49ers Wide Receivers: Wasting away roster spots
by David Fucillo on Oct 26, 2009 10:00 AM PDT
in San Francisco 49ers News
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PrintWe've had a whole lot of conversation about the budding Alex Smith-Shaun Hill QB controversy that quickly developed yesterday. We have plenty of room for that, but I thought it might be nice to mix things up a bit given how many issues there are sitting on the table for the 49ers. There are defensive issues, there are offensive issues, there are special teams issues.
For this particular thread though, I thought it would be useful to concentrate on the wide receiver issues. And I'm not talking about Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan. I'm not even talking about Isaac Bruce, although one could say he could conceivably be affected by changes in the wide receiver rotation. No, I'm here to talk about the bushel of wide receivers that were either inactive or ineffective yesterday. The point has been made over and over about how the 49ers are supposed to be a power running team but they've got a ton of receivers, most of whom see little to no action for weeks at a time. What gives?
Rather than just using this thread to vent, I encourage also providing your suggestions for the best utilization of the various players, whether it be cutting someone, using them in another role, whatever.
After the jump we break down the plethora of wide receivers that are clogging up the roster...
Brandon Jones - One could argue he's one of two motivations for this post. Talk about just bad timing all around. Brandon Jones was signed before the 49ers knew Michael Crabtree would fall into their lap. Some people also mention not knowing Isaac Bruce would be back, but I really don't see that as that big a deal. Throw in the injury in training camp and he was a dead man walking pretty quickly.
The question now is what do they do with him? I've seen folks mentioning how the 49ers would be able to go Crabtree, Morgan, Jones in 2010. However, if that were the case, wouldn't we at least see Jones as a #4 receiver now, as opposed to inactive? So do the 49ers cut him and take whatever cap hit there is? Does Jones potentially see more playing time if Alex Smith becomes the starter the rest of the way? Jones is a deep threat and Alex Smith has a considerably better arm than Hill on the longer passes. What do you do?
Micheal Spurlock - I remain absolutely baffled by Spurlock. Given Arnaz Battle's fumble today, do we see Spurlock activated for the return game next week? The decision to continue hanging on to Micheal Spurlock continues to mystify me. Is he a Wildcat guy? A receiver? A return man? Can you really answer these questions when he doesn't actually play in games? I am absolutely baffled as to why he remains on this team. If he's not active and in the return game next week, my confusion will continue.
Jason Hill - At times I'm confused by what's happened with Jason Hill, and other times I think I get it. I recall hearing somewhere that he wasn't performing all that well in practice. I can't find a link and don't know if that remains the case, but I'd have to imagine he's in somebody's (or multiple somebodies) doghouse. Whatever you think of him, he did show some solid skills at times last season. Or at least enough to warrant some additional playing time. Instead, he's been inactive for four out of six games and there seems to be no end in sight.
Arnaz Battle - I've always been an Arnaz Battle fan. He made the switch from QB to WR while the 49ers were absolutely abysmal and he managed to put up some decent numbers on an otherwise crappy team. But his act is definitely starting to wear thin. The fumble was bad enough, but he's not doing much of anything else at this point. As Florida Danny put it in the recap thread, "of whom in the niner front ofice does arnaz battle have naked pictures?" Who I ask, who? Because he continues to stick around even as better talent is added around him.
I have got to believe there's a reason for this logjam a receiver. I don't know what it is, but I just can't accept that it's just a roster screw-up of such epic proportions. I know there are folks who have no faith in Scot McCloughan and company. I'm not actually one of these people. Or at least not one who thinks he's a colossal screw-up. In looking at the wide receivers, the Brandon Jones stuff can be somewhat explained (although it still doesn't explain the current lack of playing time). The rest of the wide receivers listed above? I just don't know what to say.
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Allen Rossum
I know he’s not a WR, but cutting Spurlock or Battle over Rossum would’ve made more sense to me. Spurlock has particapted in what, two offensive plays this season? I can’t understand for the life of me why he’s on the team.
Delanie Walker is an adequate kick return man, we don’t need Spurlock or Battle on the roster. If Coffee proves to be ineffective at returning kicks, Walker can always step in. Of course, having Allen Rossum would solve both our punt and kick return issues, because outside of Battle, Nate Clements is our most experienced punt return man.
