San Francisco 49ers Draft Preview

By Kalen Patrick

The 2013 NFL Draft takes place on April 25th, the 3 days of drafting will shape franchises for years to come. Some players will become stars, some will become busts, some will surprise and some will disappoint. The NFL Draft is one of the biggest events on the NFL Calendar and there is certainly a lot of intrigue as we lead up to the main event. Of course this is the San Francisco Sports Cave so I am gonna take a look at some of the 49ers draft needs and which players the 49ers might be looking at. Overall the 49ers have 15 picks in this years draft, and with multiple big contracts looming in the coming years, being able to draft effectively is going to be key for the 49ers to remain towards the top of the NFL.

49ers Position Needs and Potential Targets
Defense
What is very interesting is that the 49ers have been known for their stout defense, but this time around the 49ers have multiple needs on the defensive side.

Safety: The departure of Dashon Goldson in Free Agency and the decline in performance from Donte Whitner makes Safety arguably priority number 1 for the 49ers heading in to the draft. The 49ers hold the 31st, 34th and and 61st picks within the first 2 rounds. I am making an absolute guarantee that with one of those picks (or via a trade) the 49ers will draft a Safety in either round 1 or 2. In my opinion, some of the main Safety prospects the 49ers will focus on will be Jonathan Cyprien (Florida International) and Matt Elam (Florida). Addressing this position early is vital, I don't think any of us 49er fans will forget Joe Flacco torching Whitner and Goldson on all of those deep passes in the Superbowl.

Note: The 49ers did sign Free Agent Craig Dahl, but he in my opinion is definitely a backup talent but may see time in Nickel or Dime packages.

MATT ELAM COULD BE SOMEONE THE 49ERS WOULD TARGET IN THE 2ND ROUND

Defensive Line: There are 2 reasons why defensive line is a huge need for the 49ers. 1- The 49ers lost valuable depth in Free Agency with Isaac Sopoaga and Ricky Jean Francois gone. 2- We all saw how much the absence of Justin Smith effected the 49ers defense. While Justin will be ready to go for Training Camp, he will be turning 34 around the start of the Regular Season. This means he won't be at his high caliber for many years and also he is more likely to get injured and "dinged up" and miss time. With the now lack of depth the 49ers will need to address the defensive line. The 49ers could target Sylvester Williams (North Carolina) if he is available at the end of round 1, the one issue with him is the recent bust Kentwan Balmer played the same position and came from the same school. This may affect the 49ers thought process with Williams. Other potential prospects around the 49ers early picks which could be targeted are Kawann Short (Purdue) and Bennie Logan (LSU).

Note: The 49ers signed Glenn Dorsey who I think could blossom in San Francisco, however the need is still there and I expect the 49ers will add another D-Lineman early.

Offense
The 49ers starting offense is all but set in stone, the key for the 49ers will be acquiring key depth at certain positions.

ZACH ERTZ WOULD BE AN IDEAL PICK

Tight End: We all know how much the 49ers love using the pistol offense and 2 Tight End formations and the departure of Delanie Walker means there is a notable void. I don't believe Garrett Celek is ready to be that guy, with other teams Celek could be a number 2 TE but with the amount the 49ers utilize that position, expect an upgrade somewhat early in the draft. The ideal selection would be Zach Ertz (Stanford) with the 61st pick but it's very likely he will be gone by then. Another possibility could be Jordan Reed (Florida).


Backup QB: After Colin Kaepernick, the only other QB on the roster is Scott Tolzien, who looks solid in the pre-season but should be nothing more than the #3 QB option. Kaepernick is the Franchise QB but with the abundance of picks the 49ers have, it never hurts to have a very solid backup QB. Also with Jim Harbaugh's ability to develop and get the best out of QB's, it's possible the 49ers could develop the back up QB and the trade him to stock up on picks in a similar trade to Matt Schaub to Houston or Alex Smith to Kansas City. Some options the 49ers could look at in the 3rd round are Matt Scott (Arizona), Tyler Bray (Tennessee) or Tyler Wilson (Arkansas).

Lets not forget the 49ers also have two 3rd rounders, (74th and 93rd overall picks). The 49ers will have a lot of flexibility in being able to move and trade to get the players they want. This draft could really set the 49ers up for the next 5+ years and the 3 draft days in April and its success could cement Trent Baalke's reputation as being the top GM in the NFL.

That's it for now. Check back soon for more updates. Over and Out.

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

49ers - A Look Ahead (Defense Edition)

By Kalen Patrick

Yesterday we analyzed what the 49ers may be looking at doing this offseason with the Offense. Today we will take a look at the Defense. Oddly enough, the 49ers defense which for years has clearly been superior to the Offense, faces more serious questions than the Offense. We will now take a look at the issues surrounding the 49ers Defense.

1. What to do with the secondary? Especially at Safety with Goldson and Whitner.
2. Aldon Smith playing too many snaps last season? Has the NFL "figured" him out?
3. Will Justin Smith come back 100%?
4. Is Patrick Willis overrated?

Secondary
In the Superbowl there is no question that the secondary was a major weakness that the Ravens exploited. Chris Culliver had the worst game of his career and was continuously picked on and beaten badly. I really do like Culliver's potential but perhaps he is not going to be the player we all hoped he would. Maybe I am being too critical, after all he is only a 2nd year player, and he had a rough week in the media leading up to the game (which was his own doing). I'd like to see him mature and really step up some more.

Carlos Rogers seems to get a bad rap among 49er fans but I think he played pretty solid this year. He is a good #3 CB despite being paid more like a #1 or #2 CB. I wonder if Vic Fangio and the 49ers will explore putting Rogers back on the outside instead of covering the slot receiver. In 2011, Rogers had his best year as a pro. Anquan Boldin made some incredible catches in the Superbowl despite very good coverage by Rogers. Tarrell Brown is another very good CB and I think he is definitely worth keeping long term.

BRINGING BACK DASHON GOLDSON SHOULD BE A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE 49ERS

I feel Dashon Goldson is a player the 49ers must hold on to. Goldson makes plays with Interceptions, Forces Fumbles, makes big hits, is very durable, and his tackling has improved greatly. I think he should be priority #1 this offseason. As for Donte Whitner, if we can keep him at a very reduced salary I would do that, I like him as a vocal leader and in run support. However, I would like to see the 49ers draft a Safety in either rounds 1 or 2 and hopefully get playing time immediately.

Front 7
Moving away from the Secondary and focusing on the Front 7, I wonder if the NFL has figured out ways to seriously slow down Aldon Smith. I never realized how dependent Aldon was on Justin Smith until we saw how he played without the "Cowboy" beside him. Even with the return of Justin Smith in the Playoffs, Aldon just didn't look the same. I wonder if either the NFL has figured him out, or perhaps he is playing too many snaps? Maybe with fatigue and playing more in run support he loses that burst as the season goes on and on. Hopefully the return of Parys Haralson and if 2nd year man Darius Fleming can spell Aldon and keep him fresh and retain his explosiveness.

BOWMAN AND WILLIS FORM THE CORE OF A STRONG 49ERS DEFENSE

Justin Smith should and I believe will come back healthy as ever, my bigger concern than his Triceps would be his age. He has been very durable, that also means he has played a lot of snaps and I hope this first injury won't be a sign of things to come. Ricky Jean-Francois has done an admirable job when given the opportunity, but he is not the long term answer there. I wonder if the 49ers will focus on draft Justin Smith's replacement in round 1 or 2 this year? I sure hope there is a plan in place. The 49ers defensive performance dropped significantly when Justin Smith was out.

