Worried About the Niners Passing Game

I'm kinda worried about the passing game because we dont seem to have alot of healthy weapons right now for Kaep to throw to.
Let's look at what we got:
1) Crabtree- been playing great lately but he can be shut down if played correctly due to his lack of speed. Falcons have some pretty solid (not great) CB's.
2)Moss- He can provide 1-3 catches per game. Not really reliable this stage of career for a #2 receiver.
3) Vernon Davis- Should be putting up stud numbers but has been mostly invisible for the last 12 weeks or so. Not sure what is wrong.
4) Delanie Walker- drops about half the passes that are thrown to him. not much more to say about him. wont return next year with our small cap space.
5) AJ Jenkins- Bust. Doesnt belong in the NFL right now. 2012 draft was our worst draft in quite a while.

The good news is that Kaep's running ability will hopefully force the Falcons to sacrifice one of their players to spy on Kaep instead of playing pass coverage. But I hate having to rely on QB running to keep our offense going. I just keep thinking about 2011 NFCCG against Giants where Smith had no open receivers to throw to. Guys, it could happen again. As good as Crabtree is, the Falcons could shut him down with double teams. Also, Asante Samuels is very good cover corner that is capable of doing a good job on Crabtree. Also, Mike Nolan is a MUCH better defensive coordinater than he is a head coach. He will probably have some good schemes.

My question is: will we be able to continue to score consistently against the Falcons with only one effective pass catcher? Is it smart to rely on the option to carry us like it did against GB?

I think it's a little early to label A.J. Jenkins a bust. He hasn't had many targets, even.

If Jenkins was half-way decent, he should have been able to at least contribute a LITTLE bit after all these weeks. Sure he hasn't been targeted. But there is usually a good reason for not being targeted- he probly isnt ever open.

Dammit I wish Manningham was not injured. Niners offense would be SO much more dangerous with him in the mix.

Originally posted by Carhanu21:

I'm kinda worried about the passing game because we dont seem to have alot of healthy weapons right now for Kaep to throw to.
Let's look at what we got:
1) Crabtree- been playing great lately but he can be shut down if played correctly due to his lack of speed. Falcons have some pretty solid (not great) CB's.
2)Moss- He can provide 1-3 catches per game. Not really reliable this stage of career for a #2 receiver.
3) Vernon Davis- Should be putting up stud numbers but has been mostly invisible for the last 12 weeks or so. Not sure what is wrong.
4) Delanie Walker- drops about half the passes that are thrown to him. not much more to say about him. wont return next year with our small cap space.
5) AJ Jenkins- Bust. Doesnt belong in the NFL right now. 2012 draft was our worst draft in quite a while.

The good news is that Kaep's running ability will hopefully force the Falcons to sacrifice one of their players to spy on Kaep instead of playing pass coverage. But I hate having to rely on QB running to keep our offense going. I just keep thinking about 2011 NFCCG against Giants where Smith had no open receivers to throw to. Guys, it could happen again. As good as Crabtree is, the Falcons could shut him down with double teams. Also, Asante Samuels is very good cover corner that is capable of doing a good job on Crabtree. Also, Mike Nolan is a MUCH better defensive coordinater than he is a head coach. He will probably have some good schemes.

My question is: will we be able to continue to score consistently against the Falcons with only one effective pass catcher? Is it smart to rely on the option to carry us like it did against GB?

Crabtree has posted 100+ yards in three of his last four games, have teams just decided to not defend him properly?
Vernon Davis has been drawing lots of coverage and getting other players open, if a team decided to double Crabs and leave VD covered by a LB with no help I bet he would get a ton of passes thrown his way.
Delanie Walker was targeted 39 times in the regular season and he dropped 7 passes, not quite half.
I am not sure what to make of Jenkins but I find it hard to tag him as a bust since he has seen so little PT. Is LMJ a bust because he didn't play for so long?

Im not concerned crabs has been clutch. It'd be awesome if Manningham wasn't hurt but I think we'll be ok as long as Crabtree doesnt get hurt. Watching the seahawks game, Atlanta's pass defense didn't look very impressive. For the draft LMJ has had some great runs and he's only played a few games. It's only going to be a matter of time before he takes one to the house.

I think a lot of Crabtree's recent success has been due to Kap being able to fit the ball into a tight window at a much higher speed than Alex could, and also having more confidence/less fear of doing so. Alex would see the same window and check down, while Kap lasers it in there. I'm not worried about Crabtree getting shut down at all.

It would be very nice to have Manningham or Williams as an option, or to have Jenkins step up. But between Crabtree, our TEs, and our RBs out of the backfield (including the underrated Miller), I'm not that worried about getting shut down.

Our offensive game plan has always been strongest when we establish the run first, and with Gore/LMJ/Kap and our O-line, that will never be a concern IMO. If we get that going, the passing opportunities will come.

I like how people call AJ Jenkins a bust when we weren't planning on using him this year anyway... LMAO

I hope harbaugh finds a solution, is time for Davis to shine.they will focus on contain Colin and shut crabs...we will be doom...crapppppp

Originally posted by defenderDX:
I like how people call AJ Jenkins a bust when we weren't planning on using him this year anyway... LMAO

The bottom line is we needed him. With Manningham and Williams out he needed to step up, and he hasnt.

If you cant make a single contribution being a 1st round pick when the teams #2 and #3 receivers are out and Ted Ginn in finding playing time, you maybe shouldnt have been picked in the first round.

Originally posted by rondoman:
The bottom line is we needed him. With Manningham and Williams out he needed to step up, and he hasnt.

If you cant make a single contribution being a 1st round pick when the teams #2 and #3 receivers are out and Ted Ginn in finding playing time, you maybe shouldnt have been picked in the first round.

Exactly. We werent planning on using Jenkins but then things changed and people got injured. We ARE planning on using Jenkins now. Jenkins has had all these weeks to improve himself on the practice squad and yet he seems completely out of his depth. Despite his lack of experience, he should be able to do SOMETHING....ANYTHING! But no. He has had zero impact so far. Actually negative impact if you count the one dropped pass against Arizona.

Originally posted by 49ercrusher:

I hope harbaugh finds a solution, is time for Davis to shine.they will focus on contain Colin and shut crabs...we will be doom...crapppppp

Why didn't Green Bay or New England focus on those things?

You must of not seen what we presented as our receiving corp in last year's NFCC game. Compared to that, this group is a goldmine, even if the only upgrade we have is Randy Moss. Moss, by default, attracts attention. If ATL decides to double Crabtree, I can easily see Kaep tossing it to Moss for over a 100 yards.

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

Originally posted by 49ercrusher:

I hope harbaugh finds a solution, is time for Davis to shine.they will focus on contain Colin and shut crabs...we will be doom...crapppppp

Why didn't Green Bay or New England focus on those things?

Idk....good question.fellow...I dont think the will focus on Jenkins or ginn...would you....

Originally posted by HudsonValley:

You must of not seen what we presented as our receiving corp in last year's NFCC game. Compared to that, this group is a goldmine, even if the only upgrade we have is Randy Moss. Moss, by default, attracts attention. If ATL decides to double Crabtree, I can easily see Kaep tossing it to Moss for over a 100 yards.

A healthy and confident Crabtree is a huge upgrade over hurt Crabtree as well. I agree about Moss.

I see Crabs having another big game and Vernon getting in the mix a lot more as well. All the rest will do just enough.

Outside of the Debacle in Seattle, nobody has been able to stop Crabtree since Keap has taken over as QB.