Maybe we should see if Brandon Jones can return punts? He’s got speed, and can’t be any worse than Battle at fair catching a punt, can he?
by Andrew Davidson on Oct 26, 2009 10:11 AM PDT reply actions
Brandon Jones returning punts
I am VERY glad you mentioned this.
I do recall seeing Brandon Jones (No.81) last year returning punts and kickoffs.
He was not very good on punts because he usually couldn’t find many lanes, but I never saw him muff a punt.
Since Tennessee had various return men, Jones didn’t have that many opportunities.
But ever since I played football as a little kid (I only played up until middle school though), the player always has to approach the coach and ask him for a chance to compete.
If Brandon Jones wants to help the team he’ll go to coach Everest (ST guy) and ask him to give him a shot at returning kicks.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Oct 26, 2009 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Spurlock...
… is still, to me, one of the biggest wastes of a 53-man roster spot in the league. The guy isn’t even doing what he’s supposedly capable of doing, giving up his active role to a backup TE and a backup HB/FB/H-Back.
Brandon Jones
Should be a factor next week…..weren’t all his big catches in training camp delivered by smith?
Physical with an 'F'
Mike Singletary
maybe this is all a big master plan
they hype up the power running game all off-season. They start the year with Hill at QB and try to run the ball down people’s throats. Finally the failure act wears thin. They make the QB switch. Next thing you know they’re going empty backfield 5 WR sets for 75% of their plays becoming a spread offense. That’s why we need all these receivers – they’ll all be on the field next week.
A hearty thank you to Rich Aurilia for all the good memories, and to the Niners for finally getting the uni's (mostly) right.
by wjackalope on Oct 26, 2009 10:36 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I was thinking the samething if this was the plan from the get go. hmmmm very interesting
49ers al Grito de Guerra!!! hahaha
by 49erSalvatrucha on Oct 26, 2009 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
I think it has to do more
with the O lines ineptitude than any master plan. They have been abysmal in run blocking and pass protection.
by FiveAlarmFreddy on Oct 26, 2009 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
I know
that comment was tongue-in-cheek
A hearty thank you to Rich Aurilia for all the good memories, and to the Niners for finally getting the uni's (mostly) right.
yes
You nailed it. Hill isn’t made to scramble, Smith has feet that can carry him— but the best thing we can do is give our guy (whomever it may be this coming week) time to settle, plant his feet and fling the ball to one of our boys downfield. That, and they NEED to make lanes for Gore/Coffee.. I was dying watching that game yesterday when all the lanes collapsed (or were never formed) and no one had a chance to make a break-away run. Coach Sing knows this needs to be addressed.. hopefully it will be fixed before this coming Sunday
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Sharlon Schoop - de favoriete Nederlandse honkbalspeler van McCovey Chronicles.
You always have to be one step ahead of your drunk friends
--Daisy Owl
someone needs to step up as a return man.
I wondered why we let Rossum go, now I’m just worried.
Someone from this group has to have potential to run back kicks. I’m thinking maybe try Jones on Punts and Hill on kickoffs ..maybe it won’t work, but it is worth a try. They are two of the faster players on the team, and so far this season have been invisible.
As far as the group of receivers I want to see on the field, assuming we go forward with Smith and use 3 wr sets more often: Crabtree, Morgan, with hill/jones out of slot. I’d also like to see us run more from this set.
Battle has been a great 49er, but I think he is gone after this season. We all know this is Bruce’s last season, and I’m not even sure why Spurlock is even on the roster…unless he is being groomed for a return role (if that was the case, he should be back on punts)
I don't think Battle has been a great Niner he has been an OK Niner
Thank you Al Davis for Michael Crabtree!!!!!
If we see this then it's a lock that McSing see this too
however, I think the reason the logjam exists because I think they need more info to point them toward a decision. You don’t want to make any rash moves because you don’t know “what if” may happen…the last thing you want to do is release a guy who you then need to bring back due to various circumstances.
Jones is accurately depicted as the guy who got squished accidentally by Bruce and Crabs. Morgan you keep. It is clear that Bruce is fading BUT you do NOT dump a hall of famer out on their butts mid-season…you just don’t. Besides, Bruce provides veteran leadership for young receivers plus that you need a veteran like him if you make it to the playoffs. Battle is on the bubble but more or less you can trust him (that muffed punt wasn’t really his fault…the TV showed how tough the sun angle was) but if you cut battle will Hill really fill the void??? Spurlock is the big “huh” of the whole group.
