Credit: Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE

The 49ers started their preseason schedule with a 17-6 win over the Vikings with the rushing attack leading the way.  The 49ers outrushed the Vikings 260 to 82, with 162 of those yards coming in the first two drives that ended in touchdowns.  Despite the offense being led by the running game, the 49ers’ quarterbacks shined in the win.

Alex Smith, who is expected to be the regular season starter, only played in the opening drive and threw three passes, but he was impressive in the little time he was on the field.  Smith engineered a 12-play, 84-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard fade to wide receiver Brett Swain in the end zone for a touchdown.  Smith only had 16 passing yards but was 3-for-3 passing.

The opening drive was very much like the 49ers offense from last season, with the rushing attack leading the way.  The 7-minute, 21-second opening drive saw Kendall Hunter (3 carries, 19 yards on drive) and Brandon Jacobs (3 carries, 28 yards) leading the way.  Hunter, Jacobs and Rock Cartwright, combined for 69 rushing yards on the opening driving.  The touchdown pass to Swain was set up by a 19-yard run by Cartwright and a 14-yard run by Hunter on the previous two plays.  The 49ers will have more of passing game this season with all of the new additions at wide receiver.  However, Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman in the game showed the 49ers offense will still be led by Frank Gore and the running game this season.  Gore, as expected, did not play in the game.

No. 2 backup quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, had the highlight of the game with a 78-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.  The play called was a read-option in which the quarterback either hands it off or tucks the football and runs depending on the defense.  Kaepernick ran plenty of read-option plays in college where he was the only quarterback in NCAA history to have three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Kaepernick was 5-for-9 pass with 40 yards passing and finished with 90 yards rushing.  The interesting part of the game for Kaepernick was the fact that all nine of his passing attempts were either in the shotgun formation or had him rolling out of the pocket.  His biggest weakness throwing is doing so while staying in the pocket.  You would think the 49ers coaches would have Kaepernick work out the kinks as a pocket passer, but they might be holding out on unleashing him until the second or third preseason games, in order to build up his confidence.

Third-string quarterback Scott Tolzien was on the field the longest and was the most impressive QB in the game.  Tolzien may not have Kaepernick’s speed; however, he is the better-rounded QB of the two.  He finished the game 10-of-13 passing with 84 yards and no touchdowns.  Despite Tolzien throwing an interception, he played well while in the pocket and showed great accuracy.  His best play was a dropped pass by receiver Nathan Palmer.  On the play, Tolzien was scrambling away from a safety blitz and waited until the last moment to release his throw as he was taking a hit.  Palmer should have caught the pass but dropped what would have been a 20-yard completion.

Other Highlights

Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss were two of the most anticipated players to watch in the game.  Neither was factor which was the plan for the 49ers.  Crabtree started the game and played only five snaps.  He was targeted once which went for a 3-yard reception.  Moss did not start and was targeted zero times in the game.  On the third play for the 49ers offense, Moss entered the game and blocked on a running play on the opposite side of the field from him.  The next play saw Moss clear out his side of the field with a fly route.  Not much from either receiver, however, seeing Moss blocking someone on the field, willingly and successfully, was encouraging.

Rookie A.J. Jenkins’ first reception of the game was a beauty with a diving catch along the sideline for a 15-yard gain in the second quarter.  Jenkins was targeted eight times and had two dropped passes.  He finished with two catches for 20 yards.  Jenkins was the receiver targeted the most (eight times) and that had a lot to do with him getting open which is a big development in his game.

Kyle Williams had two receptions for 12 yards; however, what was more interesting was the crowd booing him as he waited for his first punt return of the game in the second quarter.  Despite the crowd, Williams averaged 14 yards on two punt returns.

In the backfield, Jacobs had the best day for the running backs even though he did not lead them in rushing yards.  In fact, Jacobs only rushed four times for 31 yards, but all four rushes were for first downs.  On the opening drive, Jacobs had a 3-yard run on fourth-and-1 to keep the opening drive alive.  The running back showed he is still more than a short-yardage back with a 23-yard sprint on the opening drive.  The 49ers will likely keep Jacobs in the role of a short-yardage RB, but it is good to see he still can run for big gains with his 264-pound frame.

Anthony Dixon was all over the field playing at fullback, halfback and on special teams as he fights for a roster spot.  On special teams, Dixon showed he can block.  But he failed to pick up the blitz multiple times while in at fullback.  One led to a 6-yard rushing loss and another to a quarterback sack.  At halfback, Dixon had the most carries (12) and rushing yards (48) among the running backs, but he averaged only 3.8 yards per rush.  Dixon had a big mental mistake with just over two minutes left in the game.  The 49ers offense was trying to run out the game clock when Dixon ran out of bounds, which stopped the clock.  Not a mistake Dixon should be making with him being on the bubble of making the team.

The star on defense was outside linebacker Eric Bakhtiari who finished with four tackles and two sacks.  Bakhtiari has never made a regular season roster and has been on the practice squads of seven different teams since entering the NFL in 2008.  He is again fighting for a regular roster spot at a position the 49ers are well stacked.  If Bakhtiari continues his dominate play in the next three preseason games, coaches will be forced to put him on the 53-man roster.

