The CSN Bay Area team of Jim Kozimor, Bill Romanowski and Lorenzo Neal sat down to talk about the San Francisco 49ers, particularly the Week 6 loss, the team's identity and the situation at quarterback.
They began by recapping the 49ers-Giants on Sunday, where San Francisco was mauled in front of their home crowd. They were never in the game, they turned it over and they showed they could be intimidated
For the second time this season, critics have reason to fault Alex Smith as a game manager. Romonowski alluded to Eli Manning and Alex Smith being the difference in the game. He commented on the precision of Manning's throws, while admitting the Niners put too much on Smith's shoulders.
Manning only threw one touchdown and under 200 yards, but he didn't turn it over. And he made the throws he had to make. On Sunday, Manning was just the better game manager. Smith could not execute the offensive game plan the 49ers went with.
I believe this was a result of play calling by the staff. Had the 49ers run the ball, I think it would have been a completely different ball game. The Giants continued to run the football all game, and maintained balance on offense. Meanwhile, Niners lead back, Frank Gore, did not have a single carry in the second half, finishing with 8 attempts on the day.
San Francisco got behind early, panicked and forgot who they were.
And the same thing happened in Minnesota. The most important thing I think this crew discussed was the 49ers getting away from their identity. They are a running team, as arguably the best in the league at moving the ball on the ground.
They are the No. 1 rushing team but got a little too pass-happy.
The 49ers had a sloppy game plan against the Giants in Week 6 and it cost them. But hopefully they've learned from their mistakes, because they are pretty clear at this point.
Romanowsi and Neal also get into Colin Kaepernick showing up more because the staff believes he has the potential to be more than a game manager. They cited the two games in which the 49ers needed their quarterback to step up, and Smith couldn't pull it together.
Both games resulted in the team's only losses of 2012. But once again, I feel that game planning and play calling and other various factors weighed in, and not just Smith's performance.
Nevertheless, their back-and-forth on the subject is pretty interesting. In the five-minute video, I think they do a pretty good job of addressing San Francisco's current state, while inspiring conversation regarding the team's offense.