The other aspect is positioning for next year…you don’t want to cut a guy because next year we may definitely need them. This is Bruce’s last year, guaranteed, and that alone opens one roster spot. If I was McSing I would let more time go by and data come in before making a move. It is curious but not the worst type of situation.
What about the other punts Battle has muffed?
I mean, there’s just no excuse. He obviously saw the ball since he signaled for a fair catch. If he didn’t see it, GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY AND LET IT DROP.
They call their best player "Kung Fu Panda" and they complain that people aren’t taking them or the game seriously enough? -Nick
by mikev on Oct 26, 2009 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
NFL Films caught a piece of Battle talking to Singletary about the muffed punt. Battle told him, “that punt came down like a pass”.
Tight Ends
it seems the decision to carry 7 WRs (rather than 5 or 6) means that we only carry 2 Tight Ends, and only one of who we’d call much of a power blocker (Davis). I know they use another lineman in short yardage situations, but it’d be nicer to have a little more depth at that spot.
Lott's Prayer: Almost as many words as the Lord's Prayer, but the Lord wouldn't recognize any of them.
by Nosetackle Supreme on Oct 26, 2009 11:04 AM PDT reply actions
Honestly I don’t see the point of having a blocking TE (who usually can’t catch) in there in short yardage situations instead of a backup tackle who also can’t catch but can block better. I’m not arguing that we need some depth but just the usefulness of a “blocking te”.
A blocking TE
Is at least somewhat of a threat to pass. If you put Barry Sims in there the offense doesn’t even have to worry about covering him. That’s the idea…
by Brendan Scolari on Oct 26, 2009 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions
What about Vrabel (in KC)
They use him in short yardage situations and he’s caught like 8 TDs in his career.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Oct 26, 2009 10:53 PM PDT up reply actions
WOW
I never thought about jacked up it all was. Sometimes it seems like to me the 4ers front office doesnt care if their good or not by the players they pick up. I mean who could win with these half scrubs??
by 49ers fan in oklahoma on Oct 26, 2009 11:13 AM PDT reply actions
I think the main issue is punt returner
While the logjam at receiver is puzzling since we were supposed to be a power running team, Sing has stated that they just happen to be the more talented players on the team so they can play special teams and their natural position. I would be very surprised if any of these guys gets cut because if they didn’t make a move during training camp where there was a larger amount of quality guys available I doubt they will now.
I think the Walker/Robinson combination at kick returner is ok for this year. They won’t break one for you and they do take a knee more than one would like, they will get you decent yardage when they do take it out. Robinson had some pretty decent returns during last game, Hopefully they draft a better returner next year but for this year I’m ok with what we got.
While I don’t totally blame Battle for his drop in the sun (even though I’m not sure why he didn’t try to get away from it if he couldn’t see it), two fumbles in the last couple games is unacceptable. Problem is that unless we use Spurlock, which there must be a reason we aren’t, the only people that I know that have any experience at returning punts is Clements (who is too expensive to risk) and Zeigler (who is on the practice squad). Personally I would rather risk Clements than watch another dropped punt but I doubt the coaches agree with me. Unfortunately I don’t see this getting any better this year but hopefully we draft a capable returner next year…At least I’m allowed to dream.
An experienced punt returner would have let the ball drop. It was already at the 10 yard line, not only is the sun a risk but play the odds and hope for a touch back.
exactly
what’s the difference between having 90 or 99 yards to go?
Looking to put San Fran*six-o* here some time soon!
The threat of being sacked for a safety or punting from your end zone
And I actually think an experienced returner would still catch it. He just wouldn’t have muffed it. You have to FC a punt at the 15 yard line so it doesn’t bounce backward. It should be noted that Battle muffed it through his arms so he did see it he just didn’t properly gage the speed with which it was falling. A huge mistake.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
If you can't even see the ball, you don't try to catch it
I mentioned this before (originally as a joke):
The 49ers would probably be better off without a punt returner.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Oct 26, 2009 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Except he did see it
It went right through his arms. Otherwise I’d agree with you. Yell “fire” or whatever their scatter word is and get away. But Battle did see it, he just misjudged the fall of the ball or angle or something.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
The way I see it
Jones – yes bad luck about being signed before crabtree and all that but he also got injured and came back before he was expected to (remember he was only expected back around this week or our bye week in the first place). There’s a good point about him working much better with Smith’s style than Hill’s and if Smith starts then I imagine we’ll see him active. Lastly, right now I think he’s probably our # 4 wideout but was inactive because they needed Battle active to return punts. Say what you will about Battle as a PR (I’ll probably agree) but he’s a very good special teamer in other aspects and is the best blocking WR on the roster.