Injuries

There was one injury to a starter which was outside linebacker Aldon Smith.  Smith suffered a bruised hip in the first quarter and will be out “maybe week or so” according to Harbaugh.  Smith did not return to the game after injuring himself while trying to tackle Vikings running back Toby Gerhart on a sweep.  The injury is unrelated Smith’s stabbing injuries he suffered in June.

Next Up

@ Houston Texans

Saturday, Aug 18, 2012 at 5:00PM (PDT)

Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

The San Francisco 49ers organization will see a very familiar face across the field, on the opponents sideline in tonight’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings: former head coach Mike Singletary.  The former 49ers head coach will be in San Francisco for the first time since he was fired in December 2010.  Singletary has spent the last two years as the Vikings linebacker coach.

Jim Harbaugh and Singletary were teammates from 1987-1992 when both played for the Bears.  Current Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier was also teammates with Singletary on the Bears, although from 1981-1986, and he hired Singletary shortly after the 2010 season.

It will be interesting to see the reaction to Singletary from the 49ers Faithful.  Assistant coaches are never introduced so Niner fans may not get their chance to cheer/jeer Singletary.  The only way would be if the former 49ers head coach is shown on the jumbotron, which is not out of the question.  I would hope Niner fans cheer for Singletary if they get the chance.  As much grief and heartache Singletary’s led 49ers had on the fans, he was partly responsible for the 49ers resurgence last season.

First, Harbaugh inherited a team that had great chemistry in the locker-room even though many of the players started tuning Singletary out towards the end of the season.  Second, Singletary turned around players like Vernon Davis, Ahmad Brooks and Tarell Brown who are now big contributors to the 49ers success.  Still, it’s hard to shake off all of the vanilla game plans the offense ran under Singletary.  Who can forget his goal of running the football 60% of the time each game.  Luckily now, because of Harbaugh, Niner fans can look back on the Singletary days in reflection, rather than complete hatred with the team coming off a 13-3 season and an NFC title game appearance.

When Alex Smith was asked about Singletary and if he would seek him, he said, “If we see him. I’m getting ready to play a game. I’m not thinking about seeing anybody or anything like that. But, yeah, our relationship is fine.”

Singletary did an interview this week and here is some of what he said,

No. 1, I’ll always be indebted to the 49ers. They gave me an opportunity when they could have chosen many others in their organization. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to get a first-hand look at an organization that really wants to win. I’ve learned a lot in the past year and a half, and a lot goes into the progress and process of becoming the best coach ever.

Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The San Francisco 49ers start their preseason with an exhibition game against the Minnesota Vikings at Candlestick Park on Friday.  Niner fans will get their first look at the 2012 49ers squad, while Jim Harbaugh and his coaches will get their first chance to evaluate players on field, in live action.  Preseason games tend to get overlooked by some fans, however, the first exhibition game is always the most exciting as we finally have football again after six months off!  There are plenty of position battles at training camp and storylines with the 49ers, here are five things to watch for tonight:

Minnesota Vikings (0-0) vs. San Francisco 49ers (0-0)

Candlestick Park

Kickoff: 6:00p.m. (PST)

Alex Smith and the Backup Quarterbacks

All four of the 49ers quarterbacks on the roster have to be longing for a chance to face a different defense other than their own, after getting dominated at much of training camp the past two weeks.  And who can blame them?  None of the 49ers’ QB’s has overwhelmed coaches at training camp, however, that has more to do with the defense returning all 11 starters and still being dominate like last season.

Harbaugh listed the 49ers QB depth chart for the Vikings game as: Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Josh Johnson, and Scott Tolzien.  All are expected to see some form of action during the game.

When Smith is on the field, keep an eye on his poise in the pocket and his decision making.  Smith does not need to go out and dazzle the fans, but he cannot have a dud of a game by completing one or two passes to go along with a handful of passing yards.  He will most likely be in for two or three offensive series, so he will need to make the best of his time while on the field.

Kaepernick is in a competition battle for the right to be Smith’s backup on the QB depth chart.  It was surprising to hear Harbaugh say there is a competition at all, and that it’s close.  Mainly, because Kaepernick is the heir apparent to Smith and he has more experienced with the offense entering his second season than Johnson or Tolzien.  It will be interesting to see how Kaepernick plays on the first series after he threw five interceptions in four preseason games last year.  In his first game on the field last preseason, he was intercepted and fumbled twice, and sacked four times.  Kaepernick called the 49ers’ preseason opener a chance “to go out and show everyone I’m a starter in this league.”

Really, the competition for the No. 2 spot is between Kaepernick and Johnson.  Both QB’s are running threats, but Kaepernick has the stronger arm and has shown a great ability to throw into tight windows downfield.  Should Kaepernick come out and have a good game, Johnson will need to at least match, if not surpass, his performance when he comes in with the second and third string teams.

