49ers Have Potential

The last time the 49ers had a winning record and won the NFC West was in 2002 and now seven years later after enduring Terry Donahue, Dennis Erickson, The Joke Family, aka the York’s, the loss of T.O. (probably a good thing, but he ran the almighty Jerry Rice out of town), Mike Nolan and his brilliant number one draft pick, should we have a sense of potential for the 49ers in 2009?  Listening to Mike Singletary the team has it in them to be great if they give everything they got, here’s looking at you Vernon Davis, and if they play ever down like the game is on the line the 49ers will succeed.  But with training camp less than two weeks away I wonder as a Niner fan, how should I be feeling about the upcoming season?  Sure, the potential is there but we have heard that many times the last couple of years that this is the year the 49ers turn it around.  When you look at it our first round pick is a wide receiver which have not had a lot of success in the NFL when drafted in the top ten, we have another new head coach with lots of potential which has been earned but we need a stable regime in place, and Singletary is stirring a quarterback controversy between incumbent Shaun Hill and potential bust draft pick Alex Smith.  I don’t know what Smith has shown in OTA’s but I suspect Singletary is trying to put some fire under Hill to make him show he can be relied on as a permanent starter with some competition.  Our defense continues to be the biggest question mark and with Walt Harris out for the year the cornerback position opposite Nate Clements is up in the air between Terrell Brown and Dre Bly.  The 49ers only consistent coach has been defensive coordinator Greg Manusky.  He has installed years of defensive schemes led by Patrick Willis so whatever question marks the secondary might have the rest of the D could develop into a force this year.  The running game is cemented with Frank Gore and the return of fullback Moran Norris.  With young and improving offense lineman Joe Staley and Chile Rachal leading the way Gore will give the defense hell as Crabtree, Bruce and the rest of the young and fast receiving corp. exploit defenses.  Another question mark is how will our seventh offensive coordinator in seven years structure the offense?  Jimmy Raye has had success as a coordinator and is known as a great running backs coach but can he develop an offense that will be a staple of not only the Red and Gold but of the NFL?  I guess that’s not a fair question because I know we all long for the days of having a genius head coach in Bill Walsh and our team being known for the creation of the West Coast offense.  I think 2009 might be different.  I am not shooting for the stars but progress is the only thing we can make now, right?  How you feelin’ Niner fans?

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Hill or Smith?

Here is the third installment of the San Francisco Chronicles series about the Santa Clara stadium deal: Santa Clara’s stadium deal: Too good to be true?

In an interview Mike Singletary said he will name the starting quarterback after the third exhibition game against the Cowboys on August 29.

“One of the things I feel very strongly about is one of those guys is going to take us where we need to go. I have two quarterbacks I feel very confident about. I don’t have one great guy. I have two good guys and somebody is going to step up and the next guy has to be ready.”

Speculation and guessing have been the name of the game when it comes to trying to figure who and when Singletary will name the starter under center.  At least now we have a timetable.  I say the sooner the better for the team.  At the very least Shaun Hill deserves to get most of the reps with the first team in training camp and in the first three preseason games.  By the end of the second preseason game against the Raiders Singletary and the 49er Faithful will have a good indication of who should be named the starter.  Unless Alex Smith is spectacular in training camp and the first three preseason games, which he has not shown at all in his career, Hill will be named the starter.  As much as I would love to see Smith come out of nowhere and become a good starting QB, that is just a pipe dream.  The 49ers will soon have to admit Smith is a bust and is best suited as a career QB back-up.

Finally we are seeing something written by a major media outlet about the 49ers move to San Francisco.  The San Francisco Chronicle is doing a five-day installment of a series about the 49ers and their possible move to Santa Clara.  The first two articles are great and go in great deal about how everything started and how we got to where we are today.  There is not much in criticism in the articles but I think with this we will see more from the Chronicle writers. Thursdays article should be a good one.

Sunday: How it came to the point where the 49ers are threatening to leave their namesake city

Today: What the city - and fans - stand to lose if the team leaves

Tuesday: Santa Clara’s stadium deal: Too good to be true?

Wednesday: What can be learned from the fight that kept the Giants in San Francisco?

Thursday: Battling columnists Scott Ostler and C.W. Nevius offer their thoughts.

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Hill or Smith?

The fact that we still have to ask this question is ridiculous.  What more does Shaun Hill has to prove to earn the starting job?  What has Alex Smith proved to still be in contention?  Hill is a confident quarterback and he has shown he can win football games.  He is 7-3 as a starter for the 49ers.  As fearful as we think Mike Singletary is, I think he is trying to be nice to Smith by saying ‘oh, sure kid you have a shot, just go out there and give it everything you got.’  Singletary was around when former head coach Mike Nolan shattered Smith’s confidence, so I could why he would be giving Smith a shot to boost that confidence up.  In the end Hill will be the starter.

