Jimmy Raye and Mike Singletary deciding to run more spread/shotgun with Alex Smith could hit a vein of gold with the constellation of talent they have, assuming the offensive line can play well enough to keep Alex Smith from reverting to the Rex Grossman mental fetal position mode we saw in 2005-2006.
Let's start with Smith. He seems to be able to process the field quickly and get rid of the ball as soon as his eyes spot a receiver open/coming open. He generally throws the ball on time and gives his guys a chance to get yards after the catch (more on that later). Smith does seem like a QB that feels insecure in the pocket, and the Niners made Derrick Harvey and John Henderson look like premier pass rushers. There were missed assignments and pwnage of guys like Adam Snyder happening often enough to make Smith skittish sometimes even when there wasn't immediate pressure. Jacksonville is one of the worst teams in the league at getting pressure on the QB. This is troubling, but it can improve with the return of Joe Staley.
Before we get to the good stuff, let's talk about Frank Gore. Gore doesn't seem comfortable running out of the shotgun at all. This hurts him in nonPPR leagues. In PPR leagues, it actually helps him. Gore is a great receiver, he is capable of putting up 70+ catches in this offense. He wasn't getting much after the catch because of good tackling by the Jags, but in PPR leagues, his catches more than made up for the rushing yards he didnt get because the shotgun running wasn't generating much. He also showed twinkle toes footwork and field awareness on his TD catch.
After watching this game, it became clear to me that the 49ers have a sleeping giant passing attack brewing. Here's why:
Michael Crabtree: Kid is gonna be the real deal no doubt about it. Remember how Calvin Johnson's value exploded between his first and second seasons? Expect that from Crabtree. Like Peterson, he fell too far in the draft because of an injury/lack of workouts + Crabtree also had some questions about attitude and speed. Forget about it. His ultraconfident route running has translated beautifully. Crabtree runs his routes with body language that indicates that he is setting up his opponent, which is something all the greats share. Running the correct route on time is a given, Crabtree's goals are way beyond that. The class of receiver he is in operates like a starting pitcher or tennis player, anticipating the opponents thinking based on what they've fed them earlier in the contest. I am amazed that he is translating so quickly after the long holdout. He runs hot at times, just like a running back. When he gets a clean release, he can turn on the extra gear like a receiver tracking a deep ball or a corner chasing down a receiver in the open, but without the urgency those situations provide. Check out the play when Alex Smith misses Josh Morgan in the back of the end zone near the end of first half and watch Crabtree. Oh yeah, he also runs hot after the catch, once again, getting into the mental chess game, setting up tacklers, dominating them in the open field, with a 0-60 burst once he makes up his mind, throwing out stiff arms, making moves on the run and basically being a bad ###. His ball tracking is also special in that "born to chase the ball in the air" way, check out the pass that would have been a TD if not for an inspired play by rookie Derek Cox in the mid-3rd Quarter. You can also see he loves the physical side of the game, throwing blocks away from the ball and just playing hard.
Vernon Davis: Turns out all he needed was tough love. He seems motivated and focused most of the time, which has turned him into a Terminator 2009 model football playing cyborg. He had a deep ball broken up by Sean Considine where the collision looked like one of those accidents when a newer plastic-y car runs into an old hoopdee made of serious steel. Davis is fast, fluid, and built solid as a brick ####house. He tracks the ball like a WR (check out the catch on 4th and 1) and he is completely fearless in the middle of the field. He is becoming that ultimate weapon that his truly rare physical ability suggested he could morph into when he was at Maryland. He is the most physically talented TE in the league without a doubt, and now he's applying himself. This could get nuclear.
Josh Morgan: It's hard to stand out playing next to Crabtree and Davis. Morgan is good one in the making in his own right. He snags the ball out of the ball and plays with a my ball mentality. He also seems to be stronger, faster, and more athletic than someone with a somewhat thick build like his should be. He's got his own moves after the catch, he throws out stiff arms, and generally makes himself hard to bring down. He's in the same mold as Crabtree.
Delanie Walker: Yeah, Delanie Walker. He always been a guy on and off of my deep dynasty rosters because he flashed a lot in the preseason, and he plays like an oversized WR in the passing game. He was excellent in this one, breaking tackles, showing the quick, effortless transition to run after catch mode, like Davis getting over the dropsies. He is an underrated weapon and a guy who could draw a lot of mismatches because his size/speed combo and the defense being preoccupied with the others.These guys (Gore and the receivers) are all very physically and mentally tough. They play with a fired up emotional and physical energy that is perfectly in tune with Singletary, a linebacker like seek and destroy mentality, but as an offensive player. Alex Smith in the spread could be the QB to unlock this if the offensive line can give him a nice sense of security. The best is yet to come for all of the key components here - they're all young and on the upside of their careers. Crabtree is only in his third season playing post-high school football! Imagine if Gore starts to take to running out of the shotgun. I know that Alex Smith couldn't carry Kurt Warner's Bible and there's no Martz to really go for the jugular in the attack gameplan and strategy, but the pieces of this passing game remind me of the greatest show on turf, except with a pumped up angry combative edge, like Marines storming a beach, instead of the roaches scattering when the lights go on quickness/timing based game of that offense.
