Singletary's day-after reaction
The 49ers are exploring their options at running back and fullback, coach Mike Singletary told reporters today after potentially long-term injuries to Thomas Clayton and Zak Keasey.
A source close to Clayton said the initial diagnosis was that the team's leading rusher the past two exhibition seasons sustained major ligament damage to his right knee in last night's game. Singletary did not confirm nor deny the extent of the injury, saying he would wait for the results of the MRI examination before making an announcement.
Keasey sustained a fractured right forearm. His status for the season is also in jeopardy.
"We'll talk through it today and see what our options are and look at the MRI when it comes back," Singletary said. "We'll do what's best for the team going forward."
Here are some other issues Singletary addressed on the day after the team's 17-16 victory over the Broncos in the exhibition opener for both teams:
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--The first player Singletary singled out was right tackle Adam Snyder, who played very well last night. Although Snyder has never publicly expressed any displeasure with his constant shuffle of positions through his first four NFL seasons, Singletary revealed Snyder told him last year he wanted to be left at one position.
Singletary quoted Snyder as telling him, "You know, coach, I can play anywhere on the line, but you got to leave me at a position for a little bit and let me get everything I need so I can get comfortable and get better and do a good job." And Snyder is making good on his promise, Singletary said.
--The rookie running backs generally did well. In particular, Singletary said he was excited about what he saw from Glen Coffee, who is a tough runner. But Coffee was also where he needed to be in pass protection. And that's something not be taken for granted with rookies.
--Undrafted rookie Kory Sheets picked up 51 yards on 10 carries, but he made the mistake of getting out of bounds on a run inside two minutes when the 49ers were trying to run out the clock. RBs coach Tom Rathman had just told him to stay in bounds. "That's a rookie," Singletary said. "He has to grow as well."
--Yes, Singletary really likes Vernon Davis. He said he was not at all surprised with his two catches on the opening drive for 41 yards. He said Vernon is very consistent with his blocking and he continues to work on his hands to perfect his craft.
--Singletary said he needs to look at the pass rush a little more in depth before talking about it. "Sometimes it's not as simple as 'Why didn't guys get there?'" Singletary said. "I saw guys get off the ball and be around the quarterback, but I have to look at it."
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I went over the Broncos' 33 pass plays and did not see much at all from the 49ers' pass rush. Here's how I break it down:
Showed nothing: Manny Lawson, Marques Harris, Kentwan Balmer, Isaac Sopoaga, Aubrayo Franklin, Demetric Evans, Pannel Egboh, Ricky Jean-Francois.
Showed just a little better than nothing: Parys Haralson, Justin Smith, Khalif Mitchell, Ahmad Brooks, Diyral Briggs, Jay Moore.
Had an acceptable pass-rush performance: Nobody.
Granted, the 49ers did not game-plan for the Broncos' offense and most of the nine pressures they brought in those situations were pretty basic. But I'm sure they would've liked to see their guys win some one-on-one battles.
Lawson, in particular, seemed to be susceptible to cut blocks, as he spent a lot of time on the ground. In speaking about offensive linemen, Singletary said, "One of their things is to go at your legs and make you think twice about selling out 100 percent to get to the quarterback. It's really important going forward that our guys continue to work on technique and the small things and get it right."
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Just to confirm what 49ers president Jed York said yesterday: The 49ers can no longer trade away the rights to Michael Crabtree. The deadline passed yesterday in which a team can trade an unsigned draft pick. York expressed confidence Crabtree and the 49ers will eventually reach an agreement, but said he's not sure when that might happen.
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MM - Is the team off today? Or is it film review and treatments this afternoon?
I think the 49ers are showing signs of improvement this year. The defense seems to have picked up where they left off from last year. Pretty good CB play. The lack of a pass rush is the biggest concern. Not sure the current roster has the player we need. QB situation will continue to be a close race, neither Smith or Hill will ever create the seperation that makes the decision of a starter a clear choice. Will come down to Singletary's best guess.