NaVorro Bowman is better than Patrick Willis. There I said it. I look forward to the back lash but I firmly believe this. Patrick Willis was incredible the first 3 years of his career, since then however I am far from impressed. Now don't get me wrong, he still plays at a very high level, but the expectations for Patrick Willis are sky high and he has not lived up to them as of late. I suspect NFL offenses have looked at ways to neutralize Patrick Willis, but the truly great players, especially at Inside LB, find ways to make plays all the time. He is a great player, but will not come even close to the all time great ILB's such as Ray Lewis and Mike Singletary. The 49ers are blessed to have two great ILB's in Willis and Bowman. I can't imagine many offenses running well against the 49ers consistently over the next 5 years.

The 49ers Defensive unit as a whole is very solid, but I would like to see Baalke focus on adding some more talent here early in the draft. Depending on the value available, I think going Safety in Round 1 and D-Line in round 2, or vice-versa would be the best way to go.

Coming in the next few days I will focus on the Alex Smith situation and finish up my "A Look Ahead" series with a close look at Special Teams. Until next time.

Over and Out.

49ers - A Look Ahead (Offense Edition)

By Kalen Patrick

I am still not, and probably never will be over the devastating loss in the Superbowl. No more perfect record in the "Big Dance", not hearing Colin Kaepernick utter the words "I'm going to Disneyland!" and so on and so forth. That is definitely the glass half empty look at the 49ers. However, I will be focusing on the positives. Imagine if 4 years ago I told you that the 49ers would make the NFC Championship Game and then the Superbowl in back to back years. You would have called me crazy. Back then I would have gladly accepted an 8-8 season. We have been spoiled so quickly. Now it's time to take a closer look at how I feel the 49ers will be approaching this offseason.

The Offense really doesn't need much tinkering with, some of the bigger question marks are:

1. How are Kyle Williams and Mario Manningham recovering from their injuries?
2. How well is AJ Jenkins progressing?
3. Will Delanie Walker return?
4. Who's the long term answer at Center?

THE 49ERS WOULD LIKE TO SEE AJ JENKINS MAKE SOME PLAYS IN THE REGULAR AND POST SEASON IN 2013

Both Williams and Manningham are young receivers, so I really don't question their ability to return 100% for the upcoming season. I would make an educated guess that AJ Jenkins got a serious wake up call when he didn't even catch a single pass as a 1st round rookie. I expect a bigger role for him in the 2013 season, but how big a role remains to be seen. How Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh handle the WR's in the offseason, whether through draft or free agency will go a long way in giving us a clearer answer to Questions 1 and 2.

Delanie Walker, I really have a love/hate relationship with him. I love his versatility, his ability to make plays and get open. I hate his knack for dropping passes/fumbling in crunch time and critical situations. I would like to see him back, but I feel another team lacking a receiving threat at TE will probably throw more money at him than the 49ers will. In this case I would be very happy drafting a TE somewhere between rounds 3-5 who is more sure handed.

49ERS OFFENSE IS IN GOOD HANDS WITH THEM

Jonathan Goodwin is a very solid Center and I honestly can't poke too many holes in his game. He gets the job done and has a good grasp of the Offense. The big question will come down to value. What does Goodwin think he is worth in comparison to what the 49ers think he is worth. I personally would love to have him back but it depends on the price tag. The 49ers have been grooming players like Daniel Kilgore and Joe Looney for this role. It's also possible the 49ers draft a Center early and hope he can step in and perform well immediately.


Ultimately the 49ers are in very good shape going forward on the offensive side of the ball. Kaepernick is a young and incredibly talented QB who will benefit from a whole offseason as the starter, all the experience he gained last season and more playing time. The 49ers have a ton of young talent at the Offensive Line (Staley, Iupati, Boone and Davis), a bunch of talent at RB with Gore, Hunter, James and Miller. Kaepernick also has some real nice options in the passing game primarily with Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. The return of Manningham and Williams, along with the development of Jenkins and possibly further offseason additions will only help significantly.

You may have noticed a lack of Alex Smith talk, don't worry, I will be going in to that in a whole other post. That about sums up the Offense. A Look Ahead Defense + Special Teams Edition will be coming soon.

Over and Out.

The 49ers QB Situation

By Kalen Patrick

Well I guess to start off, I wanna say that it has been a while since I have posted. Been very busy with work and visiting family and what not. Gonna be getting back in to the blog in a big way to end the year and look for some big things happening in the New Year. My own website will be launching, I am looking to get in to coaching at the Pee-Wee/High School Football level and of course all my thoughts on sports throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, along with thoughts on the biggest topics in Sports too. Anyways, let's get to the biggest story that has taken over the 49ers recently.

 I realize that I am a few weeks late on this whole topic but I wanted to just share my thoughts on this topic. First of all, I do have to say and admit that I trust the decision Harbaugh makes, his regular season record speaks for itself (21-6-1). Secondly, Jim Harbaugh knows his players way way better than I or any other person in the media does. However, I am entitled to my opinion and I won't be holding back when expressing that.

JIM HARBAUGH IS ALL IN ON QB COLIN KAEPERNICK

I would NOT have named Colin Kaepernick the starter going forward this season, and here's why. By going with Kaepernick (barring injury) you cannot go back to Alex Smith and start a QB carousel. Just will not work, never has and never will. So Harbaugh has left himself with zero flexibility. Teams will be watching tape on Kaepernick and just like the Rams showed, with a little film, it is amazing how Defensive Coaches can come up with ways to slow down a QB who is a new starter in the NFL. For the 49ers sake, we hope that Kaepernick and the offense can overcome this and come up with new plays and schemes and be able to stay ahead of the defense.

Difference is, as a starter in Harbaugh's system Alex Smith was 19-5 and posted some very impressive numbers to go along with all of those wins. He proved that he was able to stay ahead of the curve and came within a few bounces of a Super Bowl, even with all the tape a defense could ask for on him. Another advantage of going with Alex Smith (once he was cleared to play obviously) would be, you know that should Alex struggle and not play well, you can always go to Kaepernick, and at least there is some justification among the team and fans and organization for making that decision. You have flexibility, which is key in the NFL. Heck, you could start Alex Smith and then maybe give Kaepernick 5 snaps a game. Keep defenses guessing.

ALEX SMITH MAY HAVE STARTED HIS LAST GAME AS A 49ER

The St. Louis game really opened my eyes, with Harbaugh, I have never seen an Alex Smith led 49ers look so ordinary and unproductive against a team the quality of the Rams, and with the defense playing as well as it was to back up the offense. I know the NFL is about taking risks and big plays and what not, but sometimes conservative can be the logical way to go and Alex Smith will not lose you a game, and he has shown multiple times this year he can take over and win games (Buffalo, @Arizona, @Green Bay).

I do admire and root for Alex Smith, but my allegiance is and always will be to the 49ers and whoever is the QB will have my unquestioned support (whether its Tim Rattay, Cody Pickett, Alex Smith or Colin Kaepernick). I certainly hope Kaepernick can evolve and progress his game to take this team to the Superbowl. I trust Jim Harbaugh and this is a huge risk that he is taking, but with his record it's hard to argue with him.

That's it for now. It's good to be back writing and please check back for updates.

Over and Out.

