Maiocco: Player-by-player Offensive Review

Dominate · 2010-05-25T14:47:15-07:00

MAIOCCO ARCHIVE Matt Maiocco CSNBayArea.com The first week of offseason full-squad practices was all about the offense, as all the significant contributors were in attendance on the 49ers' Santa Clara practice field. A year ago at this time, the 49ers were still working on how to line up in the huddle. Seriously. Now, many of the key players of the offense are much further along in their knowledge and understanding of coordinator Jimmy Raye's system. This morning, we submitted our player-by-player review of the defense. Now, we turn to the 49ers' offensive side of the ball: Quarterbacks 3-Jarrett Brown: The undrafted rookie from West Virginia did not receive any reps during 11-on-11 or 7-on-7, as he begins the arduous process of learning the offense. 5-David Carr: He was significantly more sharp than the first time I saw him on the practice field in late March. He really finished strong on Thursday with well-placed intermediate completions between defenders to Josh Morgan and Delanie Walker. I'm still getting used to his peculiar passing motion -- similar to that of a javelin thrower. 7-Nate Davis: He received between 15 and 20 snaps during 11-on-11 work over the course of the four days. He really does have a cannon for an arm and throws with great velocity when he's on the move, too. The accuracy isn't always there, though, as sometimes the ball comes out wobbly. There were some good signs, such as his standing at the line of scrimmage and directing traffic pre-snap. He's showing greater comfort in what he's being asked to do. The learning continues. 11-Alex Smith: He threw the ball OK. He made some very nice deep and intermediate passes. He was off-target on some of his shorter throws. But the biggest development of the week was Smith's outward confidence and control of the team's protections. On Tuesday, he stood at the line of scrimmage and had the full attention of his teammates as he recited all of the adjustments the offense had to be prepared to make depending on the different possible defensive looks. That is something O.C. Jimmy Raye said Smith could not have done a year ago -- even during the season. Running backs 21-Frank Gore: He got a lot of reps as the team's No. 1 running back. He was used in a variety of run plays, including taking direct snaps out of the shotgun. (Don't worry, we're not giving away any secrets; that's something the 49ers featured last season, too.) Gore caught passes and also showed his prowess in pass protection. After he expertly picked up Justin Smith on one play, QBs coach Mike Johnson enthusiastically commended Gore on the completed assignment -- and for saving his quarterback. 24-Michael Robinson: He did not attend the OTAs. As a special-teams captain, he should be working out in Santa Clara. It looks as if he's the No. 4 running back whose roster spot will be tied to his contributions on special teams. 29-Glen Coffee: Physically, he was eye-popping. He played last season at 205. He wanted to put on 10 pounds. When he gained 10 "good" pounds easily, he kept going. He's up to 220, feeling and looking explosive. Now, he said he will likely get up to 225. He looked fleet getting through the holes, and stepped up in pass protection pretty well. That was an area in which he was quite impressive as a rookie. 33-Anthony Dixon: He sustained a left hamstring strain during individual work on Wednesday, and sat out the remainder of the work. Dixon is a 233-pounder who the 49ers want to see run more like a big man. He's very athletic and tends to dance a little. They're working with him on being more of a North-South runner. 43-Jehuu Caulcrick: He's powerfully built at 6-foot, 250 pounds, and has a chance once the pads come on in training camp to make an impact as a lead-blocker. Until then, he's just learning his assignments. He did not see much practice time as the No. 3 fullback. 44-Moran Norris: The starting fullback is entering his 10th season. He's the likely starter again, though the spot will not be handed to him. He saw only a couple passes go his way this week. There is little doubt that the fullback's role in Raye's offense is to run into linebackers as a blocker. 