Fixing The 49ers Internally and Salvaging The 2010 Season. Possible?
by nocal81(Vincent) on Oct 7, 2010 11:26 PM PDT
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The San Francisco 49ers are currently 0-4, this team appears to be in complete disarray, and for some reason players continue to drop like flies (Kentwan Balmer, Glen Coffee, and Michael Lewis), and our coaching staff has appeared to have lost it's functionality.
So How Do We Start?
I think that this began with the implementation of Taylor Mays into the starting lineup, and the release of Michael Lewis from the 53 man roster. If Michael Lewis was performing at a high level, the 49ers would not of had to bench him and start Mays. Am i wrong to assume this? Secondly, there is absolutely no reason to keep a player around who doesn't want to play for the team. It appears that Lewis was a selfish player that valued his 2011 free agent worth more than the 2010 San Francisco 49ers team. Before anyone attacks me for that comment, let me clarify that statement for a second. Most players do indeed value their contract, the majority of them more than they do the team. However, with this obvious ego trip Michael Lewis separated himself from the other 52 players. Vernon Davis would have played without a new contract, and if he wasn't getting it done, would have stuck with the team despite losing playing time. The same goes for Patrick Willis before his extension. The contract is always front and center for NFL players, afterall, it is their lively hood. However, Michael Lewis took it one step too far. Enter Taylor Mays, who stunned NFL football viewers on Sunday with a near dominating performance in the secondary. He looked like a 10 year vet, who can make plays that are usually reserved for the best of players. Last Sunday was his first NFL start, but i have a feeling we will be seeing him on the 49ers starting lineup for the better part of the next decade.
Exit Michael Lewis/ Enter Taylor Mays:
Exit Manny Lawson/ Enter Travis LaBoy/Ahmad Brooks: Manny Lawson is a good NFL LB, in a 4-3 system. However, the "test" of him playing in a 3-4 system failed. He can cover the pass, and tackle in the run. However, this is not what we are asking from a 3-4 OLB. We need a player that is going to get to the QB on a consistant basis. Someone that may indeed be one dimensional, with that one dimension being being elite. I am not saying that either LaBoy or Brooks are the answers, but they are the best options we have internally. I say trade Manny Lawson before the deadline and get a mid round pick for him. Lawson still has value, because he is a good player in the right system
Exit Moran Norris/Enter Anyone Else: This sounds harsh, but Norris is a shell of his former self, and his former self wasn't all too great. I think we need to give Coulcrick, Byham, or even the much improved Anthony Dixon (blocking that is) and opportunity at FB. Besides, we don't need to have a FB in on a majority of the plays. I would like to see more Gore/Westbrook formations (more on that in a second). If we are seeing a FB in on only 40 percent of the plays i have no problem with Byham or Coulcrick holding that spot down. Release Moran Norris and yes piss Frank Gore off.
Exit One Back Set/ Enter Gore Westbrook Formations: Why not utilize your best offensive weapons on the field at the same time? both Gore and Westbrook can run, block, and receive. It makes much more sense to have them in the field more often together. Hell, it makes more sense to see Westbrook actually get more than two reps per game. I think that Singletary must use his power as head coach and get into the mind of Mike Johnson. The time has surely ended for sitting idle while our best offensive weapons are not being utilized in the game. It is obvious that our best offensive weapons are Frank Gore, Brian Westbrook, Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Michael Crabtree, and Josh Morgan (in no order). We need to see them on the field in a large majority of the plays, no matter the down and distance.
Exit Alex Smith/ Keep Alex Smith: I understand that this doesn't make much sense. However, if you read what i have to say you will understand. Alex Smith has not been good this season, no one can really question that. Those who defended Smith after the first couple of games (i was one), cannot defend the batted passes, and miscues in accuracy anymore. However, our offensive coordinator needs to put him in a better position to player better. Additionally, our receivers need to do their part in helping Smith progress as a QB. I am sick and tired of FOX announcers calling him a "young QB", that is not the case anymore. And those who support him, must be more harseh on him. Consequently, those who attack him, must understand the nuances of the game. A QB cannot be held accountable for routes run, players slipping, and dropped passes. This is not his fault. The Wide Receivers must understand that their pass route is just as important as the timing and projectory of the pass. Pointing one player out, Michael Crabtree, he simply doesn't understand this.Additionally, a QB must run the system he is most comfortable with, and Alex Smith (not to mention the rest of our skill players) run the shot gun, spread offense better. Even Frank Gore looked comfortable carrying the ball out of it recently. Michael Westbrook has a lot of experience in this due to his days with Villanova and the Eagles. You need to call the game that best suits your players, and the spread offense it just that for the 49ers. Alex Smith is our best option at QB right now. Anyone believing that David "cannot release the ball" Carr will work well behind an offensive line consisting of two rookies is sadly mistaken. The title of this thread is how to fix the 49ers internally during 2010 and replacing Smith with David Carr, Troy Smith or Nate Davis will not do that.,
These are just a few ideas that i have in regards to fixing the 49ers. I will also add a few more things. If the 49ers start 0-5 Mike Singletary should be concerned about his job. No coach that helms a team that had the expectations the 49ers did heading into 2010 can expect to have their job safe starting 0-5. Additionally, the 49ers, despite being 0-4, are only 2 games out of first place with just one divisional loss. The season is not over, but it must be fixed soon. What we have done in the first four weeks isn't working, but this doesn't mean it cannot be fixed. However, in order to win the division, you must actually win a football game and time is running out for the 2010 NFL season. We are a quarter of the way through and have not even won a football game. The firing of Jimmy Ray, release of Michael Lewis, and promotion to the starting lineup of Taylor Mays was a start, but it cannot end there.,
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.