The Crowded Backfield

Expect lots of running in tonight’s game.  One reason is the amount of running backs on the roster, but also because that will be the game plan as Harbaugh slowly unleashes the offense.  Frank Gore will probably only be on the field for a few plays, if at all, so in the first preseason game we will see more of Kendall Hunter, Brandon Jacobs, LaMichael James and Anthony Dixon.  There are other running backs at training camp, but the five mentioned is where Niner fans should focus.  With Gore not expected to play much, Hunter will most likely see the most rushes with Jacobs also being throw in the mix.  When it comes to Jacobs, it will be interesting to see how Harbaugh uses him in the game.  Jacobs will most likely fill the short-yardage role this season, but he will need to show in the preseason he can still be a traditional running back if he wants a bigger role in the running game.

In the two weeks of training camp, James has been used as an all-round running back.  He has even been used in short-yardage situations even though he stands in at 5 -9 and weighs 195 pounds.  James has been compared to Ravens running back Ray Rice, who is the same height but is around 15 pounds heavier.  James has shown in college and in training camp he is good at changing directions, has great speed and play-making abilities.  Don’t be surprised if you see James coming in to rest Gore or Hunter at any time in the game and not just third-down situations.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman on LaMichael James,

He’s a tough, in-between the tackles runner in college, and now it’s a matter of just him adapting to that in the pros. It’s a misconception that just because a guy’s not a big guy he can’t run inside.

Don’t overlook the fullback position in the game as Dixon will get his first action at the position since switching at training camp.  Dixon is in a position battle with last season’s starting fullback Bruce Miller and free-agent Rock Cartwright.  With so many running backs ahead of Dixon on the depth chart, his performance at fullback in the game could determine if the coaches continue trying him out at the position.

49ers’ Secondary

Keep an eye on Chris Culliver, Perrish Cox and Tramaine Brock.  All will most likely be backups at cornerback, however, with the 49ers going up against the top-five passing games from 2011, the defense will be in lots of nickel and dime packages.  That’s where the play of the three CB’s mentioned will be big for the 49ers this season.  Not only that, but with all 11 starters returning on defense this season for the 49ers, teams know they still can’t run on the D and will look to the passing game.  Last season the 49ers ranked first in the NFL in rushing defense giving up only 77.3 yards per game and allowed three rushing touchdowns.

Both Culliver and Cox have had excellent training camps to go along with starters Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown.  The 49ers defense tonight is not facing a juggernaut passing offense going up against the Vikings, so they should be able to dominate and not give up loads of yards.

Note: Last season teams attempted 579 passes and 353 runs against the 49ers.  That translates to being passed on 62% of the time and ran on 38% of the time.

Randy Moss and Michael Crabtree’s First Exhibition Game With 49ers

The drama has been building all offseason and the wait will finally end for Niner fans to see the best wide receiver on the team, in their first preseason game with the 49ers.  Yay!  But wait, you might be asking is this Randy Moss or Michael Crabtree we are talking about? Well, both!

After missing all 12 of his previous preseason games, Crabtree has been cleared to play and will make his exhibition debut in tonight’s matchup against the Vikings.  The receiver returned to practice this past Monday after missing eight practices because of a right calf injury.  Crabtree is the No. 1 receiver on the depth chart for the game and should see plenty of action.

Moss will make his debut on the field for the 49ers, however, he will not start the game.  Ted Ginn Jr. is listed as the No. 2 receiver tonight, so Niner fans might have to wait a few series before we see Moss in action.  The anticipation seeing Moss on the field in Red and Gold for the first time is running high.  Moss has a lot to prove and the expectations are high for him even though he was out of football for all of the 2011 season.  One reason for the high expectations is his great two weeks of training camp.  If one player will make a splash in tonight’s game, it will be Moss.

Oh, and in other wide receiver developments, Harbaugh said Kyle Williams would “most definitely” return punts against the Vikings.  Do I need to remind you of the last time Williams returned a punt at Candlestick Park?  What will be most interesting is the reaction of the 49ers Faithful when he runs onto field for his first punt return.

Converted Tight Ends

The 49ers offense is already set at tight end with Vernon Davis and Delaine Walker.  When it comes to coach Harbaugh though, you can never have enough weapons at one position.  See the running back and wide receiver positions.  In addition to Davis, Walker and other traditional tight ends at training camp, the 49ers have converted defensive ends Will Tukuafu and Demarcus Dobbs to the position.  Both have had good training camps learning the position, but Dobbs is currently the front-runner to become the 49ers No. 3 tight end on the roster.  So much so that he changed his number, from 96 to 40, in order to not have to report as an eligible receiver when comes on the field for offense.  Dobbs is still practicing at defensive end at training camp which ups his chance of making the final 53-man roster.

Should Dobbs make the final roster, he would be the No. 3 tight end, but would mainly be used a blocking tight end.  Still, he is a threat to catch a pass as he has been making plays in the end zone at training camp.  We have all seen how offensive coordinator Greg Roman likes to catch defenses off-guard by using unsuspecting players as receivers.