49ers vs Jets Recap and Week 5 Preview

By Kalen Patrick

Week 4 turned out to be a walk in the park for the 49ers with a comfortable 34-0 win over the New York Jets. I don't want to spend too much time on this considering it was such a slaughter. Some of the things I really liked in particular was the 49ers ability to rush the passer. Aldon Smith was back creating havoc in the backfield, and over all credit has to go to the guys up front and Vic Fangio. Not to mention guys like Tarrell Brown, Carlos Rogers and Chris Culliver shut down the Jets receivers. The play of the entire game for me was on a deep Mark Sanchez pass to Santonio Holmes that Dashon Goldson swatted away at the last second. That was beautiful.

Offensively the 49ers did what the 49ers do and that is run the football well. Gaining nice chunks of yards every time it seemed. Colin Kaepernick had some big runs and scored his 1st career TD. The one big concern for the 49ers is Alex Smith's ability to hit the deep passes to anyone not named Vernon Davis. I remember 2-3 times Manningham had beat his man and Smith had just about overthrown him each time. Overall the score was 34-0 and it easily could have been 48-0. Sorry Jets fans. That game was ugly.

THE 49ERS DEFENSE SMOTHERED MARK SANCHEZ AND THE JETS

Week 5 the 49ers will welcome the Buffalo Bills to Candlestick Park. The Bills are coming off a crushing loss where they gave up 45 2nd half points to the Patriots. The 49ers have had only 1 home game so far (a win against the Lions) so it will be rocking in Candlestick come Sunday. I do like the 49ers chances in this game. The Bills defense is shaky at best and all the money invested in Mario Williams has not paid off so far. I expect Alex Smith to have consistent time back to throw and the 49ers should be able to run the ball and control the clock. I want to see Alex Smith make some nice passes down the field, if he can start hitting those consistently than I found it very difficult to name more than 3-4 teams who could beat the 49ers.

JIM HARBAUGH NEEDS ALEX SMITH TO GET ON THE SAME PAGE AS HIS WR'S

The Bills love the big play, CJ Spiller has been hitting huge runs all season long. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not afraid to throw the football into tight coverage. He is prone to mistakes but can make some very nice throws too when given the time. I think an underrated match up will be Willis/Bowman in coverage vs TE Scott Chandler who is having a good season so far. The Bills mix it up a lot with the dink and dunk passes and try to use their speed to make big plays out of it, with both Stevie Johnson and CJ Spiller expected to get a lot of short passes thrown their way.

I have confidence the 49ers defense will be able to contain the Bills and the offense should be more than capable of putting up enough points for the 49ers to come away with a win. As usual I hate predicting the score but if I had to guess I'm gonna go with something along the lines of 27-17 in favor of the 49ers.

Over and Out.

Week 4: 49ers vs Jets Preview

By Kalen Patrick

One of the better games this week will be taking place in East Rutherford, NJ when the 49ers (2-1) take on the Jets (2-1). The 49ers are coming off a bad loss to the Vikings, while the Jets won a dramatic game over the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. The 49ers are looking to bounce back from their loss, while the Jets are anxious to show they can win without their star CB Darrelle Revis. This being the SF Sports Cave I will being focusing on what the 49ers can and need to do in order to leave week 4 with a Win and head back to SF with a 3-1 record.

I think the biggest thing the 49ers will need to improve upon is their Pass Rush. Last week against the Vikings the 49ers ran what seemed to me, to be a very basic defense. I rarely saw any Safety or CB blitzes, I felt that the ILB's Willis and Bowman were blitzed sparingly. It is not a matter of just blitzing extra players, it's more keeping the opposing offense off balance and not knowing what to expect. Blitz Dashon Goldson and make Aldon Smith drop back in coverage for example. Just mix it up is what I'm saying. Mark Sanchez has shown that he will force some throws when under pressure. The 49ers have to make sure to get to him early and rattle him and shake his confidence.

THE LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE JETS AND 49ERS (2008) WAS A 24-14 VICTORY FOR SF

The 49ers were able to get some late, almost meaningless turnovers against the Vikings last week, but this week, they need to be able to turn the ball over early and get a lead. We know that the 49ers will be able to stop the run and I really don't see many threats in the Jets backfield that will beat the 49ers defense. It's a matter of getting a good, consistent pass rush. What I'm trying to say is that I want to see the 49ers defense that rattled Drew Brees and Eli Manning and not the one that let Christian Ponder pass and run all over them.

On offense, I think the 49ers really have to stick to what they do best, run the ball with Frank Gore and then hit the Jets on short/intermediate passes and occasionally take a shot down the field. I wanna see much more of Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter this week, get Brandon Jacobs in there too to get some tough yards. If I were the 49ers I would go with mostly Gore in the 1st quarter. Then hit the Jets with Hunter and Jacobs in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, when the defense is weak and been pushed around all day, go with Gore again and get those big chunks of yards.

49ERS OFFENSE LOOKS TO GET BACK ON TRACK AFTER A WEEK IN YOUNGSTOWN, OH

I really love how well Crabtree is doing this year, I would just like to see the 49ers take some shots down the field to Moss and Ginn Jr so they can make the defense respect the deep pass, which will naturally open up Crabtree, Manningham and Vernon up on the intermediate routes. Also as I mentioned earlier Darrelle Revis is OUT so you have to take advantage of that and put the pressure on the Jets defense. Especially at home, there is no way the Jets are going to be an easy game and this could very well become a slugfest.

If I had to guess I would say the 49ers do win, but it will be a very close game. Something along the lines of 27-24. I just can't imagine any scenario where Jim Harbaugh will allow his players to play and coaches to coach like they did against Minnesota last week. Let's see if the 49ers can get back on track this Sunday.

Over and Out.

Week 3 Recap of 49ers vs Vikings

By Kalen Patrick

The San Francisco 49ers suffer their 1st loss of the season to the Minnesota Vikings today by the score of 24-13. One of the things I heard throughout this game was that the Vikings were beating the 49ers by playing the 49ers style of football. This is something I could not agree more with. Besides for the Kyle Williams return, the Vikings soundly beat the 49ers in all 3 phases of the game. In my opinion this was the worst overall game the 49ers have played under Jim Harbaugh. The key to the Vikings win was their 3 touchdown drives, each of which went for 80+ yards on the highly regarded 49ers defense. I do want to give the entire Minnesota Vikings team props for their sound beating of the 49ers. There is no doubt they deserved to win the game.

JIM HARBAUGH WAS NOT A HAPPY MAN TODAY IN MINNESOTA

Lets now discuss some of the reasons why I feel the 49ers were beaten badly today.

1. ZERO Pass Rush - It seemed that for the vast majority of the game the 49ers simply rushed their front  four (Ahmad Brooks, Aldon Smith, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald) and they rarely got near Ponder. There was little to no variety in the blitzes, very rarely did I see guys like Aldon Smith drop into coverage and see blitzing LB's or Safeties. I don't know if Fangio just put too much faith in his front four to get pressure or what, but what I do know is that he was definitely out-coached by Vikings OC Bill Musgrave. I would love to see some major changes in the blitz packages in the coming game against the Jets.
2. Lack of Frank Gore - The Vikings opened up the game with an exhausting drive, then it seemed like the 49ers reacted (panicked?) and they went Pass, Pass, Pass. Almost immediately the 49ers went away from what they do best, which is run the football, and then hit on short/intermediate passes off the play action. Frank Gore had only 6 rushes in the entire 1st half. This is simply unacceptable. The 49ers made themselves 1-dimensional (which is usually what the 49ers FORCE other teams to do). For most of the game the 49ers just didn't run the ball and the Vikings were able to tee off on the pass. 



