Week 3: Thoughts after re-watching game....

Alex Smith continues to impress... even with all the off sides, penalties and blown assignments by the o-line.

All we need is consistently average o-line play, and this team will come together nicely.
Now, we'll just have to wait and see if and when that is ever going to happen.

Gore and Hunter need to start splitting carries.

Edwards and Crabtree will make a very good receiver duo, once they get on the field together.

Defense, with the changes in the secondary, looked better. Need to continue that "up" trend.

Originally posted by FILTHpigskin:
Alex Smith continues to impress... even with all the off sides, penalties and blown assignments by the o-line.

All we need is consistently average o-line play, and this team will come together nicely.
Now, we'll just have to wait and see if and when that is ever going to happen.

Gore and Hunter need to start splitting carries.

Edwards and Crabtree will make a very good receiver duo, once they get on the field together.

Defense, with the changes in the secondary, looked better. Need to continue that "up" trend.

Another thing with Alex....he'd also be doing much better if the running game wasn't constantly giving him a 3rd and Long. Its pretty clear that he'll probably never be a dynamic passer who gets 300+ yards on a regular basis, but getting 3rd and Long on every series is one of the reasons he's getting killed back there.

Thanks for an excellent post once again.

I still feel Staley would be excellent as RT and get Boone to LT. Kilgore was very impressive the last time I saw him play and he needs a shot. Let Chilo ride the pine. Then again, that might bt too much change too soon.

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by FILTHpigskin:
Alex Smith continues to impress... even with all the off sides, penalties and blown assignments by the o-line.

All we need is consistently average o-line play, and this team will come together nicely.
Now, we'll just have to wait and see if and when that is ever going to happen.

Gore and Hunter need to start splitting carries.

Edwards and Crabtree will make a very good receiver duo, once they get on the field together.

Defense, with the changes in the secondary, looked better. Need to continue that "up" trend.

Another thing with Alex....he'd also be doing much better if the running game wasn't constantly giving him a 3rd and Long. Its pretty clear that he'll probably never be a dynamic passer who gets 300+ yards on a regular basis, but getting 3rd and Long on every series is one of the reasons he's getting killed back there.

Yep... the offense never got into a rhythm until the end of the third quarter.
Alex (and the offense) would look A LOT better if not for this horrible o-line play.
The entire first half they were killing drives with penalties and breakdowns in protection.
That has to change... and soon.

I really believe all we need on offense is a run game and that will open up this offense so much. Alex Smith, though playing well, can't do it all on his own. He's just not that type of QB at the moment. He alone is responsible for about 85% of the yardage. Get the run game going, take some pressure off Alex, and things will open up.

And the thing with Gore is his lack of patience. Look at Hunter on that outside sweep. He waited for a gap and burst through it. As for Frank his is shuffling his feet like Anthony Dixon out there, and running right into the teeth of the defense. This has a lot to do with the Oline, but at the same time i've never seen Gore shuffle his feet like that. Is his injury not healed, is he afraid of injury, or has he lost it?

Crabtree dropped two third down conversion passes, not one. Sure, the pass on one of them was low, but very catchable. Crabtree needs to drop the ball less, he must average a drop per game if not worse.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
1) I'm officially worried about Frank again. It wasn't just that he was sluggish...there were actually times that he looked almost disinterested. I NEVER thought that would have been the case. I'm not saying thats whats going on, but on a play where he was making a block and the guy breezed right by him for a sack, he just seemed disengaged. He may not be completely healthy, he may be having other troubles, but I'm starting the think we are at the beginning of the end for him.

2) Kendall Hunter needs more carries. When he came in there was just alot more energy. I'm not saying to bench Frank, I just think Hunter needs to get more touches. It almost reminds me of when Kevan Barlow was the starter and Gore was starting to take some of his carries. Frank is 100x the player Barlow ever was...but thats how it looks right now.

3) Aldon Smith is still a freak, but he's having trouble getting to the QB. He's not bursting off the line and is getting neutralized rather easily. I still think he's going to be a very good player tho. I think he's still learning the position.

4) Ray McDonald is still a monster. I'd say he's garnering Pro Bowl consideration if it wasn't so hard for a 3-4 end to make it. Justin Smith also overshadows him...but 3 weeks into the season, he's deserving.

5) Navorro Bowman. Woah. He's actually playing better than Willis right now. That spin on the pass-rush was something special.

6) David Akers. Wow. That guy is saving our a$$es. He hasn't missed yet and they haven't all been chip-shots.

7) Crabtree. If the line could actually give Alex a little time, he could be a factor. That catch-that-should-have-been in the endzone was very nice. The drop...not so much, but that isn't the norm with him.

8) Alex. Again...workmanlike performance under pressure. Hit like crazy, but not turning the ball over.

9) Bruce Miller. Clearly still getting used to having the ball in his hands, but appears to have the potential to be a much more dynamic FB than Norris has ever been.

10) Chilo Rachal. Uggg. I have defended him on this site in the past, but he had a ROUGH game. Yikes.

Agreed., Alex isn't the problem right now,, its the OL,

Im going to put on the captain obvious cape and say the OL needs to step up...but I dont think we'll see them gel until after the bye.

The Offensive line is the key, but I don't think that swapping players is the answer. Rachal is the only weak link that I'd consider benching. Mainly what they need is cohesion, communication, and chemistry; and that only comes with time and repetition. They suck now, but I think they'll be a decent O-line by the end of the year.

Gore is not the same. Whether it's the ankle he suffered yesterday, the hip injury lingering from last year, or he's just nearing the end; doesn't matter. He is not the same player he was a couple years ago. I doubt that Gore is "done," but I think his time as an every down "bell cow" back is over. They need to start rotating the backs.

