Will the offensive line hold back the 49ers offense this season?

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
No, we will dominate the run game, we will be fine in pass pro, and we will kill with the boot, we are better than last year, and last year we were fine. The breakdowns in the Houston game were Alex's, he took the blame like a man.

I'm not questioning you, but I'd really like to read/hear how Smith took the blame. That kind of stuff helps guys like me understand the offensive assignments. Link?

http://www.csnbayarea.com/football-san-francisco-niners/niners-talk/Smith-blames-self-not-line-for-punishmen?blockID=759359&feedID=5936

"Most of it was self-inflicted by me," Smith said following the 49ers' 20-6 loss to the Houston Texans. "The O-Line played good. First play was a miscommunication with me and the other 10 guys in the huddle, and that resulted in a hit.

"Really felt like the offensive line played great."

So how did the miscommunication occur?

"It's tough to explain. Stupidity," Smith said. "I got things mixed up in my head a little bit."

Originally posted by 9erred:
This is a silly podcast about the OL. Probably what frustrates Harbaugh when he says that reporters need to step up the game. I could come up with a million podcasts after every game.

Will the injuries to RB hold back the niners.

Will Alex Smith and the back up qb hold back the niners.

Will the WR's hold back the 49ers.

Greatest thing about technology, you have hacks doing podcasts, and the kid Cohn writing articles that show his lack of football knowledge, yet we all click on them because we want to see the train wreck.

All I could determine from your post is that you think we're hacks because we used one of a myriad topics that any layman could come up with. Sorry - but the point of the podcast isn't to come up with the most obscure topic that no one else could think of and then pat ourselves on the back for originality. If "an original story" were the judge of all content, then all those articles where the beat writers are sticking to the same themes are crap too. So...why are we hacks? If being a GM is a pre-requisite to talk about football then we should just shut the board down.

Originally posted by Oscar:
The stunt was what worried me the most as it indicated a break down on a simple DT stunt. Boone blocked down (his left) and when the RDT came around on the loop Boone was out of position. Yes, you can argue that these kinds of things will be addressed over time, but nevertheless it's worrisome to think that one of the "top 5 linemen" on the team can't handle a preseason stunt.

On the second Gore rush, I'm not sure what the assignment was. When I watched it the first time I thought I could make out the scheme since Miller went out and blocked the same guy that Boone did. Upon re-watching, it's possible that Miller missed the block and not Boone.

Right now, my only disconnect is in not being certain of the exact plays you are talking about. Happy to do so, if you can... maybe just pin down the exact time each play started or even the play result or something.

Originally posted by oldman9er:
http://www.csnbayarea.com/football-san-francisco-niners/niners-talk/Smith-blames-self-not-line-for-punishmen?blockID=759359&feedID=5936

"Most of it was self-inflicted by me," Smith said following the 49ers' 20-6 loss to the Houston Texans. "The O-Line played good. First play was a miscommunication with me and the other 10 guys in the huddle, and that resulted in a hit.

"Really felt like the offensive line played great."

So how did the miscommunication occur?

"It's tough to explain. Stupidity," Smith said. "I got things mixed up in my head a little bit."

Good stuff. That explains why Davis blocked the DE as though he were letting him come through. I thought it looked a little weird.

Yes it could. they are not close to solving the right gaurd thing,, they still can not pass protect, i refuse to believe we are better just cuz we got rid of two scrubs. Ok fine, they do a good job of run blocking,, as long as justin smith is not in there.the pass protection was horrid for 3/4 of the year last year, it was horrid last week. If anyone thinks this is an elite line,, you are whistling past the end zone

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by Oscar:
The stunt was what worried me the most as it indicated a break down on a simple DT stunt. Boone blocked down (his left) and when the RDT came around on the loop Boone was out of position. Yes, you can argue that these kinds of things will be addressed over time, but nevertheless it's worrisome to think that one of the "top 5 linemen" on the team can't handle a preseason stunt.

On the second Gore rush, I'm not sure what the assignment was. When I watched it the first time I thought I could make out the scheme since Miller went out and blocked the same guy that Boone did. Upon re-watching, it's possible that Miller missed the block and not Boone.

Right now, my only disconnect is in not being certain of the exact plays you are talking about. Happy to do so, if you can... maybe just pin down the exact time each play started or even the play result or something.

Looking now...