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Let's not get carried away
I enjoyed the post and I definitely agree w/ getting rid of Norris and getting Westbrook involved in the offense. However, trading Lawson would be a mistake. He’s not a dominant pass rusher, but he does well in coverage. He’ll most likely leave via free agency at the end of the season anyway so teams aren’t likely to trade for him (assuming the Niners even considered it) knowing that he’ll be a free agent at season’s end.
As for this:
“Enter Taylor Mays, who stunned NFL football viewers on Sunday with a near dominating performance in the secondary”I’m glad Lewis is gone and I think Mays played well, but I don’t think he was dominant. A large part of his success might be the result of Atlanta being unaware that he would be starting over Reggie Smith. To me, it didn’t seem like the Falcons did enough to expose the fact that we were starting a rookie at safety—much like we didn’t do enough against the rookies in KC’s secondary. Part of that is a credit to Mays, yes, but also a failure of the Falcons’ game plan. The Eagles game will provide a better gauge of where Mays stands since there’s now film on him and the awareness that he’ll be starting. I’m all for enthusiasm about Mays, but lets temper it a bit and not get ahead of ourselves.
"The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self improvement, about being better than you were the day before." ~Steve Young #8
Let Us Be Real
Who really though Smtih would start over Mays? I know San Francisco floated that (inconsequently), but seriously the 49ers had no idea of starting Smith, and Atlanta knew that, Mays was just rediculous
"He who lives on hope will die fasting" Benjamin Franklin was a fool
"If we are thinking playoffs, why not look towards the mountaintop"
I like my quote better
by nocal81(Vincent) on Oct 8, 2010 1:57 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't think it's absurd...
To think the coaches were considering starting Smith over Mays. Smith was ahead of Mays on the depth chart, had seen more time on the field w/ the D than Mays, and is a veteran as opposed to a rookie. All of these things seemed to indicate that Smith would get the first shot to replace Lewis, which is why a lot of people were surprised that Mays leapfrogged Smith and got the job—including most of the beat writers who would know before any of us. I’m skeptical Atlanta ‘knew’ Mays would be the starter. They might have guessed and prepared for him to be back there, but their approach and execution didn’t show preparation to attack a rookie safety in his first game so I doubt they were certain he’d be starting.
Mays played a solid game but his best play was on the blocked punt, not on D. Give him time and he could be a great player, but he’s not a great player yet. He’s a rookie who just got the starting job and will have ups and downs.
"The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self improvement, about being better than you were the day before." ~Steve Young #8
by Young_To_Rice on Oct 8, 2010 5:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I want to see Mays destroy Jackson or Maclin. :)
49ers last stand on Sunday night. Al grito de guerra!!!
by 49erSalvatrucha on Oct 7, 2010 11:57 PM PDT reply actions
Eh.
Seems like a lot of knee jerk overreactions that can only result in more disarray. Some things make sense, other things do not.
And then God created Saturn... and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
Twitter me and what not.
I voted more 2 back
Gore/Westbrook and if Westbrook stumbles for some reason (or gets a concussion) then Gore/Dixon (yeah I know he’s a rookie).
Screen pass city.
Air the freaking ball out. If A Smith can’t connect try someone else, anyone else (Tim Lincecum?). And someone remind Sing to shake hands after the game. What he did last week (didn’t do) was really sucky. How can the freaking HC of a struggling young NFL team forget to be a good sport?
But we’re going to win Sunday 31-17.
'Careful Grasshopper ~ that's a god you're mauling.'
The way I feel about Dixon is the way I felt about Gore when Barlow was still here. Why aren’t we just using him more? This would be a good game to do it in, because we have the strength and size advantage over Philly against their speed.
