49ers vs Seahawks, 2011 Season Week 1: Five Things
by smileyman on Sep 13, 2011 9:02 AM PDT
in National Preview/Review
Email
Print
Sunday morning I posted this article talking about some things from the pre-season to look at going into the 2011 season. I wanted to look at Sunday's game and see how the 49ers did with those items.
The Bad
5.) Offensive line. Other than the last pre-season game the starters on the offensive line looked awful. This was true of everybody, from long time veteran to second-year Anthony Davis
Definitely mixed reviews. Surprisingly enough the pass protection was ok, but the run blocking was generally pretty poor. That is an upgrade over the pre-season, where it seemed to be bad on both pass blocking and run blocking.
4.) Michael Crabtree's foot injury. I don't blame him for missing the pre-season. There's a reason he got put on the Physically Unable to Perform list and it wasn't because he was a whiner or a slacker. However, a foot injury could impact his ability to make cuts, thus impacting his ability to get open.
Given that he complained about it again after the game I have to say that this is still very much in the bad category. He had one catch for a grand total of 4 yards. He was open on one play, but Alex Smith did not see him. I have to think that's partially a result of the missed pre-season and the opportunity to work together.
3.) Secondary. Wholesale changes in the secondary happened, with very mixed results. Will they be able to gel into a cohesive and functional unit?
Jackson threw for less than 200 yards, with 2 TDs and 1 INT. However, I'm not sure that we can say that it was the pass defense that was good or if this was due to facing an inferior QB. The defense did get burned often on a long drive by the Seahawks coming out of the half, so I think I'd have to grade the secondary as an incomplete still.
2.) Colin Kaepernick. He very much looked like a second round draft pick. Can he make the adjustments he needs to should worst come to worst?
CK didn't play so this will remain an incomplete for most of the season. To be honest I hope we can go the entire season without him doing more than mop up duty.
1.) Hat tip to James for this one. Dominique Zeigler being cut. I knew he was doomed when he reported to camp on the PUP list, but I always wanted him to make it.
Zeigler is a good stand in for all the 49ers wide receivers. The offense looked sluggish, with Alex Smith throwing for only 124 yards. Josh Morgan had 28 yards receiving, Braylon Edwards had 27. Not exactly inspiring numbers if the team wants to be able to compete.
The Good:
5.) Braylon Edwards. Man can he make the difficult catch.
He made another great catch in Sunday's game, but we'll need more than 27 yards out of him.
4.) Kendall Hunter. Yeah we got all excited over Anthony Dixon last season, but here's why Hunter will end up being a better back. A.) The man knows when to make his cut instead of dancing around. B.) The man knows how to pass block exceptionally well (this is a much rarer trait than one might suppose, especially for a starting RB) and finally C.) He managed to look good against first string defenses.
He performed solidly the couple times he was in as a pass blocker, but only ran the ball twice for a paltry 4 yards. Incomplete grade.
3.) Frank Gore. Even though I made noises about how much we would end up paying him I'm still glad we signed him to a 3 year extension. I also think the team was smart in how it did it, because reports are that when it comes down to it the deal is really a 1 year, $6 million deal.
I felt that he looked very sluggish and slow out there on Sunday (I'll talk about this later in the week). Obviously he can't do anything when the play call is run up the gut, but there were times when he was turning a corner where he would slip, or not get that extra burst of speed. I hope it's merely him not having an off-season, rather than any lingering effects of his hip injury.
2.) NaVorro Bowman. He made moves at the ILB position that normally only happen with veterans. He's going to be a fine replacement for The Neck.
Bowman had a very good game, though the longest pass play of the game came when he left his zone and moved up towards the line of scrimmage. Jackson threw a completion to Baldwin who was perfectly placed in the empty spaces. Since Bowman was underneath he couldn't get the tackle and Baldwin rumbled for a 55 yard TD.
1.) Jim Harbaugh. He'll be able to help us win a couple of games that Singletary would've lost.
The 49ers won, so he gets a positive grade but there is still some concern for me. His goal line play calling was un-inspiring, and I felt he tried to run it far too much, particularly when the offensive line showed it couldn't get the job done. However, putting Adam Snyder in as an eligible TE and then having him shift back to draw Seattle off-sides was simply brilliant and something that Singletary never would've done.
