Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports


A Little Better All the Time: Improving on Last Week’s Victory

Bret Rumbeck
Aug 18, 2017 at 6:17 AM


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
Preseason football is often a mixed bag for spectators. On the one hand, you're tickled pink to have the NFL back on living room television. However, the meat hook reality is the football you're watching is a glorified scrimmage with the projected starters playing hard enough not to get hurt. Competition among the second, third, and fourth team players is high, but often their mental and physical errors cause the game to slow to a frozen crawl. As we are well aware, these games are critical for coaches to test plays, schemes, and new personnel packages under live conditions.

There are positive and negative takeaways from the 49ers' first preseason game, but it is far too premature to make any real determinations about the team's or a player's destiny. For example, quarterback Brian Hoyer only threw the ball four times and running back Carlos Hyde had no yards on two carries. We all know these two players are starters come Week One. However, the second string-quarterback competition is practically even, and the 49ers need to determine the best reserve linebackers to fill in for Reuben Foster and NaVorro Bowman.

Here are a few ideas head coach Kyle Shanahan can employ to improve upon last week's victory.

Throw it deep. Football always makes me happy until I see a wide receiver screen. Then, the joy inside my heart turns into misery and anger. It's a plague in a playbook, but until it's exorcized from the call sheet, I'm hopeful that any quarterback currently on the 49ers roster can make this throw. It's unclear if Shanahan purposely called a lot of plays that sent receivers on shorter routes, or if the quarterbacks wanted to work on timing with faster pass patterns.

We didn't get to see wide receiver Marquise Goodwin streaking down the sideline or splitting the safeties on a deep post pattern. On the 49ers' eighth possession, quarterback C.J. Beathard was facing a 1st and 20. Shanahan called a play with the receivers running short routes, and Beathard completed a three-yard out route. Here was an ideal opportunity to call something bigger to see how the rookie quarterback handles the situation. There's nothing lost if Beathard fails, rather we can spot areas where he can improve.

The quarterbacks did not take many five-to-seven step drops and uncork a few throws downfield. Any quarterback in the NFL can hit a swing pass or a rocket screen. Completing a 60-yard throw doesn't mean that particular player should be the starter. Shanahan should challenge Barkley and Beathard with intermediate and deep reads, or plays that force them to look off the safety and come back to another receiver.

Hurry-up offense. I've always been a fan of running a hurry-up offense in the middle of the game for no real reason other than to put the defense on its heels. We did see Barkley run a three-minute offense in the second quarter, and Beathard chewed up nearly seven minutes of clock in the fourth quarter. These are small, positive steps in the right direction.

But to solidify the second-string quarterback, both need to run the offense in a stressful situation. Shanahan needs to simulate a hurry-up offense in the middle of the quarter. For example, ignore the score and tell Barkley, "We're running this as if we're four points down with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter. Hang tough and get it done."

Fewer field goals and punts. All players need to get the feel of a live game, including the lowly kicker and punter. The 49ers do not need practice kicking lots of field goals or punting on every fourth down; the 49ers need to maximize all four downs, especially when the offense is working inside the opponent's 20-yard line. These situations test all players, not just the quarterback, to come up with a critical first down or six points.

Continued consistency from the defensive line. On the fourth play of the game, the 49ers' defensive line collapsed the pocket and forced the Chiefs' quarterback Alex Smith to scramble for ten yards. Smith's run was the highlight of the Chiefs' ground attack on Friday night. The remainder of the Chiefs' running backs totaled 21 yards, with running back C.J. Spiller leading the crew with nine total yards. Spiller's longest run was five yards, or roughly 15 feet. It's tough to give a proper evaluation of the defensive line without an all-22 film, but it's easy to see the 49ers have quietly built a formidable unit to stop the run. More performances like this build positive momentum going into the regular season.

Greater mental focus. During preseason games, viewers come to expect a bevy of illegal formation or illegal procedure penalties, especially when the third- or fourth-string players are on the field. So, if you're going to commit a penalty or two, the time to do it is Week One of the preseason.

However, ending the game with 17 penalties and 131 yards is a bit over-the-top. It's far too early to tell if the team has a discipline problem; in fact, these penalties are probably due to over-excitement, confusion about a formation, and getting away with holding or pass interference during practice. Shanahan needs to set a goal of eight or fewer penalties before the mental errors start to spiral out of control. Killing bad habits today ensures they won't bleed into the regular season.

These are just a few ideas for tomorrow's game against the Broncos. What do you think the 49ers need to focus on to keep improving?
  • Bret Rumbeck
  • Written by:
    Bret Rumbeck has been writing about the 49ers since 2017 for 49ers Webzone and 49ers Hub. He is a Turlock, CA native, and has worked for two members of the US House of Representatives and one US Senator. When not breaking down game film, Bret spends his time seeking out various forms of heavy metal. Feel free to follow him or direct inquiries to @brumbeck.
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 demolish Giants in Week 3 victory: Key takeaways

By Marc Adams
Sep 22

It's hard to think of the New York Giants without some painful postseason memories. And that's why it's always so sweet to beat them soundly. And the San Francisco 49ers did just that on Thursday night, winning 30-12, and improving to 3-0 on the season. Although the score was relatively close at halftime, it wasn't as close statistically. And by the end of the game, it was even more lopsided—on the scoreboard and on the stat sheet. When you have more YAC (yards after the catch/contact) than the other team has total yards, you've thoroughly beaten your opponent. The Giants had 150 yards of total



Recap: 49ers fight off Rams for 30-23 road victory

By Kirk Larrabee
Sep 17

The San Francisco 49ers continued their winning ways over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, riding a 13-6 edge in the second half to a 30-23 win at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The win was the ninth consecutive regular season victory over the Rams for the 49ers, who moved to 2-0 on the season. Quarterback Brock Purdy finished with 206 yards on



49ers' 5 Keys to Victory Against the Rams

By Wayne P. Brown
Sep 16

The 49ers head to Southern California to face the first-place (tie) Los Angeles Rams in a week two division rival match-up. What will the 49ers have to do to claim sole possession of first place in the NFC West? Below are the keys to victory. Take away the Explosive Plays Quarterback Matthew Stafford will look to get the ball downfield. In Week 1 against the Seahawks, Stafford went 24-38 passing for 340 yards with five big-time throws down the field. The 49ers defense wants to keep everything in front of them. If the secondary doesn't get beat deep, the Rams may have



49ers' 5 Keys to Victory Against the Giants

By Wayne P. Brown
Sep 21

The San Francisco 49ers head home to host the New York Giants in their season home opener on Thursday Night Football. After a hard fight in LA, the 49ers look to continue their streak to a 3-0 record. Here are the keys to another 49ers victory. Stop the Run The 49ers are tied for third against the run, allowing 65 yards per game. With Saquon Barkley's (ankle injury) officially ruled out, the 49ers must prepare for Matt Breida and quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones has 102 rushing yards


Featured

More by Bret Rumbeck

More Articles

Share 49ersWebzone