Coach Boone: And who's team is this, Gary? Is this your team? Or is this your daddy's team?
Bertier: Yours.
Coach Boone: Now get on the bus. Put on your jacket first and then get on the bus.
Not a bad theory in part...
But some of it is not necessary.
Lawson is our best 1st and 2nd down OLB. There’s no need to get rid of him now. If he leaves via FA, we will get a comp pick in return, likely a 4th due to his playing time and maybe a 3rd if he becomes really productive going forward. If we want pressure on the QB, we bring in different looks and sub players. Harrelson had 1 sacks last week, so maybe he’s getting a bit of what we saw in ’08 back.
Losing Norris can only be a good thing at this point, we all agree. Dixon likely won’t be used for lead blocking, but we have Byham and he’ll do fine in certain situations. We still need to be unpredictable, which leads to your Gore/Westbrook point. With Walker out, we’ll likely get to see Westbrook utilized the way we all hoped he would when he was signed. Remember it’s only Johnson’s second week running the show.
As for the QB situation, I doubt another QB we have can play better than Smith, but Smith has to do something. And the answer is not going spread. This is the NFL, and yes, you do game plan to fit your personnel, but you also have to be able to drop back as an NFL QB. Using elements of the spread is certainly a good idea, and I do think Gore can run from the ‘gun, but we still have to mix it up and use some pro sets. Use some draws or designed runs out of the ’gun to keep the defense on its toes and then push em over with some pass. It works the same way in pro sets though. We have to be able to complete some longer passes out of those sets to keep the defense honest. Smith also needs to get better, or more productive with his screens. Currently, he’s ranked 30th among starters on screen passes with 1 TD and 2 INTs.
Let Johnson get adjusted and do his job. We have a favorable matchup at home this week, so we’ll see how he mixes it up.
Ha-ha, you're awesome. Awesome to the max.
"Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer "extortion." The "X" makes it sound cool." - Bender Bending Rodriguez
I'm just wondering when Smith will supplant Goldson. Smith has better coverage skills and Goldson gave up big plays vs the Falcons and Saints.
Goldson would have been on the block last year if it were up to me.
Sing is no dumber or smarter a HC if Clements doesn’t fumble and/or Smith makes one less mistake yesterday. If this team had a better, not great just better, QB then they would be 3-1 and the perception of SIng and his staff would be different even though they are the same coaches doing the same thing. -SpurredOn...
True dat.
49ers last stand on Sunday night. Al grito de guerra!!!
by 49erSalvatrucha on Oct 8, 2010 8:20 PM PDT up reply actions
free agent after this year
your wish may come true
by HUNGRY HUNTER on Oct 9, 2010 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions
I wanted to vote Norris
because I hate him on our team, but really he’s not the reason we’re sucking.
Offensively I feel we need to return to more spread. I think it’s fairly obvious that Alex Smith is more comfortable in that offense, and the offense is more effective when he’s running the spread. Instead of trying to force him into something that doesn’t fit his talents, why not build a system around the talent that he does have?
I actually disagree about Lawson, which may come as a shock given my rather public criticism of him over the off-season. I actually think he’s having a pretty good season, though that may just be happening because it’s a contract year.
I Think
A combination of running the spread, and having more two RB sets will solve a lot of the issues this offense have.
In terms of Mays, i may have been wrong to use the term “great” so soon, but time will tell, and his upside is unlimited at this point.
Good point in regards to the compensation we will receive for Lawson when he leaves via free agency, that may be more than value than trading him
"He who lives on hope will die fasting" Benjamin Franklin was a fool
"If we are thinking playoffs, why not look towards the mountaintop"
I like my quote better
by nocal81(Vincent) on Oct 9, 2010 12:57 PM PDT reply actions
dang
It seems more of the same each week…. where a fan refuses to dump Alex Smith.
This post lost all rationality after the original poster wrote: “Exit Alex Smith/ Keep Alex Smith.”
the guy is just plain awful, and no offensive coordinator can save him from his inaccurate throws and lack of poise in the pocket. did anyone see that high throw to frank gore that turned into another INT? sure the pocket collapsed, but there was no defender that touched him. He ran needlessly into his own man. that play alone, even in his 6th year in the league, sure did remind me of his 1st year when he barely passed for a high school qb.
