No quarterback got sacked more this season than
the 49ers’ Alex Smith. That doesn’t reflect well on his offensive
linemen.
But several factors went into those 44 sacks.
Sometimes, protection broke down among running backs and tight
ends. Other times, receivers couldn’t get open or Smith held the
ball too long.
SANTA CLARA
No quarterback got sacked more this season than
the 49ers’ Alex Smith. That doesn’t reflect well on his offensive
linemen.
But several factors went into those 44 sacks.
Sometimes, protection broke down among running backs and tight
ends. Other times, receivers couldn’t get open or Smith held the
ball too long.
Overall, the offensive line evolved into a
sturdy, stable unit. Otherwise, the 49ers (13-3) likely wouldn’t be
idle for this past weekend’s NFC wild-card round as the No. 2
seed.
Left tackle Joe Staley is headed to his first
Pro Bowl. Left guard Mike Iupati and center Jonathan Goodwin are
first alternates for Honolulu. Right guard Adam Snyder smoothly
replaced Chilo Rachal after 2½ games, and right tackle Anthony
Davis’ improvement is obvious.
The 49ers’ line had a far darker portrait after
an exhibition-opening loss in New Orleans. The Saints called 18
first-half blitzes in a 24-3 rout, sacking Smith twice and Colin
Kaepernick four times.
“It’s a young group, and we were behind in the
sense it was a new offense,” said Mike Solari, who coaches the
offensive line with Tim Drevno. “We were behind in that there were
no (offseason activities) and minicamp.”
The No. 3-seeded Saints will encounter a
much-improved 49ers line when they meet in the divisional round at
Candlestick Park on Saturday.
A key for the 49ers line has been its ability to
avoid penalties. Offensive linemen have been called for holding
only six times: none on Staley and Davis, one apiece on Goodwin and
Snyder, two on Iupati in a Dec. 4 win over St. Louis and two on
Rachal in his final start against Cincinnati on Sept. 25.
“We’re very good there in that aspect,” Solari
said. “They’re very disciplined in their play and the way they go
about their technique. You also look at the aspect that they’re
good athletes and can move their feet and keep their hands covered
up.”
After the 49ers linemen committed no holds or
any other penalties in a 34-27 win at St. Louis on Jan. 1, Davis
posted on his ever-feisty Twitter account that he’s had only four
holding calls tracing back to 10th grade, including two last season
as a rookie.
This season’s improvement goes beyond penalties.
“There’s a different level of accountability that we hold ourselves
to,” Davis said. “We know each other so well that if you blow your
assignment, you get that look, like ‘Come on.’ It’s the tightest
group I’ve ever been a part of.”
While Davis and Iupati were first-round draft
picks last year, Goodwin is a 10th-year veteran who joined the unit
as a free agent this past offseason after leaving the Saints, with
whom he won the Super Bowl two seasons ago.
“Jonathan is like the quiet leader, very calm
and very refreshing on the sideline during the game,” Solari said.
“He’s never too high or low, and that’s great demeanor for the
young guys.”
Goodwin’s experience in calling blocking
adjustments has been crucial. It is a job that, before Goodwin’s
arrival, was ticketed for Snyder, a versatile veteran who believes
right guard is his best spot. “Being able to play one position
helps me a ton,” Snyder said.
Solari said Snyder’s tutorial at center sped up
his learning of the newly installed schemes. After Rachal struggled
in the first half of a Week 3 win at Cincinnati, Snyder has
stabilized the unit. But Snyder went out with a hamstring injury
early in a Thanksgiving loss at Baltimore, and Smith ended up
getting sacked nine times, reminiscent of an exhibition-opening
show in New Orleans.
Staley, the 49ers’ first Pro Bowl tackle since
Harris Barton in 1993, attributed the line’s strides to mental
maturation: “What doesn’t get talked enough about is how you
prepare off the field with film study, identifying blitzes and
schemes.”
Aside from Goodwin’s Super Bowl run two years
ago, these linemen have never prepared for a bigger game than now.
Solari, has, however, as he worked on the 49ers staff that produced
the franchise’s last Super Bowl winner in the 1994 season.
“The intensity picks up. You also notice
mentally the concentration picks up in the sense of the meetings,”
Solari said. “There’s more of a sense of urgency.
“You’ve got to win. You’ve got to perform at a
high level. It’s exciting.”
