49ers-Chargers Review: I Smell Championship

Final Score: 49ers 20, Chargers 17. Preseason Record: 2-2

As much significance as you can attach to a preseason game, the final one, no less, the 49ers need a good showing in San Diego, just to soothe their psyches, and those of coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback Alex Smith, the starting offensive linemen, and of course their legions of fans who are tired of saying "This is the year of the great where our offense won't be a national joke."

So in that regard, mission accomplished.

Not only did Smith lead the offense to touchdowns on both of his series (after not being able to lead one such drive in the first three games), but he did it, to my surprise, against the first-string Chargers defense, who I didn't expect to play. Well, okay, it was mostly the first string defense, minus their nose tackle and two outside linebackers. Still, that takes away more from the accomplishments of tackles Joe Staley and Anthony Davis more than Smith himself.

Smith remains what he's always been, a guy that can win games as long as everyone around him does their jobs to the best of their ability. Without a good pass-blocking line, he's toast. You put him in constant 3rd-and-longs, he's toast. You have receivers who drop passes or linemen who take holding penalties, he's toast. Yes, Smith can succeed when everything is ideal, but A) it rarely is in the NFL, particularly with this team and B) how many QBs couldn't succeed in those situations?

It's true that Smith didn't have to face San Diego's best pass rushers, but in his defense he marched the team -- with lots of help from Kendall Hunter -- without the benefit of Frank Gore, Vernon Davis or Michael Crabtree, so that's something. I'm not sure what, but it's something.

Smith did have a couple of hairy moments. Ex-49er Travis LaBoy deflected one pass when he overpowered Hunter on a delayed rush, and it was precisely the kind of ball that Smith has seen carom into the hands of defenders so many times during his career. This time it bounced harmlessly to the turf. On third-down pass he drilled into Ted Ginn in between extremely tight coverage. Ginn, who'll never be confused for a sure-handed receiver had the ball bounce off his hands initially, but concentrated enough to secure it in midair to convert the first down. Finally, Smith had a 3rd-and-4 pass on a roll out to Joshua Morgan that was a bit low. Morgan had to adjust to catch it and the slight delay impaired his ability to get the ball in the end zone. Sure, in this case it wasn't a goal-to-go situation and Morgan still gained enough to make it 1st-and-goal from the 1, but most of the time in that spot it would be a 3rd-and-goal, and such a mistake would result in either a field goal or a risky 4th-and-goal play (see the San Diego game last season for further reference).

Overall it was a game to build on for Smith, but he hasn't been able to string solid performances together in consecutive games very often in his career, so we'll see how he does next Sunday against the Seahawks when the bullets fly for real.
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Of course, as we said before, Smith couldn't have played as well as he did without the offensive line. I suppose the headline story there was that Jonathan Goodwin has officially won the starting job. Not only was he atop the official depth chart and starting tonight, but he played the whole first half. Adam Snyder checked in during the second quarter, but in relief of right guard Chilo Rachal, not Goodwin. Goodwin played well enough, as did Davis and left guard Mike Iupati, but to me the standouts were Staley and Rachal, who were huge in the run game and as protectors for Smith. Again, I stress that no one was bad, but those two were the best from what I saw. It's true the Chargers didn't blitz much -- yeah I know, you're shocked that a defense coordinated by Greg Manusky didn't take any chances -- but neither did Houston last week and they whipped the 49ers line up and down the field, so yes, this was progress.
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Other standouts:

RB - Kendall Hunter. Wow. Wow. Wow. The kid continues to amaze. Not only did he rush for 57 yards on 11 carries, including 8 for 46 on the first touchdown drive, but he added a five-yard reception, a head-turning 51-yard kick return and a was solid as a blocker. Harbaugh all but admitted he won the backup job to Gore, and while I have all the respect and admiration for Gore's game, I'm just saying right now that the drop-off between him and Hunter would be a lot less dramatic than it would be for a lot of starters on this club and their backups. If Harbaugh is half as smart a coach as I think he is, I think he'll find a way to get the ball in Hunter's hands 6-10 times a game, whether it's as a 3rd-down back, a kick returner, or even in the backfield with Gore in a split back formation. He's too skilled to rot on the bench, waiting for Gore to get dinged up.

WR - Kyle Williams. Best run-after-catch skills of any receiver on the team, and quite possibly the best slant route runner too. Once Michael Crabtree gets healthy it is assumed that Morgan will be the third receiver, and there's also Ginn to consider as well, but Williams is a guy who might have done enough in the preseason to shoehorn a role for himself. Wouldn't he be someone you'd want on the field to run a hot route if you're positive you're gonna get blitzed?