At 0 and 4, the team seriously needs to look elsewhere. (And in case you forgot, Smith is in his 6th season. Okay? 6th season. If the team was 0 and 4 in his rookie season and you said this, I’d agree with keeping him, but this isn’t his rookie season. He’s a 6th year vet who, LITERALLY, still overthrows receivers 5 yards passed the line of scrimmage.) If the 2010 season has even the slightest chance of being salvaged, it will have to be through the benching of Smith. Remember when O’sullivan was QB? I remember, then, many 49er fans arguing that Shuan Hill was nowhere near as good as J.T. (and they got this from Mike Martz), but Singletary gave him a shot, and look at what happened? The guy who, according to some stupid fans, couldn’t even throw over 20 yards managed to not only give the team and thousands of fans some hope, but his exceptional play convinced ownership in believing that the team’s second half success was all attributed to Singletary (and thus, the hasty promotion of that toad-face from interim head coach to full-time). My point? The 49ers are in a similar situation this season, and they should do the exact same thing in benching the current starter in favor of someone else who is relatively “unknown”. Troy Smith anyone? Since Nate Davis isn’t here, why not. You can’t use the “Troy Smith is too stupid to run an offense” argument against him because the last time I checked, Troy doesn’t have a learning disability. He won a freakin’ heisman for cryin’ out loud! Fans should be chanting his name the way they chanted for Shaun Hill when he was still here.
And now for something completely different:
(sighs) Did anyone else see the NFL network critiquing Shaun Hill the other day? A receiver lined up in the slot on the left side, ran a wheel route up the sidelines, and Hill delivered the ball in there perfectly. It was a play that didn’t give Hill much time, and yet he executed the play perfectly by lobbing it in there. It was extremely well timed. Plays like that just does not happen with Smith because 1) Smith rarely takes those kinds of chances, and 2) in cases where he does take the chance, the ball usually is either inaccurately thrown or overthrown, or even worse, picked off. Anyone else miss Shaun Hill? I hear that guy’s doin’ pretty damn well for the Lions as the “backup”. Some of his throws to Calvin Johnson this season were so pretty. Check out the highlights on NFL.com. (I’m happy for the guy. For all the fans out there who don’t like Hill, here’s a helpful fact for ya’: Hill is still in the league, and currently is starting as the backup to Matthew Stafford because as a 49er, he proved to be a very reliable and capable QB.)
(sighs some more… at “Exit Alex Smith/ Keep Alex Smith.”)
(sighs some more… at the fact that I even miss Hill to begin with, a player who is slightly above average at best, and yet continues to make me believe that letting him go was a mistake…… Hey, if fans insist on hanging on to Smith’s nuts, than I’ll do the same, if only a little, with Hill’s. The man is a gamer, and you can’t lie about that. You give the Lions the 49ers D as it is currently, and I bet the Lions have at least a .500 record.)
It’s ya boiiii,
Waiting4JoshMorgan
by Waiting4JoshMorgan on Oct 10, 2010 1:30 AM PDT reply actions
Shaun Hill
Week 1: 9-19 88 yards, 1 int
Week 2: 25-45 335 yards, 2 TDs 2 ints
Week 3: 29-43 237 yards, 1 TD 2 ints
Week 4: 34-54 331 yards, 2 TD 2 ints
These numbers are by no means good, but guess what? Yeah, you got it smart fan, they’re still better than Smith’s.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: When you have fans (not including myself) who compare Hill to Smith, and then conclude that Hill the better of the two, that in itself should tell you that Smith is an awful QB, and that the team needs to make a change, pronto. And I"m talkin’ ’bout right now, Singletary! Review the tapes tonight at the facility, and make another decision based on impulse. Do Smith the way you did Raye. Kapeesh?
by Waiting4JoshMorgan on Oct 10, 2010 1:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Elliott Pohnl's title for his article?
You got it!
“NFL Week 5 Predictions: Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill Will Have An Epic QB Battle”
I wonder when Smith will ever be included in such a conversation that contains the words, “epic” and “battle”?
Sorry to keep dragging this folks as I understand my lengthy responses are often absurd, but fans who insist on believing that there is no other viable alternative to Alex Smith is also very absurd. Goodness gracious great balls of fury.
by Waiting4JoshMorgan on Oct 10, 2010 1:44 AM PDT up reply actions
I like the article, but does anyone edit these for grammar, spelling, and punctuation?
I was hoping the writer meant that the way to fix the team was to actually have a general manager. I was hoping the article would point out that no coach exists on the staff who is qualified to lead the team should Singletary be fired. Those are both glaring management mistakes and to me are the real internal (behind the scenes) problem of the Niners. As far as trading players, are they more valuable on draft day, when they can be packaged with picks in an effort to get higher or multiple draft choices? If that is the case, I’d prefer to see Lawson, Clements, Gore, Tarrell Brown, Reggie Smith and Crabtree all traded to get some higher draft choices. Gore could play for a winner and the rest might actually play like their draft status hinted they ought to.
editing
No, the FanShots are not edited for grammar, spelling and punctuation. It’s up to the individual writer.
by David Fucillo on Oct 17, 2010 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions
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