Spurlock – I agree, I don’t understand what’s going on with him. I get that he’s a dynamic WR who’s skill set is different from all the rest of our either possession or deep-threat wideouts but his primary function, I thought, would be as a returner when not seeing offensive snaps. Furthermore he was supposed to be a gunner as well. Right now he’s the only WR I’m not clear on as to why they’re around.
Battle – I’m also a big battle fan and think he definitely deserves his roster spot, though he shouldn’t be returning punts any longer (it’s clearly been too long since he had that 75-yard TD return in his first or one of his first years here). He’s a guy who can stick with a team for a long time, and has, as a 4th/5th WR/special teamer who can fill in in the slot if needed.
Hill – The way I see it the niner coaches simply think too highly of Hill to let him walk. I feel pretty confident that he’s merely got to bide his time until Isaac Bruce leaves next year when he can step in and compete with Jones for the 3rd WR slot. If they say he’s not a great practice player that only further underlines why’s he’s inactive but I think his gameplay speaks for itself and he should get some serious looks this offseason.
Overall I think most people are going off the deep end a bit too much about having 7 wideouts. Clearly the thinking on the part of the coaching staff was that our 6th and 7th WRs were better special teams players than another LB or DB. The variation in the inactive list from week to week suggests that the various players, Spurlock vs. Hill vs. Marcus Hudson vs. Matt Wilhelm do better in different areas and their game status depends on the various gameplans we use from week to week.
We've had Crabtrizzle for one week
And we all want to 86 somebody… Makes me laugh. Anybody still mad at him? ;)
Looking to put San Fran*six-o* here some time soon!
Where in the world is this Crabtrizzle thing coming from?
Context, people. More context is good. Less context is bad. If you're willing to be reductive, then you're willing to be wrong.
by howtheyscored on Oct 26, 2009 6:29 PM PDT up reply actions
We had a guy
named Sgt Crabtree at my work. And this Lt comes in one day and says “where’s Crabtrizzle” He was a totally white non-izzle kind of guy. I thought it was hilarious. I’ve been pushing it up on NN waiting to see if I can start an internet buzz. If it comes in from some other site, I know it’s on. But so far, it’s just me
Looking to put San Fran*six-o* here some time soon!
Well, I'll say one thing...
It’s WAY better than Crabby Patty.
Context, people. More context is good. Less context is bad. If you're willing to be reductive, then you're willing to be wrong.
by howtheyscored on Oct 26, 2009 7:49 PM PDT up reply actions
isnt Justin Miller a free agent?
why not sign him he had two kick return touchdowns last year and career average of about 26 yards per return
by 49erEmpire on Oct 26, 2009 11:29 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
Honestly, I really don’t care who’s starting and who’s inactive as long as we are winning. Sadly, we have not been winning the last few weeks, so maybe its time for some shake up? I mean, our receivers have been playing pretty well in the limited action they get. They’re good blockers, they’re catching the few passes they see. Until someone screws up or looks in over their head, there’s no reason for anyone else to be starting.
That being said, I’ve alwyas liked Brandon Jones, and would love to see what he could bring to the offense. Sadly, I’d think it should be at the expense of Bruce, who hasn’t looked as good as he did last season…but we all know that won’t happen. Maybe he could be our 4th receiver and get some shots in during 3 WR sets (just have Crabs or Morgan or Bruce sit out sometimes…work a rotation between the 4). Of all the receivers on our roster, he’s the one I think deserves a shot at some real playing time the most.
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on Oct 26, 2009 11:45 AM PDT reply actions
Morgan & Crabtree should play the most snaps
Bruce and Hill should split most of the rest. Perhaps Jason Hill plays inside both 20 yard lines, when we’re moving away from our goal line or going in to score, due to his good hands and ability to run precise short routes. Brandon Jones should get more snaps between the 20s since he is the deep threat. The 4-wide look would be dependent on which WR matches up best and field position. And let’s not forget going 2-TE, only passing from this formation with Walker being a downfield mismatch. That would open up running from the formation.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
According to some counts...