DE - Demarcus Dobbs. Not sure who was in charge of the stat sheet, but I can't believe that Dobbs wasn't credited with a single pressure, hurry or QB hit. He consistently drove his man back into the quarterback's face all game long and freed Aldon Smith to have an outside pass rushing lane time and again. Not only am I convinced that Dobbs, an undrafted rookie from Georgia, has made the team, but I could argue that he's a better player than Ricky Jean Francois or even starting DE Ray McDonald, who the team handed a 5-year, $20 million contract to for reasons that escape me.

LB - Aldon Smith. 2.5 sacks, seven tackles, four quarterback hits. Now that's what a 1st-round pick is supposed to be like. The thing that I particularly loved about Smith's performance was that he wasn't a one-trick pony out there. While all of his success up to this point, whether in camp or the preseason opener at New Orleans, had been with his club move on the inside rush; against San Diego he got to the QB both with inside penetration and outside speed. He simply dominated the tackle in front of him (as well he should considering it was a backup). Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio sounded discouraged about Smith after the Houston game, but after this performance the rookie will probably see the field quite a bit in nickel situations against Seattle. I'm not quite ready to agree with TV color man Tim Ryan's prediction of 10 sacks for Smith, but it doesn't sound quite so ludicrous as it did before the game.

LB - NaVorro Bowman. Had the "Hat Trick" in the first quarter, with a sack, a forced fumble and the recovery, when he took down Chargers backup Billy Volek. Blitzing was supposed to be one of the main strengths of Bowman's game coming out of Penn State, but he didn't get to do much of it at all playing for Singletary and Manusky last year. This time he combined well on an overload blitz on the left side with Ahmad Brooks. I'm looking forward to seeing that often this year.

LB - Alex Joseph. We hadn't heard much about Joseph at all through camp and three games, but here's the rare guy who might be able to say actually got something out of the fourth preseason game. Keaton Kristick got hurt and carted off very early (left ankle) and Joseph stepped in and had three tackles and a fumble recovery. Obviously he won't make the roster, but maybe if the Niners are forced to put Kristick on IR, a practice squad slot could open up for the second-year man from Temple.

CB - Chris Culliver. He started the game slowly and gave up a couple of soft completions, but he got better as the night went along. Unfortunately, the tighter Culliver's coverage got, the more impressive Chargers rookie Scott Tolzien's threw the ball, constantly completing long passes down the right sideline at the expense of the 3rd-rounder from South Carolina. I mean really, a couple of these throws he looped over Tolzien were as good as anybody -- including Chargers starter Philip Rivers -- could've done it; the kind of passes where we can maybe count on one hand the corners in the league who would be able to prevent them from being completions. Credit Culliver for not getting down, not hanging his head and for having a short memory. Tolzien finally hung a ball in the red zone and Culliver was able to get in front of the receiver and make a leaping interception. The kid has the size, speed and all the tools to not just be a starter in the NFL but a good one. He just needs to mature. He's another guy who can make an impact as a kick returner, too.

K David Akers - Made both field goals, including a 49-yarder. Good depth on kickoffs. I think the Niners are set here.
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Some clunkers:

QB Colin Kaepernick - Have to start with him, obviously. He finished the preseason with zero touchdowns, five picks, and a 23.0 passer rating, and completed less than half of his passes. On his first pick, he ignored an open Williams, who would've moved the chains, in favor of Scott Long, who was in the end zone but was thoroughly blanketed. Even worse, Kaepernick's "touch" pass was badly underthrown. The second interception was not as much his fault (see below) but still, Ronald Johnson wasn't open at all. After those throws Kaepernick was tentative and afraid to make another mistake and took a couple of coverage sacks. While the kid has a strong arm and can run like a deer -- he continues to remind of a young Randall Cunningham with those long limbs and high hips -- he seems thoroughly flummoxed by the coverages he's seeing out here and he needs to take a step back.

I think it's fair to say that if Alex Smith goes down to injury and the goal is to still win games, that right now Josh McCown -- who played well in the fourth quarter in his 49ers debut -- would be the guy to turn to over Kaepernick. However, if Smith gets benched due to poor performance and the season becomes a lost cause, then yeah, by all means throw the kid in there to take his lumps. Better now than later.

