49ers Aim to Make Their Special Teams Special

By Kalen Patrick

In my opinion one of the biggest misconceptions of the 49ers is the fact that we have a dominating Special Teams unit. That may have been the case in 2011 with standout ST players like Blake Costanzo on the roster and David Akers being Mr. Automatic, but the 2012 version left a lot to be desired. It's a terrible sign when you feel incredibly uneasy about your kicker when the Field Goal attempt is less than 40 yards. Also all us 49er fans will remember the first play of the 2nd half in the Superbowl when the Baltimore Ravens returned the kickoff for a Touchdown.

THE 49ERS COVERAGE UNIT, NAMED "TONY MONTANA SQUAD"

PHIL DAWSON IS THE 49ERS NEWEST KICKER

There were many cases during the season where the Special Teams cost the team big, in particular the kicker. So what did 49ers GM Trent Baalke do? He only went out and signed the best Free Agent kicker and one of the better kickers of the last decade in Phil Dawson. Dawson has been overlooked and in obscurity due to the fact that he kicked for the consistently bad Cleveland Browns his entire career. Looking at the Numbers Dawson has been among the most consistent and accurate kickers in the league. While this is obviously a temporary solution at the position, you really can't do much better than Dawson. He has experience kicking in an outside stadium where weather conditions are hardly favorable. He will have to adjust to the wind at Candlestick Park, but that is something where his experience will prove invaluable.

Another one of the main areas of concern in my opinion was punt and kickoff coverage. Losing Blake Costanzo to the Chicago Bears in Free Agency in 2012 hurt, also trading Colin Jones to the Carolina Panthers just before the 2012 season also was a noticeable loss on the Special Teams unit. The 49ers have made an effort here by signing Dan Skuta from the Cincinnati Bengals. A standout Special Teams player who will be a vocal leader along with other members of the 49ers ST unit such as CJ Spillman and Tavares Gooden.

Ultimately I feel Trent Baalke and the 49ers have done a great job in addressing a significant weakness in the team with the additions of Dawson and Skuta. Lets not forget that most Special Team additions occur during the draft where the 49ers have a boatload of picks (14 in total).

Coming up on the SF Sports Cave: Gearing up for the SF Giants 2013 season, and a look at the 2013 NFL Draft.

Over and Out

San Francisco 49ers Week 3

By Kalen Patrick

In week 3 of the NFL Season, the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. Going in to this game, the 49ers had notable problems playing on the road at 10am PT. The 49ers lost a heart breaker to their long term rivals the Dallas Cowboys last week in overtime. This was the 49ers chance to rebound, and this game was also very important with a tough trio of games coming up in weeks 4-6 (@Philly, Tampa Bay and @Detroit).

CARLOS ROGERS INT IN THE 4TH QT

This game started out extremely slow, by slow I mean the scoring was nowhere to be found. The teams traded field goals back and forth, up until the 4th quarter which is when the 49ers had the one big drive to seal the game. The drive ended with a 7 yard run by rookie RB Kendall Hunter. 49ers went up 13-6 at that point with a matter of minutes left. A Carlos Rogers INT then essentially sealed the game. The 49ers took an intentional safety with no time left to end the game 13-8. This now places the 49ers solely atop the NFC West with a 2-1 record. The NFC West Standings as of week 3 look like:

San Francisco 49ers  2-1
Arizona Cardinals      1-2
Seattle Seahawks      1-2
St. Louis Rams          0-3

What to Improve Upon
The 49ers still have many problems that need attention, and it's all on the offensive side. The run game has been a disaster the first 3 games. Frank Gore has been a huge disappointment so far. All those previous injuries may be slowing him down. He doesn't run with the same drive, speed, confidence and determination as years before. However, I cannot put all the blame on Gore. The offensive line has yet to really gel together and provides little to no gaps for Gore to run through. This is something that the 49ers really need to work on fixing. When your passing game is never gonna be dominant, you gotta be able to run the ball with some level of productivity.