ALEX SMITH IN ACTION AGAINST THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

3. Defense couldn't make THE stop - At halftime the score was 17-3, then quickly the 49ers made the score 17-13, Kyle Williams return set up a David Akers FG, then Minnesota had a 3 and out, followed by a 49ers TD drive. ALL the momentum was with the 49ers. Then what happened? Oh just an 80 yard TD drive that ended with a one handed catch by Kyle Rudolph in the endzone. Not only is it terrible to give up the TD, but a LONG drawn out time consuming drive is just a killer. Suddenly it's back to a 2 score game and it's around the 4th quarter. That was the stop the defense needed to make, not even a 3 and out, just a stop. Of course, the reason why they couldn't stop the Vikings was largely due to point #1, in addition to the defense never being able to stop the short dump off passes to Percy Harvin and others. The following 49ers drive resulted in a Frank Gore fumble, the defense kept them in the game after that, but the entire 4th quarter was filled with harmless turnover prone offense.

Ultimately it was a really poor and sloppy performance by the 49ers and I really want to chalk this one up as one of those games that every good team has at some point during the season. Me trying to be as optimistic as possible, I will look at this as a "kick in the ass" game and maybe get the players working extra hard and not taking any game or play for granted.

Week 4 against the Jets is going to be a slugfest. Neither team is really capable of putting up huge offensive numbers and the defenses will most likely control the game. I'd like to see the 49ers become much more creative with their defense, and on the offensive side, maybe take more chances down the field. I'm not saying abandon what we have been doing, but you have to adapt in the NFL or else other teams will catch up. One thing I do know is that Jim Harbaugh is gonna make sure the 49ers are better prepared for next weeks game. I expect to see quite a few new wrinkles to the offense in particular.

Over and Out.

Recap of 49ers vs Lions

By Kalen Patrick

In a very convincing manner, the 49ers beat the Detroit Lions 27-19. If you had read my Preview for the game I had predicted a 27-17 victory for the Niners so I would say I wasn't too far off. Similar to the Packers game, I feel the score was a lot closer than the actual game. Stafford lead a late desperate TD drive to bring the score a whole lot closer. Literally from start to finish I feel the 49ers were comfortably in control. Alex Smith finished off the opening drive with a great over the shoulder pass to Vernon Davis for a Touchdown. That opening drive was incredibly impressive. The teams went back and forth, the Lions made the score 7-6 after Kendall Hunter fumbled the return after the Lions first Field Goal.

LED BY ALEX SMITH, THE 49ERS OFFENSE IS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

Not long after, 49ers RB Frank Gore burst in for a 1 yard TD run, a drive that started with a Dashon Goldson INT, followed by 2 key penalties against the Lions (running in to the kicker, and then Defensive PI in the endzone). The score was 14-6 and from then on out the Lions never really got any closer. The 49ers closed it out in the 4th quarter when Alex Smith connected with Vernon Davis again, this time, Vernon made some nice moves to get in the end zone.

Some of the key things I want to mention is that Alex Smith was incredibly impressive yet again. For the 2nd straight game he threw for 2 TD's without an interception. He was 20-31, and if you look at the tape of his 11 incomplete passes, I remember 5 of them being very poor drops by the receivers and another 2 being "catchable" balls. For example, when Alex Smith passes to Vernon deep and he couldn't hold on. Despite all of this, after week 2, Alex Smith has the #2 QB Rating in the NFL and is showing yet again, hit ability to not turn the ball over, but is making more plays with the improved weapons he has.

ANOTHER BIG GAME FOR 49ERS TE VERNON DAVIS

The 49ers did an excellent job at exploiting weaknesses in the Detroit defense and they were able to run the ball with relative ease. It seemed like every time Gore got the ball he got big chunks of yards (5.2 YPC) and Hunter although seeing limited action did a good job too (4.6 YPC), the 49ers gashed the Lions in the run game and out gained them 148 - 82 yards. Obviously Vernon Davis had a great game, and for the 2nd week in a row, Michael Crabtree made his presence felt. He was key down the stretch picking up multiple 1st downs and keeping the ball out of Matt Staffords hands.

DASHON GOLDSON HAD A POLAMALU TYPE GAME

Overall the defense yet again had another very good game, you know your run defense is amazing when you feel the Lions ran well, and then you look at their stats and they averaged only 3.2 YPC. In pass defense the 49ers played a lot of Cover 2, and I have to credit the Secondary for doing a great job, especially Dashon Goldson who seemed to be every where. Not only did he pick off Stafford but he did an excellent job in run support, covering a lot of ground and making some big stops for the defense.

The Lions O-Line did a great job in stifling the pass rush, Stafford seemingly had a lot of time to throw back there. The nickel front four (Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald) really didn't have their best game. And even then, Aldon Smith had 2 sacks and essentially made the Lions pass game look average at best. This defense is legit and it's going to be hard for any team to score on them consistently.

Anyways, another very convincing victory for the 49ers, and rightfully sit atop my updated Power Rankings which can be viewed on the side bar. Check back for a preview of the Week 3 match up when the 49ers take on the Vikings in Minnesota.

Over and Out.

Week 2: 49ers vs Lions Preview

By Kalen Patrick

Two years ago this would have been one of the least anticipated games of the week, fast forward to 2012 and this is now a marquee match-up as we get week 2 in to full swing. Both teams are coming off wins from Week 1, the Detroit Lions escaped their home opener with a sloppy win against the lowly Rams, while the 49ers entered Lambeau Field and dominated the Green Bay Packers. There are going to be some very intriguing match ups in this game, with the abundance of talented football players on both teams. Here are some key battles that will be taking place:

49ers Offensive Line vs Lions Defensive Line
The latest injury report for the game has the Detroit Lions likely to be missing 3 of their 4 starters in the secondary. Safety Louis Delmas and CB Chris Houston are Doubtful, while CB Bill Bentley has been ruled out. We saw what Alex Smith was able to do against a more talented secondary in Green Bay (20-26 211 Yards 2 TD and 0 INT, 125.6 QB Rating), if he (Smith) gets ample time in the pocket, the 49ers now have the talent at WR to really exploit the Lions weak secondary. Smith is looking extremely comfortable in the 49ers offense now, even getting sacked 4 times last Sunday he never looked out of rhythm. Alex Smith is playing at a level we have never seen from him, he has (including playoffs) attempted 241 consecutive passes without an Interception.

LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP ENDED IN A DRAMATIC 49ER VICTORY

The Lions D-Line has a very tough challenge ahead of themselves, they can't count on their coverage to bail them out on passing plays, they will also have the unenviable task of trying to shut down the 49ers run game. They should expect Frank Gore early in the game, then a lot of Kendall Hunter in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, and just as they are getting worn down, I'd expect the 49ers to use a heavy dose of Gore again to pick up good consistent chunks of yards in the 4th quarter.

Suh, Fairley and Corey Williams will have be at the top of their game to allow edge rushers Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch wreak havoc on the outside. Even if they do pressure Smith a lot, he has shown the ability to take the sack rather than force a throw into coverage. Jim Harbaugh has no problems with this and trusts his defense to win him the game. The Lions D-Line will need to have an A+ type game for 60 minutes.

Matthew Stafford vs 49ers Pass Rush
In Week 1 vs the Rams Stafford threw 3 INT's in the game and the Lions still won. If he does that against the 49ers, I give the Lions 0.01% a chance of victory, and that is only because anything is possible in Football. The 49ers run defense is so good and the Lions have a serious lack of talent at RB, that this game is going to be on the shoulders of Matt Stafford. However, the 49ers Pass Rush has been relentless since Vic Fangio became the Defensive Co-ordinator, and you can bet guys like Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald are licking their chops at all the long developing passing plays the Lions incorporate into their offense.

