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Next »Offense
Raye-gun and Willard follow up
Some of you responded to my last post by writing that running back Frank Gore can play in any offensive system. I wrote Wednesday that the 49ers should seriously consider becoming more of a shotgun team and complementing it with more of a zone run game. I wrote that Gore excelled last year in the gap running game, which entails the offensive line blocking specified players on defense and typically involves pulling a guard.
By saying that Gore excelled in the gap run game, doesn't mean he can't be a zone runner. I agree with those who wrote that Gore could play in any system. He's the complete back with his run, catch and pass-protecting abilities. I meant to emphasize that the 49ers line isn't set up for zone blocking. The line might be too big and not athletic enough for a zone run scheme
Also, with the 49ers version of the shotgun or Raye-gun, the 49ers are unique among NFL offenses. Their best formation last year was their two-receiver, two-tight end, one-back set, with one or both of the tight ends spread out. The defense then has to make a decision whether to bring in an extra defensive back to contend with Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker or to try and cover those guys with linebackers.
If the defense goes with extra defensive backs, the 49ers could run it, should the defense stay with linebackers, they could throw. The team did that last year and with more work on that formation in training camp, they could become more effective with it this season. With this team, I wouldn't advocate for a shotgun with four receivers and a running back.
Additionally, Davis makes this team such a headache for defenses. Even with a standard pro set - two backs, a tight end a two receivers - Davis allows Alex Smith to turn that into a passing set by putting Davis in the slot as a receiver and going to a shotgun.
The 49ers could augment their pro-set shotgun and their three-receiver shotgun with a pass-catching fullback and a quick slot receiver; players they could acquire in mid and even late rounds. Virginia fullback Rashawn Jackson is a 243-pound thumper, who looked terrific in the Senior Bowl as a lead blocker and receiver. Scat backs include Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard, Mississippi's Dexter McCluster and SMU's Emmanual Sanders, who all have return abilities. If the team wanted to go with a more high profile player who could also help them at running back, there's the gold standard - Clemson's C.J. Spiller, a sure-fire first-rounder.
As far as pressure and sacks are concerned, the shotgun actually helps a quarterback evade pressure because he can better see where the rush is coming from and the shotgun gives him an extra half tick to get rid of the ball. Last year with more shotgun snaps than the year before, the 49ers passed 19 more times than in 2008 and gave up 15 fewer sacks with essentially the same line.
WILLARD RESPONDS: On Monday, I printed a letter from Scott Willard who made a strong argument advocating for his dad, Ken Willard, as a Hall of Fame candidate. Willard played for the 49ers from 1965 to 1973, was named to the Pro Bowl four times, and teamed with quarterback John Brodie to give the 49ers a potent 1-2 offensive punch.
.Scott wrote the note on his father's behalf without his dad's knowledge. He then showed him Monday's post. Here's Ken's response:
From Scott Willard's archive - a photo from a 1964 college All-star game. From left to right: Jim Sidle, Auburn, Brian Piccolo, Wake Forest, Roger Staubach, Navy, Ken Willard, North Carolina and Larry Dupree, Florida.
"Scott, I'm touched and, as you said, embarrassed, because I've never allowed myself to think of putting myself in the HOF category. It has only been a dream and one that I would always keep to myself. It is enough that you would care to write such an article. Thanks for thinking that I could deserve such an honor. I was a plugger and evidently had some talent. I'll leave it to the pundits to assess my career. I am comfortable with myself and what I did. I only care about what you think of me as a father. The rest is all a bonus. I love you for the thought. Dad"
| February 12 2010 at 10:58 AM
What to do offensively
I asked what posters would do if they were the 49ers owner because the NFC West might be on the verge of realignment and the 49ers could possibly vault themselves to the top. The retirement of Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, and the rebuilding projects in St. Louis and Seattle provide the 49ers with a crucial opportunity.
Despite the team's 8-8 record, they are far from settled and they face key decisions, particularly on offense. Right now, the team is a hodge-podge with Alex Smith's success as a shotgun passer and then Frank Gore's success as a gap runner. The two simply don't mesh unfortunately.
