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2008 SAN FRANCISCO 49ers PREVIEW

Wed, 7 Aug 2008 18:31:00 GMT

posted by BStackS2388

2008 SAN FRANCISCO 49ers PREVIEW
2007 Record: 5-11 (3rd NFC West)
Predicted 2008 Record: 6-10 (4th NFC West)

Key Acquisitions: WR Isaac Bruce, RB DeShaun Foster, WR Bryant Johnson, QB JT O'Sullivan, KR Allen Rossum, DE Justin Smith, LB Dontarrious Thomas
Key Losses: G Larry Allen (retired), QB Trent Dilfer (retired), DE Marques Douglas, WR Byran Gilmore, OT Kwame Harris, RB Maurice Hicks, WR Darrell Jackson, G Justin Smiley, LB Derek Smith, DT Bryant Young (retired)

Why were the 49ers as bad as they were a year again? Well, there is many reasons for that. One of which, though, is not talent. The Niners had tons of talent last year, their problems were injuries and no chemistry whatsoever among the team. The Niners lost alot of talent in the offseason this year but they also gained some. Future Hall of Famer, Larry Allen, retired but they drafted Chilo Rachal (USC) in this years draft. QB Trent Dilfer also retired, but they signed a kid with alot of potential, JT O'Sullivan. They lost backup RB Maurice Hicks but signed Panthers starter DeShaun Foster. WRs Darrell Jackson & Bryan Gilmore left in free agency, but Issac Bruce & Bryant Johnson were signed. DE Marques Douglas left and the Niners signed DE Justin Smith (who is much better) and drafted Kentwan Balmer (North Carolina) in the 1st Round of this years Draft. Underachieving OT Kwame Harris left and was not replaced by anyone as did future Pro Bowl G Justin Smiley. Future Hall of Fame DT Bryant Young retired without a replacement being signed while the Niners hope that Dontarious Thomas can help fill the void left by the departed former Pro Bowler Derek Smith. The Niners also signed gamebreaking return man Allen Rossum. The Niners have once again done a fine job of additions in the offseason, but like i said that are also missing alot. Head Coach Mike Nolan must find chemistry with all this talent to hope to improve this season. With all the talent, young talent, that is being stock piled in San Fran a Championship team could be in the making, but not for awhile at least. Those Championship hopes rest primarily on the shoulders (injured or not) of Alex Smith. He needs to take charge, and take charge now.

OFFENSE
Alex Smith has been erratic and injured in his short time in the NFL so far. There are many excuses you can make for the young QB, his offensive line has been shaky, hes been injured, and hes had 4 offensive Coordinators in his 4 years in the NFL. All of those are true but the excuses can only go so far, even his head coach questioned his toughness last year. Its time for Smith to step up and with the help of new Offensive Coordinator, Mike Martz. Smith will be pushed in Training Camp by Shaun Hill (who impressed last season in limited action) and newcomer JT O'Sullivan (who has prior experience in Martz's offense), but expect Smith to come out the starter. Smith just simply has too much talent and is one of the smarter QBs in the league. Smith and the Niners biggest problem is the Offensive Line. The pass blocking from a year ago was just awful. The Niners allowed 55 sacks (the most in the NFL) and were dead last yards gained, first downs, passing offense, third down efficiency, and averaged a league low 13.7 PPG, and all of that was WITH Larry Allen and Justin Smiley. LT Joe Staley is the best player on the line but still has alot to prove. Beside him will be LG Adam Snyder who is average at best and at C Eric Heitmann isnt much better. At this time rookie Chilo Rachal will man the RG spot while Jonas Jennings will hold down the RT spot. The Niners see Rachal as a future Larry Allen-like player and hope that one day will move over to RT. Jennings will only start as long as it takes David Baas to recover from a torn pectoral muscle. WRs Bryant Johnson & Issace Bruce are newcomers to the Niners but both are expected to start this coming season. Johnson has great speed and is a wonderful route runner, but was overshadowed in Arizona by Larry Fitzgerald & Anquon Boldin. He will have every chance to breakout in San Francisco though. Isaac Bruce is a future Hall of Famer and says that he can still play at a high level in the NFL, and will look to do so this season. Underrated Arnaz Battle will be the 3rd option while underachiever Ashley Lelie is hungry and will push to get that 3rd spot. Jason Hill will most likely get playing time as well. TE Vernon Davis is probably the most athletic player of the team and his role this season is planned to be even greater. Davis will line up at slot alot this season as well move out in motion. The Niners want to keep him inside some though because of his blocking ability (which is still ever improving). Workhorse RB Frank Gore is a powerful between the tackles runner, with great speed, but a Mike Martz running game in the past hasn't used a player like Gore. Martz says he wants to use Gore like he used Marshall Faulk, but Gore isn't the type of player that Faulk was. With that said neither are big backups DeShaun Foster or Michael Robinson. All 3 of these backs are athletic but are at their best running behind big FB Moran Norris. If Martz wants to succeed in the run game he will pound Gore for awhile, take him out, put Foster in and pound some with him and then let Gore pound some more. When Gore & Foster get tired, put Robinson in there and let him pound and hope he breaks one. Their depth at back is probably the deepest position on the team.
Grade: C

