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5 lessons SF 49ers learned after losing to Cardinals in Week 1

By Akshaj Dwivedula

Chris Banjo #31 of the Arizona Cardinals intercepts a pass intended for Jerick McKinnon #28 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Chris Banjo #31 of the Arizona Cardinals intercepts a pass intended for Jerick McKinnon #28 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Ben Garland #63, Laken Tomlinson #75 and Trent Williams #71 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

SF 49ers Lesson No. 3: The offensive line needs more than Trent Williams

If there was one player who was exceptional on Sunday in every rep, it was newly acquired left tackle Trent Williams, who played like an All-Pro. When he lined up against Pro Bowl pass-rusher Chandler Jones, Jones went nowhere. When Williams blocked in the run game, his man was stone-walled. The blind side of Jimmy Garoppolo was protected to a level Niner fans haven’t seen since prime Joe Staley, and that might even be an understatement.

However, the rest of the offensive line was not good. Left guard Laken Tomlinson seemed average if not unspectacular. But once eyes passed the left side it was a mess.

Right tackle Mike McGlinchey was man-handled by Jones the entire game. No matter the situation, Jones got the better of him, and it was downright ugly to watch. McGlinchey is an exceptional run-blocker, but his development of pass-blocking has been slow and needs to improve significantly.

Right guard Daniel Brunskill amazed last year as he filled in a variety of positions, but this year, he was very clearly going to be the starting guard. He did not have a good game. He got beat several times, and most notably, during the 4th-and-1 stuff at the goal line, Brunskill clearly failed to get a clean block, allowing the hole to be clogged.

The biggest issue of all was Hroniss Grasu, who was the third-string center with both Weston Richburg (knee) and Ben Garland (ankle) out. There wasn’t much to expect from him, but whatever was expected, he did not live up to it.

While the decimation of the interior o-line was in part due to a lack of a solid center, every player, apart from Williams, needed to pick up the work. Garoppolo’s skittish nature was in part caused by interior pressure and Jones on nearly every play. To help their offense soar, the offensive line needs to establish a clean pocket just long enough for Garoppolo to find a rhythm and feel safe. An evaluation of the Niners O-line before the season by Sports Illustrated offered hope in growth from young players.

Hopefully, returning players can help clean up some of the mess, but that growth will be necessary for the SF 49ers to reach their potential as a team.