Gore seems to excel when the 49ers run out of a man blocking scheme, typically with a guard pulling (usually David Baas) and the rest of the line assigned to block a specific player. This scheme is best with the quarterback under center, and it has the potential to set up play action. The other mode of running is zone blocking. Inside and outside zones require linemen to block an area, not a player. Lanes are created in the defense as the running back runs laterally and then cuts to the second level when he sees an opening.
Kurt Warner's retirement could open things up for the 49ers.
This type of running game worked well in Indianapolis for example, when coupled with a shotgun passing game.
The 49ers do both zone and gap running, but later in the year, they nearly abandoned zone runs because of their success in gap runs. Play-action off gap runs requires the quarterback to go under center to read the defense, then he has to turn his back on the defense to execute the fake, forcing him to re-read the defense once again when he turns around. Alex Smith has difficulty enough reading a defense just once. His background is to be in a shotgun with the defense spread out in front of him where he can easily read man or zone and identify mismatches.
The 49ers also don't have the offensive line to consistently run a zone scheme, which requires smaller more athletic linemen.
In the short term, the 49ers would be best to go with running back Frank Gore and a gap-running scheme. But when the 49ers put too much emphasis on this style of offense, they can stall out completely as we've saw in 2007 and 2005, when the team finished last in yards gained.
Also, the future is a zone scheme and a shotgun passing game. New England and Indy run out of the shotgun more than any other team and they're successful. Some will say that's because of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but you could also argue that those schemes helped establish those quarterbacks as great players. Both Brady and Manning blossomed statistically when they played more from a shotgun in recent years.
The pass-orientated shotgun also makes drafting players easier. Other than Randy Moss, the Patriots and Colts have made slightly above average receivers very productive. Also, with some many colleges now using shotgun-dominated spread offenses, plenty of players are now available to run such a system.
Additionally, the 49ers have not one, but two quarterbacks in Alex Smith and Nate Davis who are comfortable with the shotgun.
Never in the NFL can a team abandon the run, and that's not what I'm advocating. But in order to take the next step offensively and most importantly to maintain success, the 49ers should consider a different offensive emphasis.
| February 10 2010 at 10:15 PM
Shhhh! The 49ers Might be More Pass than Run
The dalliance with free agent quarterback Kurt Warner more than a week ago, seemed so nonsensical against the backdrop of Mike Singletary's pound-the-rock pronouncements. But the flirtation does make sense if the 49ers now believe that they are a better passing team than they are a running team.
This guy could have eyes for the pass.
Singletary's weighty comments about wanting to impose his will through the running game, resonate so strongly with who he is, or actually who he's perceived to be - a tough-minded, Hall-of-Famer who played his entire career with a team synonymous with conservative offense and iron defense. The run-oriented comments might obscure his real designs for his offense, which is to have a balanced attack with more passing than most people might think. But who wants to believe that? This is Mike Singletary, who, even though he was a linebacker, emerged from the Bears' tradition of run domination and a reliance on team-wide intimidation. The Bears are the team of Willie Galimore, Gale Sayers and Walter Payton; they put guys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with names like Bulldog (Turner) Bronco (Nagurski) and Red (Grange). This is no namby-pamby passing team, and Singletary's serious demeanor seems to personify that culture. So when he intimates that he wants the 49ers to run, it's so easy to over emphasize those comments.
But Singletary also said he wants to pass. In fact, Singletary only mentioned that he wanted to rely exclusively on the run with the lead at the end of games, when the other team KNOWS you want to run. Bill Walsh wanted to do the same thing. Singletary, to my knowledge, never said he wants to dominate with the run from the opening whistle.
Also, Singletary is about to start his fifth year with San Francisco. He has seen the run-first, ball-control philosophy utterly fail more than once (consider 2005 and 2007). Singletary might realize that as good as running back Frank Gore has been, his influence has slowly sank since his breakout 1,675-yard 2006 season. According to measurements devised by statistical mavens at web site Pro Football Outsiders, Gore was no better than ordinary last season.
PFO developed a statistical model that compares a player's effectiveness over an average player at his position. Last season, according to the Insiders, Gore's value over the average was negative 1.7. Even in traditional statistics, Gore has slipped. In 2006, he averaged 5.4 yards a pop and scored eight rushing touchdowns with five fumbles. In 2007, he averaged 4.2 yards a carry with five touchdowns and four fumbles and last year, 4.3 yards per carry, six TDs and six fumbles. He's struggled with ankle injuries in each of the past two seasons and Gore's getting to a point (fifth season) where he's no longer getting better and where many runners begin to rapidly decline.
