49ers Offense - One Thing Clear.....

Originally posted by Afrikan:
so this is where my 3rd Down % thread merged with.....there were some pretty good post in that thread, too bad some might have got lost in the mixing.

looking forward to seeing if we drastically improve our percentages vs a rather *easier* team.

that's kind of a standard thing for every team

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
This is good ifno. I don't know if we've seen the ceiling of this offense. I will say if we don't change, we'll be a team that can consistnely make the playoffs and will have a day like this occasionally. The good news is that the only team capable of makng the happen left on our schedule is the Steelers. The other good news is that no other team in the NFC has the ability to shut down this offense the way the Ravens did.

In order for us to take it to the next level, I'd say it's more important for us to get that 3rd down conversion rate up. Whether it be completing those short passes or establishing a deep threat doesn't matter to me. We need to get that to be consistently between 33-40%. If we can do that, this offense won't exactly be Green Bay or New Orleans, but it will be close to impossible to truly shut them down. This defense plays well enough right now for us to win a championship. They generate no QB pressure, no turnovers, yet still only yield 16 points. Yes they gave up many 3rd downs to Flacco, but if you defense gives up only 16 points, you should be able to win 95% of the time.

This is good information. Right now, this defense is playing well enough for us to win a championship. Anytime you only yield 16 points, with no offensive help, and generate no QB pressure or turnovers, you are pretty good and any team in the league will take their defense only giving up 16 points.

If we can get that 3rd down conversation rate between 35-40%, we won't exactly be Green Bay or New Orleans, but that will make this team a championship contender for years to come, without adding any extra pieces to the offense.

You make some excellent points here LifeLong... I don't think many Zoners would disagree with the above.

The SF Giants won a World Series with a Championship caliber pitching staff and a mid-level offense.

I agree that the Niners have a defense that can win a title. If the team can upgrade their offense either through scheming, play-calling, getting some guys healthy (like Edwards and Miller), or installing a few more plays (like a good screen pass to Hunter), then I think they can be very competitive in the playoffs.

However, I do think that Alex needs to take his game to yet another level.....by completing more passes downfield. If he can add that element to his game, he can take the team to the Promised Land.......if and only if.

Cheers!

One thing I think is being overlooked is that the Ravens were looking to make a statement in this game and John Harbaugh had them prepared.

I watched the postgame interviews with Terrel Suggs and Ray Rice. Suggs mentioned it, the 49ers defense has been getting publicity as being a better defense than theirs. Ray Rice said the only thing he was disappointed in despite winning is that he didn't break any of the defensive streaks we had for rushing td's or 100 yard rushers.

This is a well coached team who knew they had an advantage and looked to capitalize. They are well coached and played inspired football on the defensive side of the ball.

Originally posted by nw9erfan:

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
This is good ifno. I don't know if we've seen the ceiling of this offense. I will say if we don't change, we'll be a team that can consistnely make the playoffs and will have a day like this occasionally. The good news is that the only team capable of makng the happen left on our schedule is the Steelers. The other good news is that no other team in the NFC has the ability to shut down this offense the way the Ravens did.

In order for us to take it to the next level, I'd say it's more important for us to get that 3rd down conversion rate up. Whether it be completing those short passes or establishing a deep threat doesn't matter to me. We need to get that to be consistently between 33-40%. If we can do that, this offense won't exactly be Green Bay or New Orleans, but it will be close to impossible to truly shut them down. This defense plays well enough right now for us to win a championship. They generate no QB pressure, no turnovers, yet still only yield 16 points. Yes they gave up many 3rd downs to Flacco, but if you defense gives up only 16 points, you should be able to win 95% of the time.

This is good information. Right now, this defense is playing well enough for us to win a championship. Anytime you only yield 16 points, with no offensive help, and generate no QB pressure or turnovers, you are pretty good and any team in the league will take their defense only giving up 16 points.

If we can get that 3rd down conversation rate between 35-40%, we won't exactly be Green Bay or New Orleans, but that will make this team a championship contender for years to come, without adding any extra pieces to the offense.

You make some excellent points here LifeLong... I don't think many Zoners would disagree with the above.

The SF Giants won a World Series with a Championship caliber pitching staff and a mid-level offense.

I agree that the Niners have a defense that can win a title. If the team can upgrade their offense either through scheming, play-calling, getting some guys healthy (like Edwards and Miller), or installing a few more plays (like a good screen pass to Hunter), then I think they can be very competitive in the playoffs.

However, I do think that Alex needs to take his game to yet another level.....by completing more passes downfield. If he can add that element to his game, he can take the team to the Promised Land.......if and only if.

Cheers!

yup, I agree with this. With him hitting these huge potential plays, that would have defenses backing up alittle bit....just enough for Gore/Hunter to find more creases....as well as *gasp* Alex giving more time in the pocket. If we can burn defenses for stacking the box, by PASSING. When then, it would make things much easier for Gore, Oline, Alex, etc...more players would be open underneath as well.

This game looked a lot like what it was. A seasoned veteran defense taking advantage of a young offense that had half a week to prepare. Not to mention the fact that the whole outlook changes if that Ginn TD isn't wiped out by a ticky tack penalty.

I was at the game. Yes the O line played very bad, but there were a few times when Alex should have just run the ball. The one time he did was a first down. The offense this year will work, it wont next season. Either the offense needs to be wide open and trust Alex or face a shutdown in 2012. Bottomline we have our division and playoffs. Im just happy for that.

Originally posted by walker807:
This game looked a lot like what it was. A seasoned veteran defense taking advantage of a young offense that had half a week to prepare. Not to mention the fact that the whole outlook changes if that Ginn TD isn't wiped out by a ticky tack penalty.

That call was just plain bad. That would have been a huge momentum changer.