MM - with the injuries to Clayton & Keasey will Brit Miller make the roster this year?
Brit Miller reminded me a lot of Tom Rathman tonight, but the jury is still out (as it's only been one game). -But seeing that Zak Keasy is out (oh, and he/she should be cut immediately), Miller is going to have 3 more games to further prove his overall package (blocking/receiving/awareness), and Brit will get a lot of time to do it since Norris will be kept on the benches for freshness.
But if push comes to shove, Michael Robinson is a hard player to cut/demote (people may think otherwise but he's the best damn special teams blocker in the NFC West, and his wealth of experience is infinite at hybrid positions).
Thanks MM, excellent updates.
1st preseason game grades
...Offense - C
...Defense - C+
Khalif Mitchell and oft-injured Jay Moore showed some good burts off the line. Coffee and Sheets will provide some exciting moments this season behind 'the man' Frank Gore. Although i'm pulling for A.Smith, I must admit that i felt a little apprehensive when he took the field. He did ok (120 p/p), but obviously needs more time to build 'real game' confidence.
LOL you went a little too soft on the D oneniner (but I guess the backfield turnovers get the plus).
But then again my personal grades go at position:
OFFENSE
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QBs: B (Raye needs more passing game to justify this competition.)
RBs: B (exceeded my expectations.)
FB: A (Brit Miller, Brit Miller, Brit Miller.)
WRs: B+ (Morgan was owning Champ Baily a ton, even when Josh didn't get the ball! -Our 2nd team receivers were great.)
TEs: A (Vernon made a catch into 4-man coverage, Bear made up for a sloppy kick-return with that 2-point conversion.)
OL B- (First team was given a raw deal with Keasy in the mix at FB for the first QB series. -Synder blew a huge block leading to an Alex Smith sack, but he was consistent otherwise. -Oh and that o-line really hurts without Baas.) -We will be regretting the lack of Michael Oher on our line for the next couple of years.
DEFENSE
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DL: F (These guys were having phantom "cut-blocks" before getting to the QB, just horrible).
ILB: C (it just shows you how inept we are without (Patrick Willis, but Takeo spikes held his own.)
OLB: C (Same as the defensive line with their phantom "cut-blocks").
CB: A+ (Both starting cornerbacks caught interceptions.)
FS: A+ (Goldson was physical, and Reggie Smith was beyond exceptional!)
OVERALL THOUGHTS
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I wouldn't blame the defensive front though for most of their errors, the playcalling was just horrible. -Big Nickel started to dictate this entire game during the 2nd quarter, I didn't see any of the "Jail-break" blitz packages that we practiced in training camp! -The second half felt like a regular season game (defense coming up short with opposing offense dominating the clock).
Jimmy Raye sucks, I'm sorry, his playcalling was lousy, and Alex Smith could've used a 2-minute drill. -I know Sing wanted to test the "imposing will" into half-time, but this QB competition is a joke if we can't see what our players can do in a FRIGGEN PRE-SEASON GAME. (A practice simulated game where winning means nothing.)
Thanks Matt.
I wonder if McDaniels is somewhat disappointed since they spent a week game-planning for us :-)
I liked the way our second stringers on D were taking it to his first stringers at the end of the first and during the second quarter.
Manusky called a very vanilla game which showed, while Raye showed some nice balance. It would have been nice to see Raye go for the score at the end of the first half though...
Anyway, some other quick observations :-)
-Hill to Davis. I think we'll be seeing that combo a lot this year.
-Alex Smith... Still way to hesitant... Hey, at least he didn't throw an INT :-)
-Secondary. Had some nice INT's... We were playing very soft coverage though. I would expect more press once we start the regular season.
-#35 - Jahi Word-Daniels. This guy is horrible. Got roasted all night and gave up long TD pass by allowing WR to get 10 yards behind him. He is unworthy of a Niners' uniform and should be first to go.
