Believe me now?
Congratulations offensive line, you have now possibly destroyed the San Francisco 49ers once promising season.
Quarterback Alex Smith went down in the FIRST SERIES of the game, with a possible shoulder separation - because YOU couldn’t do your job. Yeah, you heard me Larry Allen, Eric Heitmann, and Justin Smiley - you are the main culprits in this debacle. Yeah yeah - I know, I’d never say this to your face, its nice and cozy here behind the keyboard and not facing up to you man to man. You know what? That’s one of the reasons I am more right, more often about more things than any other writer who covers the 49ers - I don’t feel like I have to be PC and water down my writing to suck up to players. I call it like I see it.
So, I hope you all read my article last week about how horrible this offensive line is. Turns out, I was right (big surprise). It took only a couple minutes into the very first quarter of this week for our porous offensive line to allow a really mediocre Seahawk defensive line to manhandle it, and pounce on Alex Smith, wrecking his right shoulder and forcing us to play a quarterback who hasn’t sniffed grass in two years. Thanks a lot.
Then, as the game wore on, it only got worse. Something in the neighborhood of 10 penalties on the offensive line, sack after sack, a pocket the size of a dime - just all around an atrocious and embarrassing performance by an offensive line that so many of us thought would be good this year. All of this at home, against your main division rivals who you beat twice the year before, in a game that would have given you the division lead all by yourselves.
Oh yeah, and the Cardinals beat the Steelers today, so just as a matter of pride, it would have been nice to look good this week.
So, it has become clear that something has to be done. The line is actually REGRESSING rather than getting better. That is worrisome, and the 49ers simply can not let this stand. Its especially bad given how inspired the defense has played - this offense is killing them by forcing them to be on the field so long, giving them indefensible field position and killing team momentum.
So, I have come up with a very simple plan - exactly how the 49ers can right the ship and turn their increasingly ineffective offensive season around:
SHAKE UP THE OFFENSIVE LINE
There are three major players on the offensive line that are causing the majority of this problem. If you have recorded any of our first four games, do me a favor - pop it in right now. Now, go to any 49er offensive possession and pause just before the snap. Draw an imaginary line across the screen where the line starts - do the same for the opponent’s DL. Now, in slow motion, start the play and watch that line you drew. Look at the interior three players (LG, C, RG) and follow their progress. Watch that imaginary line, and notice how far away the linemen get from it. Watch how far BACK they go. They are pushed around, pushed back and collapsed into the pocket so much, so fast that Peyton Manning couldn’t do a thing were he behind center.
This is the fault of three players. Larry Allen, Eric Heitmann and Justin Smiley. Allen is becoming more useless every week - he is too small, too old and too weak to compete like he used to. Eric Heitmann is one of my favorite niners, but its just not happening for him this year. His leg has to be bothering him, because he is playing like absolute garbage. Justin Smiley is soft, and is in my mind the weakest link in this line.
So, how can this be fixed? Simple. Bench all three of them. We have three very capable backups who can all be starters, and have proven as much in this league. Start with Allen and replace him with David Baas. If Baas is better on the right side, then put him there and put Adam Snyder here. Doesn’t matter. David Baas is a manchild, and the fact that in his third year, he is not starting is BY ITSELF embarassing. Allen simply doesn’t have it anymore, time to put Baas in.
Next is Heitmann. It hurts me to do this to you man, but maybe you need to take a seat and gather yourself. Maybe you need some time off to really get back healthy and feel better about yourself. I don’t know what your issue is, but starting is hurting the team. Tony Wragge filled in for you last year, and looked absolutely outstanding. Until Heitmann can get his act together, Wragge has to be the man.
Now Smiley. Get off this team. The only thing that has saved you from my wrath for the past couple years was been how much Kwame Harris masked your uselessness by being even worse. Sit down. Adam Snyder gets the call here, and I hope you never start again. I hope we trade you for a jockstrap and barrel of Gatorade - it would be more useful to us.