33 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Well, the record is set at six,
so three to five would actually be really good.
"Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer "extortion." The "X" makes it sound cool." - Bender Bending Rodriguez
Eleanor Rigby - "Greatest Song" or "The Greatest Song"?
Dobbs is some kind of Young/Smith/Roosevelt hybrid, and will absolutely ruin the NFL experience for the other 31 teams and their few fans.
In regards to the poll...
You didn’t leave the option for 2 return TDs (i.e. no more during the season). That wouldn’t be my vote, but it should be an option.
Jim Harbaugh is our future!
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: WORLD CHAMPIONS!
Touchdown Forty Niners!
Giants Baseball: Torture. It hurts so good.
My thought as well
and it would be my vote. TDs are rare. He only had 4 in the previous 4 years.
by whistlingmountain on Sep 13, 2011 9:25 AM PDT up reply actions
I think it wasnt absolute skill at work
He had good blocking, Looks like our special teams are good enough to plan stuff and take occasional risks. They should be consistantly good this year
Was hard to judge the offensive line for pass blocking
they were never passing on passing downs, instead choosing to run for 2 yards.
I thought the secondary was ok, but they’re going to have 1 or 2 really bad plays a game where people get out of position. In this game, Reggie took a horrible angle and it resulted in a 55 yard TD, and someone blew the coverage on Tate.
by whistlingmountain on Sep 13, 2011 9:27 AM PDT reply actions
Gin has 2 special teams TDs in 1 game
Thus, he will have 32 in 16 games. Science!
extrabaggs
"Just your typical Giants scoring rally: A faceburger on the basepaths, two errors from the second baseman and a bases-loaded balk."
by Badly Browned on Sep 13, 2011 9:38 AM PDT via mobile reply actions 4 recs
ugh
Ginn. Stupid phone.
extrabaggs
"Just your typical Giants scoring rally: A faceburger on the basepaths, two errors from the second baseman and a bases-loaded balk."
by Badly Browned on Sep 13, 2011 9:39 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Hard time judging the team as a whole
I really don’t know how good the Seahawks are, and I especially don’t know how good T. Jackson is. I remember him being the QBOTF for the Vikings at one point, and having at least a couple of decent games.
Edwards probably would have had two TD’s if he hand’t been interfered with (one didn’t get called becauseAlex was out of the pocket), so I think he is a monster pick-up and will have a good year.
I was most dissapointed with Aldon Smith. He didn’t get on the field that much, and I didn’t really see him do much besides get a hand on the ball (which I have to admit was pretty impressive). I think he was our best hope for improvement against the pass. After watching the Patriots-Dolphins game and Packers-Saints, it seems like the most important thing in the future of football will be disrupting the passing game. Hopefully, he will get better as the season progresses.
Haralson had a great game though
I’m not going to be upset if Aldon doesn’t play tons if the guys we have on the field can perform.
Seriouly
the niner didnt look too good. In my opinion the seahawks are not a top 20 team and they came close to running away with the game. Ted Ginn really showed up with the monster returns but we cant expect him to save us every week.
by TaylorMaysCantCover on Sep 13, 2011 10:00 AM PDT reply actions
Agreed, but
I think we all expected a slow start given the lockout and attempting to install both a new defensive AND offensive scheme, and the new offense being a WCO which is far from simple.
So, given that, I am more than happy to take a win even if ugly – especially against a division opponent.
by ColoradoNiner on Sep 13, 2011 10:16 AM PDT up reply actions
A bit overstated
came close to running away with the game
Correct me if I’m mis-remembering, but I don’t remember the Seahawks ever being ahead on the scoreboard.
Other than that, I’d pretty much agree with both your assessment of the Seattle ranking as sub top 20 (I’d go worse than that unless they greatly improve as the season goes on) and the concern over the offensive showing.
by OffensiveInterference on Sep 13, 2011 10:16 AM PDT up reply actions
They came close to running all over us
they never got there but they were threatening to. Maybe if Ginn doesn’t return either of those the offense surprises them with something. We can never know, but I accept as fact the Seahawks came close to taking over the game.
A pie can be divided into many pieces. For MOST people the goal is to get as many pieces of that pie as possible. It is my goal to eat the WHOLE pie.
They weren't running away with anything.
