49ers offense: Player-by-player review

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Aug. 14, 2011MAIOCCO ARCHIVE
49ERS PAGE49ERS VIDEO
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Matt MaioccoCSNBayArea.com
Would you believe it if I were to write something about the 49ers' offensive line Friday night not playing as poorly as it appeared?I didn't think so. That's why I'm not going there.But after reviewing offensive performance, it's pretty clear that not all of the 49ers' pass-protection problems were the line's fault.After all, when a team brings six and seven defenders at the quarterback with as much regularity as the Saints did, it's mathematically impossible for the 49ers' five offensive linemen to account for everyone.The thing that became apparent, however, was that there was plenty of blame to go around. And sometimes the initial blame was directed at the wrong person.Case in point: While watching the game live, I thought left tackle Joe Staley was beaten badly by Saints defensive end Will Smith for a big hit on Alex Smith early in the game. Upon re-watching the play, it was obvious that left guard Mike Iupati missed the assignment and it just appeared Staley was the player who failed.But, let's face it, Staley, Iupati, Adam Snyder, Jonathan Goodwin, Chilo Rachal and Anthony Davis each had their plays in which pressure came from their man. But not one of those players was beaten play-in and play-out with the kind of regularity that would be a cause for individual concern.
Tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker had their lapses, as did running back Frank Gore. Quarterbacks Smith andColin Kaepernick could've also taken advantage of some opportunities to burn the Saints and slow down their blitz-happy attack. And the receivers did not consistently adjust their routes to give the quarterbacks better options.So instead of focusing on how poorly the offensive line played, it's more accurate to lump together all of the aspects of pass protection. And, yes, the 49ers' pass protection was atrocious in the exhibition opener.
Here's a player-by-player glance at the 49ers' offense from the team's 24-3 loss to the Saints:

Quarterback (4)
1-McLeod Bethel-Thompson: Did not play.
3-Jeremiah Masoli: Did not play.
7-Colin Kaepernick: Entered the game in the second quarter and played the 49ers' final 44 snaps of the game. . . . Did a good job of sliding up in the pocket to create enough space to complete a 20-yard pass to Lance Long on a third-and-10. . . . It looked like his Nevada days all over again when he scampered up middle for a 28-yard gain to set up the 49ers' field goal late in first half. . . . He threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, as he tried to push the ball down the field. . . . Finished with a passer rating of 27.6 with 9 of 19 passing for 117 yards. He was also sacked four times for 19 yards. He led the 49ers in rushing with 47 yards on six attempts, and even slid twice to avoid hits. He said he never slid in college, but he followed the advice of his teammates and coaches on the sideline who were pleading with him to avoid taking unnecessary punishment. (Follow on Twitter @Kaepernick7)
11-Alex Smith: Started and played the first 17 snaps. The 49ers managed just one first down in his five series. . . He took several big hits from the blitzing Saints defense, including two sacks for minus-10 yards. . . . He completed just 2 of 7 attempts for 10 yards for a passer rating of 39.6. . . . Threw low and incomplete to TE Vernon Davis on first play of the game, as protection held up against seven-man rush. . . . Threw behind Braylon Edwards incomplete on a slant pattern.Running backs (8)
21-Frank Gore: Started at running back and played the first seven snaps of the game, rushing for 20 yards on four attempts. . . . He made a great move on LB Jonathan Vilma, reversing direction to turn a potential loss into a 5-yard gain. . . . Missed a cut block on DE Alex Brown on a play in which S Roman Harper got a sack off the other side.
24-Anthony Dixon: Played 14 snaps, taking over after Gore's night concluded. Dixon carried seven times for 16 yard and caught one pass for minus-2 yards. Granted, there wasn't much room for him to run, but it looks like he needs to be more decisive and hit the hole harder. (Follow on Twitter @Boobie24Dixon)
26-Seth Smith: Did not play any on offense.
32-Kendall Hunter: Returned kickoffs and seemed indecisive whether to bring them out of the end zone. He took one 5-yards deep but lost his footing as he made a cut and was stopped at the 49ers' 13-yard line. . . .Showed his speed on his first snap from scrimmage, as he turned the left corner for a 13-yard gain. . . He finished with 29 yards on seven rushing attempts, and did a reasonable job in pass protection.