At least we’ll be putting out three interior linemen who aren’t regressing, getting old, or are tentative after a big injury. That would at LEAST make our line adequate, and I think would make it pretty good.
It has to happen, and happen next week.
TALK TO JIM HOSTLER
Hostler has gotten a lot of heat for how poor this offense has performed. Truth is, I don’t really put all that much fault on him. Look at Mike McCarthy - in his only year in San Francisco, the 49ers offense was atrocious. “Run run pass” became a theme song of sorts for 49er fans frustrated with the offense going nowhere. But flash forward a couple years, and notice what’s going on in his world these days. McCarthy is in Green Bay, using the exact same system and play calling, and wouldn’t you know it, he’s finding a great deal of success there. Interesting.
Makes you wonder - is it the play calling, or the personnel on the field unable to execute it. After watching this team for four weeks, I have to put most of the blame on the players, especially the offensive line.
However, Hostler isn’t exactly helping things. When your offensive line is virtually non-existent you have to make some adjustments to compensate for that. What would the New England Patriots do - wait, check that - what HAVE the Patriots done when their line has really struggled? Tom Brady is not exactly a mobile quarterback, so its not like they start running nothing but QB keepers and bootlegs. No, in the past that team has taken their problem and used it to their advantage. The 2001 Patriots had a very weak line, no running game and a virtual rookie quarterback, and yet they won the Super Bowl. How?
They ran screens. They ran short 3 step drops. They rolled Brady out a bit. They ran short slants. Hitches. Hooks. They ran plays they KNEW could be successful, and could keep the offense going. They knew that they weren’t going to score 42 points a game doing that, but they DID know they could keep their offense on the field, keep their defense off, help drive the field position battle in their favor and maybe even score some points.
Hostler has completely failed to adjust correctly to the poor personnel he has to work with. I don’t care if it is Alex Smith, Trent Dilfer or Tim Couch back there - when you have defensive linemen crashing through into the pocket on EVERY play, you take that disadvantage and make it an advantage. You get the ball out of your hand before they can get to you by making quick drop backs and short throws. You cause them to over-pursue, you get out of the pocket, you use their crash blitz and run a screen that blows a hole in their defense. You throw the ball after a one step drop on a quick slant. You do SOMETHING to adjust, so you aren’t constantly trying to throw the ball down the field on long developing plays that you know will get your quarterback destroyed.
That’s the main criticism I have for Hostler. Its not that he is unimaginative or a bad play caller - its that he doesn’t seem to understand his offense’s deficiencies, and hasn’t adjusted to the holes on offense he faces. Time to realize that, or you’re going to lose your job very fast. Fair or not, its on your head how this unit performs.
GET YOURSELF A TRUE BACKUP / POTENTIAL STARTER
More than one year ago, many of you may remember I began calling for the 49ers to draft a quarterback in the third or fourth round of the draft. We burned a third on Brandon Williams two years ago, its not like it would have hurt to take a flier on a high ceiling, unheralded quarterback.
Why did I do that? I think you saw this week. You can NOT assume that your starting quarterback will go through the year unscathed. Peyton Manning and Brett Favre have stayed on the field because they have been extremely lucky, and they have had elite lines for most of their career. Alex Smith does not have such a line, but even if he did, there is always the risk of an unlucky play (see his rookie year and LaVar Arrington). You can NOT leave yourself exposed by not having a legitimate backup quarterback.
Trent Dilfer is a great guy. Fantastic mentor, fabulous tutor and an all around decent human being. But as far as being the backup quarterback, I knew the moment he was signed that it wasn’t a great option to go to if he had to play. He’s servicable enough I suppose, if you gave him great protection, great weapons, and a lead. But he won’t be here for more than a couple years, and if he’s forced to play, it will be extremely dicey.
