Originally posted by reasonable1:
Originally posted by dj43:
I am not as optimistic as some here. I predict an 11-5 season which will launch a good playoff run, though perhaps not to the Super Bowl. All of that depends on injuries.
My optimism is seasoned by the sure knowledge that every team in the league has spent the entire off season studying how to stop the read option. Some will do that better than others but everyone will be more ready to at least slow it down than they were in the past. That will take away some of the explosive runs that CK had last season, and the setup for other parts of the running game.
Of course the other issue is all about WR. I do not consider Williams or Moore or Collie or Baldwin to be significant threats in the passing game, at least until they prove otherwise.
All that means ground-and-pound, and those games are rarely blowouts. I could see one or two 20 point wins but most of the wins will be 10-13 point victories.
What I hope for more than anything else is no more WWL. If we can just play consistent football, being ready AT THE START of the game, I will be pleased.
First I think it is important for you to realize the read option was simply a wrinkle that teams weren't ready for. It is not a staple of the offense. Kaepernick had great trouble last year taking snaps from under center. The pistol was a familiar alternative until Kaep is ready to run snaps from center. Once he displays this...I believe you will not see the pistol formation as much and you will see how diverse Harbaugh's system is.
It was a wrinkle, but a BIG wrinkle, particularly when run out of the pistol. It gives the offense a great deal more flexibility while retaining the usual tailback depth. It gives the QB, and the RB, much more time to read the defense post-snap, all the while putting much greater pressure on the defense. I expect to see a continuation of it this upcoming season despite the efforts of the defense, just that it will not catch many teams by surprise.
I keep hearing about Harbaugh's diverse offense, and we actually see glimpses of it from time to time, however, it seems to disappear in clutch situations and in the RZ. Let's hope that changes.