They had one solid TD drive and a blitz that was countered with a perfect slant. THat is it.
They scored, down by 2, Ginn returns the kickoff. Then the defense forced a 3 and out leading to Ginn’s second. What makes you think even if Ginn didn’t return that and we ran 2 minutes of the clock the defense still doesn’t hold?
Ted Ginn really showed up with the monster returns but we cant expect him to save us every week.
Uh. We were ahead when he made his first TD run. Yes, Seattle was looking dangerous but part of the reason our offensive numbers look so anemic is that we had two fewer possessions than you would think because Ginn scored in special teams.
And it’s not like the Seahawks offense looked particularly dangerous after that first return, either. Wasn’t that a three-and-out?
those plays
The 49ers were ahead, but Seattle had all the momentum. Seahawks hadn’t looked great, but their offense was starting to get more explosive. They went three and out after the first Ginn return, but I still think had he not returned it, things could have gotten ugly.
by David Fucillo on Sep 13, 2011 11:44 AM PDT up reply actions
I am of the camp that "momentum" doesn't exist
at least in the sports sense. It’s just easier for pundits and fans to pretend it’s there.
I've seen it thousands of times.
It’s physics based after all, object in motion… Whatever, if you don’t understand you will never get it. Momentum can be stopped, yes, and it was. But the momentum was there.
A pie can be divided into many pieces. For MOST people the goal is to get as many pieces of that pie as possible. It is my goal to eat the WHOLE pie.
Meh.
If momentum is a useful tool, if it’s real, then you should be able to make accurate predictions based on it.
I believe our perception of momentum is, the vast majority a time, a function of our PERCEPTION rather than a function of the events on the field. You’ve seen it thousands of times, sure … but that doesn’t mean it was really there. Rather, that means that the normal, fully-functioning pattern-recognition behavior inherent in all of our brains was, in your case, functioning quite well and trying to stick patterns and narratives on things to which they don’t apply.
This is a very fundamental human trait.
It exists
I don’t think it has nearly the effect in pro sports as it does at lower levels though.
I'm not a big fan of "momentum" based analysis.
Because momentum, is, ultimately, something that you have until all of a sudden you don’t have it anymore.
If the Seahawks had turned around and marched down the field on their next possession, everybody would be talking about how the kick return didn’t change anything. Instead, our defense stuffed them. Yet our defense didn’t have any momentum going into that series – they’d looked terrible previously.
I agree that without that KR, things could have gone badly. But they also could have gone just fine – a couple of completions, a successful run or two, and we’re chewing up clock and scoring points with our offense which has the exact same effect.
by Ronaldinho on Sep 13, 2011 12:10 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
You seem to have lost momentum there at the end
A pie can be divided into many pieces. For MOST people the goal is to get as many pieces of that pie as possible. It is my goal to eat the WHOLE pie.
My take on it.
The Good
4. Kendall Hunter impressed me. The dive between the guards that we sent him on was worthless and he got stuffed for no gain. But his 4 yard run later was impressive because he was met by 3 Seahawks in the backfield for what should have been a 5 yard loss. Now they weren’t in great position but he bounced off of two of them, cut back to allow Staley to get in the way of 2 more Seahawks, and gained 4 yards with an explosion to daylight before two more Hawks finally brought him down.
Oh yeah, that was also the play where Norris tried to make a block by looking very hard at the ground and 2 of those defenders went to either side of him to force Hunter to improvise.
He was also pretty aggressive in pass protection, really sticking his face in there and being aggressive.
The Bad:
Gore going down everytime a stiff breeze blew his way. Seriously man, you gotta run through arm tackles from guys who are falling away from you. You better recognize that the contract you just signed was faith from our FO that you weren’t done yet — and you have no guarantees for skill. If it’s your hip, speak up and say it’s not right, get yourself into rehab with the trainer and get it back at 100% if it’s possible.
And now, The Ugly
The Golden Tate TD:
Bowman has the underneath zone and he’s only 3 yards deep. He even takes a step toward the line as Tarvy throws and ends up having to make an awkward desperation jump at the ball because he’s caught out of position. Tarell Brown also has to recognize the delayed slant as a big possibility from the field position and formation and call out a pre-snap switch call that will allow the inside corner (I think it was Rogers) to take the split end if the slot receiver went outside for the “screen”. Technically screens are illegal, but it never gets called, especially in the red zone.