… from Maiocco, Morgan and Crabtree played the most snaps out of the WRs.
This has baffled me for sometime now
On a team that stresses run first, why we would have so many wide receivers and not another back or 2 to help that side of the ball. I think with the imminent switch at QB the identity of this team will undoubtedly change. Ideally, Shaun Hill was considered the “manager” that wouldn’t cough up the ball while Gore would score and the defense would keep the other team down. This plan has been inconsistent and at times very ineffective. I’ll mention it was also very unnerving to watch. It’s hard to say where the problem lies but we just cant seem to get the flow we need to get moving.
Alex Smith showed up Sunday for work and I think we can agree except for the INT, he played a hell of a game. Alex Smith is tricky to judge because he has really been a thorn in the side of some who have been let down by him before. Is this a new Smith? Only more play time will tell, but if he’s really turned a new leaf, he’s going to need the receivers to get the job done and that’s why it helps that we have so many on the roster. I will say however that Spurlock is very confusing and is definitely taking up space for perhaps another line man or db. And I def think Brandon Jones deserves a spot on the field. He played very well in preseason and training camp. They’re also paying good money for him to be out there.
This:
Battle, so long.
Spurlock, return kicks. He did it for Tampa when they were winning. And if you don’t trust him to return kicks and you don’t use him as a receiver, let him go. Skill sets don’t look so good in street clothes.
Bruce, last tour of duty. Goodbye after this year. Even if he’s in for the first offensive snap, Morgan gets most snaps.
Jones, work him in if you haven’t given up on him.
If the team has given up on Jones, then start using Hill.
Did I miss anyone? Oh yeah, Crabtree and Morgan get most of the snaps.
By the way, I wasn’t broken up with Rossum going. It’s just replacing him with Battle.
by Bob In Beaverton on Oct 26, 2009 12:43 PM PDT reply actions
The most important aspect of returning kickoffs
is holding on to the ball. With Michael Robinson there now there is little or no worry about fumbles or bonehead plays. Michael averaged 33 yards per return yesterday and is only 3+ yards average behind the #1 returner in the NFL, Percy Harvin. Good hands go a long way toward job security.
Kezarvet
Maybe I'm out of touch
but have we heard why Jones was inactive?
He was making some mildly snarky remarks last week, and I know Sing is all about the team attitude. Is he sitting guys just for stuff like that?
I realize that Sing is The Boss. I just hope he’s not some iron fisted tyrant behind closed doors.
If they can't figure out how to get Jones on the field
they need to trade him. He has value in the NFL or the Niners wouldn’t have needed to offer him over five million in guaranteed money.
I’m sure some team would give up a draft pick for him.
If they aren’t going to use Spurlock as the deep guy on kickoffs or punts, they need to give him his walking papers.
Isaac Bruce needs to retire now. or get a phantom injury and be inactive for a week.
They need to go into these games with at least these four wide receivers active:
Crabtree, Morgan, Jones, Hill Bruce could be an awesome 4th receiver in spread formations, finding little seams underneath on 3rd downs.
They're called RUNS for a reason.
I doubt he has any value
Maybe a 6th or 7th rounder. He’s just a marginal 3rd receiver.
by Brendan Scolari on Oct 26, 2009 5:23 PM PDT up reply actions
2 many WR's -
A power run team does not need 7 WR’s – we lost the last game because they cut their regular return man Alan Rossum, he was out of work for a few hours as dallas swooooped him up. Need to go with Alex – if he can play like yesterday the reat of the season that would be good as we will need to draft a QB – We need a mobile QB, our best QB’s were all mobile, Young Montana, Garcia I thought the OC could not call a game , three yards and a cloud of dust was not cutting it and they adjusted after halftime. Lets go three wideouts and get Rachal on the bench with AS at QB and see what we got
Maybe its not the best situation....
but Clements was a highly regarded punt returner in Buffalo, and has occasionally performed that duty once or twice here. I mean if all we need is a guy whos gonna go back and catch it, and we dont trust Spurlock for some reason, maybe thats the way to go?
Did you see Maiocco's blog ...
… where he said it’s possible the Niners planned the Smith-Hill thing all along? That they wanted Smith to be the guy but felt Hill had to be given a shot, and that they knew that Smith would be under real pressure if they put him straight in at the start of the season.
