Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports


State of the 49ers: Post Training Camp Edition

Stewart M. Cockrell
Sep 4, 2015 at 10:34 AM


Now that the preseason is officially in the books, the 49ers can finally turn to getting back to real football. Most of us can agree that this has been one of the craziest offseasons for the organization in at least a decade and that is the biggest reason that nearly the entire sporting world is not expecting much out of our beloved 49ers.

I can agree with tempered expectations to a degree, but I can also disagree with them just the same. It wasn't long ago that the 49ers were put in the same situation they are in now with a new coach, new staff, and a many unproven players. That team, then under coach Jim Harbaugh exceeded expectations coming out of the players strike and nearly made it to the Super Bowl. I will admit that going into that 2011 season, I was very skeptical of how good the team would be, mostly due to the team's schedule.

Fast-forward four years to this season, and you see a lot of the same opponents that our last new head coach faced in his first year. Outside of the six divisional games that are always on our schedule, the 49ers face six of the teams they faced in 2011, mostly due to the match-up with the AFC North this season. The 2015 squad and storylines are oddly familiar to the 2011 team. The 49ers are breaking in a new secondary much like they were that season. The 49ers had issues with the center and guard spots leading into the 2011 season as well. All the 49ers did in 2011 was go 13-3.

It is a big leap to say that 2015 49ers will be able to catch that same magic and put together a successful campaign. There are a lot of question marks on this team that surely will cost us some big plays and games, but I do think that there is talent on this team. While my gut instinct says this team will likely go 6-10 or 8-8 under Tomsula in the first season, it wouldn't shock me one bit if this team went 10-6 or even 11-5 because there are some winnable games on our schedule and you have to think the 49ers will sneak in and steal a few on the road late in the season based on their defense and run game.

A few thoughts on the 49ers' preseason...

Early Returns: All signs point to Jarryd Hayne making the team and there is no reason that he shouldn't. The 49ers have not had a fearless return man like Hayne since the days of Vinnie Sutherland. While that is a rather odd reference, you might recall in 2011 the 49ers brought in another electric return man in Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn himself practically beat Seattle in game one of the 2011 season with two returns for touchdowns. With the passing game likely to struggle this season due to the offensive line, the 49ers need yards anyway they can get them. As long as Hayne is careful with the ball, I see no reason why he shouldn't be our primary punt returner.

Getting Defensive: While the offense was offensive against Denver in the regular season tune up, how about the defense? Bowman clearly is showing no signs of his injury and appears to be close to his All-Pro form. Even the secondary played really well against Manning and company. The biggest question for this team will be pass rush and how it equates to getting off the field on third down. Opponents were 27 of 65 against the 49ers on third down this preseason - which is about 41.54%. The 2014 team gave up 43.35% (88/203) while picking up 52 sacks and 23 interceptions. In 2013, the team was much better with 34.08% (77/223) and picked up only 38 sacks and 18 interceptions. If the team can get under that 40% conversion mark again, I think you are going to see a pretty good team. I was a little surprised by the Darnell Dockett release, but it makes sense to get the young guys playing time this season if the team is playing the long game on developing players. They have sat some potentially good defensive linemen behind other starters the last few years, and now is the time to see what they have.

Wide Open Wide Outs: It is clear the team is going to focus around a two wide-receiver and two tight-end set, but there will be times when the team will need to go deeper into the wide receiver stable. This is where I was hoping that Jerome Simpson would be able to contribute, but we won't see that until mid-season. The question is, 'Who will fill the void?' That likely will fall on Bruce Ellington who proved he has speed to play the slot. The biggest key to our passing game this season (outside of the offensive line) is Vernon Davis. The success of Davis and Torrey Smith are directly related because both are big play threats. Early season success with deep passes could make for a field day for Boldin and others on the underneath routes.

Offensively Offensive Offensive Line: Good thing we are a running team right? The passing game is going to be interesting for sure. While the 49ers have a few interesting prospects on the line, they are nowhere ready to contribute on a regular basis. While I called Boone moving to the left side of the line earlier in the off-season, I was really shocked they didn't try him at tackle in a game situation. He has experience there and could have been a pleasant surprise. Don't be shocked if the team makes a move after the cuts to bring in a guard or tackle. I'm assuming the team will go to a short passing game that relies on Kaepernick to get rid of the ball quick and reserve deep shots to a few times a game. This line is simply not ready for the vertical passing game being the centerpiece of the offense. Hopefully Colin Kaepernick is ready to run this season and would be well served to study some tape of Jeff Garcia circa 2000-2001 when he was a very advantageous runner when forced to be.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.


0 Comments

  • No Comments

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



49ers' Nick Bosa confident contract will get done before training camp

By David Bonilla
Jun 6

The San Francisco 49ers kicked off their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, which means defensive end Nick Bosa finally reported to the team. The NFL Defensive Player of the Year has been training in Florida and didn't participate in organized team activities (OTAs). He didn't practice on Tuesday either, but he was in attendance. Of course, none of that is out of the ordinary for the talented pass rusher. Wednesday will be the final minicamp practice. The team will likely gather for a family day on Thursday before breaking for the summer. Bosa is entering his fifth NFL season and will undoubtedly soon become the NFL's highest-paid defensive player. The two sides are working towards a contract extension, and the defensive end is confident that something



No Huddle Podcast: 49ers Mini-Camp & The Football Movie Draft

By Site Staff
Jun 7

(Episode 241) - Brian Renick, Al Saco, and Zain Naqvi react to more Brock Purdy updates, Al has a theory for Trey Lance's future, if we will see a breakout season from Brandon Aiyuk and the embarrassment of riches on offense. Plus, the guys end the show with a football movie draft! The audio for the show is embedded above. Don't forget to subscribe! You can listen to the latest "No Huddle Podcast" episode above, from our dedicated podcast page, on



49ers Notebook: Javon Hargrave's first 49ers thoughts; Trent Williams' weird late-night workout schedule; Wilks on DBs; Deommodore Lenoir wants to be elite

By Kirk Larrabee
Jun 7

The 49ers ended their offseason workout program on Wednesday with their final session of mandatory minicamp. But before they made their way out the door for the summer, the team gave fans and reporters one last dose of info in the form of the final media sessions of the spring. Among those speaking to reporters on Wednesday were defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, left tackle Trent Williams and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, as well as defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Each session produced some interesting tidbits, which we'll review in this version of 49ers notebook. Hargrave speaks Despite being the splash free agent addition of the offseason for the 49ers, Javon Hargrave had not met with the team's beat reporters in person before Wednesday.



49ers expect Brock Purdy to begin throwing this week

By David Bonilla
May 30

The San Francisco 49ers expect their second-year quarterback, Brock Purdy, to start throwing again this week. Purdy underwent surgery on March 10 to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, an injury sustained on January 29 in the NFC Championship Game. The expectations were always for the quarterback to start throwing again in early June. Purdy won't be doing anything excessive at first. He will likely be limited as this portion of his rehabilitation begins, and his workload will ramp up in the coming months. Purdy's return timeline remains up in the air. However, the team will know more once he starts throwing again. Head


Featured

More by Stewart M. Cockrell

More Articles

Share 49ersWebzone