Earlier this week, the folks at Blogging the Boys broke down some of the key matchups for this weekend.  Their difference maker matchup was special teams and specifically the 49ers return game versus the Cowboys kick off and punt coverage units. 

Last season the 49ers put together a solid special teams unit, but lacked a home run threat in the return game.  Maurice Hicks was decent but never really inspired fear.  That has changed this year with the addition of Allen Rossum.  Rossum is getting a little long in the tooth but he is currently having the best season of his career, with career highs in kick and punt return average.

Special teams can be the place a bad team hangs tough and even Maiocco pointed this out today in his look at the various matchups:

KR/PR Allen Rossum vs. Cowboys coverage units: If the 49ers hope to hang tough, they'll have to get a bunch of hidden yards in the return game from Rossum and Co. The 49ers rank sixth in the league in punt-return average and ninth in kickoff returns. The Cowboys' coverage units are 18th (punts) and 13th (kickoffs), so they will have their hands full against Rossum, who is having an outstanding season.

The traditional stats certainly show a 49ers advantage.  I'll even steal a page out of Florida Danny's book to show you an even greater disparity.  In their special teams rankings, Football Outsiders breaks down the kick and punt coverage, as well as the kick and punt return performance.  Overall the 49ers are currently ranked #1 in weighted special teams and the Cowboys are ranked 30th.  A breakdown of the coverage units versus the return units shows this is clearly a matchup the 49ers HAVE to exploit tomorrow.

If the 49ers are going to win tomorrow they obviously have to do a lot of things right.  However, all of this could be set up especially well by special teams.  If Allen Rossum can set the 49ers up in good field position, it makes life a lot easier for Shaun Hill and company.  The closer they are to the Dallas endzone, the fewer chances they need to take.  Of course Allen Rossum's punt return capabilities are predicated on the 49ers getting stops on third downs.  I make few guarantees in life, but if the 49ers pull the upset, it will be due in no small part to the return game Allen Rossum. 

Although they ended up losing to Arizona, it was Rossum's game-opening touchdown that sent the Cardinals staggering early on.  Something along those lines would certainly be much appreciated by 49ers fans.

Special teams is an area that be underrated and wildly overrated all at the same time.  The Chicago Bears roll out Devin Hester and his home run potential, while the 49ers rolled out the quiet consistency of Maurice Hicks in 2007.

Early in free agency, the 49ers added Allen Rossum in a deal that I described as:

This falls into the "Whatever" category of signings.  Hopefully he can make a nice little impact in the return game.  While I understand letting Hicks go, I definitely will miss some of his big special teams plays.  He made important stops and could set the 49ers up with solid field position on occasion when returning.

Now I won't say I'm a complete idiot, but I definitely think I was under-appreciating Allen Rossum.  I think Rossum will definitely bring enough to the table as a return man. I didn't realize his total career return yards were as high as they were (13,269, good for #2 all time).  My own fault for not doing my due diligence.

He didn't do anything spectacular in the exhibition opener, but I saw some things that make me excited when he steps on the field.  At the same time, I can definitely see some plays where he leaves me slamming my head against my coffee table.  I guess you have to take the good with the bad.

His kick returns were for 24 and 25 yards.  On his first punt return, he caught the ball at the 10 and returned it 13 yards for a solid pickup.  Of course on the next play he caught the ball at his 9 (with no hint of a fair catch) and gained nothing.  As with any game breaker you're going to get some strikeouts along the way, but you more than make up for them with the homeruns.

Considering the current and potential future problems with the 49ers offense, field position will be huge.  The 49ers finished 2007 19th in punt return average at 8.6 yards per return.  Maybe we aren't getting the second coming of Devin Hester, but I think we can expect good things from Rossum. 

I still wouldn't mind seeing some of the youngsters get a crack at returns in the preseason.  Delanie Walker return 2 kicks, one for 40 yards and one for 20 yards.  In his two year career, Walker has 4 kick returns.  I wonder if we'll see any other combinations back there.  As long as Nate Clements isn't returning punts I'm happy.  We don't need any special teams injuries for our #1 corner.

So am I right to expect big things from Rossum?  The last 49ers touchdown return was a 2005 Otis Amey 75-yard punt return against the Rams in Amey's first NFL game.  I imagine that while special teams touchdowns have a lot to do with blocking, they also have some like behind them.  Will the 49ers luck themselves into a return TD this year?

Often times when various positional unit rankings are published, the predictors fail to consider the potential and just look at the previous year's production.  Considering how bad the 49ers offense was last year and particularly the offensive line, it's easy to see how potential disrespect for the skills of Frank Gore can be overlooked.  Thankfully, that is not the case for the moment.

