Teams weaknesses

Overall I think that there aren't too many weaknesses on this team on paper! One glaring one for me is Jimmy Raye! They guy has knowledge, his been around since lombardi! But If I can recall, our scripted plays last yr (supposed to be our best plays) were TERRIBLE! I think Raye's stubbornness and the speed/ changing of the game have eluded Raye! We simply cannot be stubborn in the 1st half of every game, get down in pts then go to the spread in the second half! Now I know that we have addressed the line which was a major factor is Raye's calls not panning out, but he was still calling the plays that couldn't be executed by his team!

So for me, I really really hope our line can open holes for this power run game to cause we know it's coming from raye! Now I will give him credit for being able to adapt and change the offensive identity of this team to suit smith's play! I guess I'm also glad we have the same O cord for more than one year!


What are some others opinions on our team weaknesses? And let's not turn this into a smith bashing thread!

until we see what the rookies can do it will be the O-Line

Speed and coverage in the backfield especially around speedy receivers. Taylor Mays will help to some degree, and I think Goldson's next step in developement will also help. Brooks will also help with more sacks. So it will be an interesting chess game.

-coaching staff
-depth at DB (besides Spencer, we're basically f**ked at CB)
-QB
ST - ?
Oline - ?

1. Oline, unless our rookies just play lights out

2. Consistent pass rush is still not there

3. Raye's playcalling when he goes into "hibernation" or "cruise control" mode

We should be good almost everywhere else, but there still are question marks at CB, safety, and return game

Originally posted by valrod33:
until we see what the rookies can do it will be the O-Line

This is it. May not start one or even both of them right away.

Originally posted by SJniner7:
1. Oline, unless our rookies just play lights out

2. Consistent pass rush is still not there

3. Raye's playcalling when he goes into "hibernation" or "cruise control" mode

We should be good almost everywhere else, but there still are question marks at CB, safety, and return game

I agree but I would add, DB play. However, an aded pass ruch will help that.

On Defense, the screen play.

On Offense, the o-line was, not the overall play calling. You don't need complex play calling if your o-line is very good with good enough talent supporting a very GREAT back.

We do have some weaknesses, however I do expect to us to be in the playoffs.

Oline - possibly addressed (we'll see how the rookies do) and secondary - sort of addressed. CB is still a big concern to me. There are question marks at EVERY spot in the secondary... injury, age and ability.

Jimmy Raye... *sign* Here's what I hope happens. IF the two rookie Olinemen can help upgrade the Oline significantly from a year ago, and Alex Smith can build on last year and become one of the top 10 - 15 QB's in the league this offense will be scary. Frank Gore can average 4+ ypc with a bad o-line while playing D's that stack the box. IF the blocking (running and passing) gets better and Smith can throw the ball effectively... especially down the field I think we will see a HUGE increase in productivity IF Jimmy Raye doesn't get run (or pass) happy.

This team is set up perfect to be able to jump on opposing teams early with the passing game, then pound the run game to finsh teams off (if we see the improvements in WR, QB and OL). This allows the Def to play aggressive and take some chances... and thats when they are at their best.

The team HAS to have ballance though... I don't want to see a power running game for 4 quarters that keeps games close, allows opposing teams to play their style and constantly puts pressure on the Def to not give up a big play because ONE big play can be the difference between winning and losing.

I think (hope) Jimmy Raye understands this and the reason we were so run/pass heavy at times was because we simply coudln't do both.

QB is still the biggest weakness.

Assuming the rookies pan out on the O line I would say on paper we don't have any major holes.

Pass rush is my main concern even more so than our DBs. Don't get me wrong I don't think our secondary is a strength but I think it's better than a lot of people give it credit for.

When our secondary shined is when we got a quality pass rush and when we got blasted like the Falcons game is also when the pass rush was none existent.

Also in general I think our defense should be better by our offense simply doing a better job of scoring more points and staying on the field longer. The more the defense is on the field the worse they are going to look.

Offense right now the only question mark is the O line. If the rooks pan out than we should see a quality offensive performance if the O line struggles than it could be another rough year. But I think our offense should do well this year so I'm not overly worried about it.

Originally posted by Jikkle49:
Assuming the rookies pan out on the O line I would say on paper we don't have any major holes.

Pass rush is my main concern even more so than our DBs. Don't get me wrong I don't think our secondary is a strength but I think it's better than a lot of people give it credit for.

When our secondary shined is when we got a quality pass rush and when we got blasted like the Falcons game is also when the pass rush was none existent.

Also in general I think our defense should be better by our offense simply doing a better job of scoring more points and staying on the field longer. The more the defense is on the field the worse they are going to look.

Offense right now the only question mark is the O line. If the rooks pan out than we should see a quality offensive performance if the O line struggles than it could be another rough year. But I think our offense should do well this year so I'm not overly worried about it.

agree with a lot of this! The one thing about our D was that big plays came in abundance in single games and then was absent in the next! There were games agaisnt CHi and Det where they accumulated big numbers, so looking just at the numbers one would think our pass rush is legit, but I'd like to see more consistent production!

QB

Originally posted by SJniner7:
1. Oline, unless our rookies just play lights out

2. Consistent pass rush is still not there

3. Raye's playcalling when he goes into "hibernation" or "cruise control" mode

We should be good almost everywhere else, but there still are question marks at CB, safety, and return game

That would be when Jimmy is taking his nap.