Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Forecast: Thunder and Lightning?

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For a guy who barely used them all year, Niners head coach Mike Singletary sure likes the one-two punch of Brian Westbrook and Anthony Dixon, now that Frank Gore is no longer an option at running back.

"Yes, kind of 'thunder and lightning.'" Singletary said Wednesday. "You know, that's been used a lot through the years with running backs but with both those guys it literally is applicable."

It hasn't been used before by Singletary, who rode Gore for more than a third of the offensive production. He's made it clear he is a one-back type of guy, and it didn't matter who the backup was.

Gore's season-ending hip fracture will change that. Westbrook's 31-year-old body has a lot of wear and tear, from his surgically repaired ankle to his often-concussed brain.

The 49ers risk too much handing him the ball 23 times as they did Monday at Arizona, the fourth-most carries in his career. That's why Singletary will go with a two-back system, with rookie running back Anthony Dixon packing the thunder that comes after Westbrook's lightning.

The only problem is that Dixon is built for thunder but, from the way he dances in the backfield, thinks he's lightning. Singletary's been trying to teach him otherwise since the day he got here.

"You know what, he's got great feet and, you know, that's something for him that, a lot of people would say is a negative thing because he has such great feet he can continue to try and fill the hole," Singletary said. "But I think for what we want to, what we want him to do is be a little more disciplined toward hitting the hole and hitting it now and if it's not there then try and make it there; try and make one there. I just think that he's still learning what his style is going to be, but I'm very excited about the possibilities there."

Speaking of Gore ... Read More 'Forecast: Thunder and Lightning?' »

Posted By: David White (Email, Twitter) | Dec 01 at 03:48 PM

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