An Immediate Opportunity for the 49ers Passing Game
August 14th, 2009
Of course, we should never read too much into preseason games. Two years ago, when the Niners hosted the Broncos in the preseason, Alex Smith looked pretty good, and that very regular season was remembered for Smith’s struggles, shoulder injury, and the horribly failed experiment of Jim Hostler as offensive coordinator. Having said that, what we know of Mike Nolan as a defensive coach, is that he had a goal to always shut down the running game early. This should create opportunities in the passing game.
Even though he was an awful head coach, Nolan’s idea to shut down the opposing running game early was a good idea. The problem was that his offense spent such little time on the field, his defense eventually became tired, and would give up a lot of rushing yards in the second half. Nolan’s philosophy also exposed areas in his pass defense.
As the Broncos defensive coordinator, we have to believe that Nolan will be looking to stack the line of scrimmage to stop the 49ers ground attack. He might have a good opportunity to do so considering the Jimmy Raye led 49er attack so desperately wants to establish a ground game this year, and also because Frank Gore won’t play. In Denver, there is so much pessimism regarding the Broncos defense, because of their terrible performance a year ago (3rd worst in the NFL in points allowed), there is no doubt that Nolan has motivation to restore fans’ faith in the team. Nolan also wants his defense to feel better about themselves. I doubt another defense in the NFL has gone through as much criticism and scrutiny as the Broncos defense has in the last year. Stopping the run, and forcing the Niners to beat them through the air, may be the best possible way for Nolan to restore his players’ confidence.
For these reasons, I’m not going to go overboard if the Niners tear up the Broncos pass defense tonight, however, there would be some (emphasize on “some”) cause for concern if Shaun Hill and/or Alex Smith aren’t effective throwing the ball. This is still a Broncos defense that is very short on talent. Former Niner Ronnie Fields is probably Denver’s best defensive lineman (as a nose tackle), and we know that Fields would have trouble making the 49ers team this year. (And, it’s not like the Niners have great defensive lineman on their roster.) For all the struggles the Niners have in the pass-rush department, the Broncos have more problems when it comes to finding true pass-rushers in their 3-4 defense. If you factor in the Broncos are trying to work in eight new starters on defense, they obviously should have some issues establishing cohesiveness.
Putting all of this together, Hill and Smith should have success throwing the ball tonight even though this is the first preseason game under a new coordinator. If they do throw the ball well, it won’t mean the Niners will have a good offense. If they don’t move the ball, however, we’re going to have some definite questions heading into the next couple of preseason games.
Categories: San Francisco 49ers | Tags: 49ers, A's, Alex Smith, Broncos, Chaz Schilens, Darren McFadden, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Frank Gore, Giants, Gina Carano, Isaac Bruce, JaMarcus Russell, Jimmy Raye, Michael Crabtree, Michael Vick, Mike Nolan, Nomar Garciaparra, Pablo Sandoval, Raiders, Ron Wotus, Ronnie Fields, Shaun Hill, Tim Lincecum | No Comments