How will Singletary do?

Singletary earned the head coaching job he now has which should have gone to him after the 2007 season. Instead last year we endured half a season of Nolan and J.T. Duh!Sullivan.  Singletary’s run-oriented offense he wants to install should do well with Frank Gore poised for a career year.  The players believe in him on the playing field and in the locker room.  Singletary will be tested more now that he is starting his first full season and it will be interesting to see how he responds in the pressure situations.  With his intensity and motivation the players respect and believe in it will transfer onto the playing field.  Singletary knows the 49ers are ready to contend but the first step is just trying to finish a season at least 8-8.

How will Jimmy Raye do?

After the 49ers tried hiring the second former Rams coach in two years as offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan choose the Lions over the us, a long search ensued with Jimmy Raye as the last man standing.  When he was announced as the new offensive coordinator I had no idea who he was.  He has a track record leading offenses with 11 seasons of experience with the Rams, Buccaneers, Patriots, Chiefs, Redskins and Raiders.  He has not had any spectacular seasons but he knows how to run the ball with five years of experience as a running backs coach.  The tools are there to run a successful offense and the 49ers showed last year they can be productive.  I just hope Raye stays for more than one season as coordinator.

What can we expect from Crabtree?

Number ten draft pick WR Michael Crabtree is at the end of recover from ankle surgery and will be ready for the start of training camp.  The big question is can his ankle hold up although at his age there is no reason not to expect him to be 100%.  A lot will be placed on his shoulders as expectations will be high with Scot McCloughan picking him with the 49ers first selection of the draft.  Crabtree and Shaun Hill will be a good duo with Hill’s quick release and Crabtree’s ability to break tackles after catching the short route.  I put my expectations for Crabtree at 50 receptions, 800 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Headed out of town and I will be back on Monday with new posts. Keep updated automatically through email on 49ers news at Niner Noise. Subscribe here:  http://feeds.feedburner.com/NinerNoise

My greatest memory of McNair was watching him led the Titans on the final drive of the game in Super Bowl XXXIV and almost pulling out the victory against the Rams. Kevin Dyson came up a yard short of the end zone on the final play. If he scored the game would have went into overtime. As a 49ers fans I root for anyone playing against the Rams but on that day I was cheering like I was a Titans fan for them to pull out the victory. McNair was indestructible when on the playing field. It always seemed like he played hurt regardless of whether it was bruised ribs or some other serious injury. To have a 20-year-old girlfriend be the one to take McNair down is unbelievable.

What are some of your Steve McNair memories?

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Gore's Career Year

Last season Frank Gore had his lowest rushing totals since he became the starting running back for the 49ers in 2006.  Gore rushed for 1036 yards with six rushing touchdowns last year.  Gore’s low rushing numbers can be attributed to an inept offense that was still trying to find some sort of identity like choosing a starting quarterback.  I have wondered how big Gore’s numbers would be if he was on a team that had a consistent explosive offense.  Gore reminds me of the Lakers Pau Gasol.  He had all the talent to put up big numbers but he was not on the right team.  After Gasol was traded to the Lakers his numbers and play got even better.  In 2007 Gore had 1102 yards rushing with five rushing touchdowns which was a decline from his career high in 2006 when he rushed for 1695 yards with eight rushing touchdowns.  It is important to note Gore’s 2006 Pro Bowl was in large part due to Moran Norris who re-signed with the 49ers in February after being released last year after training camp.  Mike Martz had no use of fullbacks in his offense which contributed to Norris’ release.  Norris’ only year off the roster since Gore has been a starter was a career low year for Gore.  Martz is to blame for Gore’s numbers last year especially the way he tried using Michael Robinson as a lead blocker for Gore after Mike Singeltary installed his run more offense.  Obliviously Robinson as the fullback didn’t work out although Gore did show in the Martz offense he can be relied on as a consistent receiver out of the back field.  Gore was more like a safety net for J.T. O’Sullivan and Shaun Hill which seemed like every passing play.  Nonetheless Gore showed he can be a versatile back ala the Eagles Brian Westbrook, but more durable with fewer injuries.