33-Xavier Omon: Saw action late in the first half. Looked as if he failed to recognize LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar on a blitz, leading to a sack. . . . Took a handoff out of the shotgun formation and turned it into a 17-yard gain. . . . He finished with 24 yards on five rushes.
43-Jack Corcoran: He played five snaps at FB, and did not touch the ball.
49-Bruce Miller: He entered the game at FB for the 49ers' first drive of the second quarter and immediately made a good block on LB Martez Wilson to enable Dixon to gain 4 yards off the right side. (Follow on Twitter @bmiller_49)
44-Moran Norris: Played nine snaps as the top FB on the depth chart. He did not touch the ball.Wide receivers (12)
2-Chris Hogan: Sustained left ankle sprain Aug. 5, and has not practiced since. He did not make trip to New Orleans.
6-Tyler Beiler: Did not play. (Follow on Twitter @MrBeiler)
9-Dontavia Bogan: Placed on injured reserve after sustaining torn ACL in right knee on July 31. He does not count against roster limit. (Follow on Twitter @DontaviaBogan)
10-Kyle Williams: Entered at receiver late in first half and played 43 snaps. . . He caught two passes for 34 yards. . . Before entering at WR, he returned punts. He fielded first punt at the 5-yard line and advanced it 11 yards, but a penalty sent the 49ers back to the 8-yard line. . . . . . He knocked 278-pound DE Turk McBride to the ground to help Hunter gain 13 yards on his first rush attempt. . . .Williams kept picking on McBride, knocking him to the ground again on a Kaepernick bootleg, but this time he was called for an illegal block in the back. . . . Kaepernick looked for him on a three-step drop on a hot read but Williams did not turn to look quickly enough and Kaepernick took a sack. . . . In second half, he was the hot read for Kaepernick against a blitz and caught a 25 yard pass with 20 of the yards coming after the catch. (Follow on Twitter @KyleWilliams_10)
13-Joe Hastings: Did not play.
14-Kevin Jurovich: He played 11 snaps in the fourth quarter. . . Caught a 17-yard pass from Kaepernick on a play in which Jurovich picked up 11 yards after the catch.
15-Michael Crabtree: Remains on physically-unable-to-perform list (left foot). He did not make trip to New Orleans. (Follow on Twitter @KingCrab15)
17-Dominique Zeigler: Remains on physically-unable-to-perform list (left knee). He did not make trip to New Orleans. (Follow on Twitter @DZeigler17)
18-Lance Long: Entered the game on the 49ers' first possession of second quarter, and played 29 snaps with the second string. . . He caught two passes for 26 yards. . . He got a step on CB Trumaine McBride and hauled in a nice pass from Kaepernick for a 20-yard reception on a third-and-10 situation.
19-Ted Ginn: He started the game and played 15 snaps, but did not see any action come his way. . . The veteran is also listed as the 49ers' top punt- and kick-return guy, but the younger players took those roles in Friday's game.
81-Braylon Edwards: He played just six snaps, and saw two Alex Smith passes come his way on slant routes. . . Smith threw behind him the first time. On the second route, he caught a 12-yard pass to pick up a first down. Yes, he's still wearing No. 81. He announced on Twitter last week that he plans on wearing No. 18. Right now, that jersey belongs to Long. (Follow on Twitter @OfficialBraylon)
84-Joshua Morgan: He started and played 16 snaps. He saw no action come his way.
88-Ronald Johnson: Got into the action as the No. 3 receiver with backups Williams and Long taking over for Morgan and Ginn as the second-string receivers. . . . Officially, he was the target of seven passes, and did not really have any opportunities to make a play. . . . . Had a 23-yard punt return early in the second half. (Follow on Twitter @TrojanRojoTight ends (5)
46-Delanie Walker: Started the game in a two-TE formation and played most of the first half. . . . Caught a Kaepernick pass and made nice run-after-the-catch to turn it into an 18-yard gain late in first half for his one reception of the game. (Follow on Twitter @Dwalk46)
48-Konrad Reuland: He entered as the No. 3 TE and played 27 snaps. He caught one pass for 5 yards. . . . He generally did a good job as a blocker, but he failed to block S Jonathon Amaya on a blitz that led to a hurried Kaepernick throwing incomplete on fourth down in the third quarter.
82-Nate Byham: Out for the season after sustaining torn ACL in left knee on July 30.