At 6:22 in the first quarter. A. Smith sacked at the HST 32 by T. Jamison and A. Smith

Originally posted by Oscar:
I'm not questioning you, but I'd really like to read/hear how Smith took the blame. That kind of stuff helps guys like me understand the offensive assignments. Link?

after the game there were some stories where alex took the blame for the sacks. But come on,, what did you expect him to say, he does not throw team mates under the bus. I know some are ok with hearing alex took the blame so that means everything is fine with the line. sorry i do not follow that logic

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by Oscar:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by Oscar:
In this week's Better Rivals podcast we talk about the offensive line against the Houston Texans. Alex Smith was battered and took way to many hits against the first team defense leaving us wondering: Will the offensive line hold the 49ers offense back in 2012? What do you think?

Listen via iTunes

Listen via the web

Listening, as always, as we speak. Thanks for this. And the answer is "most likely."

I know, I feel the same way. I watched A. Davis and Boone closely and they played up and down. I think the more important thing is how Alex Smith feels in the pocket. Does he get antsy because of the hits he takes? Who knows. But I know it looks like he reads low to high.

Thanks yeah, oldman9er and I agree (obviously). The both of us did a side-by-side analysis of the pass protection of the first string OL against the Texans (good measurable) on the first drive which is a nice microcasm of our issues last year against good DL's or defenses that can dial up good blitz schemes: Post #964

http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/niners/125790-offensive-line-play-most-important/page65/

And we didn't even touch the run blocking but it sounds like you saw a few blown blocks in the running game as well.

And after you read/watch, you can SEE why Alex (or any QB) would not be looking high-to-low with the type of beating he is getting under 3 seconds. He's lucky to even get to a second read or if his first (hot read) option is open for a modest gain. That said, it was quite remarkable we were able to move from our own 25 to their 27 and got a 50-yard FG out of it.

I appreciate the listen...I've been quite concerned about our pass blocking for years and am thankful Alex hasn't had another serious injury. I'm not sure why others are dismissing it so quickly as it's the KEY to winning a SB and evolving in year 2 of the WCO and utilizing all of our new "weapons." If we want to be a dynamic offense, we need to have a dynamic OL...picture Brady, Brees, etc. sitting back in the pocket with all the time in the world to throw. Must be nice...

This is exactly it. The OL play directly impacts how a QB feels in the pocket. A QB will feel phantom pressure - it's the classic David Carr syndrome. Or the Colt McCoy syndrome. If as a QB you feel you have no time in general, you will be less apt to use time when you get it.

You nailed it when you effectively said that to use a weapon like Randy Moss you have to be able to stand in the pocket long enough for the route to develop.

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by Oscar:
I'm not questioning you, but I'd really like to read/hear how Smith took the blame. That kind of stuff helps guys like me understand the offensive assignments. Link?

after the game there were some stories where alex took the blame for the sacks. But come on,, what did you expect him to say, he does not throw team mates under the bus. I know some are ok with hearing alex took the blame so that means everything is fine with the line. sorry i do not follow that logic

The fact that he basically admitted he called the wrong play (or called the right one but played something else) makes me believe him. It would explain why he went on a sprint right action but Davis let his man slip by on the right side.

Originally posted by Oscar:
Looking now...



At 6:22 in the first quarter. A. Smith sacked at the HST 32 by T. Jamison and A. Smith

Okay, this is what I wrote in my play by play...

Staley and AD did a fair job of keeping the edge rushers away... Hunter was losing containment of his guy right up the middle on Alex, which caused Alex to go into flee-mode. Boone was doing his zone block... but in hindsight, was more ideal to take on the blitz LB instead of helping Goodwin. Hunter really blew his block quickly on Cushing... BUT... Smith really should have gotten the ball to the bottom WR (Mario on a curl route) or even better.. Crabtree over the middle on a slant. Alex actually had room to run where he was headed, but Boone didn't know what was happening behind him and didn't sustain the block that would have given Alex the lane he wanted to run through. I do see what Alex was admitting to the other day though. I think the Texans D had him playing a bit scared with the happy feet. Maybe it is the lack of the preseason impact? and not wanting to stand in and take more nasty hits for a meaningless game? That would be my guess.

Okay, I am glad to have taken another long look... I had it a bit wrong.