ALEX SMITH HAD A SOLID PERFORMANCE IN WEEK 3 VS THE BENGALS

As for the passing game, overall I have been very impressed with Alex Smith. He looks more confident than ever before and he is doing an excellent job with his reads and decision making. His pass to Vernon Davis over the top of the Bengals CB, was very impressive. He finished 20/30 over 200 yards with no TD's and most importantly 0 INT's. Alex Smith is who he is, he will never be the constant 300 yard passer. But he can make some plays if given the chance. I think we have yet to see the best of Alex Smith this season. New system which everyone is still trying to learn, offensive line play will improve over time and most importantly he has been missing either Michael Crabtree or Braylon Edwards or both for games.

Once you can have Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Braylon Edwards and Frank Gore on the field consistently, then I believe we will start seeing some much improved offense output. For now, the 49ers gotta keep playing great defense, great special teams and make enough plays on offense to win games and minimize mistakes.

The 49ers will stay on the road this week and take on the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Its questionable whether Michael Vick will be playing for the Eagles after sustaining a hand injury against the Giants. If Vick is out I like the 49ers chances of keeping it close and possibly pulling out the W. With the tough schedule ahead, the 49ers need to take 1 of their next 3. To go 3-3 in to the bye week, have a tough portion of the season over with and be able to work on weaknesses, its possible we could see the 49ers make a playoff appearance. But I cannot get too ahead of myself. We are only just finishing week 3. Lots and lots of football yet to play.

49ers Stats Leaders
Alex Smith - 504 Yards 68.9% COMP  2 TD's 1 INT. 91.3 QB Rating.
Frank Gore - 148 Yards 2.5 AVG 1 TD
Vernon Davis - 15 Catches 179 Yards
Navarro Bowman - 30 Tackles

Where Does Terrelle Pryor Fit in the NFL?

By Kalen Patrick

So not 24 hours ago, we learned that Terrelle Pryor will be available to all 32 NFL teams via the Supplemental Draft. It is almost impossible to judge what kind of draft pick teams will give up for him. Almost ZERO scouting done on the guy, yet we all know how valuable QB's are in the NFL. For me, I'd be willing to go as high as a 5th rounder. I could maybe be talked in to a 4th rounder depending on the scouting of Pryor. For the San Francisco 49ers, he really doesn't fit in what they (we) are doing. So the question then lies, where would Terrelle Pryor fit in?

COULD PRYOR AND MCCOY BAT HEADS IN THE AFC NORTH?

So we are looking for a team that has an okayish QB situation now, would be looking for a potential franchise QB in the near future, a non complicated system where Pryor's strengths could be utilized. My best guess right now, would be the Cincinnati Bengals. Why? Well the Bengals have a history of taking on questionable characters, they like to utilize the Supplemental Draft (Ahmad Brooks a few years back), and Pryor could serve as backup insurance if Andy Dalton does not work out. Dalton was a 2nd rounder, so it's not like the Bengals are 100% committed to him (especially financially). While they are making a move to more of a West Coast Offense system, its possible Pryor would have at least a year to learn the system, he is an Ohio Guy and I'm guessing a team like the Bengals would have seen more of him and been more familiar with him than most other teams.

I consider Pryor to be like a raw version of Cam Newton, big arm, athletic, will have a ton to work on to become a quality NFL QB. He definitely has the potential, and I feel that with the way things ended at Ohio State, he is gonna have the biggest chip on his shoulder to succeed. You can never underestimate how much criticism and failure can motivate people (think Michael Vick). I think there are other teams who will (should) be in the market for Terrelle Pryor's services.

Teams that come to mind are: Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions. These are all teams with questionable QB situations (Cowboys having by far the best situation of all these teams) and I could see any one of these teams take a chance on Pryor. I think with his potential he has to be a consideration. Backup for a year or two, but a guy who has the ability to maybe one day be the franchise QB that many many teams look for.

Sidenote: I totally understand that there needs to be rules with every sport, however, I really have to disagree with the NCAA on the issue of selling items belonging to the players. I'm sorry, but if Terrelle Pryor wants to give away a game jersey for a tattoo or for money to help his family out, then he should be allowed do that. However the rules are in place and Pryor had to face the consequences, what I don't like is how the NFL is essentially punishing Pryor for breaking an NCAA rule. Sorry NFL, we all know you are big and powerful, but he broke ZERO NFL rules and thus should not have to serve a suspension of 5 games. Not that it really matters because no way Pryor starts an NFL game in 2011. This ruling here sets in motion rulings for the future where college players can get punished by the NFL. Makes no sense.

