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49ers 2009 midseason report card
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The struggling 49ers offense prepares to huddle in the closing minutes of a 34-27 loss to the Titans.
(Samuel Lam)
The 49ers are halfway through the season and sit with a 3-5 record, two games behind the Cardinals. After starting the season 3-1, the 49ers have lost four straight games and the team has a lot of question marks entering the second half of the campaign.
Here are my grades for the team after eight games:
QUARTERBACK: C-minus
I might be a little too generous here, but I don't think our quarterbacking is that terrible-- but it's not that great either. I was thinking about giving the quarterback group a "D-plus" but I realized that a change at the position made the transition difficult for the team. But let me defend my grade.
In the beginning of the season, the 49ers elected to have Shaun Hill as the starting quarterback. And for the first two games, Hill "managed" the offense quite well. His game-winning drive in the first game against the Cardinals was probably Hill's only true highlight of the season. He did have two nice touchdown passes to Vernon Davis in Week 3 against the Vikings, but when he was truly tested, he faltered. After a Week 4 game in which he didn't get the offense going early against the hapless Rams team, Hill began to struggle. Against the Falcons, Hill couldn't find the endzone through the air. He was pressured and his passes were off target. After the bye week, his 45 yards passing in the first half against the Texans cost him his starting job.
Enter Alex Smith: The positive that we got from Smith in his return to an NFL field was that he made a nice rapport with Vernon Davis. In two games, the two hooked up for four touchdowns. But Smith's five interceptions in his last three games along with his two fumbles have cost the 49ers chances to win ball games. I am not saying that it's all his fault, but because he hasn't played in so long, this might have been a factor as to why Smith has looked good in some plays and have looked terrible in other plays.
The "C-minus" grade comes from my belief that the 49ers have had some good passing days and some bad ones. In the beginning of the season, the team relied on the run and passing was held to a minimum. Last Sunday, the 49ers dialed up 51 pass plays. There is a lot of upside to this passing game, but the constant change in play selection is hurting the team. I wanted to put the grade lower but kept it at this grade because in the last three games, the passing offense has looked a lot better and more efficient than before. It's the turnovers that have hurt the 49ers. We're right in the middle with this position.
RUNNING BACK: B-minus
When the team needs to run the ball, they don't run the ball. That's the problem that has plagued the 49ers. They advertise themselves as a running team and yet in the past two games, Frank Gore has only seen 28 total carries. Most solid running backs get at least 20 carries a game, but Gore has has only done that once all year. I find it hard to believe that the 49ers would take the ball away from their most explosive offensive weapon. Gore averages an impressive 5.6 yards per carry this year. Please tell me why the 49ers aren't giving him the rock more.
Rookie Glen Coffee did get a lot of action in Gore's absence from an ankle injury. Coffee didn't provide the same explosiveness that we saw from him during the pre-season. The 1-2 punch the 49ers had hoped for has not developed at all this year. Coffee isn't finding the holes and some of that can be put on the offensive line. (Now Coffee has a concussion, which means Michael Robinson will see more action).
But when we look at the whole running attack, the team has gone from a running team to a passing team. I just find it hard to believe that the team is misusing their best player on offense. If the team ran the ball more in the past two games, there would be less pressure on Alex Smith to throw the ball. That might have been the difference between a win and a loss.
RECEIVERS: B-plus
The optimism for this receiving group is at its highest point than it has been in any previous weeks. Tight end Vernon Davis has exploded out of his shell to become the team's leading receiver. He has 42 catches for 447 yards and seven touchdowns. He is well on his way to have a career year for the 49ers. And despite the 20 catches by both Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan, the emergence of rookie Michael Crabtree has sparked the 49ers offense. Inserted as a starter in his first game, Crabtree caught five passes for 56 yards. He followed that up with a six-catch, 81 yard performance.
What we observed from the rookie is that he may still have a lot to learn, but he is very impressive and clearly showed us why he was the best receiver in the draft. He was used well as a third down receiver against the Colts and his presence helps spread the field for the offense. There is a lot of potential at hand with Crabtree.
The receivers have the talent and in this new offense, we should see a lot more of the passing game making a difference. Bruce has been slowed down by injury and age, but Jason Hill stepped up tremendously last Sunday with his two touchdown performance. Tight end Delanie Walker has been a reliable asset to the passing game as well.
Unlike last year, there is a threat within the passing game now. The team is filled with a lot of playmakers and with the new passing offense, we'll see a lot more opportunities for everyone.
OFFENSIVE LINE: D-plus
I might be too harsh on this, but it's hard to give the offensive line much praise despite what we've seen recently. Throughout the season, only two players have been consistent on the offensive line: Center Eric Heitmann and left tackle Joe Staley. With Staley out for several weeks, Barry Sims has filled in nicely for Staley. But Sims still goes through some struggles.
