did not help but Shaun Hill held his composure and did what he needed to do when the game was on the line.  Unfortunately his counterpart, Favre, did the same but in the final seconds of the game.  What hurt the 49ers the most was the kickoff return ran back by rookie Percy Harvin in the third quarter after the 49ers went up 17-13 with a Joe Nedney field-goal.  The 49ers were riding high as the D mostly contained Adrian Peterson even though he had 85 yards rushing with no touchdowns.  In the end though Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye went too conservative on their final drive going three and out with three straight running plays.  The 49ers had to punt and gave Favre and the Vikings a chance to come back with a minute and a half to play.  Way too much time for Favre.  I knew when the Vikings started at their own 20 yard line the game was going to come down to the wire.  I was hoping for a different outcome.

Game Takeaways

The Pros:

• Vernon Davis had a career high game catching 7 passes for 96 yards with two touchdowns.  Shaun Hill looked to Davis all day and his most impressive catch was not the two TD’s he scored but when Hill threw the ball to Davis and he went up to grabbed the pass between two Vikings players, got sandwiched by both and held onto the ball for a first-down.  Davis is becoming a threat and Hill will look to him more often for the rest of the season
• Jimmy Raye stayed to true to the running game even after Gore went out with an injury.  Glen Coffee rushed 25 times for 54 yards.  The reason why this is a pro is because the 49ers set-up their passing game with the run game.  If Raye would have panicked and started throwing more the 49ers would not have had the lead in the final seconds.
• Shaun Hill had his coming of age game.  It was not anything spectacular  but he had a modest game throwing 15 for 25, 195 yards, two touchdowns with one interception.  Hill has the confidence to be starter and believes in himself that he can lead the 49ers to victories as long as he limits his mistakes.
• The defense was remarkable in stopping Adrian Peterson.  They did not allow him to break off any big runs and held him to 85 yards with no touchdowns.  The biggest concern on D this year was suppose to be the pass rush.  The 49ers showed they have one and for the third consecutive game had a sack (Mark Roman; Aubrayo Franklin).  Favre was pressured all day and threw one interception.  The secondary could have had two more if Nate Clements and Dre’ Bly did not drop potential INT’s.
• The offensive line played well against a very tough Vikings defensive line.  Jared Allen had one sack but that was in the first quarter and after that the O-line gave Hill the time he needed to make plays.

The Cons:

• As much as I was happy Raye stayed committed to the run to set up the passing game he and Singletary were too conservative on the Niners final drive rushing three straight times.  Yes, the running did mean the Vikings had to call their three timeouts.  But when you have Favre all you need is one play regardless of time left or how many timeouts you have.  Give him a second to snap the ball and he will beat you.  At least one dump pass to Coffee or even to Davis to try to get a first down to keep the drive alive could have saved the 49ers victory.
• The big blow was Pecy Harvin’s kickoff return for a touchdown.  The 49ers are one of the best Special Teams unit in the NFL and they showed that with their blocked field goal ran back for a touchdown and with the leg of punter Andy Lee.  But to have a TD ran back was not the worst.  No one on the 49ers touched Harvin.  Unacceptable.
• The 49ers on offense did not show up in the first half.  It was basically non-existent.  Even though Gore was out Hill needs to play the first half like he did in the second half if the 49ers want to be a playoff team.  The 49ers were 0-11 on third down.  That will not win you football games.  
• As well as the 49ers D-line played they still allowed Favre to pass for 301 yards and two touchdowns. 

Game Grades:

Offense:  B- (The lack of offense in the first half hurt, so did losing Frank Gore who might miss the next two games)

Defense: B (Stopping the rushing attack of Peterson is why they get such a high grade.  Favre passing for 301 yards and the final gaming winning TD lowers their grade)

Special Teams: C+ (Great punting, a great field goal blocked ran back for touchdown is nice, but to have a kickoff returned and not lay a hand on Harvin negates anything positive you did in the game before the return.)

Coaching: B-  (Glad they stuck to the run but were too conservative on the final drive.  One pass attempt could have saved the game.  But the way Greg Manusky had his defensive unit stopping the Vikings I can see way they leaned on the 49ers D to win the game for them.  Singletary needs to have more confidence in his offense.  He did show a little of that in the game when he went for it on fourth down.

Next Up:

@ home vs. Rams.  Good thing about this loss is the hapless Lams are coming into town.  The game will not be a walkover for the Niners but they have a good chance to rebound from the heartbreaking loss with a win.

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The 49ers secondary were beat deep down the field many times last year and they will have to improve on their lack of interceptions.  If the defensive backs can get help from the D-linemen by pressuring the quarterback more often an increase in broken up passes and interceptions will happen while getting beat on a long pass will decrease.

CB Nate Clements:  The durable veteran is entering his third season with the Niners and Clements great tackling skills and his ability to match up against the best receivers in the NFL makes the 49ers secondary respectable.  But Clements is only one man and the rest of the secondary will need to produce for the 49ers to win games on defense.