Therefore, is it too much of a stretch to wonder whether they also knew, all along, that they would need extra WRs when they made the bizarre switch a few games in from three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust, smash-mouth, old-school football team to the greatest show on turf?
It’s a bit like poker where you wait for the moment your opponent is fooled before showing your real hand. That, or they have no idea what they are doing. One of those …
"This could be another Very Special Team" ... Superbowl winning Niners lineman Dan Audick ...
I think this is the likeliest scenario
You had to let Hill fail.
Even if you believe Smith is the guy, and you want Smith to be the guy, you have to let that process happen organically. You can’t afford to throw him out there and have him struggle and have people calling for Shaun Hill to come back. They had to let Hill fail before they could go to Smith. Now Alex gets to come in without the expectations and be more comfortable. And it explains why you’re carrying as many WR’s as you are.
we in the losin baseball binness. and cousin, binness is a boomin.
by walk off bunt on Oct 26, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions
This.
Smith couldn’t have been handed the job coming out of camp unless he absolutely left no doubts that he should have been the starter. The starting role had been given to him so many times in the past that it would have potentially just set him up for failure again.
Tottenham fan, walk off bunt?
"This could be another Very Special Team" ... Superbowl winning Niners lineman Dan Audick ...
Agree the starting job
Was Hill’s going in. And I’m buying into the fact they were hoping if NEED BE Smith would take over. In retrospect, I don’t think they would have given Shaun the job at all if they were sure he would fail. But, they could not have started Alex Smith on 13 Sept because that surely sends the message “I don’t like you” to Shaun, and then if Alex fails, you’ve got Bitter Backup coming in off the bench. Not good.
Looking to put San Fran*six-o* here some time soon!
RE: So many WRs
But, I don’t think extra WRs were reserved for A.Smith. He’s not that prolific of a passer either. Yet, I was extremely impressed with his mechanics yesterday, after watching normal ops S.Hill backing up like a student driver…
Looking to put San Fran*six-o* here some time soon!
Hm..
I’m not a fan of Arnaz Battle or Brandon Jones. I’m much more of a fan of Jason Hill, who I think is a great route runner but needs to get his heart in it. I’m also, once again interested in WR Dominique Zeigler, at least over Battle and Spurlock.
I know it looks weird, having all these wide receivers on the team
but does it really matter all that much? These guys aren’t the core of the team, they’re the inactives, or the outer fringes of the playing team. Is the squad going to live or die on them? Not really.
A note on having them for special teams, though – if you’re not part of the Line bit of the special teams, then what are you doing, mostly? Running up and down the field as fast as you can to make a tackle, or trying to get out in front of a ball carrier to make a block. The two positions that are best suited for this? Wide receiver, or defensive back. As it is, the coaching staff figured that the fringey guys who could contribute most on ST were the WRs on the books; it’s a bit less balanced than usual, but there we go.
Of course, this doesn’t explain the lack of a proper kick / punt returner.
And another thing..
I hate seeing this “Jones is a deep threat blah blah blah…” When I haven’t seen such a thing his entire career. Couple that with the fact that Jason Hill is faster then him and.. well.
Beating...
… the DB(s) deep takes a lot more than a fast 40-time. Jones was supposedly the best WR in camp until he was hurt.
I don’t know about the definite deep threat thing, but Hill hasn’t really done anything but play himself into the dog house. No one really knows what’s going on in practice.
Brandon Jones is a useful #3 or #4 IF, and ONLY IF, the 49ers use a similar type offense as they did with Alex yesterday. If they go back to 21 or 22 formations that they normally use, where they only have 1 or 2 Receivers, then it doesn’t benefit having him on the team. If he’s the deep threat, then they need him on the field, kinda like Dallas with that guy Austin Miles, or Arizona with Breaston.
I hope Alex can keep it up. More than that, I hope the O-line can keep him up and off his back. Also, do Jimmy Raye and Mike Singletary realize that even though they “want” to be a power running team, that it doesn’t really mean that this team is built that way, and they should realize where their strengths are in the passing game and go to them? Or does Raye play the stubborn old man, like usual, and try to force the running game in the first half…. failing miserably until half time, when they are down by 4 TD’s? The offense seems to be built to support the spread offense, and not to mention, it’s what Alex used in college and made him so successful.