So, I started calling for us to take a flier on a guy in the late rounds, undrafted, or even try to poach a Matt Schaub type guy from another team. I was looking for another Tom Brady, Tono Romo or any other quarterback that flies under the radar for whatever reason, but has unbelievable potential, and just needs to have a little time to grow into his career, and would be well served to be on the bench and play backup.
After seeing today’s game, I feel I must once again start calling for this. It is unacceptable to have Dilfer as a backup. Not because he is awful, but because he won’t be here long term, and he simply doesn’t have that ability to really be great if he had to be called upon.
I don’t care how we do it, but we have got to get a high ceiling young quarterback on this team to back up Alex Smith, who might just end up turning into the next great QB if he is ever forced to be called upon.
Later in the week, I will be doing an in depth article on options here, both in free agency, via trade or in this years draft. Should be a good read, so stay tuned.
USE FRANK GORE
I don’t care if they stack 11 in the box, run Gore.
Yes, he’s had a tough time, but he’s also been able to do something when given the chance. We have seemingly ignored Frank Gore when it counts, and that is a major problem. There were times in this game that momentum switched sides and the 49ers had a chance to get something going. What did they do? Tried a bomb down the field, or some other poorly chosen play.
When you get momentum on your side, when the crowd is going crazy finally - give yourself a chance. Use Gore. He wants the ball, and he can do something with it.
Once he DOES do something with the ball, that will open up the rest of your game and allow you to call some more creative plays. That’s the foundation of the Coryell offense. You don’t use the pass to set up the run, its vice versa. Gore looked very good today, but yet again, they didn’t use him enough, or in the right situations.
There’s an old saying in politics - “make sure you dance with the one that brought you.” Frank Gore brought you into prominence San Francisco, time to dance with the man.
GROW UP
This whole “they’re young” excuse has run its course with me. The people on this team are old enough, experienced enough and have seen enough to grow up a little bit.
What am I talking about? Chew on this. Opening of the second half, 49ers are down a couple scores, but nothing outrageous. Joe Nedney and the 49ers shock the Seahawks and kick onside, and by some miracle recover it (great call, by the way). Incredible. That is the kind of momentum change that can really turn a game around and give some life to a team trying to make a comeback.
What happens? Next play, Dilfer throws a floater to a receiver covered by 5 defenders, and the pass is picked off. That ended the game in my mind.
As the game wore on, we saw stupid mistake after stupid mistake. Linemen causing penalties that killed drives. Horrible passes from a veteran quarterback. Receivers seemingly giving up on their routes and not even trying.
The only man I saw on that field was Frank Gore. He’s the only one that seemed to maintain a professional attitude and never stopped trying. Other than him, I saw nothing but scared children on the field. Jumpy. Rookie mistakes out of veterans. Zero focus. Inability to “settle down” and make some quick easy plays.
It was sad to see, and I don’t know who to blame. But the players had better own up and start playing with a little more maturity. I could feel their nervousness and hesitation even before the play would happen, and if I could see that through the television, you know the Seahawks smelled the fear too.
That just can’t happen in this game, or you are dead (which the 49ers were today).
CAN THE EXCUSE MAKING
If I hear one more 49er fan preach “patience” and make excuses for why we shouldn’t be upset by this team’s performance, I’m going to stab somebody.
I have been very patient my friends. Its been over five years since this team has had any kind of identity on offense, and was any kind of legitimate threat to anyone. My patience has run its course, and its time something was done about it. The hesitance of the coaching staff to publicly identify and address the problems on offense is concerning to me, and they had better get over it if they want this team to go anywhere.
And before anyone says to me, “they are the coaches, they know more about what’s going on than you do” ask yourself one question. How are we doing with their decision making? How has holding Baas out of the starting lineup done for us? How has not getting a legit backup done for us? How has insisting on staying with struggling players done for us?
Answer - three points against a really bland and mediocre defense. An average of less than 150 yards passing per game over the first 1/4 of the season.
Then ask yourself again if maybe I know what Im talking about, and the coaches might be stonewalling some decisions out of pride or some other factor.