Agree about McDonald and Bowman. Those guys are tearing it up.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
1) I'm officially worried about Frank again. It wasn't just that he was sluggish...there were actually times that he looked almost disinterested. I NEVER thought that would have been the case. I'm not saying thats whats going on, but on a play where he was making a block and the guy breezed right by him for a sack, he just seemed disengaged. He may not be completely healthy, he may be having other troubles, but I'm starting the think we are at the beginning of the end for him.

2) Kendall Hunter needs more carries. When he came in there was just alot more energy. I'm not saying to bench Frank, I just think Hunter needs to get more touches. It almost reminds me of when Kevan Barlow was the starter and Gore was starting to take some of his carries. Frank is 100x the player Barlow ever was...but thats how it looks right now.

3) Aldon Smith is still a freak, but he's having trouble getting to the QB. He's not bursting off the line and is getting neutralized rather easily. I still think he's going to be a very good player tho. I think he's still learning the position.

4) Ray McDonald is still a monster. I'd say he's garnering Pro Bowl consideration if it wasn't so hard for a 3-4 end to make it. Justin Smith also overshadows him...but 3 weeks into the season, he's deserving.

5) Navorro Bowman. Woah. He's actually playing better than Willis right now. That spin on the pass-rush was something special.

6) David Akers. Wow. That guy is saving our a$$es. He hasn't missed yet and they haven't all been chip-shots.

7) Crabtree. If the line could actually give Alex a little time, he could be a factor. That catch-that-should-have-been in the endzone was very nice. The drop...not so much, but that isn't the norm with him.

8) Alex. Again...workmanlike performance under pressure. Hit like crazy, but not turning the ball over.

9) Bruce Miller. Clearly still getting used to having the ball in his hands, but appears to have the potential to be a much more dynamic FB than Norris has ever been.

10) Chilo Rachal. Uggg. I have defended him on this site in the past, but he had a ROUGH game. Yikes.

We need Edwards healthy ASAP!

Originally posted by oldninerdude:

Originally posted by Marvin49:
1) I'm officially worried about Frank again. It wasn't just that he was sluggish...there were actually times that he looked almost disinterested. I NEVER thought that would have been the case. I'm not saying thats whats going on, but on a play where he was making a block and the guy breezed right by him for a sack, he just seemed disengaged. He may not be completely healthy, he may be having other troubles, but I'm starting the think we are at the beginning of the end for him.

2) Kendall Hunter needs more carries. When he came in there was just alot more energy. I'm not saying to bench Frank, I just think Hunter needs to get more touches. It almost reminds me of when Kevan Barlow was the starter and Gore was starting to take some of his carries. Frank is 100x the player Barlow ever was...but thats how it looks right now.

3) Aldon Smith is still a freak, but he's having trouble getting to the QB. He's not bursting off the line and is getting neutralized rather easily. I still think he's going to be a very good player tho. I think he's still learning the position.

4) Ray McDonald is still a monster. I'd say he's garnering Pro Bowl consideration if it wasn't so hard for a 3-4 end to make it. Justin Smith also overshadows him...but 3 weeks into the season, he's deserving.

5) Navorro Bowman. Woah. He's actually playing better than Willis right now. That spin on the pass-rush was something special.

6) David Akers. Wow. That guy is saving our a$$es. He hasn't missed yet and they haven't all been chip-shots.

7) Crabtree. If the line could actually give Alex a little time, he could be a factor. That catch-that-should-have-been in the endzone was very nice. The drop...not so much, but that isn't the norm with him.

8) Alex. Again...workmanlike performance under pressure. Hit like crazy, but not turning the ball over.

9) Bruce Miller. Clearly still getting used to having the ball in his hands, but appears to have the potential to be a much more dynamic FB than norris has ever been.

10) Chilo Rachal. Uggg. I have defended him on this site in the past, but he had a ROUGH game. Yikes.

Excellent read. I'm starting to look forward to your weekly recaps.

Totally agree on Bruce Miller. Starts off first half with an 11 yard catch, and starts off the second half with another catch. A new dimension/weapon for the offense.

They (the coaches) have got to do something about the OL!!!

YES!! It was nice to see the fullback utilized in the passing game. Almost started to resemble a WCO. More slants and draws and will give opposing defenses more to worry about. All dependent on the O-Line.

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Its kinda funny...I've heard the national media saying that Alex is coming off his primary reciever to quickly. Thats probably true, but its pretty hard to be critical of that when he's getting sacked 5 times per week and getting hit on various others.

I'm glad Alex is in there right now because if Kaep was in there I'd fear that he would be getting crushed and lose his confidense.

The national media acknowledged us?

Originally posted by SybErkRimInAL:
the offense needs to get its head out of its ass.

you mean.... "the offense needs to get its collective head out of its collective ass"....

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
Thanks for an excellent post once again.

I still feel Staley would be excellent as RT and get Boone to LT. Kilgore was very impressive the last time I saw him play and he needs a shot. Let Chilo ride the pine. Then again, that might bt too much change too soon.

If the OL has a few more games that are as pathetic as yesterday's was, they may have no choice. Normally however, it is not a good idea to implement changes that drastic once the season starts.....and I'm also not certain that Staley would make an excellent RT. The team may have to find 2 starting tackles next year if Davis and Staley don't improve....and quickly.

Personally, I think the OL is having a really difficult time picking up the new system, which is admittedly, pretty complex. The Niners are really paying the price for the time lost during the lockout.