49ers change quarterbacks and fall short in comeback in Houston

Rookie Michael Crabtree had a good NFL debut in a losing effort to the Texans.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

In a game where all the attention was going to be focused on a 49ers player making his season debut, it seemed unlikely that we would be talking about QB Alex Smith rather than rookie WR Michael Crabtree. After the offense struggled to get the ball moving, Smith came in the game to replace Shaun Hill down 21-0 and nearly completed the 49ers comeback, but fell short 24-21.

After a slow offensive start in which the team only gained 32 yards through the air, head coach Mike Singletary pulled QB Shaun Hill out of the game in favor of Smith to begin the second half. And it wasn't what Hill did at quarterback that caused the demotion. The offensive line didn't help put together a good running game and it made it tougher for Hill to get the ball out to the receivers. To begin the second half, Smith came in to help the 49ers offense get rolling. And Smith was impressive.

Down by 21 points, the 49ers were forced to throw a lot more. That fits well into Smith's offensive skillset and on the first offensive drive of the half, Smith connected with Vernon Davis on a 29-yard pass. Davis and Smith would connect two more times in the game (14 and 23 yards strikes).

Davis finished with seven catches for 93 yards along with his three touchdowns. Rookie Michael Crabtree was on the field for almost every offensive snap was very effective in catching the ball. He had five catches for 56 yards and had a 22-yard catch taken away by an illegal motion penalty. Crabtree has lived up to the billing that we expected from him in this game and the offense benefited tremendously from his presence (especially on third down plays).

When asked about his emotions prior to his first game, Crabtree said he was prepared.

"I was kind of calm," he said. "I think I did a good job and I got some work to do."

Head coach Mike Singletary had high praises for Crabtree. He felt that Crabtree did a lot of things right and preformed well.

"I thought he did pretty decent. Thought he made the plays he needed to make," said Singletary.

The 49ers should not have been down by 21 points early on had they prevented the big plays. After a muffed punt by Arnaz Battle on the 11-yard line, RB Steve Slaton (who already had a rushing touchdown) scored on a screen pass to make it 14-0. Later in the second quarter, TE Owen Daniels (who finished with seven catches for 123 yards) scored on a wide open 42-yard play action pass.

"We just didn't play well,'" Singletary said. "It is disappointing, frustrating. We will put the guys on the field that can play"

For the Texans offense, scoring early and often has always been their strategy to win. Despite star WR Andre Johnson's two catches for only 62 yards, the Texans had no trouble getting Daniels the ball and keeping the 49ers offense off the field.

The 49ers didn't make it easier on themselves by going 4-11 on third down conversions and failing to convert them early on in the game. A lot of it can be attributed to the lack of running consistency. RB Frank Gore returned to the field for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 3, but only collected 32 yards on 13 carries.

But this loss might have been the big change the 49ers needed to jumpstart their offense. Bringing in Smith at quarterback and having a great talent with the development of Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, the 49ers might use this same attack for next week's game in Indianapolis.

But at this point right now, the 49ers have lost their first of the five-game stretch in which the team will truly be tested. The 49ers are still tied atop to the division with the Arizona Cardinals but that will change after Arizona's Sunday Night game against the Giants.

Obviously the defense faired decently against the offense of the Texans. If we take away the short yardage touchdown to the Slaton after Arnaz Battle's fumble, the 49ers defense only gave up 17 points. WR Andre Johnson was held to only two catches and the Texans running game collected only 90 yards. But the 123 receiving yards of Owen Daniels made it difficult for the 49ers early on.

With the 49ers offense, this might be the time where we see Alex Smith finish the rest of the season. The team has always held onto the hope that Smith can still be their quarterback of the future. He has a lot more upside and skill than Shaun Hill and it was a matter of time before Smith was given that opportunity to shine. His three touchdown passes and near completed comeback in only one half of football gave the offense that push they needed. Mike Singletary knew that that was the spark the team probably needed and it worked out.

There are no moral victories for the 49ers, but this game was a learning victory for the team. This loss taught them a lot about what they need to fix and who are the right people to make it happen.

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- Last year, Singletary replaced J.T. O'Sullivan with Shaun Hill in the middle of a game and the 49ers were on a roll for the rest of the year. He did the same today. Can we expect the same?

- Michael Crabtree, according to Matt Maiocco, was on the field for 48 of the 54 offensive plays. A lot more than what we expected, but Singletary said that if he felt Crabtree can handle it, he'd let him stay on the field.

- As of now, Crabtree has five receptions and Oakland's Derrius Heyward-Bey had two catches entering today. The "rvialry" begins?

- The 49ers had two sacks, both coming from linebackers. Ahmad Brooks and Manny Lawson both sacked Schaub when the pocket started to break.

- Head coach Mike Singletary said no decision on next week's starting quarterback will be made until film is reviewed.

- Singletary also sidestepped questions about Allen Rossum and Arnaz Battle. Singletary said Rossum had problems too prior to being cut, just like Battle so he will figure out which player can return punts the best.

- RT Tony Pashos has a left shoulder contusion. LB Takeo Spikes hurt his shoulder and did not return. The offensive line shuffled around while LB Scott McKillop filled in for Spikes.

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