DEFENSE
Free Agent DE Justin Smith will man the right side of the Niners 3-4 defense and is a great pass rusher. In this defense, though, he will be moved around at times, sometimes in the middle. His presence should be felt immediately. On the other side Isaac Sopoaga, who had his best season last year, is incredibly strong and should have yet another great season. NT Aubrayo Franklin is listed as the starter at Nose Tackle right now, but I fully expect rookie Kentwan Balmer (North Carolina) to take over that spot by the season opener. The 308 lb. Balmer has everything you look for in a NT: strength, size, and athleticism. He will be a block eater. RILB Patrick Willis is one of the best young LBs in the NFL, along with Demeco Ryans, Lofa Tatupu, & DeMarcus Ware, and he will once again lead the Niners defense. Athletic Parys Harrolson is expected to play ROLB where his pass rushing abilities will be utilized. Manny Lawson will man the LOLB spot and like Harrolson is very athletic and is a great pass rusher but can also stop the run. On the inside veteran Jeff Ulbrich will battle Brandon Moore for the LILB spot. Moore is expected to win out, he is young, atheltic, and very strong. Ulbrich will be a fine backup though, coming off the bench. The Niners LB core has the potential to be a very good group of young players. At CB Nate Clements is a bigtime playmaker and rarely needs help in coverage while Walt Harris is a shutdown corner. Shawntae Spencer is also a playmaker and a future star at the CB spot. With those 3 players at Corner, the Niners have a fine 3-man rotation at corner. Rookie Reggie Smith (Oklahoma) was a CB in college but is being moved to FS in the NFL. Because of starter Mark Roman's lack of coverage ability it is very possible that if Smith catches on quickly to his new job he may take Roman's starting job, because Smith is not only a great cover man but is a hard hitter as well. SS Michael Lewis is an elite Safety and his power make him one of the better run stopping Safeties in the NFL.
Grade: B+

SPECIAL TEAMS
Pro Bowl Punter Andy Lee is back and should continue to be a top Punter in the NFL this season. K Joe Nedney is a dependable kicker. Allen Rossum gives the Niners a great boost as a return specialist, he will handle both Punts and Kickoffs. Michael Robinson will join him on Kickoff Returns, as he is a great return man himself. If Rossum gets injured Arnaz Battle will replace him.
Grade: A