With Norris again leading the way for Gore I expected to see a career year in both the rushing and receiving categories.  Gore has it in him to top 1700 rushing yards and with an offense that was upgraded with the selection of WR Michael Crabtree the 49ers have a passing attack that defenses will have to focus their attention on and a little less on Gore. Receivers Isaac Bruce, free-agent Brandon Jones and young potential stars Dominique Zeigler, Jason Hill and Josh Morgan along with Crabtree will spread the field making it easier for Gore to make plays.  Gore will be helped by the run oriented offense being installed by new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye who is the seventh coordinator in seven years.  Singletary’s vision of running the ball down defenses throats will work well with Gore and Norris together again along with an improved line with Joe Staley and Chilo Rachal leading the way. Everything is in place for Gore to have a big year. Now if we can only get that quarterback situation under control.

Singletary's Motivation

Remember when Mike Singletary dropped his pants during half-time against the Seahawks last year to motivate his team in his first game as coach? Well he is in full control now and entering his first training camp and first NFL season he has to top himself somehow. Here are my predictions:

Singletary will hire former teammate William “the Refrigerator” Perry to roam the sidelines dressed only in a jock strap and any player who misses a play or does not give 100% will face the ire of the Refrig when he returns to the bench.

Singletary will threaten to move any player to Santa Clara who does not give 100%.

Singletary will threaten to trade any player to the Raiders who does not give 100%.

Singletary will threaten to bring back Mike Nolan.

Instead of sending a player to the locker room when they get an unnecessary penalty he will instead send him to the upper-deck of Candlestick Park to watch the rest of the game. They will have to take the escalators on the east side of the stadium which are known to break down.

Every time the secondary gives up a pass of 15 or more yards they will have to buy fans the cheaply priced $8 beers for the whole stadium.

If Singletary names Alex Smith the starter he will make him wear a headband and Ray-Ban’s when he starts to make him feel more comfortable naming him the starter and to give Smith some swagger ala Jim McMahon.

What are your predictions? Answer in the comments.

Alex Smith vs. Shaun Hill

When the 49ers made Alex Smith the number one pick in the 2005 draft I was ecstatic.  I thought we had our franchise quarterback the one we had been searching for since Steve Young.  He was a cerebral quarterback along the lines of Peyton Manning and at the time the best QB available in the draft.  Since then we have realized he might be cerebral like Manning but the comparisons end there and the other best QB available in the draft, Aaron Rogers, has proven so far to be a QB the Packers can rely on as a starter.  Four years later we are still in search of that franchise quarterback and Smith is still on the team competing for the starting job vs. incumbent starter Shaun Hill.  The reason why Smith is still being considered is he restructured his contract (the 49ers would have released him otherwise) and the 49ers are not quite ready to give up on him and officially label him a bust even though the rest of the NFL world has already done so.  The 49ers need to move on from Smith or at least designate Hill the starter with Smith as the number two man.  If Smith shows he is the better QB in training camp than make him the starter.  But by not making Hill the starter outright leaves too many questions on a team that is trying to find its identity.  The only reason why Hill is not being called the starter outright (he has a 7-3 record as a starter, Smith is 9-14) is because he is horrible at practice and sometimes does not show he has a grasp of the offense or the game plan for the week.  Yet time and time again we have seen he is a gamer and he can lead the 49ers to victories even from behind and on the road.  Remember last year when Hill had his helmet ripped off and he still ran for ten yards for the first down?  I wonder if Smith would have done the same thing.  Smith is considered soft or as I like to him fragile.  I am not saying Hill is our franchise QB of the future or that he is one of the elite QB’s in the NFL.  However he knows how to win games and with what we have available as far as QB market (get Michael Vick out of your mind that will never happen) he can lead this team to a winning record. Number ten draft pick WR Michael Crabtree will fit in well with Hill because Crabtree is best at running the short routes and making moves around a defender than flying by a defender for the long ball.  Hill may not have the prettiest footwork but he is at his best when he takes three steps back and releases the football for the short route.  Hill and Crabtree will connect many of time this year.

As much as I would love Smith to come out of nowhere and prove everyone wrong that he is not a bust and show he can be a successful QB in the NFL I doubt that will happen.  Smith did gain new life and confidence with the firing of Mike Nolan because Nolan basically killed all of his confidence when he could him out about not being hurt in 2007.  Hill is our man, Hill is a proven man who can compete.  The 49ers cannot afford to make the same mistake Nolan and former offensive coordinator Mike Martz made when naming an unproven QB in J.T. Duh! Sullivan the starter because he looked better in practice.  Unless Norv Turner is our offensive coordinator (Smith’s best year was the one year Turner was on the coaching staff) Smith is a back-up.  Mike Singletary please name Hill the starter!