49ers - Ready or Not (Offense Edition)

By Kalen Patrick

Exactly 1 week from right now the 49ers season will officially be underway, being an avid 49er fan I'd love nothing more than coming away from Green Bay with a 'W'. It's gonna be a great well fought game no doubt about it and despite it being week 1 I expect a very well played game (assuming the replacement refs don't stop that from happening.) The 49ers have their 53 man roster in the books so let's take a look at some of the players who are Ready and some who are Not.

Ready - Alex Smith QB - You know that the 49ers starting QB is more than ready to go when he doesn't need much playing time in preseason to look in regular season form. Of course Alex Smith is heavily scrutinized being a former #1 Overall Pick, but just let these numbers sink in and you will know Alex Smith is ready: From the 2009-2011 seasons (40 starts including playoffs) Alex Smith has 54 TD's to only 17 INT's. Alex Smith has NOT thrown an Interception in his last 7 starts and he has a total of 215 pass attempts in those games. He has never been more ready for a season in his life. And I haven't even mentioned all the weapons the 49ers have added this offseason (oh wait.....)

ALEX SMITH IS READY FOR THE 2012 SEASON - ARE YOU?

Not - Colin Kaepernick QB - I really loved the job Kaepernick did in the preseason this year and it is obvious that he is progressing and developing as an NFL QB. I still believe that Kaepernick will not be launching his attack on Alex Smith for 49ers starting QB until next year. The excellent job Colin did in the preseason bodes well for the 49ers moving forward knowing they have a good QB developing well. He has all the tools to be an excellent QB going forward, big arm, mobility and accuracy but he will need to develop further in his ability to read complex defenses, know when to use his mobility as an asset rather than liability. He is getting there, and the future looks bright for Mr. Kaepernick.

Ready - Michael Crabtree WR - This is the first time in his NFL Career that Michael Crabtree will have been able to work out extensively. Of course we all remember his rookie season holdout and last season's NFL lockout. Add in that in all his years in the NFL he has had foot issues that have kept him out of Training Camps and preseason games. Every year Crabtree has progressed in both catches and yards, 48-625 in 2009, 55-741 in 2010 and 72-874 last year. I think 2012 could be the year when Michael finally eclipses 1000 yards and I'd like to see him haul in at least 7 TD's. The situation and offense is perfect for a receiver with Crabtree's skill set and experience.

MICHAEL CRABTREE IS READY FOR THE PRIME TIME

Not - AJ Jenkins WR - While I believe that Jenkins won't have much of an impact in his rookie year, don't take that as a knock against him or against Baalke for drafting him in the 1st round. This season in the first in many that the 49ers have good-great depth at WR. Jenkins was drafted more to be a big contributor in a year or two down the line. He is definitely a raw player, will need a year of seasoning to be able to get the offense down, to be able to read defensive schemes to adjust routes accordingly and of course his route running abilities can be improved upon. I can see he and Crabtree being the 49ers 1 and 2 receivers going forward for a long time.

That was the Offense Edition for my 'Ready or Not' Column in part of my 49ers preview for the 2012 NFL Season. Check back for my Defense Edition of 'Ready or Not'.

Over and Out.

49ers - Texans, Who to Watch

By Kalen Patrick

A week ago I talked about which players to keep an eye on for the 1st preseason game. I'm going to essentially be doing the same thing for tomorrow's game against the Texans. Typically with Preseason it is the 2nd and 3rd games where you get to see a little more from the team, not only this, but you get to see the guys who are fighting to make the 53 man roster push it to the limit. So here are the guys to watch.

Eric Bakhtiari OLB/DE - Bakhtiari has been the talk of 49ers Training Camp so far. With the injuries to Aldon Smith and with Ahmad Brooks and Parys Haralson seeing only limited time so far, Bakhtiari has made the most of his opportunities. With 2 sacks in game 1 against the Vikings, look for him to be going all out in game 2 to continue his impressive offseason. Keep in mind that not only is Bakhtiari fighting for a spot on the very talented 49ers defense, but he is also on display for the entire NFL to watch. There will be another team ready to snatch him up should he not make the 49ers roster.