WILL THERE BE ANY POST-GAME DRAMA THIS TIME?

Stafford is going to be making throws with pressure in his face, and if they Lions want to have any chance at winning, they better hope those passes end up in the hands of guys like Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Nate Burleson. Ultimately, we all know that Calvin Johnson is going to get his catches and yards, and maybe even a TD or two, but the game will come down to the "other" guys making plays for the Lions. Along with the Lions D-Line having the game of their lives.

I think that with the game being in San Francisco, on a most likely cold and windy Sunday Night at Candlestick, I like the 49ers chances of coming away with a victory. I hate guessing scores, but if I had to I would say the 49ers win 27-17. The 49ers are just too complete of a team, too talented and playing at such a high level, that it will be incredibly difficult for ANY team to win in San Francisco on a night game. We all remember what the 49ers did to the Steelers on Monday Night Football last year. That's it for now, check back Monday or Tuesday for an in-depth recap of the game.

Over and Out.

49ers vs Packers Week 1 Recap

By Kalen Patrick

The San Francisco 49ers left Lambeau Field with a BIG 30-22 win to open up the 2012 Season. In my opinion, this was the most impressive win of Jim Harbaugh's tenure as the 49ers Head Coach. To go in to Green Bay and beat Aaron Rodgers is one of the most, (if not the most) difficult thing to do in the NFL today. The 49ers beat the Packers from start to finish on both sides of the ball. Lets take a closer look at the game.

To me the game ball should go to 49ers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman. The whole game the 49ers were able to find great mismatches and called the right plays at the right time. Of course, so much credit needs to go to the players who pulled off the plays with excellent execution and precision. The plays that stood out to me were:

1. Randy Moss' Touchdown Reception. Green Bay was weak defending the middle of the field, and especially more so when Desmond Bishop went down with injury. The 49ers motioned Delanie Walker right before the snap, confusing the coverage down the middle and left Randy Moss wide open for an easy TD Reception. 
2. 4:40 left in 2nd quarter, Alex Smith pass to Mario Manningham for 11 yard completion for 1st down. The 49ers motioned Bruce Miller out to the far right leaving Manningham in the slot. This motion caused Green Bay to put a CB on Bruce Miller, leaving a slow LB on Manningham, which resulted in an easy 1st down completion. 
3. 18 seconds left in the 1st half, bring in Kaepernick for a design run play. In a potentially pivotal moment of the game, the 49ers go with Colin Kaepernick, catches the defense off guard and picks up 17 yards and puts the 49ers in position to score at the end of the 1st half.

ALEX SMITH AND RANDY MOSS CONNECT FOR A TD

These are just some examples of how the 49ers exploited the Green Bay defense. Alex Smith finished the game with a 125.6 QB rating, going 20/26 and throwing for 211 yards with 2 TD's 0 INT's. Smith looked comfortable throughout the entire game despite taking 4 sacks. The 49ers also gashed the Packers for 186 rushing yards with 5.8 YPC. Gore did the most damage getting 112 yards on 16 carries with a TD, and seemingly always picking up big chunks of yards each and every time he had the ball. In summary, Greg Roman and the 49ers offense made Dom Capers Green Bay defense look pretty bad.

TARELL BROWN DENIES JAMES JONES

The 49ers defense did a great job on Aaron Rodgers all day long and only gave up 14 points to the Green Bay offense (Packers scored a TD on a punt return, obviously the defense isn't at fault for that). The 49ers shut down the Packers run game from the get go. The only real rushing yards the Packers got was when Rodgers had to scramble. NaVorro Bowman picked off Aaron Rodgers once and the defense had 3 sacks on Rodgers which is very difficult considering his ability to release the ball so quickly. I have to give 2 specific players shout outs:

1. NaVorro Bowman - Not only did Bowman pick off Rodgers at an extremely pivotal moment of the game, but he was also EVERYWHERE on the field. Bowman lead the 49ers with 11 tackles and had 2 more defended passes. He was sensational the entire game and in my opinion has emerged as the best Linebacker for the 49ers. Yes, you read that right. 
2. Tarrell Brown - Brown has turned in to a shut down corner, and never was this more evident than when Brown denied James Jones on a deep pass from Aaron Rodgers that would have put the Packers within the 49ers 5 yard line. In man to man coverage Brown was lock down all game long, the only times I saw him get "beat" were in zone coverage when the 49ers were only rushing 3. Chris Culliver and the rest of the 49ers secondary deserve an honorable mention too.

ALEX SMITH AND AARON RODGERS MEET IN MIDFIELD

The 49ers did what many football experts considered the impossible and took a game from Green Bay at Lambeau Field. This was a complete win in all 3 phases of the game (really harsh take up the flag when Anthony Dixon got clearly blocked from behind on the return that lead to a Packers TD). On to week 2 where the 49ers face another big challenge when they host Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football. Go Niners!


Next on the SF Sports Cave: 49ers vs Lions Preview. Buster Posey and the San Francisco Giants race to the playoffs.

Over and Out

49ers Season In Review

By Kalen Patrick

Wow! Well where do I even begin? My last post talked about the Ravens game on Thanksgiving, which was a tough loss. The 49ers went on to finish the season with a 13-3 record, arguably the top defense in the league and a solid offense that centered mostly around not turning the ball over. This was the best record the 49ers have had since Steve Mariucci's first season with the 49ers when he also went 13-3 after taking over for George Seifert in 1997.

Alex Smith finished the year with a career high in passing with 3144 Yards and most importantly he finished with a QB rating of 90.7 and only threw 5 Interceptions all year long. This was basically the philosophy of the 2011 49ers. Play great opportunistic defense (check), play great Special Teams (check) and play smart offensive football, meaning do NOT turn the ball over, settling for 3 points rather than make a risky throw for 7. Basically the 49ers gameplan is to win the field position battle. The 49ers led the league in drives starting in the opponents half of the field. That was Jim Harbaughs plan and it worked very well.

49ERS FUTURE IS BRIGHT WITH JIM HARBAUGH ON THE SIDELINES

Then came the playoffs, on a Sunny Sunday afternoon, the New Orleans Saints came to town and this game ended up being maybe the greatest game of football I have ever seen. The first quarter was ALL 49ers and we jumped out to a 17 point lead. Donte Whitner set the early tone when he gave Pierre Thomas a crushing blow inside the 49ers redzone which led to a fumble which the 49ers recovered. Drew Brees was intercepted by Safety Dashon Goldson. The 49ers were able to capitalize on these mistakes which gave them the early lead.

As the game went on, the 49ers became stagnant offensively, the Saints were finally able to break down the 49ers and got right back in the game. In the 4th quarter the 49ers were leading 23-17, then Drew Brees hit Darren Sproles over the middle and with his explosion he was gone and the Saints took their first lead of the day 24-23. On the following drive, Frank Gore had a big run and put the 49ers in great position to score. It came to a 3rd down and 8 on the Saints 28 yard line. Greg Roman called a gutsy play which was a designed run by Alex Smith, it lead to a 28 yard run for a touchdown by the sideline. The stadium erupted and so did I. The game was far from over however, not long after, the Saints reached in to their bag of tricks, with a handoff to Sproles, who then flicked it back to Brees and hit Jimmy Graham for a 66 yard TD with less than 1 minute left in the game, score 32-29 Saints.