2007 LEADERS
PASSING
Trent Dilfer: 113-219, 1,166 yards, 7 TD, 12 INT
Alex Smith: 94-193, 914 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT; 13 carries, 89 yards
Shaun Hill: 54-79, 501 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT; 12 carries, 14 yards, 1 TD
RUSHING
Frank Gore: 260 carries, 1,102 yards, 5 TD; 53 catches, 436 yards, 1 TD
Michael Robinson: 26 carries, 121 yards; 11 catches, 73 yards; 2 KOR, 51 yards
RECEIVING
Arnaz Battle: 50 catches, 600 yards, 5 TD
Vernon Davis: 52 catches, 509 yards, 4 TD
Darrell Jackson: 46 catches, 497 yards, 3 TD
DEFENSE
Patrick Willis, LB: 174 tackles (135 solo), 4.0 sacks, 5 PBU
Nate Clements, CB: 92 tackles (77 solo), 1.0 sack, 4 INT (74 yards), 14 PBU
Michael Lewis, S: 105 tackles (75 solo), 1.5 sacks, 2 INT (18 yards), 5 PBU
Derek Smith, LB: 78 tackles (52 solo), 1 INT (4 yards), 4 PBU
SPECIAL TEAMS
Joe Nedney: 17-19 FGs, 22-22 XPs
Andy Lee: 47.3 YPP
Maurice Hicks: 63 KOR, 1,502 yards
Michael Lewis: 5 KOR, 86 yards; 44 PR, 336 yards

Vikings 27, 49ers 7: Just Not a Good Day All Around for Trent Dilfer

Sun, 10 Dec 2007 03:20:16 GMT

posted by kruise

Filed under: 49ers, Vikings, NFC North, NFC West, Minnesota, San Francisco, Breaking News

If things keep up, Mike Nolan might have to pull Joe Montana off of the hot grill and put him on the depth chart somewhere. Trent Dilfer joined Alex Smith in the 49ers infirmary, suffering a “head injury” (read: concussion), shortly before halftime, leaving it up to Shaun Hill to mop up the mess Dilfer created.

When he wasn’t letting Kevin Williams take one of his passes to the house, The Dilf was being generally ineffective. He led the 49ers to just five scattered first downs and only threw for 45 yards on 19 attempts. Meanwhile, every Viking not named Adrian Peterson got involved with the efficient offense. Peterson himself had just three yards on 14 carries. In fact, he was dominated by fellow rookie phenom Patrick Willis, who posted four tackles on Peterson alone.

By the way, you remember Chester Taylor? He did run for 1,200 yards last year, right? Yeah, he didn’t just turn into a crappy running back the day the Vikes drafted Peterson. When your backup running back can roll of 84-yard touchdown runs and 101 yards on eight carries, you’re in pretty good shape. That, dare I say, jaunt made it a 27-0 game by half.

But 49ers fans got to see the backup they’ve been waiting for in Hill, and he wasn’t so bad. Granted, the Vikings’ pass defense is nothing to cower at, but Hill did go 22-for-28 for 181 yards and a touchdown in one half of work. I think we can forgive his one interception and call it a good day, considering that these were the first passes thrown in the entirety of his six-year career. I mean, he got the team in the end zone. That automatically makes him the best quarterback on the roster.

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Niners at Browns: Preparation for the Playoffs?

Fri, 29 Dec 2007 18:17:43 GMT

posted by kruise

Filed under: 49ers, Browns, AFC East, NFC West, Cleveland, San Francisco

To get you ready for week 17, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the San Francisco 49ers/Cleveland Browns preview.

2007 Records:

San Francisco 49ers 5-10 (4th in NFC West)
Cleveland Browns 9-6 (2nd in AFC North)

Last Game:

49ers 21, Bucs 19
Bengals 19, Browns 14

When the Niners have the ball: They’ll run the ball with Frank Gore, and stick to short — and I mean short — passes. Chris Weinke will be getting the nod at QB, making him the 4th quarterback to start for San Francisco this year. The Niners don’t have many play-making receivers to begin with, and it’s not like they’re going to ask Weinke to make big plays in his first start for them. They’ll keep it simple and run the ball.

When the Browns have the ball: They’ll employ their hearty balance of Jamal Lewis and their aerial attack. Derek Anderson had a slow day last week throwing four interceptions against the Bengals to blow Cleveland’s chance at locking up a playoff spot. He’ll most certainly look to rebound, as long as the weather permits him to throw several passes. You can bet they’ll be looking in Braylon Edwards‘ direction considering he’s averaged a touchdown a game this year.

