After week three’s ugly loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers the San
Francisco 49ers were obliterated on Sunday by Mike Holmgren’s
Seattle Seahawks, and some are saying the 49ers season is
doomed.
After week three’s ugly loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers the San Francisco 49ers were obliterated on Sunday by Mike Holmgren’s Seattle Seahawks, and some are saying the 49ers season is doomed.
They are saying quarterback Alex Smith is a bust, they are saying the 49ers offensive coordinator Jim Hostler is ineffective, they are saying that back-up quarter back Trent Dilfer should be a coach or counselor and not a player, and they are saying that Mike Nolan does not command the respect from his players that a head coach should.
But you know what I say?
Never mind the naysayers, because many of the real symptoms the 49ers are suffering from are treatable and correctable.
The early season confidence that exemplified this 49ers Bill Walsh memorial team has turned into a sudden eagerness to re-evaluate and re-organize, making San Francisco the new underdog team.
The 49ers need to seriously limit the amount penalties and turnovers, and they need swift recoveries by tight-end Vernon Davis and Smith if they want an outside shot at the playoffs.
Turnovers were the killer in week four: Go-to running back Frank Gore coughed up two of the 49ers three fumbles, and Dilfer threw two interceptions which Seattle turned into scoring drives.
Giving the ball away to Seattle not only gave them all the momentum, but also kept the 49ers defense on the field for the majority of the game, wearing them down.
“We put ourselves in a position where the pressure is on the offense,” Dilfer said. “I have all the confidence in the world that we will come back.”
On one third-quarter drive, the 49ers offense was flagged for three straight of their nine total penalties.
These are the things that the 49ers need to limit if they plan on being in the post season.
Smith suffered a separated right shoulder on the third play of the game when the Seahawks 308-pound defensive tackle Rocky Bernard sacked him for a 10-yard loss, and Smith did not return to the game.
The severity of his shoulder separation will be disclosed sometime today, as he underwent an MRI yesterday.
Davis is recovering from a knee injury, and will be sidelined for at least two more weeks, but is eager to get back.
“I hate it,” Davis said of watching his team lose from the sideline. “We gonna have to just come out and play ball.”
While the loss of these two key puzzle pieces is detrimental, the 49ers can still be a .500 football team by seasons end if they re-group and recognize their new position.
With Smith’s injury Nolan turned to his veteran back-up quarterback Trent Dilfer, who hadn’t taken a game snap since 2005, to run the offense, but he was unable to gain any momentum for the Niners.
It wasn’t all his fault though as the Seattle defense made clowns of the San Francisco offensive line-men, breaking through for six sacks.
“We stayed with the plan for the most part,” Nolan said about reacting to the loss of his quarterback. “They are a passing team … we could stop their run with our defense, and I thought we’d be able to come out and run the ball better … it’s difficult to have a good running game when the passing isn’t there.”
Frank Gore was held to only 79 yards on 12 carries, and despite Dilfer’s extremely low 23.3 quarterback rating, Nolan is sticking to his guns.
“We got to continue to block better up front … and not play catch up late in the game,” Nolan said. “I don’t have any lack of confidence” that we can win with Dilfer.
Still, Nolan admits there is a lot of room for improvement.
“We had too many mental errors and technique errors,” he said. “We didn’t capitalize … we have a lot of work to go … there could be some changes in about 25 positions, but I’m not threatening anyone.”
After taking two steps forward with week one and two wins over the Arizona Cardinals and then the St. Louis Rams, the 49ers have taken a major step back with their home loss to Seattle, but they could thrive from here on out as a league underdog.