Yes, the 49ers re-signed Moran Norris, the fullback who led the way for him in 2006, but Norris was released partially because he was coming off a pedestrian 2007. Should he be any better two years later? And what other signs are there that the 49ers will be a better running team in 2009? Their best run blocker, Larry Allen, retired two years ago and there's no one on the line who approaches his impact. Other than Chilo Rachal and possibly Joe Staley, which offensive lineman is going to actually become a better run blocker next year?
The passing game, however, has the chance for vast improvement. Shaun Hill has only started 10 games in his career and could be much improved with more playing time, and now he'll be in an offense that's better suited to his skills than the deep-dropping, long-throwing scheme of former offensive coordinator Mike Martz.
And unlike Gore, Hill is surrounded by players on the rise. Young receivers Josh Morgan and Jason Hill could be poised for stardom, and free-agent signee Brandon Jones should be an improvement over underachiever Bryant Johnson. New offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye is known for his work with tight ends, which could mean good things for perpetual receiving project Vernon Davis.
Pass blocking remains a concern, but Shaun Hill is a help there. He sees the field well and has a quick release. His sack percentage of 7.4 was near the bottom of the league last year, but still better than that of Matt Cassell (8.3) and Ben Roethlisberger (8.9) and far better than the 12.7 percentage sported by J.T. O'Sullivan (12.7).
If the 49ers are thinking that they are now a better passing team than they are a run team, they're in no hurry to correct the conventional wisdom and why should they? If defenses are gearing up for a prevalent running offense and then get surprised by a pass-oriented, balanced attack, so much the better for the 49ers and Mike Singletary. Might as well keep it quiet that Singletary might be more like Bill Walsh than George "Papa Bear" Halas or Iron Mike Ditka.
| March 13 2009 at 12:23 AM
When Martz Speaks, We Listen
Mike Martz speaks every other Thursday to the media and he's never boring. Among the news of his Thursday chat:
-Wide receiver Josh Morgan might not come back this season from the groin injury he sustained against the Cardinals.
-Martz said Tony Wragge, although he didn't mention him by name, has played well at right guard, but the team is impressed with Chilo Rachal's physical gifts and coaches want to find him playing time. Rachal might not be ready for this Sunday's game in Dallas.
-Martz sounded a little like former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan when talking about Shaun Hill. Greenspan said in testimony before Congress weeks ago that he misjudged Wall Street's ability to regulate itself. Martz said he misread the abilities of Hill.
"His decisions are quick," Martz said of him. "He doesn't hang on to the ball. ... There's no hesitation. That's why I'm a little surprised. ... You've got to really know what we're doing to do that. So he's further along in that regard than I would have expected him to be."
-Martz said that Hill didn't react well to the offense when it was first installed and that's why he struggled in preseason. What Martz didn't know was how much Hill learned while practicing behind J.T. O'Sullivan. Martz figured Hill wouldn't turn the ball over and that he'd "manage" the game well. What he didn't realize was that Hill could do a lot more. "We need a quarterback that can come in and manage things and he did a great job of that," Martz said. "The advantage of that now is his decisions and what he sees is further along than I would have expected, to be honest with you. [Quarterbacks coach Ted Tollner has] done a great job with him too when he wasn't playing to preparing each week like a starter."
-Martz said he hasn't changed a thing since Hill became the starter, which doesn't seem right. It seems as if Hill's dropbacks are shorter and that he's moving outside the pocket more than O'Sullivan did. But that may be dictated by the defenses the 49ers have played.
-A few weeks ago in a Thursday chat, Martz said he a set number of touches he wanted to get Frank Gore every week, although he didn't say what the number is. On Thursday he said he didn't have a target number of touches for Gore. Martz explained that Gore's carries are dictated by defenses. Presumably, if a defense plays a safety back the cornerbacks play off, Gore will run. If not, the team will pass. Sounds logical.