This play was more on Boone than I first believed... nothing terrible, but still. Boone blocked the correct defender (the LDE), but didn't disengage and pass off that LDE to Goodwin quickly enough in order to then get in a good position for the RDE stunting from out to in. In all fairness to Boone, he had to expect Alex to pass the ball by now and had no idea Alex was starting his run towards the right of his direction from behind, thanks to the Hunter vs blitz LB issue heavily favoring the LB. Now that said, the good news is Boone knew what to do.. who to block. He was just a little slow in transitioning from one block to the next.

The OL has been a work in progress for years...but, it's time they step it up. Staley and Iupati are pretty solid on the left side...this will be Goodwin's 2nd year, so he should bea solid anchor. Boone will need to learn the nuances of pass and run blocking and not just rely on brute strength. AD needs to just become more consistent. I saw improvement in the 2nd half of last season. We have to remember he was only 20 when drafted, he's still a very young man. I think there's enough talent to become a better, more consistent OL. Alex will have to get rid of the ball quickly sometimes...and with our influx of receiving and RB talent, he has plenty of outlets now. He knows that, and you can bet he'll work his butt off to capitalize on it.

Originally posted by Oscar:
The fact that he basically admitted he called the wrong play (or called the right one but played something else) makes me believe him. It would explain why he went on a sprint right action but Davis let his man slip by on the right side.

ok , i will meet you halfway cuz you know what you are talking about as proven by your analysis of that play. But i still say that we can not hide the woes of the offensive line this year in regards to pass protection behind alex taking all of the blame. i think the team have some issues with the offensive line and the back up safety thing.

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by Oscar:
The fact that he basically admitted he called the wrong play (or called the right one but played something else) makes me believe him. It would explain why he went on a sprint right action but Davis let his man slip by on the right side.

ok , i will meet you halfway cuz you know what you are talking about as proven by your analysis of that play. But i still say that we can not hide the woes of the offensive line this year in regards to pass protection behind alex taking all of the blame. i think the team have some issues with the offensive line and the back up safety thing.

I agree too. I think the OL definitely has some problems, specifically on the right side of the line. And the o-line isn't as amazing at run blocking as the narrative would state either, as evidenced by our inability to pick up short yardage plays when we need them. Are they an average line with the ability to be above average? Yes. Is the left side of the line significantly better than the right side? Yes.

The OL benefits from amazing situations play calls, a varied run scheme and the Harbaugh Reality distortion field.

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by Oscar:
Looking now...



At 6:22 in the first quarter. A. Smith sacked at the HST 32 by T. Jamison and A. Smith

Okay, this is what I wrote in my play by play...

Staley and AD did a fair job of keeping the edge rushers away... Hunter was losing containment of his guy right up the middle on Alex, which caused Alex to go into flee-mode. Boone was doing his zone block... but in hindsight, was more ideal to take on the blitz LB instead of helping Goodwin. Hunter really blew his block quickly on Cushing... BUT... Smith really should have gotten the ball to the bottom WR (Mario on a curl route) or even better.. Crabtree over the middle on a slant. Alex actually had room to run where he was headed, but Boone didn't know what was happening behind him and didn't sustain the block that would have given Alex the lane he wanted to run through. I do see what Alex was admitting to the other day though. I think the Texans D had him playing a bit scared with the happy feet. Maybe it is the lack of the preseason impact? and not wanting to stand in and take more nasty hits for a meaningless game? That would be my guess.

Okay, I am glad to have taken another long look... I had it a bit wrong.

This play was more on Boone than I first believed... nothing terrible, but still. Boone blocked the correct defender (the LDE), but didn't disengage and pass off that LDE to Goodwin quickly enough in order to then get in a good position for the RDE stunting from out to in. In all fairness to Boone, he had to expect Alex to pass the ball by now and had no idea Alex was starting his run towards the right of his direction from behind, thanks to the Hunter vs blitz LB issue heavily favoring the LB. Now that said, the good news is Boone knew what to do.. who to block. He was just a little slow in transitioning from one block to the next.

I think the ability to handle the stunt is predicated squarely on Boone's ability to recognize and react. His feet were not set properly (he over committed to his left) and that prevented him from shifting over to his right. This is correctable, but it is a big deal because the inside stunt was how teams beat Goodwin/Snyder earlier in the season last year. With the schedule we have we need to start strong.

I will agree that Alex stepped up into the pressure, but I think this is due to him not feeling comfortable in the pocket after more than 2.5 seconds. And this is due tot he pressure he feels. It's all connected.