This is not the last you will hear of me on this subject ladies and gentlemen, but I think I’ve said all I want to tonight. I’ll have more for you later this week.
About the Author:
If I had to re-write this article I wouldn’t change a thing. You are right on. The most disturbing thing to me was the attitude on the field. They looked defeated and lost… almost hopeless. The one thing I like about this team is the attitude that Nolan has brought. Toughness. But today they looked like a bunch of pussies especially the O-line. How embarrassing that the hawks just loaded the line and blitzed all day long when they realized it was a fire sale.
I know I like what you are saying it was a very BIG GAME and we blew it at home. Its time to put those three lineman in the starting line such as baas,wragge,and snyder at least they will play hard and play with an attitude blocking is all about ATTITUDE and wanting to dominate your opponent NO MORE EXCUSES!!!FUCK we should be sittin 3-1 and in first place of the division we got to do something or else this will be a long season.
If we keep playing this bad we could have HAD A SHOT AT JAKE LONG….now we have Staley. Don’t get me wrong…Staley is a part of the solution, but he is also NOT JAKE LONG!!!! We aren’t going to be doing much with the 30th pick in the first round while it looks like the niners are going to be giving away a top ten pick to the Pats….BRILLIANT!!!
Great article…I couldn’t agree with you more. I look forward to the next article.
Do u thinj alex smith can play next week, or week after next? fuckin oc killin our qb
i agree that the line is a problem. we need to address that. but your article is very hypocritical. you say hostler is not the problem, then you harp on him for a paragraph or two. you gripe about not running slants, hooks etc and in the next paragraph you say we need to run gore more, to keep feeding him the ball even though its not working. then you go on this wild fantasy dream about finding the next tom brady. wtf? Lets come back from fantasy land and just start playing football. Its not that hard. We HAVE the talent. players just need to step up. I agree that changes need to be made or adjustments. whatever you want to call it.
Preach on brother. You are RIGHT on. The conservatism is costing us wins and we’ve been cursed with shitty OC after shitty OC. Look at the contenders in the NFL this year - Pats, Saints, Cowboys. They are all doing it on O. Our D is as good as it needs to be…we just need to score some fucking points to give them the help they need.
aaaaaaaaaaaa.Well.aaaaaaaaaaaa. That was terrible. I’m not going to say everything is alright like usual. But our defense does look pretty good. For all of you scmucks that wanted to bench A.Smith to put in Dilfer,i’ll bet your sittin on your thumbs right about now. I think Alex is a good and improving QB. Our offensive line is TERRIBLE. And the bad part about it is I like all of them. So we move on to Baltimore. I sure hope Alex is alright cause we need them. My sons Pop Warner team won today 34-0. At least i saw 1 team play well today.
And please quit blaming the OC. He doesn’t do the blocking or catch the balls.Enough
well i agree with you pat fan 100% and the QB we should pick up if we can get them to trade us for him like i said on ninerholics trent edwards back up QB for buffalo he’s got the genius’ stamp of approval.
WELL WE GOT THE RAVENS NEXT WEEK AND IT’S NOT A GOOD TIME FOR THE OFFENSIVE LINE TO BE SHITTY!
I was at the game and I’m not ashamed to say I left at halftime. Usually I would have gutted it out, just stay to see anything positive, But I felt fucking sick. What a waste of time and money. I mean this is really getting pathetic. Our offense looked like a second rate college team. All those friggin’ sacks I wanted to puke. I mean I really felt sorry for our defense, although dropping sure INT’s is fucking unacceptable. It pisses me off to see a bunch of bitch seahawk fans gloat, we’re going to have to take it to their house on a Monday night.
The offensive coordinator has the power to get receivers WIDE OPEN if we had a good one so the OC is to blame shithead!!!