On the injury front, linebacker Patrick Willis was limited Thursday with a hip problem, but coach Mike Singletary expects him to play.
| November 20 2008 at 11:13 PM
JUST PRACTICIN'
The 49ers and Raiders went through a joint practice Monday morning at the Raiders' Napa training facility in a session that proved that both defenses are miles ahead of their respective offenses. The teams went through "mirror" drills the entire time, meaning the Raiders offense went through team sessions with the 49ers defense on one field while the 49ers offense went through their paces with the Raiders defense on an adjacent field.
The teams will do the same thing this evening but not in pads.
I stayed with the defense, while Chronicle beat man Tom FitzGerald went with the offense. Here are the numbers on the 49ers quarterbacks against the Raiders' D:
Shaun Hill went 4-for-5 including two nice sideline routes to Ashley Lelie and rookie Josh Morgan.
Alex Smith was 8-of-15, and FitzGerald noted most of his throws were short. J.T. O'Sullivan went 9-for-17 with a couple of drops and two balls that should have been intercepted.
On defense, pass rush linebacker Roderick Green picked off Raiders' backup Andrew Walter, and safety Keith Lewis had a number of break ups on passes. At one point, the 49ers forced four straight incompletions from Raiders quarterbacks and they did make the quarterbacks move and adjust in the pocket. Not surprisingly, Raiders left tackle Kwame Harris struggled in pass protection.
Read More 'JUST PRACTICIN'' »| August 04 2008 at 05:34 PM
Passing Game Woes
It's so early in training camp, I hesitate to make this pronouncement. Nevertheless, here it is - In this, my 21st year of covering the 49ers, I've never seen the passing game look this bad. Balls hit the ground way to often, there are too many missed and dropped passes.
Now, maybe this happened two summers at Lions' practice when Mike Martz took over in Detroit and maybe it happened in 1999 in Rams' camp when Martz first installed his offense there. Martz himself said the quarterbacks shouldn't be judged until after eight days of training camp. The 49ers are about to enter day seven.
On day five, (Tuesday) the 49ers finished practice with their helmets off in a walk-through mode. On Wednesday, the team slowed down again for the entire afternoon practice. Coach Mike Nolan called it a "mental day." I've never seen a 49ers' team do this in training camp.
Maybe this is just the process the team must go through to get the Martz scheme installed, and maybe the team will look back at this first week of training camp and chuckle.
Nolan, at least publicly, believes the passing game will come together and that the Martz scheme will eventually surpass Mike McCarthy's west coast scheme in 2005, Norv Turner's digital offense in 2006 and Jim Hostler's hybrid last year.
"I would expect this offense to be much better than all three," Nolan was quoted as saying Wednesday. "But we'll have to wait and see for that. From a scheme standpoint, I like this offense. I've liked two out of the last three, but I like this one. I've gone against all the offenses that we've had but this one is probably the most difficult. It does require that the players get into their books, study and know it. Otherwise, all it is is a bunch of chalkboard junk."
Nolan said Monday that he paired down the teaching time between drills from 10 to five minutes to get more repetitions in. Maybe the team needs to increase their teaching time so players know what they're doing. And maybe it just takes longer for the Martz offense to jell and for the quarterbacks to learn and trust the system.
The running game, by the way, looks terrific, particularly when Frank Gore runs the ball.
Read More 'Passing Game Woes' »| July 30 2008 at 10:30 PM
Foster works on his balance
From Tom Fitzgerald:
This is not a ballet class, but the 49ers are trying to get running back DeShaun Foster to be a little balanced when he makes his cuts on pass patterns.
Foster, the former Carolina Panther who joined the team this year as a free agent, is an accomplished pass catcher, having averaged 30 receptions over the last three seasons. But when he comes in to spell Frank Gore, the club is looking for big-play potential from him, on passes as well as runs.
"He has very good hands and is a good route runner," running backs coach Tony Nathan said. "But old habits die hard. He's working on being more balanced when he comes out of his breaks and cuts. He'd want to lean to the side. We want to get him where he has some stability, where when somebody puts a hand on him it won't just push him down."
After nearly two weeks of voluntary workouts, Nathan said, "He's a much better athlete than I thought. He's been a great asset."
Notes: Rookie offensive lineman Chilo Rachal left to rejoin his ailing mother in Los Angeles. She was scheduled to undergo surgery on a tumor in her stomach. Rachal has said her poor health was the main reason he left USC after his junior year.