How you want to see that play work out as a DC is the switch call is made pre-snap, the inside corner rides the slant right into Bowman who either lays the guy out, breaks up the pass, or takes it the other way.
The Baldwin TD:
On first look I don’t know what Brown is doing. First it looks like he’s playing off man, and then when Baldwin fires out towards him he runs forward and past Baldwin to try to jump an out route by the TE. Then Mad Willy takes an angle to the ball that would make Taylor Mays proud and it’s a 2 point game.
So 1st off, unless Brown just started freelancing mid play, this was not man coverage. Looks much more like a Cover 2 Zone where Baldwin found the crease in the zones. He was behind Brown playing the flat, not quite yet to Bowman moving over in the curl zone (a bit shallow though), and not deep enough for Williams. This one is on Williams. That call against that defense is usually a catch if it’s thrown well, but usually it doesn’t go for 55 and 7.
The Offense:
Thomas and Chancellor were flying up to the LOS every play. They were vulnerable deep centerfield on the PA pass all day long and we didn’t attack it. I don’t think Harbaugh lacked confidence in Smith, I think he lacked confidence that the line could protect him long enough to make those throws. Our line performed well on the statline, but in my book this is an indictment of the O-line, not of Smith — and we should greatly temper any expectations of competence in our pass protection.
hmm
RE: The Offense – I mostly agree, I keep referring to the lack of trust as a lack of trust in the offense, not necessarily a lack of trust in Smith. They must not feel comfortable passing on passing downs yet for fear that Smith will get hit often, and even if that doesn’t result in a turnover, it could result in Kaepernick, who is simply not ready to see the field.
That being said.. I still think they need to throw the risk out there. ( though they’ll probably play it even safer next with with Ware looming )
The Baldwin TD, I thought it was Reggie Smith that took the bad angle, I’ll have to rewatch.
The running game, Seattle focused 95% on the run game and the 49ers ran right into it.. I was hoping we’d at least see some misdirection plays, some pitches, maybe a quick out to Davis.. but they really did not hing to disrupt it.
In general if the offensive line isn’t getting push, I’d prefer they go single back. Full back just gets in the way of vision and already small holes..
by whistlingmountain on Sep 13, 2011 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions
I'd do the same
Take the risk. There is no high reward play that does not have risk attached to it.
I watched it again, that is Reggie Smith. Seriously want an edit button.
Yes, I fully agree on the single back. And worse, when your fullback is our fullback — he makes back tackles.
West Coast Offense
Correct me if I’m wrong. But; under Bill Walsh’s West Coast Offense didn’t they pass to set up the run. In game one Harbaugh’s play calling looked an AWFUL lot like Singletary/Raye play calling. Ie. Run, run, run even if it’s not working.
in Bill Walsh's offense, they'd attack the defense's weaknesses
IF that meant attacking a weak secondary, or a defense focused on the run, with passes, then that’s what they did. If it meant running against a passing defense, then that is what they did.
He also used an extensive set of designed short passes to running backs, something that’s not really done anymore because of how fast defenses have gotten.
by whistlingmountain on Sep 13, 2011 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
You said "Jackson threw for less than 200 yards"
And that he was an “inferior” QB so that your grade was incomplete. He actually threw for 155 yards with one play accounting for 55 yards.
With the exception of two plays the db’s kept everything in front of them, tackled well and looked better than they did a lot of last year. When Spencer comes back, Brown will be a nickel corner. When Goldson gets healthy the safeties will also have depth.
This group is seriously upgraded.
I'm not convinced
Spencer comes back and becomes the #2 by default. The coaching staff has made it clear that everyone has been earning their starting positions. Spencer will be no different.
He may very well end up starting sooner than later, but it isn’t going to be handed to him.
The first game was not pretty
Not the prettiest win, but Ill take it. Smith was obviously being handled with kid gloves. Harbaugh is obviously trying to build Smith’s confidence slowly. The offensive line pass protected fine but the run blocking looked lethargic and slow. The defense looked strong against an inferior opponent. The Cowgirls will be a very good measuring stick game.
Another year, another chance to hope for the team !!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Niners Nation
Related FanShots on Niners Nation
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