83-Colin Cloherty: Has not practiced since Aug. 6 with undisclosed injury. Did not make trip to New Orleans.
85-Vernon Davis: Started at TE and played 11 snaps. . . . He did not catch a pass and was the intended receiver on two Alex Smith throws. . . He was target of first pass of the game, but Alex Smith's throw was too low. . . . He failed to pick up blitzing safety Roman Harper, who delivered a crushing blindside hit on Alex Smith that forced a fumble. (Follow on Twitter @VernonDavis85)Offensive linemen (15)
60-Nick Howell: Did not play.
61-Chase Beeler: Entered the game at center for the 49ers' final series after Adam Snyder, Jonathan Goodwin and Tony Wragge. . . . He had a bad snap from the shotgun formation that resulted in a 10-yard loss.
62-Chilo Rachal: Started at RG and played the first 27 snaps of the game. . . . Did not stick with DT Mitch King on a couple of spin moves, and Kaepernick was dropped for a 6-yard loss on a sack.
63-Donovan Edwards: Did not see any action on offense. (Follow on Twitter @DonovanEdwards)
65-Kenny Wiggins: Got onto the field for just one play in the fourth quarter, on the right side, as the 49ers went with an unbalanced line.
66-Jonathan Goodwin: Entered the game at center for the third series of the game. He left for a couple series, and then returned in the second half with the No. 2 line. In all, he played 25 snaps as the 49ers are working him into position to be the starter. . . . He got pushed back by DT Swanson Miller, who jumped up to bat down a Kaepernick pass at the line of scrimmage. (Follow on Twitter @jgoody76)
67-Daniel Kilgore: Entered the game at LG late in the first half and played the final 34 snaps of the game. . . . He did a good job while working primarily against Saints DTs Dexter Larimore and Miller.
68-Adam Snyder: Started at center and played first two series. Appeared to deliver a shotgun snap to Alex Smith before the QB was expecting it on a third-down play on the first series. . . . Got pushed back by Miller and Kaepernick didn't get rid of the ball on a three-step drop. (Follow on Twitter @ASnyds68)
69-Tony Wragge: Entered the game at the start of the second half at RG before moving to center for eight plays. In all, he played 27 snaps. He was called for a false start for rocking prior to making a snap in the fourth quarter. (Follow on Twitter @tnywragge)
71-Derek Hall: Entered the game at RG late in the third quarter. . . Provided a good block on Larimore that allowed Omon to get free for a 17-yard gain.
74-Joe Staley: Started at LT and played the first 27 snaps of the game. . . At first glance, it appeared he was responsible for getting beaten on the inside by DE Will Smith, resulting in a big hit on Alex Smith on the third play of the game. But it was clear that there was a miscommunication on the play, and Will Smith was not Staley's responsibility. . . . Gave up some pressure to the outside, but certainly nothing alarming. (Follow on Twitter @jstaley74)
75-Alex Boone: Entered at LT late in the first half, and played well. . . Did nothing to dissuade the 49ers from their thinking that he can handle the backup role. . . Generally did good work against DEs Junior Galette and Turk McBride. . . . Pulled around the corner and an approaching DB wanted no part of him and went to the ground on a four-yard run by Hunter.
76-Anthony Davis: Started at RT and played the first 27 snaps of the game. . . . He had a false start that wasn't called, and still got beaten by DE Will Smith for a first-quarter sack on the play. Smith got around Davis, who did not keep his head up and did not show good balance on the play, to drop Alex Smith for a 4-yard loss. (Follow on Twitter @AnthonyDavis76)
77-Mike Iupati: Started at LT and played the first 27 snaps of the game. . . Missed an assignment on the third play of the game when he blocked down on a double-team rather that picking up Will Smith, who put a big hit on Alex Smith. Staley immediately turned to Iupati after the play to chew him out. . . . Pulled to make good backside block on LB Will Herring to help spring Gore for a 5-yard gain. . . . Did not recognize blitzing LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar quick enough on a second-quarter sack.
78-Mike Person: Entered at RT late in the second quarter. . . Got beaten by a safety around the edge on a blitz, forcing Kaepernick to run. . . . Made nice block of DE Cameron Jordan to open lane for Omon to gain 17 yards late in the third quarter. . . . Had good block on Jordan to provide lane on Omon's 17-yard run in the fourth quarter.-Rookies

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