49ERS OLB ERIC BAKHTIARI - MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

AJ Jenkins WR - Jenkins has definitely had his ups and downs early in his 49ers career, and the same could be said for his performance against the Vikings. Jenkins had 2 nice catches and 2 bad drops, so I would definitely love to see some more consistency out of AJ. One of his strengths is definitely his speed so I would like to see him use that and maybe make a big play.

ALEX SMITH QB 49ERS 

Demarcus Dobbs TE/DL - Up to their tricks again the 49ers have tried using Dobbs on the offensive side of the ball at TE. With the injury to Delanie Walker at Training during 49ers FanFest and with Nate Byham out for the season, this is the perfect chance for Dobbs to prove his worth and earn a spot on the roster.



Alex Smith QB - Everything I have heard about Alex's performance in Training Camp has been very positive, I saw for myself at FanFest and I believe Alex was definitely the most impressive QB. I am looking for him to play the entire 1st quarter, I really don't care about stats or whatever, I'm just looking to see him have command of the offense, make smart decisions, and above all I would love to see accuracy and consistency on the deeper passes.

These are the guys I will be watching in particular, Overall I really don't put too much stock in to preseason games with regards to players who basically have their starting positions locked down. It's in the backup position battles where you see the real good stuff.

49ers vs Texans Pre-Season Week 3 Review

By Kalen Patrick

Score:
San Francisco 49ers - 7
Houston Texans    -    30

The 3rd game of the Pre-Season is typically the closest you get to Regular Season Football. Coaches keep the starters in for the 1st half, so you get a decent barometer of how your team is looking. I come home from a long day at work and am eagerly anticipating the 49ers take on the Houston Texans. Having missed the majority of the first 2 pre-season games, I figured this would be by far the best chance to see Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco 49ers. Ultimately I almost wished I didn't see this game because of how pathetic of a performance it was. The score does accurately depict just how bad of a performance it was by the 49ers. Lets get in to the review of the game itself.

The game started out strong with LB Ahmad Brooks taking an Interception off Matt Schaub to the house. After that I don't think I can find any other positives at all from this game. Besides for the 49ers backup Punter looking solid. Seriously the only positive I can find.

I won't beat up the defense much at all on this game, why? Because the starters were taken out early, I didn't see much blitzing and I expect the defense to look a whole lot different (better) once the season starts. I did like the play of Safety Madieu Williams. Seemed to be near the ball a lot, and along with Donte Whitner, Dashon Goldson and the impending return of Reggie Smith, I like the 49ers safety group.

Now, to the offense, which to sound very cliche, was offensive to me and every other 49er fan. Fundamentally, the biggest problems of the 49ers offense are: 1- Lack of Talent at QB, 2 - New Offensive System (again) and 3- Poor O-Line play. When we talk about Pre-Season, I tend to take the playcalling out of the equation. I understand not wanting to give away plays, or anything. So I won't criticize the playcalling. However, I have to say, I cannot remember when a time I saw worse OL play....ever. Essentially every time I saw either Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick drop back, they couldn't even finish their step back without one of two things happening. Either they are getting hit or about to get hit. It was downright pathetic.

49ERS QB COLIN KAEPNERNICK UNDER CONSTANT PRESSURE FROM HOUSTON TEXANS

I'm not here to make excuses for either QB, and believe I'm not here for some more Alexcuses, but the OL play was atrocious. There is not one QB who could have been successful with the blocking Smith and Kaepernick received. It was simple blocking assignments that were badly missed (I'm looking at you Joe Staley). There are many possible reasons to explain the poor play of the OL, not enough time to gel, new system, blah blah blah. Fact is, this team needs to be ready to play in 2 weeks, yes 2 weeks from this very day, the 49ers host the Seattle Seahawks at Candlestick Park. I just don't know how ready this team will be.

