Gridiron Insight » San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco poised for a breakout year

Tyler McConachie — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:16:58 +0000

The NFC West has been a bit of a laughing stock division for quite some time now. Not since 2005 has a team won that division with more than 10 wins. Since 2004, the winner of that division has only managed to get 9 wins. And in those 6 years there’s only been two winners, the Seahawks (’04-’07) and the Cardinals (’08 and ‘09).

While the division is still probably the weakest in football, there looks to be a changing of the guard.

The 49ers finally seem ready to take over the West, which for the past few years hasn’t taken much. Under the guidance of Mike Singletary,the 49ers defense has become one of the best in football. Aggressive and relentless, just like their coach used to be when he roamed the middle of the Bears dominant defense during the mid to late 80’s.

What makes this years 49ers team different is the other side of the ball. There finally seems to be some hope for offensive stability, which has been lacking in the bay area for quite some time. It seems that Alex Smith, who is entering his 6th year, is ready to lead the team. He’s got some weapons at his disposal in Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore, and his offensive line seems to have finally found some unity.

Smith struggled in his first few seasons with the 49ers after being the drafted first overall in 2005. But at the end of last season he seemed to be coming into his own.

Something that really stands out though was his contract restructuring before the 2009 season. Smith was still cashing in on his ridiculous rookie contract. His desire to stay with the 49ers organization prompted him to renegotiate his contract, going from earning $24.6 million down to $8 million over his remaining two years. This is exactly the kind of culture Mike Singletary wanted to create in San Francisco, no more me first, but instead, team first.

With the Cardinals really not having a suitable predecessor to Kurt Warner it’s the perfect opportunity for the 49ers to overtake the division. I know there’s a bunch of Seahawk fans out there saying “Well what about us?”. But they need to be realistic about their teams expectations, something that they’ve never been able to do in the Pacific Northwest. This is going to be a statement year from the 49ers, the one that says “We’re back!”. If you don’t believe me tune into a few of their games this year, the team will speak for itself. And that’s just the way Singletary wants it.

Technorati Tags: Alex Smith, Mike Singletary, NFL, San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers Draft Review

Tyler McConachie — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 19:54:42 +0000

When you’re a team with needs at every position, you’ll take all the help you can get. That’s what San Francisco did, and they actually did a decent job of it. One of the biggest needs was on the offensive line. So they drafted Rutgers tackle Anthony Davis. They moved up to get him and it was a good move. Davis should become a real presence for them on the left side of the line. They also added Idaho guard Mike Iupati who also looks like he’ll come in and solidify the left side of the line. Two picks in the first round allowed San Fran to drastically change the potential of their offense.

Taylor Mays could bring a much needed physicalness to their secondary. The USC free safety is a big kid with endless athletic ability and should prove to be a playmaker if he can prove his passion for the game. They landed a steal with Navorro Bowman. The Penn State product could be a great project for coach Mike Singletary, who could bring out all the potential this kid has to offer. Anthony Dixon, running back out of Mississippi State, brings some toughness to the backfield. He’s a big, strong runner who could compliment Frank Gore extremely well.

To help that backfield they drafted tight end Nate Byham. The Pittsburgh product is an excellent blocker who will make the running game that much stronger. Arizona State receiver Kyle Williams will bring some quickness to the return game and may find his way into the receiver rotation. They also added one more player to their secondary, drafting South Carolina State Phillip Adams. If anything, the 49ers just got a whole lot tougher. They may not win the division but they’ll make sure whoever does is beaten up.

Technorati Tags: 2010 NFL Draft, NFL, San Francisco 49ers

Cardinals lay an egg in San Francisco

Tyler McConachie — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:55:59 +0000

Last week the Arizona Cardinals took it to the Vikings and looked like they were ready for a serious playoff run. After last nights pathetic display against the 49ers the only thing they looked ready for was bed time.

Five turnovers in the first half by Arizona pretty much doomed them. That and the fact that Frank Gore ripped the shit out of their defense. It’s quite mind boggling when you think about it because last week they shut down Adrian Peterson! I’m not taking anything away from Gore but I mean come on.

There has to be some serious credit given to the 49ers defense, they played lights out. Patrick Willis is no doubt the leagues best middle linebacker, and he’s starting to look more and more like his head coach used to on the field.

In all honesty neither of these teams has what it takes to make a long playoff run. The 49ers are just too inexperienced. And Arizona in just too inconsistent.

That’s the thing with Kurt Warner. You’ll get some great games from him, but you’ve got to sprinkle in some serious bed-shittings. Last night the sheets definitely needed some changing.

It was a great win for the 49ers to help keep their playoff hopes alive. Unfortunately it’s prolonging the inevitable, which will clearly be disappointment for those that get their hopes up too high.

Technorati Tags: Arizona Cardinals, NFL, San Francisco 49ers