47-Brit Miller: He ran as the fullback on the second team, behind the incumbent Norris. Miller gets his first full offseason on offense after coming to the 49ers following a few weeks as a linebacker with the Carolina Panthers. Sorry, Brit fans, but going through my notes, I saw no mention of carries or receptions for him this week. Wide receivers 10-Kyle Williams: He is learning the split end (or X) position. He made a couple catches, but also let a couple slip away, including once when dropping defensive lineman Derek Walker stripped him of the ball. He looked relatively secure fielding punts from the Jugs machine. The week ended on a good note, as he signed a four-year contract with the 49ers on Thursday. 13-Bakari Grant: Undrafted from UC Davis, he lined up as a backup at flanker (or Z). He made one very nice catch Wednesday from Smith on 7-on-7, but later he let a high laser at the sideline from Davis slip through his hands. 14-Jared Perry: The undrafted free agent from Missouri missed the first day of practice because of travel difficulties. He did not see much time, and did not catch any passes. 15-Michael Crabtree: He's the undisputed starter at split end. He had a very strong week of practice, catching nearly everything in sight. Coach Mike Singletary took notice of one catchable intermediate pass that got away from him. "Catch the ball," the coach advised. 17-Dominique Zeigler: He saw action with the third team at split end. He took advantage of the practice time Wednesday when some of his teammates were tied up for most of practice because of random drug testing. He made four catches during that session. 18-Scott Long: The undrafted free agent from Louisville worked at flanker, but I did not see him get into the mix much during the 11-on-11 or 7-on-7 sessions. 19-Ted Ginn: He is working at split end, behind Crabtree. He also lined up with the first unit in three-WR sets. Ginn had a couple drops on the first day of practice, but was one of the most active receivers over the course of the week with a lot of action and about eight receptions. He also worked on punt returns. Like everyone else, he struggled judging and latching onto the wind-blown punts out of the machine. 81-Brandon Jones: He lined up at flanker behind Morgan and Hill. Jones did not get a whole lot of action, but had three receptions, including a very nice grab of a Smith pass in front of Taylor Mays late in the Wednesday session. Jones worked on fielding punts, too. He's pretty good at catching the ball, but had a drop or two on Thursday, prompting him to go over to onlooking Singletary to have his hands examined. Singletary rubbed Jones' hands and sent him back on the field. He made every catch after that. 84-Josh Morgan: He's the starting flanker, and produced an active week of work. Morgan saw more passes -- around 20 -- targeted to him than any other 49ers player. The completion rate wasn't great, though, around 50 percent. 88-Isaac Bruce: I probably shouldn't include him, but he is under contract. Bruce is retiring, but the paperwork has not been submitted to the league office, so technically he's still listed on the team. Singletary said he has not spoken with him since the end of the season. He'll probably retire as a member of the Rams. The 49ers have issued his number to a backup tight end. 89-Jason Hill: Lined up with the second team at flanker, behind Morgan. Hill has experienced difficulty finding his niche on the practice field since coming to the team. He had an exceptional practice Tuesday, including a nice catch of a high throw on a crossing route from Davis. However, the next day, he missed most of practice as he had to take part in random drug testing and was not as involved the final two days. Tight ends 46-Delanie Walker: He worked as the No. 2 tight end. When the 49ers went with their "12" personnel group, Walker was teamed with Vernon Davis in that package. Walker saw a lot of passes come his way over the course of the week. His hands weren't necessarily in mid-season form. He ended the week with a deep reception from Carr. The pass was perfectly thrown, but Walker juggled it before latching onto it. 49-Joe Jon Finley: His familiarity with the offense showed, as he had a very good week of work. By my count, he caught all six passes that were sent his way. He even showed some good athleticism by getting down the field and making catches in traffic. He also lined up some in the backfield as an H-back. 82-Nate Byham; The sixth-round draft pick was No. 5 on the depth chart. He did not see a lot of action. I noticed two passes sent his way. He caught one and dropped the other. His value to the team is not as a receiver. He'll be judged by how well he fulfills his blocking assignments once the pads go on during training camp. 85-Vernon Davis: His best play came on Thursday when he found an opening deep down the field between linebacker Navorro Bowman and the cover-2 safeties Mays and Chris Maragos. Davis made the reception and then chided Bowman, "Come on, rook!" Later, I asked Davis for a progress report on his contract talks. His answer, "I'm signing it tonight and there will be a press conference tomorrow." Then, after surveying my surprised reaction, he started laughing, "Just kidding." The sides are talking but there's no indication something will happen in the immediate future. 