Struggles were found in recent weeks with guard Chilo Rachal. He's gotten a little better, but is still a work in progress. The constant switching with David Baas, Tony Wragge, Adam Snyder, and Tony Pashos (who is injured now) among guard and tackle positions makes it difficult for the team to find consistency.
Holes for Frank Gore has been a minimum throughout the season. If we take away Gore's three longest touchdown runs (64, 79 and 80 yards), the former Pro Bowler has a mediocre 2.9 yards per carry. That's not a good statistic for the 49ers.
What hurts the 49ers the most is the pass protection. The team has surrendered 26 sacks so far this season. The team is on pace for 52 sacks this year-- three less than last year's total. The offensive line attempted to improve with the signing of Marvel Smith, but injuries ended Smith's career. Instead, the 49ers were stuck using the same offensive line they did last year. No improvement in that department.
RUSH DEFENSE: A-minus
Prior to their game against the Titans, the 49ers were ranked #2 in the league in rushing yards surrendered. And prior to Chris Johnson's big game, the 49ers had not given up a 100-yard rusher. The 49ers did face some pretty tough runners in Adrian Peterson, Steven Jackson, Michael Turner and Joseph Addai. But the team's effort against the Titans on Sunday dropped their grade slightly. They now rank #5 on rush defense, which is still good.
Justin Smith, Isaac Sopoaga and Aubrayo Franklin have anchored the defensive line tremendously. Ray McDonald has also stepped in nicely in clogging holes and adding pressure to the quarterback. The play of the linebackers, especially that of Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes have prevented the defense from giving up the big yardage runs.
The team has collected 18 sacks and the play of Smith has very exciting to watch. His pressure opposing quarterbacks leads me to believe that he is worthy of a trip to the Pro Bowl this year.
PASS DEFENSE: C
The defense has only six interceptions all year and two of them can be credited to linebacker Patrick Willis. Aside from that, the secondary has not played up to the potential of its billing (which puts them at 24th ranked overall in pass yards surrendered). Cornerback Nate Clements will be out until December (and hasn't played well at all this year) while safety Michael Lewis has been getting concussions. The constant switching with Dre Bly and Tarell Brown didn't help out with the team's attempt to provide consistency for the team.
Whether it was the last-second touchdown in Minnesota, the career games for Roddy White and Owen Daniels, the secondary has not provided the big stops. Even against the struggling passing game of the Titans, Vince Young was able to go 12-19 for 172 yards for a 92.4 passer rating.
However, the defense against Peyton Manning two weeks ago shows me that the defense has a lot of potential in confusing the opposing quarterback. The defense has kept the 49ers close in many games, but not good enough to give the 49ers the edge to win the close games.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B-minus
The special teams have scored two touchdowns (blocked field goal for touchdown and recovered fumble for touchdown). It's always a good sign when the special teams can generate points. Andy Lee once again is atop the list of punting yards and kicker Joe Nedney has only missed two field goals all year (both were over 40 yards).
The reason why the score isn't higher is the decision of the 49ers to cut ties with Allen Rossum. In eliminating the team's best returner, the 49ers have sent out Arnaz Battle, Delanie Walker, Nate Clements, Michael Robinson and Brandon Jones to do the return duties. Wouldn't it be easier to have one person handle all the kicks?
Battle and Walker have both fumbled returns while Jones doesn't seem to know how to play the position. Jones in five punt return attempts has gained a total of 3 yards. And in many of those instances, a fair catch would have served the 49ers much better. Not exactly what the 49ers had envisioned when they released Rossum.
COACHING: C-minus
I'm going to make this very simple. For the first four games of the year, the gameplan wasn't all too pretty, but it worked. The team contained the Cardinals for the first game and hung tough with the Vikings until the very end. Since then, the team has changed its run-first philosophy to the pass-first approach.
The 49ers offense has not found any consistency on whether it should be a running or passing team. Frank Gore is underused and the passing game has looked good, but isn't good enough to be used so much. Singletary has constantly preached that the team will get better after losses, but I haven't seen much change.
I am impressed at how the team stayed close with Minnesota, Indianapolis but couldn't believe at the slow start against Atlanta and Houston. I guess what I am looking for is some kind of consistency in terms of playcalling (especially the offense). That's what I am hoping for the remainder of the season.
OVERALL: C-minus
A 3-5 record isn't very good. A four-game losing streak isn't great either. The team could easily be 6-2 or 5-3. But they aren't because of their inability to finish games with a strong killer instinct.
To me, a passing grade has always been at least a "C". And the 49ers right now do not deserve a passing grade. They are very close to getting to that "C", but they have fallen short by very little. That "very little" could have won at least two more games. The team is that close, but not good enough to get to a passing grade.
===
That's my critique on the team. I am sure some of you might disagree with it and that's fine. The bottom line for the 49ers is that they have to play much better from here on out to even consider a playoff push. To make the playoffs, they need the Cardinals to falter a little and the 49ers have to at least win five games (including the Monday Night game against the Cardinals) to have any chance.
Follow me on Twitter for updates. Check me out here @SLam49ers
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