Up and Coming QB's

By Kalen Patrick

I want to take a look here at some of the younger QB's who I like a lot going forward. When I say young QB's I mean rookies and QB's entering their sophomore year. Obviously the biggest names are going to be Sam Bradford and Cam Newton based on them being #1 overall picks in 2010 and 2011 respectively. While Bradford seems destined for stardom, Newton is a major major question mark. On the one hand you could see him turning in to a Donovan McNabb/Warren Moon type player but just as easily could turn in to a better version of Jamarcus Russell.

I like Newton in that he does seem to have a much much better work ethic, and he does have better weapons around him in Carolina. He has a great rushing tandem in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart behind him, and notable weapons in Steve Smith, Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey. I think Newton is in a very solid position to succeed, however, he is just too much of a question mark going forward to go either way. If I had to guess I say he makes an early impact in the NFL, but fades out after 5+ years.

A QB who I think deserves a lot more talk is Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns, he just has the look of a very very solid NFL QB. I think he can really turn in to a Matt Hasselbeck/early Tom Brady type QB. Don't expect too many 4000+ yard seasons. But he will be efficient, make the plays when you need them and win you games, and isn't that ultimately all you can ask for?

COLT MCCOY HAS THE LOOK OF A WINNER

As for a look at the other rookie QB's besides Newton. It's difficult to tell so early on, but you can also tell when a rookie QB has the "look" of an NFL caliber QB. So far based of what I saw, I came away very impressed with Jake Locker, I think a year or so behind Hasselbeck in Tennessee and he (Locker) will be good to go. From his first performance against Minnesota, I see confidence in the pocket, always looking down the field, pocket presence and great touch on the ball.

JAKE LOCKER HAS THE LOOK OF A DEVELOPING FRANCHISE QB 

As for Gabbert, Ponder, Dalton and Kaepernick? Kaepernick looks a least a year away from starting games, he is a boom or bust guy, I liked how he wasn't hesitating and is extremely athletic and accurate. Just needs to make better decisions which can be taught. Gabbert and Dalton just don't seem to have it, especially Gabbert. Of these 4 QB's I like Ponder and Kaepernick the most in the long run.

These are my thoughts on the young QB's. Of course I may end up being 100% wrong on everything I say, but early on these are the impressions I have gotten and I can't wait to see how everything unfolds. Football is back!!

San Francisco 49ers Pre-Season Week 1

By Kalen Patrick

Final Score:
San Francisco 49ers - 3
New Orleans Saints - 24

As the score suggests, the game was pretty brutal for the 49ers. Jim Harbaugh had an extremely tough task ahead of him this year. The lock-out prevented many offseason activities for the young 49er team and throw in MAJOR question marks at QB and you had to expect a very shaky first viewing. Throw in the fact Gregg Williams (Saints DC) decided to blitz the vast majority of the plays, which is typically a rarity in pre-season games.

While Alex Smith looked well like Alex Smith, the blame cannot be put completely on him. Alexcuses? Perhaps, but the o-line was awful, maybe Brady/Manning can work behind a garbage line, but 90% of the NFL QB's can't. Simple fact. The O-Line must get it together, for the 49ers to stand any chance this year. I do expect them to improve and look a whole lot better by September 11th (week 1) when they are much more comfortable in the offense. The positives on the offense were definitely at RB. Gore looked like his old self and Hunter looks like a great pick so far. Of course we can't look too much in to this. We all remember Thomas Clayton.

Colin Kaepernick got the majority of snaps at QB. And was pretty much what I expected, flashes here and there, bad decisions, and athletic. All things considered with the lockout and everything, he performed just as I thought he would.

The defense almost has the feel of the defense the 49ers have had the last few years. Bend not break, will keep the team in most games, and will need the offense to provide much more production if the 49ers aim to go anywhere this year. Aldon Smith looked very solid in his 49er debut, getting the only sack and providing a great rush all night. Newly signed Donte Whitner had a good game at safety too. Again, I feel this defense will be good enough to keep the team in games, just a matter of what the offense can do.

Harbaugh has essentially 1 month until the season opener. The offense will look better than it did tonight, the real question, is how much better will it look?