The Edge: The Browns don’t have as much at stake as you would think. This game would only factor into the playoff race if the Titans and Colts tied — which is pretty unlikely. San Francisco has won two in a row, showing that they haven’t quit despite a difficult season. The edge still has to go to Cleveland because they probably want to head into the playoffs with good momentum, and they’re not entering battle with Chris Weinke as their quarterback.

Keep an eye on:

Patrick Willis: The explosive rookie linebacker recorded 20 tackles and two sacks in the win last week against Tampa Bay. The favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Willis has been a tackling machine and is constantly around the ball.

Derek Anderson: He will want to rebound from last week’s four interception performance with a strong effort. It’s no secret that turnovers are killer in this league, and Anderson will most certainly want to get back to his early season form.

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Niners at Browns: Preparation for the Playoffs?

Fri, 29 Dec 2007 18:17:43 GMT

posted by kruise

Filed under: 49ers, Browns, AFC East, NFC West, Cleveland, San Francisco

To get you ready for week 17, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the San Francisco 49ers/Cleveland Browns preview.

2007 Records:

San Francisco 49ers 5-10 (4th in NFC West)
Cleveland Browns 9-6 (2nd in AFC North)

Last Game:

49ers 21, Bucs 19
Bengals 19, Browns 14

Keep an eye on:

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Niners v. Giants: the Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Sun, 22 Oct 2007 21:11:00 GMT

posted by trebek
Another ugly game yesterday. The good, the bad and the ugly:

The Good:

The defense. They were solid again after being put in tough situations all game long. 4 turnovers by the offense kept them backed up, yet they yielded very little and virtually shut down the NYG offense on a full-length field.
Patrick Willis. Guess who lead the team in tackles. Willis? How'd you know? If this guy isn't the NFL Defensive ROY, well, I don't know what I'll do. But he should be. That's alls I'm saying.
Andy Lee. Can we officially begin the Andy Lee for Pro Bowl campaign? It's pretty depressing that our punter is the one offensive Pro Bowl candidate we have (maybe Clements or Willis on defense?).
Continuing the theme, the special teams get a spot under "good." A blocked punt for a safety? Moran Norris, you can be my wingman anytime.
It's a stretch, but I'm going to give "Hoss" a spot here. I've ridden him all year for his conservative, predictable play-calling, but on Sunday he mixed up formations and called more passing plays than all season to this point. Utilizing Lelie more made a big difference in the down-field game, and the Giants didn't seem to know what was coming most of the time.

The Bad:

Frank Gore. I love the guy's heart and can't question his hustle. But the fumbles have got to stop. He's gotten a lot of slack because of the season he put up last year. But at what point do this year's results matter more than last season? Because he's not a top back in the league this year. And that won't change until he holds on to the ball and actually puts up a 100 yard game or two.
The Giants' fans' wit:

The Ugly:

Trent Dilfer. I really don't think too much explanation is necessary here. But let's just say that a better QB would not have accounted for 3 turnovers (maybe 4 depending on who you blame for the bad transfer with Gore).
The offensive line. I was gonna move them up to "bad" because the NYG defensive line is pretty damn good and several of the sacks could have been avoided if Dilfer could actually move. But six sacks is unacceptable. And the running game was decidedly mediocre. Not to mention penalties. Yeah, when you think about it these guys really were bad.

Conclusions:

The Forty Niners should have been in this game. NY seems to be a good team this year, but not 33 points good. The defense only gave up 9 points that weren't off turnovers. Any offensive production, whatsoever would have put them in the thick of things. I liked the gameplan, so I guess it comes down to execution. Mr. Gore asserted that the players aren't buying into Hoss' calls. The personnel should be good enough to at least be an average offensive team. So either they all need to sit down on the same page and get things straightened out, or someone has to go. Mr. Nolan, take control of your offense and hammer this shit out. It's not working right now.