The media are allowed to attend just four of the 12 organized team activity sessions, which conclude next Thursday. Coach Mike Nolan declined to say why the daily 90-minute sessions are off limits.
| June 12 2008 at 01:44 PM
More Spread
A really engaging discussion ensued about the relative merits of Mike Martz and his spread offense. Niner77's point about Bill Walsh and balance doesn't counteract what can happen in a spread.
Walsh wanted balance over the course of the game but his approach, as Niner77 mentioned, was distinctly unbalanced. In the first quarter, Walsh typically passed to gain the lead. Then in the second half and fourth quarter, he ran to maintain the lead. Martz's spread offense shares the same philosophy. When Martz was running the "greatest Show on Turf" Marshall Faulk probably gained the majority of his rushing yards in the second half.
Also, in the NFL, the spread doesn't mean a coach has to skew the run-pass ratio unless you're Bill Belichick and bent on running up the score. When the "spread" is mentioned, everyone automatically believes it means passing all the time. Again, if a team gains a significant lead, running and controlling the clock is the goal. Take the Martz-coached 2001 Rams that went 14-2 as an example, they scored 305 points in the first half that year and 201 in the second half.
And Walsh himself was intrigued by the spread and would probably run it if he coached a team today. He frequently mentioned Urban Meyer as a coach on the offensive vanguard.
Read More 'More Spread' »| March 12 2008 at 09:01 PM
Spread 'em
The run versus pass debate will never be more germane than with your 2008 49ers.
On one side stands Scot McCloughan and, for the most part, Mike Nolan, who both favor a run-dominated, grind-it-out style of offense designed to control the clock. This misbegotten offensive philosophy failed in the last three seasons including 2006 with Norv Turner as offensive coordinator, a starting quarterback who took every snap, a running back who gained 1,695 yards and an offensive line and a receiving corps that stayed relatively healthy the entire season.
The spread offense sets up well for this fella.
With this offensive group, in this league, at this time - the run-first, control-the-clock approach doesn't work. When injuries occur, as they did in 2005 and 2007, this offense plummeted to last in the league in several offensive categories.
On the other side is Mike Martz - a creative, hell-bent passing-oriented coach, indoctrinated in the philosophy that passing is always more productive than rushing. Martz wouldn't relent from that approach even when future Hall of Fame runner Marshall Faulk loomed in his backfield.
If these two philosophies clash, it will pit Martz against Nolan/McCloughan and the divisiveness could encroach into the locker room. In Detroit, quarterbacks and receivers loved Martz; running backs and offensive linemen didn't.
Even when the 49ers could barely move the ball in 2005 and 2007, a relative peace pervaded the locker room and the coaching staff. A Martz confrontation could disrupt both.
That's why I say Martz could be a disaster.
However if the Nolan-McCloughan and the Martz philosophies meld and the offense stays healthy like it did in '06, the team could potentially leap from 32nd in offense into the teens.
Much of this will depend on what happens early in the season and that's why this year's schedule will be crucial for the 49ers. If they get defensively-weak teams early, a kick-ass offense could take hold and a daisy-dropping harmony will ensue.
Read More 'Spread 'em' »| March 11 2008 at 11:24 PM
Who Benefits with Martz
Here are some of the nuts and bolts of the Mike Martz offense:
-Martz doesn't script any plays to start the game.
-He rarely allows his quarterback to audible. Adjustments to the defense are built into his system.
-His offense is based on everyone knowing what everyone else is doing. If a defense makes a move, the quarterback and the receivers and the running backs have to all see it and make the same adjustment.
-In the West Coast/Bill Walsh offense, receivers can get away with knowing just the flanker or wide out positions. With so much shifting in Martz's offense, receivers have to know each spot. Also receivers have to read the coverage and have as many as four route choices before each snap.
-Martz doesn't have a play book. He has binders that he distributes with each game plan. There can be as many as 80 play options every week.
-Through the years, players have complained about the complexity of the offense, and quarterback Jon Kitna said it takes at least 12 hours a day to learn the game plan for each week.
Read More 'Who Benefits with Martz' »| January 10 2008 at 05:10 PM
Veteran 49ers writers Kevin Lynch and David White analyze the stats with an insider's insight.
By Kevin Lynch, David White, Read Bios
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