San Francisco 49ers Team Report by Andy Hicks
| SF Projections (9/3) | Passing Stats | Rush Stats | Receiving Stats | Fantasy | |||||||||||
| Change | Name | Pos | Att | Comp | % | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | Pts |
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#fname# #lname# | #pos# | #NumberFormat("#pts#", '__,_____')# | ||||||||||||
| Totals | #NumberFormat("#tot_patt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pcmp#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#evaluate(100*tot_pcmp/tot_patt)#", '_____._')#% | #NumberFormat("#tot_pyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ptds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_int#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ratt#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ryds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rtds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_rec#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_cyds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_ctds#", '__,_____')# | #NumberFormat("#tot_pts#", '__,_____')# | ||
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Quarterbacks Starter - Jeff Garcia Backups - Tim Rattay, Cade McNown, Brandon Doman Starting Quarterback: Jeff Garcia has continued to carry on the tradition of excellence at the 49ers. His touchdown to interception ratio is astonishing. Over the last 2 years he has thrown 63 touchdowns and only 22 interceptions. Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning and Aaron Brooks all threw 22 or more interceptions last year. He has averaged 3900 yards and 5 Rushing touchdowns over the last 2 years as well. All this has been achieved with only 1 reliable, although great receiver. His offensive line has been improved with the addition of Pro Bowl guard Ron Stone and the tandem Running duo of Hearst and Barlow have eased the pressure of Garcia having to do it all. Owens, Streets and Stokes are back and the 49ers hope Cedrick Wilson can contribute a little more. For those expecting Garcia to continue his frenetic rushing stats consider this: For the first 5 games of the season Garcia averaged 38 rushing yards a game, after the bye week Garcia averaged about 5 yards a game for the remaining 11 weeks of the season. Perhaps he has been advised by the coaching staff to quit the bravery and slide. If that is the case expect another solid passing year from Garcia and a slide in his rushing statistics. Backup Quarterback(s): The coaching staff believe that Tim Rattay can get the job done, if need be. Rattay is a former 7th rounder, just clearing the 6 foot mark, who some consider a Garcia clone. After 2 seasons watching, his pre season performances this year will go a long way towards deciding his NFL career. Cade McNown joins his 3rd club in his short career. The former first rounder is likely to undergo shoulder surgery. This would end his season and mean the 49ers would not owe the Dolphins a pick, after the Dolphins conditionally traded him away. There are many who deem McNown worthy of other opportunities and believe him to be a victim of immaturity and pressure in Chicago. This sounds an awful lot like Ryan Leaf, but McNown appears to still have a chance to make something out of his career. If McNown were to be put on Injured Reserve, 5th round draft pick Brandon Doman from Brigham Young (why does that sound familiar?) would make up the numbers. Running Backs Starter - Garrison Hearst, Kevan Barlow Backups - Jamal Robertson, Saladin McCullogh Starting Running Back: One of the most popular topics of conjecture over the off season was who would see the bulk of carries for the 49ers. Garrison Hearst is not getting the respect he deserves. After 2 seasons out of the game he was the comeback player of the year last year with over 1200 yards rushing. There is no reason to suggest he will get under 200 carries and with his fine receiving skills is sure to post respectable numbers again. Why would a club pay him for 2 years to recover and then dish out a 6year $20 million contract if it were going to phase him out? Kevan Barlow is a name on the lips of a lot of fantasy players. He also should garner 200 carries and be a factor in the passing game. The coaching staff has admitted both backs will be featured, so for committee fans rejoice. For the rest of us pick and choose carefully as both backs are quite capable of finishing inside the top 30. The 49ers were 2nd in the league in total yards rushed last year and there is no reason for that to drop this year, so both Hearst and Barlow could be handy No 2 or 3 backs. Backup Running Back(s): Behind Hearst and Barlow are a host of promising backs, some of which will have to be cut. Saladin McCullogh and Jamal Robertson lead the way, with Jonas Lewis some chance as well. Robertson performed brilliantly in NFL Europe, but will be tired after that. The eventual 3rd stringer here could become handy if Hearst or Barlow were to go down. The Backs that will be cut have a fair chance to wind up on other rosters. Fullback(s): Fred Beasley, Paul Smith, Terry Jackson: This is a club who likes to use their fullbacks in the offense. Two years ago Fred Beasley was one of the most popular waiver wire picks after starting the season on fire. Beasley