Originally posted by BETTERDAYZ9ERS:
Originally posted by TOP_CAT:
Originally posted by BETTERDAYZ9ERS:
The problem is we don't know what is required in Raye's offense. We don't even if this whole "power running" team Sings wants us to be will work. Will it be just who makes fewer mistakes or the one who makes more plays? I never want to rule out Alex because he has a chip on his shoulder but I've seen enough of Hill to know that he can carry an offense for now!
You see,the problem is that Sing or Raye have never said they want to be a power running team. They have said they want to be able to run the ball down the throats of the defenses anytime they choose to do that.
They have also said they want to be an almost 50-50 running and passing team.
So we KNOW that the Niners under Sing and Raye will pass quite a bit and will use the TE's and RB's quite a bit to catch passes.
We also KNOW that we will run first to set up the pass (play action baby !).
We know that they want to be able to run for 1st downs on 3rd and 2 or 4th and 1,instead of having to punt all the time in those situations ,like last year under Martz.
So we KNOW that Sing was sooooo upset about being sooooo soft in the power running game last season under Martz that he fired his butt and brought in a OC that believed as he did,that you need to use the TE's and have a "real" fullback etc etc ,if you want to move the chains and get those critical first downs in crunch time .
I for one agree with sing,don't you ?
Yeah definitely, it's just hard to imagine the type of offense we will be next year. I agree with being able to run the ball effectively because we have a 1600 yard running back in our backfield but on the flip side you don't have to be able to run the ball to go far in this league. Arizona couldn't run the ball all year and look what happened. They threw the ball all over the place so they played to their strengths. Since we don't have the same players on offense then let's run and play strong defense.
But if you will look at the Cards a little closer,you will notice that they started commiting to the running game much more in the playoffs than they had in the reg season. That is when they started playing better as a team.
They had a great passing game all year but were really never a playoff caliber team and actually were a horrible team in the 2nd half of the year overall.
When they started running and sticking with the running game (even though they did not have that many more yards per run average) that is when they turned the corner and started winning those playoff games.
How much more effective was Warner and Boldin and Fitts when they actually had the advantage of play action passes,with the defense actually respecting that the Cards had a running game ?
Sing doesn't want to be a 3 yards and a cloud of dust team ,he just wants to be able to have the defenses respecting the run and be able to use that to make the passing game more effective also.
And of course he wants to be able to power for some first downs on 3rd and short or 4th and short,instead of failing in those situations,like we did so often under
Martz.
And it helps greatly to take a lead into the 4th qtr and be able to run the clock out with a power running game and to not be able to be stopped,even when the other team knows that is what you intend to do !