Let's start with Smith. He seems to be able to process the field quickly and get rid of the ball as soon as his eyes spot a receiver open/coming open. He generally throws the ball on time and gives his guys a chance to get yards after the catch (more on that later). Smith does seem like a QB that feels insecure in the pocket, and the Niners made Derrick Harvey and John Henderson look like premier pass rushers. There were missed assignments and pwnage of guys like Adam Snyder happening often enough to make Smith skittish sometimes even when there wasn't immediate pressure. Jacksonville is one of the worst teams in the league at getting pressure on the QB. This is troubling, but it can improve with the return of Joe Staley.
Before we get to the good stuff, let's talk about Frank Gore. Gore doesn't seem comfortable running out of the shotgun at all. This hurts him in nonPPR leagues. In PPR leagues, it actually helps him. Gore is a great receiver, he is capable of putting up 70+ catches in this offense. He wasn't getting much after the catch because of good tackling by the Jags, but in PPR leagues, his catches more than made up for the rushing yards he didnt get because the shotgun running wasn't generating much. He also showed twinkle toes footwork and field awareness on his TD catch.
After watching this game, it became clear to me that the 49ers have a sleeping giant passing attack brewing. Here's why:
Michael Crabtree: Kid is gonna be the real deal no doubt about it. Remember how Calvin Johnson's value exploded between his first and second seasons? Expect that from Crabtree. Like Peterson, he fell too far in the draft because of an injury/lack of workouts + Crabtree also had some questions about attitude and speed. Forget about it. His ultraconfident route running has translated beautifully. Crabtree runs his routes with body language that indicates that he is setting up his opponent, which is something all the greats share. Running the correct route on time is a given, Crabtree's goals are way beyond that. The class of receiver he is in operates like a starting pitcher or tennis player, anticipating the opponents thinking based on what they've fed them earlier in the contest. I am amazed that he is translating so quickly after the long holdout. He runs hot at times, just like a running back. When he gets a clean release, he can turn on the extra gear like a receiver tracking a deep ball or a corner chasing down a receiver in the open, but without the urgency those situations provide. Check out the play when Alex Smith misses Josh Morgan in the back of the end zone near the end of first half and watch Crabtree. Oh yeah, he also runs hot after the catch, once again, getting into the mental chess game, setting up tacklers, dominating them in the open field, with a 0-60 burst once he makes up his mind, throwing out stiff arms, making moves on the run and basically being a bad ###. His ball tracking is also special in that "born to chase the ball in the air" way, check out the pass that would have been a TD if not for an inspired play by rookie Derek Cox in the mid-3rd Quarter. You can also see he loves the physical side of the game, throwing blocks away from the ball and just playing hard.
Vernon Davis: Turns out all he needed was tough love. He seems motivated and focused most of the time, which has turned him into a Terminator 2009 model football playing cyborg. He had a deep ball broken up by Sean Considine where the collision looked like one of those accidents when a newer plastic-y car runs into an old hoopdee made of serious steel. Davis is fast, fluid, and built solid as a brick ####house. He tracks the ball like a WR (check out the catch on 4th and 1) and he is completely fearless in the middle of the field. He is becoming that ultimate weapon that his truly rare physical ability suggested he could morph into when he was at Maryland. He is the most physically talented TE in the league without a doubt, and now he's applying himself. This could get nuclear.
Josh Morgan: It's hard to stand out playing next to Crabtree and Davis. Morgan is good one in the making in his own right. He snags the ball out of the ball and plays with a my ball mentality. He also seems to be stronger, faster, and more athletic than someone with a somewhat thick build like his should be. He's got his own moves after the catch, he throws out stiff arms, and generally makes himself hard to bring down. He's in the same mold as Crabtree.
Delanie Walker: Yeah, Delanie Walker. He always been a guy on and off of my deep dynasty rosters because he flashed a lot in the preseason, and he plays like an oversized WR in the passing game. He was excellent in this one, breaking tackles, showing the quick, effortless transition to run after catch mode, like Davis getting over the dropsies. He is an underrated weapon and a guy who could draw a lot of mismatches because his size/speed combo and the defense being preoccupied with the others.These guys (Gore and the receivers) are all very physically and mentally tough. They play with a fired up emotional and physical energy that is perfectly in tune with Singletary, a linebacker like seek and destroy mentality, but as an offensive player. Alex Smith in the spread could be the QB to unlock this if the offensive line can give him a nice sense of security. The best is yet to come for all of the key components here - they're all young and on the upside of their careers. Crabtree is only in his third season playing post-high school football! Imagine if Gore starts to take to running out of the shotgun. I know that Alex Smith couldn't carry Kurt Warner's Bible and there's no Martz to really go for the jugular in the attack gameplan and strategy, but the pieces of this passing game remind me of the greatest show on turf, except with a pumped up angry combative edge, like Marines storming a beach, instead of the roaches scattering when the lights go on quickness/timing based game of that offense.
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's in a row, and great writeup SB - Thanks.