Should be exciting to not only see where he goes but to keep an eye on his development over the next few years.

Favorite NFL Players to Watch

By Kalen
So I thought it would be fun to think about who my favorite NFL player to watch is. Now the first and only rule is you cannot choose someone on the team you root for, so for me that means no 49ers. I am going to pick an offensive and defensive player.

Offensive Player
For my offensive player I have to go with a player who should have been a 49er. Recent superbowl winner and QB of the Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers. Back in the 2005 NFL Draft I didn't pay particular attention to the prospects, all I knew is we needed a QB, so at the time I would have been happy with either Alex Smith or Aaron Rodgers. Obviously if I could go back in time, it would be Rodgers 100%. My inner die hard 49er part of me says I should hate Rodgers, not only because he should have been ours, but he plays for the Packers, who have thwarted my Niners way too many times in the playoffs. However, I really don't has any hatred or root against him whenever I watch him (and I try to make that as often as possible). The only time I'm ever wishing him to flat out fail is when he does play my 49ers.

AARON RODGERS 'BELT' CELEBRATION

There is just something about the guy, he is confident, a little cocky, but the best thing about him is he (like Bret Favre) just looks like he loves playing the game and is not afraid to express that. For the record I do not like Favre at all. Not only does Rodgers play in one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL, but he has charisma through the roof and you never know what's gonna happen. Whether Aaron is doing his famous championship belt celebration, or running around scrambling looking for an open player or making a seemingly impossible pass through 3 defenders hitting the receiver in stride, its all just awesome. And I feel like Aaron is a guy who uses words like 'Awesome' and 'Sick'. There is zero doubt in my mind that if he had become a 49ers (like he should have) he would be far and away my favorite player in the whole League.


In a way I'm glad that he went to Green Bay, in terms of purely watching the guy play, he would have had a much much tougher time in SF, and I don't know if he becomes the player that he is, had the 49ers taken him. Honestly, I've gotten over the fact we don't and never will have him. Rodgers is definitely a top 5 QB in the NFL along with Brady, P.Manning, Brees and Roethlisberger. As great as those other guys are, some are just too business like (Brady and Manning), one is an asshole (Big Ben) and Brees, well I don't have anything bad to say about the guy, just don't relate to him as much as I do Rodgers. I'm looking forward to seeing him play for the next 5-10 years and hope my 49ers can take him down a couple times.

Defensive Player
This one at first was a little bit tougher than the offensive player, but when the player came to mind, I wondered how I didn't think of him within a micro-second. My vote for favorite defensive player has to be Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets. You know when you have a bunch of nicknames that odds are you're a pretty good player "Revis Island" "Revis Christ" for examples. Look I get that typically the Jets are a kind of team where if you aren't a Jets fan, odds are you hate them. But not me, one of my best friends being a Jets fan, makes them my defacto AFC team. Enough about the Jets though and more about Revis. The NFL has made it so difficult for CB's to actually be shutdown players, you breathe on a Wide Receiver and you see the yellow flags being thrown. But Revis is a legit shutdown CB. The only players who I'd throw to with Revis on them would be Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson. Any other times, I'm using my #1 WR as a decoy, because there is almost no point throwing their way with Revis on them.

TEAMS OFTEN LEARN THE HARD WAY  PASSING ON DARELLE REVIS

What impressed me most was his 2009 season, no receiver had over 60 yards on him in any game. That is insane with some of the talent he was locking down (Randy Moss twice when he cared and had Brady throwing him the ball, and most other top flight AFC receivers). Then in week 17 Revis made Chad Ochocinco look useless. A week later in an AFC Wildcard game and repeat of week 17 matchup between the Jets and Bengals. OchoCinco got essentially shut out and made look a fool after Ocho did his usual talking mid week. But Revis made sure he never had a chance. Every time Carson Palmer would look his way and throw it, you saw #24 all over him....all game long. I questioned so may times why they even would throw his way? Made no sense. Even more impressive was that Revis became Ocho's shadow and had few to no penalties called against him. Now I understand Chad is not the greatest receiver in the NFL, but he was a damn good one and looked like PJ Fleck out there (49er fans would get this).