That's not to say that I don't think Kaepernick shouldn't play at all. You just have to use him in low-pressure situations, i.e. blowouts, when the team is up 20 or down 20 in the fourth quarter. Maybe a wildcat package or two where he can use his feet or a two-point conversion play. Remember, Harbaugh sprinkled Alex Luck into games here and there as a freshman. I suspect he may do the same with Kaepernick.

While it's okay to be discouraged with Kaepernick's performance up to this point, I think the important thing to remember is that for the team to win in 2011, it's far more important for rookies like Aldon Smith, Hunter, Culliver, and even fullback Bruce Miller, to play well before you worry about Kaepernick. It's not his time yet. The rules are different for QBs.

WR - Ronald Johnson. Johnson did have a nice 3rd down catch late in the game to move the chains, but in the second quarter he ran a poor slant route, let the corner get inside of him, and couldn't outfight him for the ball, resulting in Kaepernick's second pick. Sure, Kaepernick shouldn't have thrown the ball in the first place, but Johnson, the 6th-round pick from USC, did nothing to help his quarterback out on that play and really I haven't seen any reason at all to justify giving him a roster spot.

SS - C.J. Spillman. He is a good open field tackler to be sure, but Spillman doesn't look like a safety you can risk putting on the field to me and I expect Reggie Smith to quickly gobble up his playing time once he returns from his knee injury. Spillman is a special teams dynamo, but he can't cover anybody. He also took a poor angle on Chargers RB Ryan Mathews' long touchdown run (and wasn't helped any by FS Madieu Williams, who took an even worse one).

CB - Tramaine Brock. Brock allowed too much room underneath and got beat for a few intermediate routes in the first half. I think Tarell Brown has beat him out for the starting/nickel job (depending on Shawntae Spencer's health). Brock will be the fourth or fifth corner and may not dress on game days, depending on how well Culliver is progressing.

CB - Phillip Adams. Another brutal showing in the fourth corner. His ankle just isn't right. He can't cut on it and has zero agility. It's unfortunate because Adams is a likeable guy and a hard worker, and professionally it stinks because he doesn't have practice squad eligibility, but that's life in the NFL. Maybe the 49ers can do right by him and put him on IR, or at the least let him compete again next year when he regains his health, but it's just not gonna happen for Adams right now.
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Three questions to ponder:

1) Why did Nate Lawrie play ahead of Konrad Reuland? At first when we saw Lawrie in the game very early as a second tight end, I assumed that Reuland, who was a bit hobbled in practice on Tuesday, wouldn't play. But then later on I saw Reuland in the game. All along I thought it was a lock that Lawrie would win the third TE job from the second that Nate Byham tore his ACL on the second day of camp, but now I'm kind of confused. The veteran Lawrie is the better blocker, for sure, but Lawrie is younger, cheaper and the better blocker. I guess we have to wait for Saturday on this one.

2) Why hasn't Xavier Omon gotten a real chance? Omon had another good game in the second half on Thursday and I just don't understand why he hasn't gotten any reps with the first or second stringers. For reasons that escape me, Anthony Dixon is a sacred cow here and his roster spot is untouchable. I like Dixon personally, but as a player, I can't figure out anything he does better than Omon besides run on the second level, and that's really such a minimal part of the job of a big back. Omon is the better straight-ahead runner on 3rd-and-short/goal line, he's the better blocker, and he's the far better receiver, as we saw on Thursday. It's logical to presume that the 49ers want to hide and stash Omon on the practice squad, but I think that's a long shot. He's good enough to be a third or second running back on a lot of teams -- including this one -- and I expect somebody to snatch him up.

3) What was up with that hitch to Chris Hogan? We've waited for two weeks for this guy to play, and he finally checks in, it's not a go route or a fade -- plays where he can take advantage of his speed, height and leaping ability -- but just a simple 0-yard throw where he was expected to juke or out-muscle two guys. I don't get it. Hogan looked pretty stiff on the play anyway, and I don't think he's fully healthy yet. Could be another hard luck story.

4) Why bother with the pretense of naming Parys Haralson a starter? Let's be real. Whatever mistakes Aldon Smith will make out there in coverage or over-pursuing a play, Haralson would make 75% of those same mistakes as well. He's just a guy. Smith is younger, a whole lot more athletic, and he's got more stamina. Plus, he's got the speed to recover from mistakes. Haralson would be better served as a backup rotation player who can go all out for 20 snaps a game. Even if you start Haralson, it'd be only a matter of time until Smith beats him out, so why wait?