Micheal Robinson at QB, adam snyder at lg, david baas at rg, wragge at c, and convince norv turner to resign and come back end of story niners happy chargers happy
gee-ray,
The article isn’t hypocritical at all. I said I’m hesitant to blame that much on Hostler, but that he does have a few things he needs to do that he isn’t.
There are people who are calling for his head, saying he is the reason the offense sucks. That part of the article was an attempt to temper that and be fair, because he is NOT the root of the problem. The line play and personnel is the problem.
However, what he should be doing is ADJUSTING to that, and he’s not. So while he isn’t the problem driving our offensive issues, he isn’t helping much.
That’s not hypocritical my friend, its an explanation in its totality… not some simple knee jerk blame game crap.
I felt embarassed at the prediction i made. I really felt that we could beat this team. Instead they embarassed me. The offense played like a bunch of scared bitches. They need to wake up, we’re all tired of this shit.
I think Larry Allen has seen the last of the starting lineup. I wouldn’t be surprised if he calls it quits right now. He really looks like crap out there.
Hows is Alex Smith? He is not out for the season is he? FUCK U JUSTIN SMILEY AND THANKS ALOT DEREK SMITH FOR UR GREAT INT ARE U HAPPY ADAM U FAG!
TRENT DILFER IS THE WORST BACKUP QB IN THE LEAGUE HELLO TRENT U PLAY FOR THE NINERS NOT THE SEACOCKS ANYMORE IDIOT I DONT WANT TO SEE HIM AT THE HELM OF THE TEAM ANYMORE.
we don’t need the barrel of gatorade just trade Smiley for the jockstrap.
ITS TIME FOR LELIE NOW IM TIRED OF MISTER IDIOT RUNNING AROUND NOT CATCHING THE BALL MR TAYLOR JACOBS IF NOT LELIE THEN HILL OR GO GET A WR IN FREE AGENCY OR TRADE DO SOMETHING CAUSE R WR SUCK IM ASHAMED TO BE A NINERS FAN.
What pisses me off about all of this, btw i agree 100% is that more then likley they are going to do next to nothing about it, Nolan reminds me of Parcells in this respect, regardless on if a player sucks ass or is the better player if you get in his dog house you arnt playing, which might be why Lelie hasnt been part of the plan and Bass has yet to play even tho Smiley is not in the future of our team and everyone and their mother knows this, so why the hell is he starting?! So he is going to stick with this plan until the bitter end because “We have to find out who we are and blah blah blah” Im tired of the excuses Nolan, its time to start showing results or take a hike, this is Niner Nation not Arizona and this shit isnt gonna fly. Im done with this week
Jason,
I agree. I have always respected coaches that don’t go overboard and pull the trigger taking out players and benching people just based on fan reaction and a bad game or two… but Nolan is really irritating me right now with this shit.
David Baas is a beast. Smiley sucks. AT THE VERY LEAST you have to swap those in and out. Snyder in for Allen would be my #2 move, and Wragge for Heitmann is my third choice.
Its simply time to make a change at these positions, and Nolan’s refusal to do so is really making me wonder about him.
who would of known the strength of our team last year totally collapses. i would hate the Niners to have a losing record b/c fucking NE will get a high draft pick.