ALEX SMITH 28 YARD RUN FOR THE LEAD

The next drive will never be forgotten for any 49er fan watching that day. The Saints were not playing prevent by any means, and it may have cost them. Saints DC Gregg Williams called a heavy blitz, Smith was able to hit Vernon Davis over the middle who scampered down the field and put the 49ers within FG range to tie the game. However, there was still time on the clock, and everyone on the 49ers sideline had other ideas. 14 yards from the endzone with just over 10 seconds left, Alex Smith fired a rifle between 3 Saints defenders and hit Vernon Davis for the Touchdown and Win. It was a perfect throw at the perfect time. Vernon Davis running off the field crying his eyes out, brought back memories from 1997 when Terrell Owens caught a Steve Young pass to win the game against the Packers in the Playoffs.

VERNON DAVIS CATCH TO SEAL THE WIN

The Vernon Davis catch will go down as one of my greatest 49er and Sports memories ever, up there with the 2002 comeback against the NY Giants, the SF Giants winning the World Series and as a kid the 49ers winning the Superbowl in 1994.

The 49ers went on to lose to the NY Giants in the NFC Championship game. (Can you tell I'm still hurt by this?).

#99 ALDON SMITH WAS RELENTLESS FOR THE 49ERS ALL YEAR LONG

Overall, it was a great season, the 49ers were ultimately 14-4 with a trip to the Championship Game. Before the season on 49erswebzone.com I had predicted a 6-10 season I believe. Obviously they far exceeded any expectations of mine. One of the great stories of the season would be Alex Smith bouncing back from many tough years in San Francisco, also rookie Aldon Smith recording an astonishing 14 sacks in the regular season, and added another 2 in the playoffs. There were so many great moments, from the Ted Ginn returns for TD's to Delanie Walkers catch to beat the 5-0 Lions to Justin Smith sealing the Giants game with a bat down or when he stripped Jeremy Maclin of the Eagles to clinch the win in Philly. This season was so impressive and 2012 will no doubt be a lot of fun to watch, in the words of Bart Scott "CAN'T WAIT"



UP NEXT: 49ers Offseason; What to expect from Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh?

HAR-BOWL Review

By Kalen Patrick

Well after riding an 8 game winning streak, the 49ers finally got beat by the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving. The Ravens stuffed the 49ers to win it 16-6 . While there is no doubt that the Ravens were definitely the superior team on the night, the game was actually very very close fought and one or two questionable calls against the 49ers really hurt them. The 49ers on a very short week having to travel across the country were already at a disadvantage so if they were to lose any game, this was going to be the one.

The 2 calls I mentioned were the chopping block by Frank Gore/Chilo Rachal on Alex Smith's 75 yard TD pass to Ted Ginn, and the 50 yard Pass Interference call on Tarrell Brown's Interception which gift wrapped another 3 points to the Ravens. Both of these calls were very harsh and hurt the 49ers big time. However bad calls will always happen in games and you must overcome them, unfortunately the 49ers could not do that this time around.

THE RAVENS SACKED ALEX SMITH 9 TIMES

One or two bad decisions hurt the 49ers even more, while in Field Goal range and the end of the half, Alex Smith attempted to hit Braylon Edwards in the endzone, which got picked off, and cost the 49ers 3 points when it was a 6-3 ballgame in favor of the Ravens. So while the Ravens did win, and it was somewhat of a convincing win for them, I have to look at the positives.

Short week, travel across the country, 2 big calls by the officials and one or two mistakes and the game could have a completely different outcome. Plus that Baltimore team was just firing on all cylinders, the defense played out of its mind. My hat goes off to the Ravens, they beat us and deserved to win.

49ers now have extra time to prepare for the Rams next Sunday in Candlestick Park. A win next Sunday would clinch the NFC West for the 49ers.

HAR-BOWL Preview

By Kalen Patrick

So not only is tomorrow the day where America will consume hundreds of millions of pounds of Turkey, but we got some 49ers football to look forward to. This years Thanksgiving lineup has to be one of the better lineups in recent years. It kicks off with the Undefeated Green Bay Packers taking on the Detroit Lions who this year will actually put up a fight. Then the surging Miami Dolphins who have won 3 straight will take on the Cowboys in what should be another great game. Finally after dinner, we will be treated with the Har-Bowl. As my San Francisco 49ers take on the Baltimore Ravens, Jim Harbaugh vs John Harbaugh.

JIM HARBAUGH VS JOHN HARBAUGH - HAR-BOWL

The 49ers, who have won 8 straight take on a legit Ravens team in Baltimore. Immediately I have to say that the Ravens have the advantage as the 49ers have to travel across country on a short week. That and home field advantage in general mean the Ravens should be slightly favored anyways, but I think the outcome may be totally different. I actually really like the 49ers chances in this game, the team is playing not only with confidence, but with a very business like approach. They will not be intimidated by the Ravens crowd and have already played and won 4 times in the Eastern Time Zone this year.

Why I like the 49ers chances? I have to bring it own to consistency, the Ravens while they have swept the Steelers, have lost to the likes of Seattle in recent weeks. Joe Flacco has not had a great year at all, in fact his 54% completion and 12 TD's to 8 INT's put him at a below average 74 QB rating, while Alex Smith has a rating of 94, with 64% completion and 13 TD's to only 4 INT's. Now I know that QB rating is not gospel but a 20 point difference is huge and even the numbers suggest just how much better Alex Smith has been. It's a good sign right there when your QB has been much better and consistent than an opponents QB.

As for defense, the Ravens are famous for it, however the 49ers have been just as good if not better this year, and the Ravens may be without Ray Lewis, or even if he does play he definitely won't be 100% or near it. The Ravens defense is still extremely stout, however, the 49ers defense may be one of if not THE best in the entire league. 49ers are great against the run, they lead the league in turnovers created and they have some solid pass rushers in Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks and Justin Smith, who all seem to be all over the opposing QB.

This team is actually very similar to each other, both teams tend to rely more on defense and rushing rather than an explosive pass game. The Ravens rely more on deep passes to speedsters like Torrey Smith and Lee Evans, while the 49ers tend to focus more on short/intermediate routes to Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis.

This game is going to be close, it is going to be a dogfight, it is going to show you what the 49ers are really made of. CAN'T WAIT!

San Francisco 49ers Week 6

By Kalen Patrick

The 49ers headed in to Detroit leading the NFC West with a very impressive 4-1 record. As I mentioned in my last post, I knew that the match up against the Lions was going to be no easy task, in fact I predicted a very close game that could go either way. Well luckily for the 49ers, it went there way in the end as the 49ers left Detroit with a 25-19 Victory over the previously undefeated Detroit Lions.

49ERS RB FRANK GORE RAN ALL OVER DETROIT

This was one of those well fought games that went back and forth, and only fans of each team could really appreciate. The 49ers started out slow in this game, trailing 10-0 in the 1st quarter, with Kyle Vanden Bosch's forced fumble and recovery playing a big part in that. However, the big difference maker on offense for the 49ers, Frank Gore, then took over (141 Yards on 15 Carries). A big run of 45+ yards set the 49ers up at the 1 and Gore himself punched it in. The game ended up going back and forth a lot all the way through, until Alex Smith's touchdown pass to Delanie Walker ultimately sealed the Victory for the 49ers.

