San Francisco 49ers Mid-Season Report
During the 49ers bye week we reached the half-way point of the season and needless to say our team has not lived up to preseason expectations. At the midway point of the season I thought the 49ers would have a 5-3 record with the losses coming against the Saints, Falcons and Broncos. Instead we are 2-6 with wins against the Raiders and Broncos. Since the start of the past off-season up until week ten we have seen a player go AWOL, a player retire, our two high profiled receivers get in a shouting match, an offensive coordinator fired, a veteran player quit during the season, the starting quarterback almost getting pulled, same starting quarterback getting injured and a third-string quarterback starting in week nine and winning. Numerous things have gone wrong this season and a lot of people share the blame for the 49ers not competing and winning. I am going to break down the season so far Game Gold Nugget style. GGN’s are awarded based on the 49ers play for the season, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best.
This was the year Alex Smith was suppose to have his breakout season. Problem is I based this on Smith being with the same offensive coordinator for consecutive seasons for the first time is his career but the offensive coordinator was so predictable with his playing calling Peyton Manning would have failed in the offense. Now entering week 10 of the season the quarterback is third-stringer Troy Smith who has equaled Alex’s win total and has Mike Singletary peeing in his pants with excitement. The quarterback position has been a huge issue for the 49ers and has been responsible for the all six defeats
Frank Gore once again is the workhorse for the 49ers and that is not a good thing. Sure Gore’s 1,039 all-purpose yards this season has been the lone highlight and kept the offense from being the worst in the league but at some point Gore will break down. What will the 49ers do if that happens? Have rookie Anthony Dixon and Brian Westbrook who have rushed for a combined 14 times this season share the load? The 49ers plan for Gore if he gets hurt is much like the plan Singletary had for Alex Smith if he got hurt: Hope they don’t get injured. The logic of this is not becoming for a head coach. It screams we have no backup plan so keep your fingers crossed. At some point Gore will break down whether it is this season or next. If anything Gore is the only reason for the offense receiving a GGN.
The receivers have not lived up to their potential and defenses are setting their sights on stopping Gore and are not worried about the passing game. Vernon Davis has become none existent in the offense because he is the only receiver getting double coverage. Double coverage on a tight end should mean man-to-man coverage on the outside which Michael Crabtree is not taking advantage of. If anyone thinks Crabtree missing all of the preseason games has nothing to do with his bad play this season, think again. Crabtree needs to start acting like a number one receiver and beat his man coverage down the field. The problem has also been the accuracy at quarterback but there have been passes dropped by Crabtree.
When you have only one offensive lineman starting at the same position from the previous season you know your line is a work in progress. Throw-in two rookie linemen, a backup guard now playing center and an underachieving former first-round pick and you have the problem on offense. The offensive line is great at run-blocking and that shows in Gore’s numbers going against eight defenders in the box but when it comes to pass blocking even proven veteran Joe Staley has struggled this season. The offensive line was responsible for Alex Smith’s injury and is to blame for the weak passing offense. This group of linemen will be good in the future but have clearly shown they are a long way from reaching that point.
DEFENSE:
Teams have focused in on stopping linebacker Patrick Willis at all costs and it allows the 49ers to give up big plays and points on defense. Willis is still his old self and has not slowed down but with teams specifically targeting him to take him out of each play has had its effects on the defense. The linebacker corps has played well this season with Takeo Spikes, Travis LaBoy and Manny Lawson picking up the slack on defense.
The defense line is struggling compared to last season. A lot I think has to do with nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin not being the run stopper that he has been the last two seasons. You would think with Franklin being in a contract year he would be having a career year. Problem is he did not report to the team until a few weeks before the season started. Justin Smith needs to take hold and lead the defensive line back to their play from last year when teams could not run the football and constant pressure was applied on the quarterback.
I did not think it was possible but the secondary has gotten worse compared to last season. Offenses are targeting rookie Taylor Mays and also Will James. Shawntae Spencer and Nate Clements couldn’t stop an offensive lineman from making a catch if they had the opportunity. The most glaring stat for the secondary in the first-half of the season is giving up 308 passing yards to Panthers quarterback Matt Moore who was making his first start in three weeks.
SPECIAL TEAM:
Joe Nedney has missed a few field goals this season that should have been made but that will happen to a kicker from time to time. Nedney is still clutch and can still be relied upon to make game winning kicks. Punter Andy Lee is having a Pro Bowl type season landing 18 of his 46 punts inside the 20-yard line.
The return game had been an issue early in the season when Ted Ginn Jr. was hurt. With Ginn back in the return game the 49ers are a threat to score. The touchdown has not come yet but Ginn is poised for a TD return in the second-half of the season.
The coverage unit has improved with each game this season. In the first three weeks I was wishing it still had former great coverage man Michael Robinson who is no longer with the team. Curtis Taylor has filled in Robinson’s shoes nicely and has improved the down field tackling of the coverage team.
COACHING:
When you have to fire your offensive coordinator after two games you know things are not going well. New offensive coordinator Mike Johnson has done a good job of opening up the 49ers playbook and ending the predictability. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has seen his defensive unit decline in production which he shares the blame for.
Thinking back on Singletary’s decision to start Troy Smith it really should have come as no surprise. His coaching philosophy is that it does not matter who is your quarterback as long as you play smash mouth football and run sixty percent of the time you will win. Singletary is schizophrenic when it comes to the quarterback position. Two years ago when Singletary took over as interim head coach he removed J.T. O’Sullivan as the starter and named Shaun Hill the quarterback the rest of the season. Last year he waited well into the preseason games to name a starting quarterback choosing Hill over Alex Smith. Singletary pulled Hill after five games with a 3-2 record and started Smith the rest of the year.
This off-season Singletary said he had faith in Smith but deep down I think he was saying the quarterback position is unimportant to the success of the team. Evidence of this was his plan if Smith got hurt during the season. Now Troy Smith is Singletary’s new favorite player to fill out the quarterback position. When Troy shows his true third-string self Singletary will go back to Alex at quarterback.
Prediction for the second half:
The 49ers will go 4-4 in the second half starting with consecutive wins against the Rams and Buccaneers, then a win in week 14 against the Seahawks and a win against the Cardinals in the last game of the season. With a 6-10 record if the 49ers are in first place at the end of the season the NFC West should be dissolved.