will see situational time, but with Hearst and Barlow playing, his stats are going to be intermittent at best. Paul Smith has converted from Running Back to fullback and impressed the coaching staff in doing so. His injury history is cloudy, but he gives the 49ers extra depth. Terry Jackson tends to see a bit of Garbage time, so will post an ok game or 2. Talent right across the board here. Wide Receivers / Tight Ends Starters - Terrell Owens, JJ Stokes Backups - Tai Streets, Cedrick Wilson Starting Receiver(s): What more can you say about Terrell Owens skill on the football field. With Brute strength, awesome power and speed to burn, he is a sight to behold. When he glides through the secondary it is like watching a man amongst boys. Averaging 14 TDs, 95 catches and 1430 yards over the last 2 years, Owens appears permanently unhappy. His feud with the coaching staff and Mariucci in particular appears to have been resolved, but one gets the feeling that Owens will never forgive the club imposed suspension after the taunting incidents in Dallas. He complained frequently when he was not given the ball last year, even when the club won games. All this does not drop him on draft boards. The only possible reason to drop Owens down your list is if you have concerns about his lower leg injuries. Missing 5 games over the last 3 years with considerable chunks in others, does not make him the soundest of guys. However taking into account what he can do on the field he is a definite top 3 receiver. JJ Stokes on the other hand has been a permanent disappointment. Last year however offered some promise. 7 touchdowns is nothing to sneeze at, whilst 54 receptions at least deserves consideration for him landing one of your final picks. Stokes has been working hard on his game and his blocking has helped many a run. He is valuable to the club, maybe not to your fantasy squad however. Backup Receiver(s): Tai Streets had the chance to get past Stokes last year and could not do it. This year however was his first chance to do a full off seasons work. This year could be the year Stokes loses his No.2 role and Streets has the size and speed to do well. There are worse No.3s in the league to consider drafting. Cedrick Wilson did not see any action last year, but the club have high hopes for this former 6th rounder. He will be pushed in pre season to see what he is capable of. Good performances could see him gain valuable playing time. Tight End(s): Eric Johnson, Jonathan Swift Johnson was drafted as a receiver, but converted to Tight End was a pleasant surprise for all concerned. He showed excellent blocking skills and good receiving skills, meaning he will be on the field more than most tight ends. His 6 drops are a concern, but the coaching staff believes they can work on that. The only thing stopping Johnson would be the dreaded sophomore slump, but there appears no logical reason for thinking that will occur. Jonathan Swift saw occasional time last year and is an adequate backup. Barring an injury to Johnson he is not expected to be a factor in this offense. Place Kicker Jose Cortez, Jeff Chandler: The winner of this battle is likely to be quite valuable and that winner has ginally been announced - Jose Cortez. Jose struggled last season skimming many a ball off the defenses helmets. His low kicks prompted the 49ers to draft Chandler in the 4th round. Everyone assumed Chandler would win the job, but a correction to Cortez kicking style and a successful preseason changed the outcome. The team is holding Chandler for now and will look to trade him to a team in need. Defense This defense is full of emerging talent. Andre Carter, John Engelberger, Julian Peterson, Ahmed Plummer and Jason Webster are all entering their 3rd season at most and all are capable of improvement. Add in the experience of Bryant Young, Dana Stubblefield, Derek Smith and Tony Parrish and you have the potential for a defense on the rise. The positive takeaway ratio can improve substantially, so consider them as your backup Defense, but do not be surprised if they soon become your starting D. Coaching Steve Mariucci seems to be cheesing off all the wrong people. From Terrell Owens to General Manager Terry Donohue he seems to rub people the wrong way. The club entered into open dialog to trade him to Tampa Bay and have refused to extend his contract or even talk about it until this season finishes. If he is released, expect him to be snapped up immediately, as he has managed to rebuild the 49ers remarkably quickly after they were expected to be in salary cap trouble for years. Returning to the upcoming season, Mariucci, Greg Knapp and Jim Mora remain intact and all have significant work to do to keep this club at the level it showed last year. Expect pressure to be exerted onto Mariucci if the club struggles early. Intangibles Can the bickering between coach and Owens remain on the backburner or will it explode like a powder keg? Can the 49ers cope with a tougher schedule? Is there improvement still left at the club. The answers to these questions will determine how far the 49ers advance this year. With the St.Louis Rams and Seahawks in their division success will be difficult. A regression would not surprise, as last years improvement was way above what was expected. |