5) Why are we making a big deal about the 53-man roster? I don't think Saturday's cuts will tell the final story for who makes the 2011 49ers. By my count Harbaugh likes 50 guys, and it could even be as few as 48 if he's fed up by Spencer's injury and down on Brock. I don't think they'll keep guys just to keep guys.

Right now it's easy to assume 3 QBs, 3 RBs, 2 FBs, 5 WRs, 3 TEs, 10 OL, 6 DL, 8 LB, 5 CB, 5 S, and 3 ST. But while those guys would make the best 53 of the people in camp, it's too cookie-cutter and easy.

Here are vets who I think right now would make the team but who Harbaugh wouldn't be too sentimental about replacing:

FB Moran Norris -- He likes Bruce Miller more, but doesn't know if he can trust him as a rookie.

G/C Tony Wragge -- Wragge hasn't done anything wrong, but they already have two guys who can do what he does (play all three inside spots) in Snyder and rookie Daniel Kilgore and Wragge wouldn't dress on game days unless someone got hurt.

T Mike Person -- The 7th-round pick from Montana State has enjoyed a good preseason, but he's someone you can stash on the practice squad and another guy who wouldn't dress for the games.

CB Shawntae Spencer -- Hasn't proven a thing to this coaching staff, except that he's got a balky hamstring. His 2010 film couldn't have impressed too many folks either, I imagine.

CB Tramaine Brock -- Started strongly in camp, but has gotten worse and worse as we've gotten closer to showtime. Hasn't risen to the occasion.

Alright, that's enough for now. Probably no news until Saturday. So I'll use tomorrow to babble about my ::drum roll:: fantasy team.

49ers-Chargers Preseason Preview Extravaganzza

The 49ers are a few hours away from their season finale at San Diego, and already it's been determined that their defense will have a great day because Philip Rivers won't play, not even a little bit. So yay, defense. No torching by Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates, no play-action bamboozlement from Philip Rivers, no gashing from LaDainian Tomlinson Ryan Mathews & Mike Tolbert.

You ever notice how their QB is missing an "L" in his first name and their RB is missing a "T" in his last name? What's up with that? Is it some bizarre tribute to Tomlinson? No? Okay then.

Anyway, you don't care about the defense anyway. Nor should you, so don't feel guilty about that. They'll be fine. Well, except for those games where they'll play a quarterback who's good enough to get picked in the first three rounds of your fantasy draft. They'll be totally boned in those.

You worry about the offense. About Alex Douglas Smith and the five galoots in front of him who have been more bullfighters than bulls in the preseason. Well, to be honest they've been what the bulls left in their stalls, but why argue semantics?

Joe Staley needs to quit getting overpowered by nondescript fellows he outweighs by 50 pounds. Anthony Davis needs to take care to remember the snap count. The three guys in the middle -- Mike Iupati, Jonathan Goodwin and Chilo Rachal -- need to play to the whistle instead of just assuming that Smith got rid of the ball on two Mississippi. Also, if Staley and Iupati insist on having miscommunications, it'd be swell if they could impersonate outfielders who collide into each other both going for the ball rather than the ones who stare blankly at one another while it plops to the grass between them. For his part Goodwin seems to have won the starting center job over Adam Snyder solely on the basis of his contract and his past accomplishments, rather than his current play. Him justifying his new-found place atop the depth chart wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

Assuming against all available logic that these five beefy gentlemen can do all that, then maybe, just maybe, Smith can lead the offense to a field goal, thereby doubling the total output of the first string offense through three preseason games and sending 49ers fans hurtling towards the season opener against Seattle full of vim and vinegar.

Does all this sound too cynical and bitter? Well, it should.

The facts are these guys haven't given us much cause for optimism these past nine years, that most of what we've seen in these practice games has been thoroughly discouraging, and that the burden is on them to prove they don't stink. Preseason games mean next to nothing, just ask the 2010 Niners or the 2008 Detroit Lions (both 4-0) or the Indianapolis Colts, who routinely go 1-3 or 0-4 every exhibition season and continue to rip off those 12-4 regular seasons. However, if anything means less than a preseason game, it's the final preseason game, where starters rarely play and it's full on vanilla dreck between the opposing coaching staffs.

In other words, it's a lose-lose situation for the first string offense. Do well, and it doesn't really matter. Do okay, it doesn't really matter. Do bad, against San Diego's second string, and oh boy is that really troubling, in a it-doesn't-really-matter kind of way.