88-Tony Curtis: He has a lot of work to do to earn a roster spot, as he is currently No. 4, in front of only draft pick Byham. On Monday, he failed to hold onto a ball that was deflected at the line of scrimmage, but came back to make a nice sliding catch of a low pass from Davis. Offensive line 59-Cody Wallace: Saw work with the reserve units at center. He did not see any action at guard, which might be the key to his chances of sticking on the team this season. Wallace must be more versatile and more physical to earn his way onto Singletary's 53-man roster. 60-Brian de la Puente: Lined up at right guard with the third-team offense. He faces a lot of competition among a crowded group of interior offensive linemen. 61-Chris Patrick: After playing tackle last season, he was the No. 2 right guard this week. 62-Chilo Rachal: He's the starting right guard. It's telling that his position never seemed to be in question even after the 49ers added a guard in the first round of the draft. There was a brief scare when he got tangled up during practice and went to the ground on an inside run play. He slowly got to his feet, limped back to the huddle and did not miss a snap. 64-David Baas: He lined up with the first unit at left guard. But with Mike Iupati being groomed to take over as the starter, Baas also saw significant action in the course of the week at center. His first shotgun snap went awry, but after that he looked more comfortable in the role. 65-Barry Sims: On the first day of practices he got all the second-team snaps at left tackle behind starter Joe Staley. He saw less time as the week progressed, as the 49ers wanted to get a look at Alex Boone. Sims is a veteran. He will compete to be the swing tackle, backing up at both of the tackle positions. 66-Eric Heitmann: He's been the team's starting center since late in the 2005 season. He's big and powerful, which are qualities that suit him well with the emphasis on the straight-ahead run game. 68-Adam Snyder: He is still No. 1 on the depth chart at right tackle, though rookie Anthony Davis is expected to surpass him at some point in training camp. 69-Tony Wragge: Worked in a backup capacity at center. There are no surprises with him. The 49ers know what they're getting with Wragge whether he's asked to fill in at guard or center. That's why he still must be considered a strong candidate to land a roster spot. 74-Joe Staley: He's the starting left tackle. He had a very good week of practice, as it was a common sight to see offensive line coach Mike Solari running up to him at the completion of a play to give him hearty accolades for a job well done. 75-Alex Boone: One of the interesting developments was Boone's transition to left tackle. He spent his entire rookie year at right tackle, where he is best-suited. But in order to be a backup on the 53-man roster, Boone must be proficient at both sides. He's in much better physical condition. He is much lighter on his feet, but he needs to work on that aspect of his game to hold his own on the left side. 76-Anthony Davis: He lined up with the second team at right tackle and saw a lot of action. He showed very strong progress from early in the week to Wednesday and Thursday, as he continues to work on his conditioning. He is learning a lot, and he's certainly nowhere near ready to step into game action. Davis is athletic and it shows with his ability to mirror defenders side to side. There were no red flags from these four days. But the club selected him for his physical style of play. Without pads, it's almost impossible to judge that aspect of his game. 77-Mike Iupati: In the same way, watching Iupati without pads is like watching a receiver without the ball coming his way. There is no denying how impressive he looks, though. He worked with the second unit at left guard, and seemed to fit in very well. Again, his physical style of play does not stand out when the club is running around in shorts and shirts. But he seemed athletic - and almost out of place running with the backups. Because he is such an aggressive player, the 49ers are getting an early start working with him on patience in pass protection and handling stunts. Link