CB Shawntae Spencer:  After sustaining a torn ACL last season that ended with him being placed on injured reserve Spencer went into training camp determined to get his starting job back after Walt Harris supplanted him the last two years.  Ironically Harris suffered a torn ACL during OTA’s which opened the door for Spencer to become the starter again.  Shortly after Harris’ injury the Niners signed Dre’ Bly and the prospect of Spencer starting diminished.  When you are under the radar the big plays you make are more noticeable to the coaches because you come out of nowhere and the coaches do not expect that.  Let’s hope his knee injury can hold up for a whole season and that it does not cause him to let the receiver run by him.

Strong Safety Michael Lewis:  Two concussions in August make him uncertain for week 1.  Lewis is a solid safety and was third on the team last year in tackles racking up 118.  Concussions are serious injuries and with Lewis being a hard hitter it is uncertain when he will play this season.  We need him back as soon as possible.

Free Safety Dashon Goldson:  The third year pro replaced former starter Mark Roman by having a strong training camp and playing well in the preseason.  Goldson is a known hard hitter and his speed and instincts will allow him to make plenty of plays this season.  Goldson is ready to break out this year.

Key Reserves:

CB Dre’ Bly:  When the 49ers signed Bly in the off-season to replace the injured Walt Harris I automatically assumed he would be the starter.  The 11 year veteran showed in training camp he still has what it takes to cover quick receivers but that was not enough to earn a starting job.  Bly’s playing time will come mostly in the Nickel package as he will be the first corner off the bench because he excels at covering receivers down the field.  His 40 interceptions in ten seasons is impressive and if he can keep up the way he has been playing during his career Bly could be starting at cornerback at some point in the season.

CB Tarell Brown:  He was competing for Harris’ starting job along with Bly but he did not have an impressive training camp or preseason.  Brown’s contribution to the D this year will be in the Nickel package.  Bly will get the first look in the Nickel package so Brown’s playing will be limited unless someone gets injured.

Strong Safety Reggie Smith:  With starter Michael Lewis sustaining two concussions in the preseason his status for the start of the season is questionable.  Enter Smith.  He only has one year of experience and played in only three games last year so he is a question mark.  He is a versatile player who can also play the corner position but I am hoping Lewis will be able to come back and play in week 1.  Relying on a player who has only three games of experience makes me uneasy.

Special Teams:

The 49ers have one of the best special teams units in the NFL.  Led by coach Al Everest the special teams will put the 49ers in position to make plays on both sides of the football.  Joe Nedney is still automatic but his ability to make field goals 40 yards or longer has been an issue.  But when you have a Pro-Bowl punter in Andy Lee, who will try to pin down the opposing offense inside the 20 yard line and Pro-Bowl return man in Allen Rossum who will try to get the 49ers great field position, the special teams unit will be counted on again this year to give the 49ers offense and defense some help.

Kicker Joe Nedney:  He is getting older and has lost some range but Nedney is a dependable kicker who can score three points in pressure situations.  He does confuse me sometimes like last year against the Seahawks in week 2 he missed a 41-yard field goal at the end of regulation to win the game, but then he won the game with 40-yard field goal in overtime.  He will miss some kicks but he is still considered one of the better kickers in the league.

Punter Andy Lee:  The 2007 Pro-Bowl and All-Pro punter put up great numbers last year by setting a career-high and Niners single-season record with a 47.8 gross average on punts, breaking his own previous record of 47.3 avg. in 2007.  He also had a career-long punt of 82 yards against the Patriots last year.  Like in years past Lee will make up for what the offense cannot accomplish by pinning opponents deep in their own territory.

Kick/Punt Returner Allen Rossum:  Last year Rossum had career high averages in kick-off returns (26.8 yards) and punt returns (14.9 yards) and we should expect more of the same from the specialist.  Getting good field position before every drive will help the 49ers offense especially Shaun Hill in that they will not have to go many yards for a score.

Five Keys to Success:

1.  Safety Michael Lewis needs to stay healthy if the 49ers secondary wants to improve on the multiple times they were beat deep down the field last year.  He has had two concussions in a month and the 49ers might have to rely on Reggie Smith for much of the season if precaution is taken with Lewis’ head injury.  The opponents D will exploit Smith.

2.  Nate the Great needs to be Nate the Great.  He was outstanding while on the Bills which is why the 49ers signed him to a big contract.  He has done a decent job the two years on the roster but we need to see more out of Clements this year.

3.  Joe Nedney will have plenty of opportunities to make game-tying or game winning field goals.  He needs to capitalize where the 49ers offense falters.

4.  If punter Andy Lee can continue being one of the best punters in the league the 49ers will be in good shape each game.  He will give the 49ers defense plenty of chances to make big plays.

5.  We are not sure how effective Dashon Goldson, making his first career start in week 1, and Shawntae Spencer, starting for the first time in two years, will be.  A lot will be riding on the two starters but with Goldson’s tackling and hitting abilities and with Spencer determined to show he still has what it takes to make plays I think both will be reliable this season.  They know there are players waiting on the bench eager to take over the starting job.

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