-OL, Coffee. Created some nice holes in the run game, some of which Coffee missed. Hard to blame the rook though, as he'll get better. Still, allowed Coffee to run for 67 yards on 14 carries (4.8 average). OL's pass-blocking was decent, although Alex and Hill held the ball too long at times. Keasey has no business as a FB. He got destroyed while trying to block Dumervill, resulting in a sack.
-Spurlock. I like this kid. He caught that one swing pass and juked two defenders for the first down. Maybe worthy of a roster spot, especially with Crabby MIA?
-Sheets. While he's not a between the tackle kind of guy, he's deadly on screens, swings and draws. A nice change of pace back who defenses will hate to see in the 3rd and 4th quarter.
Looking forward to seeing improvements against the Raiduhs next week ;-)
After first preseason game, this is still a 6-10 team, plus or minus two. No QB and no pass rush!
what people don't seem to remember is that the Broncos had one of the best pass-blocking offensive lines in the league. Cutler was only sacked 11 times in 627 dropbacks.
It is a possibility the 49ers decided to lay off the blitz to focus more on coverage because they knew they wouldn't be able to get through their line. And they ended up with 4 picks.
The 49ers had one of the worst pass-rushes in the league while the Broncos have one of the best pass-blocking o-lines. what did you think was going to happen?
Seems MS is feels exactly the way MM said in a previous piece. A big Ho Hum. Let's get to the Raider game and maybe MS will see a little something more to work with.
About the best thing that happened was to see MS hugging Nolan at least twice before the game, showing this HC is more than just a one sided guy. He has a tremendous heart within his tough football skin. He gives me the impression that he can say what he wants about any certain player, but you better watch out what you say about sais player.
Yes, because preseason tells us everything that will happen in the regular season, right? LOL. Look at the Lions last year... 4-0 in preseason and 0-16 in the regular season... A better test will be game 3 against the Cowgirls... Not this warm up against the Broncos.
Randy and sfsports are both correct though, Broncos had the BEST O-LINE in the league last season (best line next to New England), and we have to remember that 50% of our 'IMPACT' big-name starters were not present.
When I look at the 2009 49ers thus far I see the 2008 Dolphins from head-toe, and that is a VERY positive sentiment. (In fact we're almost adjacent to them within terms of Head coaching, coordinating, and division standard).
Do you think the 49ers' have a top QB and a top half of the league pass rush? If your answer is yes, seek help. If your answer is no, 6-10 is realistic.
im happy we got the W. but i agree with Sing, im not impressed.
yea we got 3 picks, 4 if you count the 2 point conv. but to me they moved the ball way to easy on us. nate made some good tackles, but hes a CB. I would have much rather have seen him break up passes then let them get positive yards on him. he made up for it a little on that pick.
I wont go too hard on the DB's, they didn't get a whole lot of help from the D line.
also with the talent we have at RB and WR. i would have liked to see more points on the board but maybe thats just me. Hats off to miller, i already like him more as a back up then the always hurt keasey *rolls eyes*
i hate to say it but if we dont step our game up, them raiders might give us a run for our money >:o
I'm missing MS's lackluster view of the quarterback play yesterday. They each made the plays that they were asked to make by the O coordinator. I have only heard of one bad read and two instances where the QB held the ball to long. If our QB's all have rankings over 100 at the end of the season, I'd be pretty happy with that position.
To see the real separation, he will have to ask them to do more, but the QB's should not be marginalized due to a boring game plan.
The Ravens, Falcons, Panthers, and Dolphins didn't have a top QB but seemed to do alright for themselves last year!
As far as the defense, it's obvious they are going to have to rely on the blitz to bring pressure... The front 7 will have to sceme to create mismatches because they won't win a lot of one on one battles as we already know! 6-10... Maybe, but we can't tell from 1 preseason game!
Question: Is the team off today? Or is it film review and treatments this afternoon?
My response: Yes, the team was off today. They have a light day Sunday before returning to work Monday with a scheduled double-day in Santa Clara. They travel to Napa for two practices Tuesday and Wednesday against the Raiders. --Matt M.
