5 predictions for the San Francisco 49ers’ 2013 season (Revisited)
Way back in July, I wrote a column about five predictions I believed would come true for the San Francisco 49ers in 2013. I'm sure all of you remember the article, have it up on your refrigerators and have been waiting with bated breath for me to do a follow up....right? Probably not. I thought I would do one anyway, though.
Prediction number 1: Frank Gore bucks the trend of runningbacks hitting a wall at age 30
I couldn't have been more right about Gore and his ability to maintain his status as one of the elite backs in the NFL despite turning 30 years of age. He finished
ninth in the NFL with 1,128 yards on the ground and scored nine rushing touchdowns (the second highest total of his career). Gore also proved to be durable at 30, playing in all 16 games this season and carrying the ball 276 times. He did, however, post the lowest yards per carry of his career at 4.1.
Nothing proved Gore's worth more than when the 49ers fell into a 1-2 hole early in the year. The offense was sputtering and had gone away from the power running game that had made them so successful under Jim Harbaugh. Gore had only received 20 total carries in back to back losses in Weeks 2 and 3, but the team re-committed itself to making him the focal point in Week 4. The result was a five game winning streak that would see Gore average 21 carries and 95 yards a game during that span and score six of his nine touchdowns.
Prediction number 2: Nnamdi Asomugha will not only make the team, but START
I was kind of right here. Early on in camp, there were no guarantees Asomugha would be on the roster come September, let alone be a major factor on the defense. The fading cornerback played well enough in the preseason to beat out Tramaine Brock and while he didn't start, he did come in when the defense was in nickel to play the outside while Carlos Rogers moved into the slot. Despite the large role, any hopes that Asomugha would find his old form were washed away rather quickly as he looked old and slow during the first three weeks. After getting injured, he was replaced in the lineup by Brock who ended up leading the team in interceptions with five. Asomugha was cut during the season and his football career appears to be over, while Brock received a new deal and looks to have one of the starting cornerback spots locked up for 2014.
Prediction number 3: Vernon Davis will gain 1,000 yards receiving
Davis had a great year in 2013, but finished short of 1,000 yards. Even so, I'm wondering if I can give this one to myself on a technicality? Davis gained 850 yards overall but missed Week 3 with an injury and left the game against the Carolina Panthers early on with a concussion (he had one catch for two yards before leaving). Taking out the games he missed, Davis had 848 yards in 14 contests which averages out to 60.5 a game. If you take that average over 16 games you get..969 yards. So I still missed here but not by much. Do I get any points for the 13 touchdowns Davis scored?
Prediction number 4: Glenn Dorsey will be one of the most underrated pickups in the NFL
This prediction didn't look good early on as Dorsey was beat out by Ian Williams for the starting nose tackle position. Williams went down for the year in Week 2 though, and Dorsey was thrust into action. He responded by (quietly) having an outstanding season in which he did a fine job anchoring the 49er defense. Players like Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman can't dominate if they constantly have blockers in their face. Dorsey, along with his line mates, did an outstanding job all season of winning battles at the line of scrimmage. He even tied his career high with 2.0 sacks.
Prediction number 5: Greg Roman will leave for a head coaching job after the season
Barring something unexpected, it looks like I was wrong on this one. Roman did garner some interest from both college and NFL teams looking to fill vacancies but didn't seem like a serious candidate for any of the positions. Roman came under a lot of fire this season for an offense that was all too predictable at times and had trouble throwing the ball for much of the year. The 49ers
finished 30th in the NFL in total passing with 2979 yards and were last in attempts (417), completions (244) and first downs through the air (148).
Colin Kaepernick came on late but struggled for much of the season, only eclipsing 200 yards passing in six games all year. In Weeks 10 and 11, the 49ers dropped back to back games to the Panthers and New Orleans Saints. In those losses, Kaepernick threw for 218 yards in both games combined and was picked off twice. Hindsight is 20/20, but if the offense is even kind of competent in those games, San Francisco would have won at least one of them and had home field advantage in the playoffs.
Ah, what could have been...
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.
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Cooper
If we scored a TD on our first drive in Seattle in the title game, we would've instantly taken away a lot of Seattle's drive to win. We would've been up 14-3 at halftime and been in the drivers seat to go and finish. Tack on the Boldin touchdown and then it's 21-13 instead of 17-13 and they'd have been forced to try a 2 point conversion. Oh well, 20/20 hindsight I guess. On to 2014.
Mar 11, 2014 at 11:29 AM
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Matt
At this rate, if you're to make five predictions for the 2014 season, you're get 2 out 5 right... and a trailing 4 out of 10 right... uhh, and that's really poor. you are lucky that your salary isn't based on how many rights you get.
Jan 27, 2014 at 2:34 PM
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mbniner
After letting the loss settle for a week, I've come to accept it far better than I did the last two year's defeats. That's because that I believe that we lost to two inferior teams in the Giants and the Ravens. A combination of bad luck, iffy play-calling, and poor refereeing cost us those games. But Seattle is not an inferior opponent. The Niners and Seahawks are evenly matched and it was a tall order to beat them at their place, especially after having to go on the road three consecutive weeks in the playoff. If we had gained home field advantage, we may have won. This rivalry has legs and with both teams being young and well positioned in future drafts it's going to be exciting!
Jan 26, 2014 at 3:40 PM
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paul brightey
Reasonably accurate predictions (except Asomugha) but better review. In this league if you can't average 250 yds passing and 2td a game, it doesn't matter how far you scramble. All the niners big playoff losses last 3 seasons have featured an inability to score in the red zone - especially when the game is on the line. Why go to the same play against the hawks, that failed against the Ravens a year earlier? I always believe red zone plays are power plays....either power it in with a back, or fire it in with an arm. I do not like fade and touch passes in the red zone.
Jan 24, 2014 at 10:44 PM
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AJ Dembroski
Roman must be a horrible interview. He's had chances.
Jan 24, 2014 at 10:01 PM
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SDNiners
Seriously? you got 1 out of 5 right.
Jan 24, 2014 at 3:50 PM
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J. Gomez
Namdi is RETIRED. Hes DONE. As far as Roman, his Offense STINKS especially in the Redzone
Jan 24, 2014 at 3:24 PM
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david morris
as for greg roman my son and I deeply disappointed that he has not been hired as a head coach elsewhere. I believe that some of his questionable play selections at important times in a game may have cost him. I cite Sherman's interception. it was 1st down with 2 time outs with 40 seconds left. don't think walsh would've done that.
Jan 24, 2014 at 2:29 PM
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Jeff
We'll give you the VD 1000yds. 13TD's more than makes up for it. Without Crab, he was option 1b and was as good a tight end in the NFL in 2013.
Jan 24, 2014 at 1:55 PM
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Steve
1 play can make a season - if the penalty was not called on the 49ers for the hit on Brees than the Niners recover fumble and win in New Orleans - thus we play Seattle on our turf - then maybe we r off to snowy NY for Super Bowl. A really good season / just not the ending 49er fans wanted
Jan 24, 2014 at 1:51 PM
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Matt
The passing game definitely could have been better, but your assessment is a little harsh for an offense that finished 11th in the league in scoring. I really don't care how many yards they roll up as long as they are scoring and winning. Granted, there were times when they had trouble moving the ball and that was frustrating.
Jan 24, 2014 at 12:37 PM
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