Over at the world wide leader, Bill Williamson posted the ten best rushing attacks in the NFL and YOUR San Francisco 49ers slid in at #10.  It's Insider protected, so here's the gist:

Even though the 49ers were awful on offense in 2007, it's hard to deny the talent of RB Frank Gore. With better play at quarterback, better play up front and better play calling, he can be an elite back. Gore's lack of production last season was not due to a lack of commitment to running the football. The effort was there, but the 49ers often fell behind and Gore became more useful in the passing game. With new offensive coordinator Mike Martz running the show, Gore will be the featured player on offense. Martz is known more for the pass than for the run, so look for Gore to build on his 53 receptions from last season. The 49ers' lack of depth at running back has been an issue in the past, but it will be better in 2008 with the addition of veteran DeShaun Foster.

While it's always nice to get respect, I'm surprised there is not more discussion about DeShaun Foster.  His addition is one that really has me excited.  I was a big fan of his coming out of UCLA and it's nice to finally have legitimate depth for the first time since 2003 when Barlow and Hearst combined for almost 1,800 rushing yards and 500+ receiving yards.  Unlike the recent past, when Frank Gore comes off the field, defenses will still have to honor the rushing attack (no offense Maurice Hicks and Michael Robinson).

In our continuing run through random features at the major sports websites, today we see Scouts Inc going all cartoon character on us.  The scouts decided to rank "all 64" running backs in the league.  The reason I put that in quotation marks is because they have missed some running backs, notably our very own Michael Robinson.  Of course Robinson is a 3rd string back and not a huge contributor in the running game.  So I'm guessing this is more along the lines of all starting and 2nd string running backs, or something like that.

This post was inspired in part by the lack of discussion in 49er land about the potentially great running back tandem the 49ers will put on display.  Of course their production will depend in part on the play of the offensive line and if both guys can remain healthy.  However, in looking at the recent past, the last time the 49ers had two solid running backs at the same time was 2001-2003 when Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow were carrying the load.  Two of those three teams went to the playoffs and while it was more than the running game that did that, a great running game can certainly help.  Gore's first year as a starter the team shocked many by finishing 7-9 as Gore finished with the best rushing season in franchise history.  Last year Gore struggled and it's kind of amazing he finished with 1,102 yards considering the performance of the rest of the offense.  The 49ers have plenty of other worries but to point out the dramatic improvement at running back, consider just the numbers.  Last season, DeShaun Foster had more rushing yards than the combined rushing yards over the last two years of any 49ers rusher not named Frank Gore.  The last two seasons have seen the non-Gore's rush for 852 total yards.  Foster has averaged 884 yards the last three seasons.  Now Foster will be in a different position in 2008 coming off the bench to spell Gore.  However it will be interesting to see if this reduced playing time keeps both guys fresher over the course of the season.  Maurice Hicks and Michael Robinson have done what they could as backups, but let's be honest, they are not the answer at RB #2 right now.  Robinson could very well develop into a solid backup, but for now, Foster is a considerably better option.

So what do the scout's think?  In discussing the backs, they ranked them and then went with a superhero motif giving a superpower and kryptonite:

7. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers

Superpower -- We're not sure we have seen a back who is so explosive yet has dealt with so many injuries. Gore shows exceptional quickness to and through the hole and can plant and change directions quickly. He runs with good balance and is tough to get off his feet. His hands are an asset, and he likely will catch close to 100 balls in 2008 in the scheme of new offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

Kryptonite -- Durability. Gore has had two major knee injuries dating back to college, and in the NFL he has been nicked up often. We wonder about his longevity as a feature back. The 49er did not run as hard last season and became frustrated with his role in the offense. He needs to mature and become a more effective leader.

1 spot ahead -- Joseph Addai

1 spot behind: -- Marion Barber

42. DeShaun Foster, San Francisco 49ers
Superpower -- He is a talented, experienced backup who will bring good production and versatility to the 49ers' backfield. He can be very effective in a rotation or on third down. Foster possesses good hands as a receiver out of the backfield, and he can stay in and pass protect effectively. He still has good strength and quickness to be effective running between the tackles or on the outside.

Kryptonite -- Ball security always has been an issue with him, and he is starting to lose some of the elusiveness for which he was known coming out of college. He also gets upright when running inside. He is not a guy you want carrying the load full time, but he still can produce in a variety of situations.

1 spot ahead -- Matt Forte, Bears rookie

1 spot behind -- Ray Rice, Ravens rookie

I think it's difficult to predict exactly how the Gore/Foster randem will work over the course of the season.  They're both highly talented running backs.  Foster has played in a semi-platoon situation with DeAngelo Williams, but when healthy he was the #1 guy in that platoon.  So he'll have to get used to not being the man.  So what kind of production will we see from this duo?  Since the end of the Hearst/Barlow duo, the 49ers best rushing season was 2006 when the team rushed for 2,172 yards, thanks in large part to Frank Gore's obscene season.  Once again, the offensive line play and production of the passing game will play a large part in this.  For now though, let's just look at the running backs in a vacuum.  So what kind of production do you see?