Question: with the injuries to Clayton & Keasey will Brit Miller make the roster this year?
My response: He's still very much a long shot. But they love his attitude, so I'd say he has a strong chance at the practice squad. --Matt M.
Thanks for all your hard work Matt. Really appreciate this blog.
Grading a NFL Pre Season football game makes a much sense as putting screen doors and a submarine....
Matt,
I did the homework you gave me. So this is my answer: Hill looked like what I expect from him. Did what he needed to do made a bad decision when he got sacked but other than that he did fine for the limited time he was in. Smith showed signs of rust for not playing in 2 years but did very well for being out that long. His pass to Morgan when bailey got turned around was very beautiful. His pass to coffee's feet was not though. To pretend to never have seen them before I would pick Smith to be the winner. (and thats not because I want like Smith) I can't wait till next saturday! thanks for your hard work i really appreciate it and always look forward to your reports. I think your the best beat writer for the 49ers hands down. Can I be your padawan?
Despite their reputation as a great defense, the Chicago Bears had three LESS sacks in 2008 than the 49ers had. The Bears also gave up MORE total yards and passing yards than did the 2008 49ers.
The Bears started Kyle Orton in 2008. Not exactly Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.
The Bears were 9-7 and blew three games at the end of the game. They easily could have been 12-4.
Predicting 6 wins because the 49ers don't have a 'top of the half' QB or pass rush is laughable.
While it would be great to have those things, all that means is that other guys have to step up.
Hi Matt, Great analysis as always. What concerned me about the game was no push on either side of the lines. It's the same as the past few years. The edge rushers were pushed to the outside and tackles made no forward progress. On several plays Brooks was pushed sideways across the line of scrimmage. The Raiders will be a good barometer of what to expect at this point.
Did anyone catch Connor Barwin last night? He had a few qb pressures and a SWEET pass rush move for a sack. Not sure how he'll perform in the regular season but he got a few pressures and a sack in his first scrimmage which has alot of people excited. The 9ers could have had him in the 2nd round. It will be interesting to see what they do with that extra 1st round pick next year.
Precisely,I don't mean this as I told you so, however, amidst what I thought was a very good draft I found myself taken aback when they didn't pick C.Barwin at the 2nd spot(see my bandwagon posts before the draft)-to my perspective it seemed obvious but I was sold on the kid so I chalked it up to the unbiased perspective of a fan. More water under the bridge! Now about my favorite sleeper Franz Joseph...
Keep in mind this is a preseason game and coach is looking to see who is executing, checking out players that may make the team or compete for a starting position. Guys that are a lock and he knows what he will get either didn't play much or at all (S. Hill, Gore, Bruce, Norris, Willis). Add in a few MIA's due to injuries like Baas and I'd say the starting units showed well considering there apparently was no game planning or scheming. Smart to not reveal your cards in a meaningless practice game. I wouldn't put much stock in the preseason outcomes but from what I saw we are better organized with more depth at every position than we have been in a while. We have a coach and a system that the players are buying into. We will be competitive this year win or lose. I don't expect to see those classic Nolan 42-9 blowouts against top teams. 8-8 at least with a shot at the playoffs. Also, it looks like the last draft may turn out to be pretty good even though we gave up our 2nd for a #1 next year and Crabs is not signed yet. I give the team a B-. Still room to improve before the Cards game but showing signs of progress.
I agree. We'll all be watching closely at what we do with the Carolina pick. I saw Barwin as very raw but having impact player-star potential once he got developed in 2-3 years. He has excellent tools to work with. He was 1 of my guys on the list for that pick..I would have loved to take him. If he can make contributions early starting with rushing the QB in pass rush situations it's a lucky bonus for that team. Besides passing on Brown & Barwin also keep an eye on Clint Sintim who was a 3rd OLB pass rusher we passed on at 43. My non-pass rusher BPA at that slot was Fili Moala who I thought isn't that far of a drop-off from Tyson Jackson for that quick athletic + stout prototypical big bodied 3-4 DE spot. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out.