May 25, 2010 at 3:42 PM

Dominate
Member
Posts: 1,883

29-Glen Coffee: Physically, he was eye-popping. He played last season at 205. He wanted to put on 10 pounds. When he gained 10 "good" pounds easily, he kept going. He's up to 220, feeling and looking explosive. Now, he said he will likely get up to 225. He looked fleet getting through the holes, and stepped up in pass protection pretty well. That was an area in which he was quite impressive as a rookie.

64-David Baas: He lined up with the first unit at left guard. But with Mike Iupati being groomed to take over as the starter, Baas also saw significant action in the course of the week at center. His first shotgun snap went awry, but after that he looked more comfortable in the role.

I liked hearing both of these statements

May 25, 2010 at 6:45 PM

cwilson830
Staff
Posts: 5,501

If I was MRob, I definitely would have been there.

Aug 11, 2010 at 2:39 PM

LifelongNiner
Veteran
Posts: 24,628

Pic embedding test.

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[ Edited by LifelongNiner on Aug 11, 2010 at 14:43:41 ]

Aug 11, 2010 at 2:42 PM

susweel
Hall of Nepal
Posts: 122,012

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
Pic embedding test.

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You need to get yourself one of those picture embedders.

Aug 11, 2010 at 2:47 PM

samoan49er
Veteran
Posts: 805

Originally posted by Dominate:
MAIOCCO ARCHIVE

88-Isaac Bruce: I probably shouldn't include him, but he is under contract. Bruce is retiring, but the paperwork has not been submitted to the league office, so technically he's still listed on the team. Singletary said he has not spoken with him since the end of the season. He'll probably retire as a member of the Rams. The 49ers have issued his number to a backup tight end.

Link

ummm, I'm pretty sure we traded Bruce back to the Rams..

Aug 11, 2010 at 4:21 PM

NatralBrnThrila
Member
Posts: 438

Originally posted by Dominate:
MAIOCCO ARCHIVE

46-Delanie Walker: He worked as the No. 2 tight end. When the 49ers went with their "12" personnel group, Walker was teamed with Vernon Davis in that package. Walker saw a lot of passes come his way over the course of the week. His hands weren't necessarily in mid-season form. He ended the week with a deep reception from Carr. The pass was perfectly thrown, but Walker juggled it before latching onto it.

Link

K dumb question...what's the "12" personnel group? I'm hoping it's some kind of 2 TE set where we use the TE's to float between WR, FB and TE??? I think that would be stupidly awesome

Imagine our team running a personnel group that we can run over 90% of our formations out of...guess the guys gotta learn the basic package before they go trying to implode the football universe. 1 day

[ Edited by NatralBrnThrila on Aug 11, 2010 at 16:31:40 ]

Aug 11, 2010 at 4:34 PM

9erfanAUS
Veteran
Posts: 16,281

Originally posted by NatralBrnThrila:
Originally posted by Dominate:
MAIOCCO ARCHIVE

46-Delanie Walker: He worked as the No. 2 tight end. When the 49ers went with their "12" personnel group, Walker was teamed with Vernon Davis in that package. Walker saw a lot of passes come his way over the course of the week. His hands weren't necessarily in mid-season form. He ended the week with a deep reception from Carr. The pass was perfectly thrown, but Walker juggled it before latching onto it.

Link

K dumb question...what's the "12" personnel group? I'm hoping it's some kind of 2 TE set where we use the TE's to float between WR, FB and TE??? I think that would be stupidly awesome Imagine our team running a personnel group that we can run over 90% of our formations out of...guess the guys gotta learn the basic package before they go trying to implode the football universe. 1 day

12 personnel is 1 back and 2 TEs.

It's Jimmy Raye's "go to" formation lol

-9fA

Aug 11, 2010 at 4:39 PM

NatralBrnThrila
Member
Posts: 438

Originally posted by 9erfanAUS:
Originally posted by NatralBrnThrila:
Originally posted by Dominate:
MAIOCCO ARCHIVE

46-Delanie Walker: He worked as the No. 2 tight end. When the 49ers went with their "12" personnel group, Walker was teamed with Vernon Davis in that package. Walker saw a lot of passes come his way over the course of the week. His hands weren't necessarily in mid-season form. He ended the week with a deep reception from Carr. The pass was perfectly thrown, but Walker juggled it before latching onto it.

Link

K dumb question...what's the "12" personnel group? I'm hoping it's some kind of 2 TE set where we use the TE's to float between WR, FB and TE??? I think that would be stupidly awesome Imagine our team running a personnel group that we can run over 90% of our formations out of...guess the guys gotta learn the basic package before they go trying to implode the football universe. 1 day

12 personnel is 1 back and 2 TEs.

It's Jimmy Raye's "go to" formation lol

-9fA

makes perfect sense lol! I like cookies...