I think...
… Smith allows for the 49ers to go with more 3 WR sets. With Hill (and his “weak” arm and tendency to check down), the deeper (or intermediate) routes were pretty much useless when called. Smith showed a willingness to go to those routes, even if the window was tight (i.e. the first Davis TD and at least one of the Crabtree third down catches).
it's like...
my fantasy teams…i suck at drafting WRs, so i just play a numbers game every year: draft 8, hope 3 end up being good.
by (Florida) Danny Tuccitto on Oct 26, 2009 3:22 PM PDT reply actions
I don't even like drafting WRs
Every year there are like 3-4 FA WRs that blow up and become super stars.
This year: Mario Manningham, Steve Smith, Mike Sims-Walker, Miles Austin.
I’ve picked up all 4 of them and have only retained one of the WRs I originally drafted.
RBs are more important.
What we've got here is a failure to communicate.
by SportsChicken on Oct 26, 2009 11:00 PM PDT up reply actions
LINES
This has been hit on in these comments already, but i feel this point needs to be heavily made. from what i have seen this season our problems are specifically in 2 areas, offensive and defensive lines. Im an east coast guy so I dont get much in depth stuff about the niners, just what i read here and the 2 seconds we get from espn. maybe then you all can answer my questions and discuss this with me. 1st off, why why why does it seem like we never blitz? week after week i see the opposing QBs have all day to throw. justin smith doesnt appear to be getting double teamed which in my opinion makes him the worst signing in a looong time for this team. patrick willis spends alot of time in coverage. hes great at it, but why isnt he being blitzed and wreaking havoc on offenses? the other problem is a border line embarrassment, the offensive line is a joke. no holes for the running game and shaun hill averages about .08 seconds before he gets hit. the draft is a looong way off, and i know there is some juicy QBs coming out, but the niners would be fools to draft anything besides the best o-line or d-line players available. drafting one of the studs coming out of college w/o a line to protect them is stupid and as good as our linebackers and 2ndary is if a qb has all day the defense will be picked apart. as you can tell my frustration with these situations is killing me, so please, if ya guys got any thoughts or you know something i dont or have different opinions say something. let em quickly add i drink heavily during the games, so i emphasize maybe missing something, especially as the game moves along hahaha.
niners fan in NY
If I understand correctly, which could be a rather dubious assumption, the linemen in a 3-4 defense aren’t supposed to rush the passer so much as occupy blockers to free up the linebackers. Smith is routinely singled out as a guy making good plays. The problem is the other two are inconsistent at best. What has Sopoaga done this season?
Also, the 49ers have limited speed at corner and, especially with Lewis out (even though he was particularly apt at coverage) are thin at safety. Lawson and Willis are two of the fastest players on defense so I’m thinking that Manusky can’t afford to blitz either of them. Too many blitzers leave a slow secondary open to a quick downfield strike. Gregg Easterbrook of Tuesday Morning Quarter back always notes how sending six or more rushers too often leads to big gains and touchdowns. I think the niners in particular are ill-equipped for a blitz-fest. The speed in the secondary just isn’t there.
This is basically it
Defensive linemen are there to stop the run and try to get pressure on the QB. If a blitz is called for the D-linemen have to act just like O-linemen and open up the gap for whoever it is that’s coming through. In a 3-4 it’s really tough to get enough gaps opened for a clean shot at the QB, and if you don’t get that clean shot you get burned big time.
Not wanting to allow any big plays
Since the coaches know we can’t (or couldn’t) score many points, I think they wanted to keep everything in front, be a good red zone defense and win lower scoring games. Perhaps the defense will take more chances if the offense proves it can consistently score. Of course you don’t want to be a predictable blitzing team and we have played some very good QBs this season: Warner, Favre, Ryan and even Schaub. Now Manning. It’ll be interesting to see how we defend lesser QBs: Collins, Garrard, Culpepper.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Blitzing packages depend on your D-line
just like a running back has to have his holes opened by the O-line, defensive backs and linebackers need holes opened up by their D-line. You can’t have a DB rush an offensive tackle and expect a sack (well maybe if your tackles play for the Niners you can). You need your Defensive linemen to open up gaps for the blitzers to come through.
Crabtree haters???
Hmm…I wonder what happened to the Crabtree haters on this board?
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