put in those lineman that nolan drafted in 2005 and see what they’re worth cuz we are the FUCKIN 49ERS we r not supposed to be losing if our SORRY ASS O can give our D points we should be able to win these games and stop these conservative calls we need to get the ball to our playmakers it’s time to replace those interior lineman
I think some of you are a little too hard on Nolan. When he took over this team he had to get a new GM, new front office personnel, new coaches and new players. That he managed to win 7 games last year was an over achievment. No one expected that including us fans. We all expected to be much better this year but lets not forget that Nolan is the one who gave us the hope for expectations. This team is further along now than anyone thought they would be after Nolan took over. This is the first year that we actually had some decent salary cap room to make some noise in free-agency. They have aquired some great draft picks and Nolan has overall improved the team. The offensive line returned all 5 starters that paved the way for Frank Gore’s huge season. No one could have predicted that the entire offensive line would do a complete 180 and suck it up this year. The offense has also been a victim of circumstance. Nolan brought in Mike Mcarthy and lost him to GB. Then he brought in Norv and lost him to SD. This year he had no choice but to throw Hostler into the fire because Norv left so suddenly that he was unable to even aquire permission from other teams to talk to the top rated OC’s out there. He’s made the right moves to improve the offense and it just hasn’t worked out. He drafted Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Delanie Walker, Joe Staley, Brandon Williams and Jason Hill. Brandon Williams didn’t work out and the jury is still out on Jason Hill. But you can’t say that Nolan has not tried to improve this offense. Even SD with all their pro bowlers on offense are having trouble adjusting to the coaching change. The offensive system is in place but let’s face it… Hostler is doing the best he can trying to learn on the fly. This is his first gig and he is not exactly getting help from his players. The bottom line is that Nolan came into this season thinking that his OL was the strongest part of the team and right now it’s the weakest link. If they played like they did last year we’d be 4-0 right now with decisive victories and they’d be talking about the 49ers contending for a championship. Give the guy a break. Try to remember when he got this team it was the worst team in the NFL. It’s only been 3 years.
Its only been 3 years?
2-14 teams routinely turn into 12-4 teams in ONE year man.
The “give it time” excuse has completely and totally run its course. Put it to bed, its over.
It wouldn’t require time if he would pull the trigger on some of those decisions he needs to make. Simple as that.
I’m one of the biggest Nolan homers on the planet, but just because I like him doesn’t mean I’m going to give him a pass when he’s not cutting it.
Here’s the thing. If Hostler saw the problems with the O line, and a lot of us saw that for awhile now, then he should have done something about it. If Allen is hurt, take him out. If it’s Smiley or Heitmann or both of them, replace them. Last year there was plenty more rotation with the linemen during the course of the game. This year it seems that the coaches are going with consistency, even though the group starting are consistently awful.
However, this explains to us how come VD wasn’t running many patterns this earlier year. He was needed to block because they KNEW how bad the line was. If they knew this wasn’t working, they should have been making changes before Smith got crushed today. Maybe if they weren’t so conservative with the offense Smith would have been out a couple games ago.
I don’t know much about how blocking schemes work, but it’s clear the one in place isn’t working. That the coach’s job. Specifically, the line coach, and the line coach falls under the offensive coordinator. The penalties show how badly they’ve been coached. They didn’t do this last year except for Kwame and he’s not playing.
So it’s either that the linemen aren’t performing or the scheme sucks, or mostly likely both. If Hostler knew the problem he should have done something. If he didn’t, then why’s he coaching?
+++
Regarding Dilfer, he is what he is. He’s not going to flourish where there isn’t any protection, just like Smith couldn’t. He’s older and his arm isn’t in great shape anymore, but this is his first real game in two years so I’ll cut him some slack. My main worry about Dilfer right now is his health, that is, if he can maintain it.
+++
The team is in serious trouble right now. The offense ranks with the Raiders’ from last year. Rotating in new linemen will only work if the system is working.
For as bad a game as the offense gave, the defense fought hard and never gave up. But when one side never succeeds the other side begins overplaying to compensate, and then they give up. That’s why things need to be corrected as soon as possible.
And Nolan may want to think about using a 4-3 now that Manny is out. A four-man line could give more pressure on the quarterback, stop the run and get Ray McDonald into the game. Eh?
+++
Coming out of last year our offensive line was supposed to be our strength. What happened? Allen getting old or injured? Okay, move someone in his place. Heitmann not over the broken leg? Start someone else. Smiley is on the small side but he was okay last year. Not great, but okay. Not only is the center of the line looking like I-5 these days, but today Smiley just lost it.
I don’t know how much of this is stubbornness on Nolan’s part or Hostler’s lack of coaching skills, but that line needs to get upgraded in a hurry or next week we’ll look back fondly on the days when we used to score three points.