The Victory was in big part to the excellent play of the 49ers defense, Frank Gore and the run game, good special teams, and Alex Smith making the play when the 49ers needed it most. One positive was how involved the 49ers got Michael Crabtree in the game. That will be vital going forward in the season especially since Joshua Morgan is on IR. 49ers will also get a nice boost after the bye week with the return of Braylon Edwards.

49ERS OLB/DE ALDON SMITH

The 49ers front 7 dominated the Lions, Willis and Bowman covered the entire middle of the field, while Justin Smith and rookie Aldon Smith both tormented Matthew Stafford all day long. Aldon Smith also forced the Safety in the 2nd quarter which turned out to be a huge momentum changer. He now has 5.5 sacks on the season and that is with little to no playing time in Weeks 1 and 2. Keep an eye on Aldon Smith as a potential Defensive Rookie of the Year.

So whats next for the 49ers? Well they now have a bye week, which will be big in allowing Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman to implement more of the offense and allow for the return of Braylon Edwards. The 49ers will then open the 2nd half of their season at home against the Cleveland Browns, which is a favorable match up to get the 49ers going again.

The 49ers now sit at 5-1 with a nice matchup coming out of the bye week and also 5 games left against weak NFC West opponents.

49ers Stats Leaders
Alex Smith - 1090 YDS, 8 TD, 2 INT, 63.3% CMP, 95.2 QB Rating.
Frank Gore - 541 YDS, 4 TD, 5.0 YPC
Vernon Davis - 24 REC, 241 YDS, 3 TD, 11.3 AVG
Navarro Bowman - 56 TACKLE
Aldon Smith - 5.5 SACK

San Francisco 49ers Week 1

By Kalen Patrick

TED GINN - 49ERS HERO

The 49ers opened up the Jim Harbaugh era with a 33 - 17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. While the victory was far from pretty, a win is a win at the end of the day and I feel that the 49ers executed their gameplan well. I believe it was Jim Harbaugh's plan to minimize using Alex Smith and to not take risks and put his faith in the defense, special teams and run game. 2 out of 3 of these were very successful. While the defense only had 1 notably bad play (Baldwin 55 yard TD), for the rest of the game they were lights out. I think we all know how amazing the Special Teams and Ted Ginn were.

First things first. Lets focus on the positives and then I will take a look at what the 49ers will need to do to be successful going forward.



POSITIVES
Ted Ginn - Not a shock here at all, returning a kickoff and punt for TD's back to back to me won the 49ers this game. The Seahawks had all the momentum when they scored to make the score 19-17 to the 49ers with plenty of time left. Then comes Ted Ginn and suddenly its a 26-17 game and the pressure is back on Seattle. Then Ted Ginn gets another chance and puts the game away making it 33-17 with only a few minutes left. The 49ers cannot rely on this production throughout the year but Ted Ginn was easily Player of the Game for me.

Ray McDonald - I questioned making McDonald a starter on the D-Line, I thought he was more suited to being a role player. If last Sunday was anything to go by, then I will gladly admit how wrong I was. McDonald was excellent in defending both the pass and run game. Pressuring the QB, stopping the run at or behind the line of scrimmage. Very impressive, he also had a sack and deserved about 3.

49ERS DEFENSE SMOTHERED THE SEATTLE OFFENSE ALL DAY

Justin Smith - You gotta love Justin Smith, always goes 100% whether its the first play of the game or the 4th quarter. He had 2 sacks and similar to McDonald, he was relentless in chasing Tarvaris Jackson, and was excellent against the run. I like this D-Line a lot.

Parys Haralson/Aldon Smith - Haralson looked much much better than I have ever seen him before, he was applying pressure and being disruptive, also Aldon Smith did a great job for his 1st ever game, tipped a ball and always did well against his blocker. Throw in Brooks, and the d-line and I think this defense will pile up the sack numbers.

Vernon Davis - Despite the 49ers shying away from the passing game, Vernon not only led the team in yards but also came up with the big plays when they needed them most. Expect another big year from him, can;t wait until Harbaugh opens up the playbook more and to see what he really plans to do with Vernon.

THINGS TO WORK ON
The 49ers offensive game plan for week 1 was very conservative, I believe they did this knowing they could contain the Seattle offense, however, this Sunday against Dallas is a whole other story. Romo will pile up the yards and they will run the ball better than Seattle. In order for the 49ers to keep up, they will have to put the ball in Alex Smiths hands more. They have some very well respected weapons with Vernon Davis, Braylon Edwards and Michael Crabtree. Gore and Hunter are also good receiver out of the backfield.

CAN JIM HARBAUGH TRUST ALEX SMITH ENOUGH TO PUT THE GAME IN HIS HANDS

Doing this should also allow Gore to have a better day running the ball. I suspect Dallas will stack the box to stop the run, expect some play action early in the game, to catch the weak Dallas secondary off guard. As positive as I can be, I can only expect so much from the 49ers and I think we won't be able to hold up to Dallas quite yet. I expect a score along the lines of 27-17. Unless the defense can have another HUGE day and maybe get lucky with Ted Ginn again. I do expect a loss, but it will be competitive. After the Dallas game I really like the 49ers chances against the Bengals in week 3.

Can't wait to see how it all turns out!

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?

49ers Free Agent Moves

By Kalen Patrick

Not too long ago I made a post about the doom and gloom surrounding the 49ers free agent period. Well in the last few days things have definitely made a turn for the better. The 49ers kicked off the return of Football by essentially losing David Baas, Takeo Spikes, Nate Clements, Aubrayo Franklin, Manny Lawson and Dashon Goldson. That is a lot of starters lost right there, 5 on defense. But now lets take a look at the players the 49ers brought in and how they should compare to the players lost.

First off, lets take a look at the offense. The 49ers replaced David Baas with Jonathan Goodwin. You may say Goodwin who? Goodwin was the Center for the 2009 Superbowl winning New Orleans Saints, and he was a pro-bowler that year. David Baas is an average at best Center. So right off the bat the 49ers have added a veteran and superbowl caliber Center. The most important position on the offensive line. Not only this, but the 49ers added Braylon Edwards at Wide Receiver. Now I know what you're gonna say, "drops!!" right? Well last season Edwards had only 1 drop, and he is exactly what the 49ers needed. We needed size at Wide Receiver and now we have it. Vernon Davis has basically been the lone red zone target.

JONATHAN GOODWIN, WAS THE CENTER FOR THE SB CHAMPS IN 2009

BRAYLON EDWARDS

You know have Vernon up the middle, Edwards on the side, Gore out of the backfield and Crabtree coming across the middle. While Sidney Rice may be a better player, when you factor in $$$ the 49ers did much better getting Braylon. Suddenly you have a lot of weapons on offense, Gore and Hunter/Dixon at RB, Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker at TE, and now Michael Crabtree, Braylon Edwards, Josh Morgan and Ted Ginn at WR. Not too shabby when you add in a pro-bowl center and a lot of young talent on the o-line.

Now for the defense, the 49ers did lose a bunch of players, but they are hoping some guys can step up AND they have made some very smart additions. The secondary was far and away the biggest issue with the 49ers. They dump Clements and Goldson (saving a ton of money) and add Carlos Rogers at CB, who is just as good if not better than Clements is right now, and at a much cheaper price. Last year at Safety the 49ers entered the season with Michael Lewis and Dashon Goldson at SS and FS respectively. Lewis was overrated and overpaid, and Goldson had a good 2009 but was to struggle in 2010. This year the 49ers now have a much better situation, the 49ers added Donte Whitner and Madieu Williams in Free Agency. Whitner will be a starter and Williams most likely the 3rd safety.. Although the 49ers looked in to trading Taylor Mays, he still is a guy with huge potential and ready to be a star (in my opinion) also Reggie Smith at Safety too. So you got 4 guys who can play the 2 positions well now.