He along with Asomugha are the only 2 legit Corners, who not make but force offensive-coordinators and QB's to question themselves. I got to witness some years of Deion Sanders, Champ Bailey was a shutdown CB for some years, but Revis and Asomugha are the future at CB.

Let me know yours guys' favorite players to watch!

Kalen from the Sports Cave

The NFC West - Trades That Should Happen

The NFC West is easily the worst division in football, after the draft not much has changed in that regard. Why is the NFC West the weakest division? Lets take a look at the projected starting QB's for the teams in the NFC West as it stands right now:
Arizona - John Skelton, San Francisco - Alex Smith, Seattle - Matt Hasselbeck and St.Louis - Sam Bradford. Besides for Bradford, the rest of the projected starters leave a lot to be desired. However, once the lockout is over and trades can happen, I can see the NFC West being extremely active in acquiring QB's. So these are my projected trade ideas.


Trade 1
Kevin Kolb to Seattle for two 2nd rounders and Matt Hasselbeck (essentially do a sign and trade). Lets look in to the reasoning of each team in this trade, and why it makes sense.
For Seattle - They need a new QB, the fact that they didn't draft any in April is telling to me. In this trade Seattle would get a young potentially franchise QB. Not only this, but they get a QB who is familiar with the West Coast Offense, so even in a shortened offseason, the transition to Seattle won't be too difficult for Kolb.

                Kevin Kolb would be a welcome addition to the Seattle Seahawks


For Philadelphia - I'm thinking behind the scenes in Philly that Kolb has been hinting at wanting out. He feels he deserves a starting job and he won't get that in Philly. So in this scenario, Philly gets two 2nd rounders and they get an excellent veteran in Hasselbeck. Should Vick go down during the season Hasselbeck would be an ideal back up for Andy Reid.

Trade 2
Carson Palmer to Arizona for 1st and 3rd round picks.
For Arizona - I keep reading on ESPN how the Cardinals will go get Kolb, but the better fit is definitely Carson Palmer. Now of course you guys reading will quickly think, "oh but the Bengals won't trade Palmer!" well I say read my post titled "The Carson Palmer Dilemma". Now the price is quite steep from a Cardinals perspective, but they showed how good they can be with an established veteran QB. Palmer has more years in him than Warner did when he took over the starting gig in Arizona. You know Fitzgerald is pushing for a big move to get a QB and not drafting a QB tells me they are looking at trade options. Ken Whisenhunt cannot afford another season like last year. They go with the big splash, and something tells me this move will keep him in Arizona for some time.

For Cincinnati - Andy Dalton is the QB of the future in Cincy, there is way too much bad blood between Carson Palmer and the Bengals organization to stay together. Eventually the Bengals will wise up and trade him. In this scenario they get some nice picks to build their franchise from. Odds are Cincy won't be too competitive starting the rookie Dalton. So having two 1st round picks, two 2nd round picks (explained later) and two 3rd round picks should go a long way to getting them back in playoff contention.

Now, not all the trades in this division will involve QB's, lets take a look at what else I think should happen.

Trade 3
Chad OchoCinco and 4th round pick to St. Louis for a 2nd round pick.
For St. Louis - Lets face it Sam Bradford needs weapons. He did a solid job with some not so spectacular options at WR. OchoCinco would instantly become the best WR on the team, would provide a reliable productive target for the young Sam Bradford and honestly, he would bring some media attention to the Rams. They have almost become forgotten after so many awful seasons. Now they are ready to take the leap in to the big stage.

                   How good would OchoCinco look in a St. Louis Rams uniform?

For Cincinnati - Its rebuilding time in Cincinnati, and they need a fresh start. They need to move on from Palmer and OchoCinco. Opposite to St. Louis, Cincinnati needs less unnecessary attention in the media while they get this team rebuilt. I can't imagine OchoCinco being too happy to get passes from a rookie with little to no workouts in the offseason. This trade helps give Cincy 2 picks in each of the first 3 rounds.

As for San Francisco, I don't project any major trades to occur for them and I don't think they should be looking for a big trade. Their future at QB is Colin Kaepernick, and they have a nice surrounding cast for him on offense with Gore, Vernon Davis and Crabtree. I do see them looking in Free Agency at a CB like Ike Taylor or Jonathan Joseph.