Hey FedUpFan, the Saints? For real?
The fiasco in San Diego is another reminder of how important coaches are in the NFL. It says something about the 49ers, especially their offense. Hostler needs to go. He doesn’t have it. Common sense can spell this one out.
Alex Smiff’s an issue also. He might be OK in this league, but never a great. They should slowly start considering who his replacement will be.
Teams are routinely going from 2-14 to 12-4 in one year? OMFG where the hell have I been? Nolan needs to be fired! Bring in Cowher… or Erickson!
That’s not what I’m saying mouse…
What I’m saying is that the “give it time” argument is hollow and full of shit.
I don’t want to fire Nolan at all, not even close. I’m only making it clear that the patience angle is dead as a conversation piece regarding this subject. Totally dead.
If you want to advocate something to defend Nolan, that’s fine - but it better be something other than “be patient, these things take time”. That is the most useless argument now - 49er fans everywhere (myself included) have been MORE than patient and have given AMPLE chances.
I am simply harping on Nolan for my issues with him in hopes that these things might get addressed.
I’m 6′6″ and 330. Not even close to be nearly as strong, but would have no problems saying this to their face….
No Pro bowl calibur and pro bowl hopeful players should EVER play this way…..
I am ASHAMED to be a 49ers fan today. All I keep thinking is what if this shit really doesn’t end and this is it for the niners? Who’s to say that we are not the same as the Browns now and that we will ever be good again. I have been a 49ers fan since I was 6 years old and I can honestly say that I am Ashamed of the 49ers and am quickly running out of hope for this team. I know the season is far from over but that is what I’m so worried about. The difference is calling out sick to work just to watch the game or not giving a fuck anymore, like next week I have to work again when the game is on and after this week’s performance I don’t even want to watch the game. THIS HURTS WORSE THAN ANY OTHER PAIN TO SAY THIS. I give up!
Never give up.
I don’t remember such an inept attempt at playing football before.
But never give up.
Watching the defense and special teams excites me still.
And punts? Don’t forget how much joy Lee brings us!
Not to mention we have some very good looking cheerleaders.
TIVO it. So if the offense is too painful, just skip through….
But never give up…..
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Quarterback Alex Smith will miss the San Francisco 49ers’ game against Baltimore on Sunday, but won’t need surgery on his separated right shoulder.
Coach Mike Nolan said Monday the 49ers won’t set a target return date for Smith until Thursday, when the swelling subsides in his shoulder.
Though similar injuries sometimes require two to three months of recovery, Nolan expressed hope Smith might even return by Oct. 21, when the 49ers visit the New York Giants in their first game after a bye week.
Smith was hurt on the third play of the 49ers’ 23-3 loss to Seattle on Sunday when 308-pound defensive tackle Rocky Bernard landed on him while sacking him.
Trent Dilfer, who got his first game action since 2005 in relief of Smith, will get the start against the Ravens, the team Dilfer led to its only Super Bowl victory.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
how about an offensive lineup like this; FB: Moran, RB: Gore, QB: Smith, WR: Bruce, Johnson, or Battle, TE: Davis, or Walker. LT: Staley, LG: Snyder, C: Wragge, RG: Baas, RT: Jennings. I think this would be a good offensive line to begin to build around, with some help coming in the draft to replace Jennings. I can see it now, four WR set. Bruce and Johnson wide, Walker and Gore in the slot, [like Faulk with the Rams] or Battle and Davis in the slots. I can see Gore in the slot with Foster at RB: or vice-a-versa. Yes I see big offensive potential for the 9ers. offense this season. Ya all need to get last year out of your mind.
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Ninja Tickets is not a ticket broker, we are a comparison shopping site for event tickets. Find the biggest selection and best prices on NFL Tickets, including 49ers Tickets. We also index MLB Tickets, and hot concerts like Bon Jovi Tickets, search our database for free.
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