CARLOS ROGERS

The biggest question marks for the 49ers are going to be a Linebacker. Spikes was a good player and a vocal leader, now the 49ers are really going to be counting on either Navarro Bowman or Scott McKillop to come up big right now. I think Bowman could (should) be ready to step in at TED. While I think the loss of Manny Lawson is quite big, it seems so far in camp rookie 7th overall pick Aldon Smith is looking very good and the guy the 49ers wanted when they drafted Manny. Aldon Smith is already drawing comparisons to some very decorated pass rushers and that would be a huge boost to the defense. Having a legitimate Pass Rusher.

DONTE WHITNER

I loved Aubrayo in 2009, in 2010 he had a solid year, it really could have gone either way in 2011. For the money it took I thought the 49ers should have brought back Franklin, although I do think McDonald is ready to step up as an everyday starter. I don't think there is much of a drop off on the defensive line to be honest. Isaac Sopoaga has previously played NT and all he will be asked to do is clog space, not penetrate the lines. Sopoaga is certainly capable of that. I also really like McDonald and Justin Smith on the Ends. Both are big and physical, chase Runners down well and are excellent at providing pass rush ability.

With all the recent additions I feel a lot better going in to the season than I did a week ago. I guess Harbaugh and Baalke did have a solid plan in place. The most impressive thing the 49ers accomplished? If you add the guaranteed money for ALL the 49ers players signed (Whitner, Rogers, Edwards, Williams, Goodwin) is the same as what the Oakland Raiders just gave Michael Huff. Now that is excellent General Managing by Trent Baalke.

San Francisco 49ers Post-Lockout Updates

By Kalen Patrick

Sooooo the NFL Lockout is over? You bet it is. There has been a plethora of signings and trades already going down. I will write a piece later focusing on the rest of the NFL, but first of all, lets take a look at my San Francisco 49ers. So far it has been pretty lackluster, the 49ers as everyone predicted brought Alex Smith back (a move I actually agree with), Re-Signed Ray McDonald (another smart move) at 4 years 20 mil. The 2 players that have moved on so far are David Baas and Takeo Spikes. Both will be missed for sure, BUT both are definitely replaceable.

49ERS 2011 SEASON WILL HINGE ENTIRELY ON HOW WELL THESE 2 GUYS CAN WORK TOGETHER 

According to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, the 49ers are looking in to bringing long time Chicago Bears Center Olin Kreutz. Also on the 49ers radar should be Giants Center Shaun O'Hara who was released. Both are veteran guys, remember the Center position is basically the QB of the O-Line, having a strong veteran presence like a Kreutz or O'Hara would be huge for the younger players on the 49ers O-Line, including, Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis and Chilo Rachal.

Next topic would be Cornerback. It appears as if the 49ers are focusing on keeping Nate Clements, but only if he is willing to drastically reduce his salary. This to me makes perfect sense. Nate is a solid player, definitely not worth what he is being paid, but let me throw out 2 scenarios and see which one you would go for.

Scenario 1: Restructure Clements deal to go from 17 mil this season to 7 million (still a handsome paycheck), with the 10 million saved, bring in Jonathan Joseph, thus solidifying the defensive backfield.

Scenario 2: Release Clements, save 14 million and give all that to Nnamdi Asomugha.

Honestly, I would prefer Scenario 1 of Clements and Joseph than just Nnamdi. With Scenario 1 you have Joseph, Spencer and Clements as your top 3 CB's. Immediately turns a weakness into a major strength.

Nate Clements and Jonathan Joseph (pictured above) would make a nice starting tandem at the CB position


I would also look for the 49ers to Re-Sign Aubrayo Franklin. The 49ers have money to spend, and it is so difficult to find a top NT, you can't let him walk. Other moves I look for the 49ers to make is to add another veteran QB (Marc Bulger perhaps?) and I think the 49ers will add a 2nd tier Safety (Dawan Landry/Brodney Pool?). Also don't count out the 49ers in the James Jones sweepstakes. He would be another weapon in the offense, and would fit in perfectly with the likes of Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Delanie Walker and Josh Morgan.

The next 48 hours will be very interesting in Ninerland. I am eagerly checking twitter and updates for any news and info. My next post will be regarding general NFL news and updates and there is plenty of that to cover. It's good to have football back. Only 6 weeks to the season. Great time to be a football fan. Anyone want to make a fantasy football league?

Alex Smith and the 49ers in 2011

So all signs are pointing to Alex Smith returning to San Francisco for the upcoming 2011 season. Under any normal offseason I'd bet my money on there being no chance of seeing Alex Smith in a 49ers uniform again, however this has not been a normal offseason. Unless you have been living under a rock, you'll know the NFL is locked out, and thus, no free agency period has happened or will likely happen before preseason.

This has lead many teams, like the 49ers, who have gaping holes at the QB position to go to desperate measures, whether its drafting Jake Locker 8th overall (Titans) or Christian Ponder 11th overall (Vikings) or in this case, the 49ers bringing back Alex Smith. New 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and 49ers GM Trent Baalke recognized that they needed some kind of veteran solution to allow their rookie QB Colin Kaepernick time to develop. Which has lead to Harbaugh saying all the right things about Alex, and doing whatever he can to get the former 1st overall pick to come back to the 49ers for what I assume will be 1 more year.

As bad and as frustrating as Alex Smith has been his career, his last 2 seasons have been somewhat respectable, compiling a stat line of: 4720 yards, 32 TD's 22 INT's and a 60% completion rate.

                                     Alex Smith, QB of the San Francisco 49ers

 So while many 49er fans will cringe at the thought of watching more games with Alex Smith under center, understand that the 49ers could do a lot worse. I mean, who else could you get in a realistic scenario? Kaepernick is the teams future QB, so it doesn't make sense to trade a bunch of picks to pick up Kevin Kolb or Carson Palmer. Donovan McNabb you say? The guy who refused to wear an arm band with the play calls on it for offensive guru Mike Shanahan in Washington, the guy who had a notable lack of work ethic in the offseason and who honestly just looked downright awful, do you really wanna give up picks for that, when you can have Alex Smith? I don't.

So now we have established why the 49ers want Alex Smith back, but why does Alex Smith wanna come back to the 49ers? Despite being booed multiple times in Candlestick Park by 49er fans, reasons I came up with as to why Smith would wanna come back were as follows:
First of all, he knows he will be the starter here in 2011, thus giving him a chance to play and maybe driving up his market value for the 2012 offseason and earn a decent contract and maybe even get a starting gig somewhere else.
Secondly, he knows and is familiar with the personnel in San Francisco, guys like Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree etc.

Finally, I think Alex is much more of a competitor then people believe and I'm thinking he may feel like he has unfinished business in San Francisco. Had Alex Smith decided to not come back here next season, he leaves himself way too many question marks, such as, where will I be next season? When will I know where I will be? Will I go somewhere with a realistic chance to start? How will I cope with a whole new offensive personnel in a shortened offseason?

         The future in 49er land - HC Jim Harbaugh and QB Colin Kaepernick

While I think from a personal and professional standpoint that Alex Smith really needs to get out of San Francisco and the 49ers also needing to move on from Alex, the lockout has created an unusual circumstance, where oddly enough, the best situation for both the 49ers and Alex Smith is to come together for 1 more year.