Really, just hope that everyone on both teams comes out unscathed and be done with it.
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Now for the guys to watch, in the magic fairy make-believe land where Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff haven't already written the 53 names who'll comprise their roster in pencil and 51 of those in ink.

At QB: Colin Kaepernick will again get a lot of playing time, but I'm actually curious to see if whether Josh McCown will play at all. Or McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Can a team really place a QB on the practice squad who hasn't taken a single preseason snap despite being able-bodied and in camp the whole time?

At RB: Anthony Davis and Kendall Hunter are dueling for the backup spot. Hunter is clearly the better all-around player. He can block and catch better and may even be more of a threat as a kickoff returner. If any malady should befell Frank Gore, it is Hunter who will get the bulk of the carries. Davis is better suited for short-yardage/goalline duty, and even that only if he remembers he weighs 233 pounds, not 183.

At FB: It's rookie Bruce Miller, who may have a slim lead over Moran Norris. I think Miller's made the team no matter what. He's the superior receiver/athlete/special teams player. He's cheaper and built more like a west coast fullback. Norris has had two straight awful games, so I'm curious how much playing time he'll get in this one.

At WR: The first five spots seem well wrapped up and I doubt there will be a sixth available. In case there is, it will go to either Dominique Zeigler (the best hands), Lance Long (the most consistent), or Ronald Johnson (the most 2011 draft pick). Zeigler just started practicing Aug. 22, but played a bit last week. Long has averaged a whopping eight yards on his five catches. Johnson was a disaster, with two fumbled punts and a flat out drop on third-down against the Houston Texans. I continue to insist that Chris Hogan is better than all three of them, based solely on the evidence of a few camp practices from Aug. 7-9. I'm flaky like that.

At TE: Unless Nate Lawrie turns into Antonio Gates overnight, it's Konrad Reuland's job to lose as the third guy.

At OL: We've covered the top six. Let's also look for what snaps Snyder gets at right guard in relief of Rachal. I've got an inkling the coaching staff isn't as sold on ol' Chilo as they've stated. It's pretty clear who their top ten are, but it's not clear if they'll keep ten, or nine, or even eight. On one hand you have Tony Wragge, who is versatile enough to play all three inside spots, and he's the better player right now, but there's already two guys like him in Snyder and rookie 5th-round pick Daniel Kilgore. On the other you have 7th-round pick Mike Person, the erstwhile fourth tackle. He plays a more useful position, but he can probably be hidden on the practice squad. In either case, neither guy would dress on game days unless there are injuries.

At DL: No questions among the starters unless San Diego runs roughshod over them. As for the backups, it's three guys for two spots. Demarcus Dobbs has played the best, with sacks in each of the past two games. Ian Williams is the most versatile, as he can play the nose or at end. Will Tukuafu has the experience, having spent the past year on the practice squad. The odd man out will likely land on the practice squad.

At LB: Keaton Kristick would have to have the night of his life to prove that he is more valuable as a fourth inside linebacker than Blake Costanzo, who's Special Teams Coordinator Brad Seely's hand-selected VP of Wrecking-Ball Operations.

At CB: One last shot for Tramaine Brock to unseat Tarell Brown as the nickel back. Shawntae Spencer will probably recover from his hamstring injury in time to start by the opener. Harbaugh singled out 3rd-round pick Chris Culliver for his play in the last game, and he can return kicks besides (Culliver, not Harbaugh, who's very slow) so he seems to have the fourth job locked up. Phillip Adams, still not fully recovered from his fractured ankle, will look to show the coaches why they absolutely cannot do without a sixth corner. Good luck on that score.

At S: Five guys are set, but the roles are not. Madieu Williams was signed under the impression he'd have to beat only Reggie Smith for a starting job. Then a few days later the 49ers re-signed Dashon Goldson and have given him all the first-string duty. Williams has played pretty well the last two games, but it seems to matter not. Backup strong safety C.J. Spillman hasn't played well either, so unless something changes he'll be ticketed back to special teams duty exclusively (where he's very good) and Smith will see time in the nickel and dime units. Curtis Taylor, Chris Maragos and 6th-round pick Colin Jones are all, like Spillman, more special teams guys than guys you'd trust to play from scrimmage, and they're all likely fighting for practice squad jobs.

Injuries: Michael Crabtree (left foot) is out, making him a perfect oh-for-12 in preseason games. Shawntae Spencer (hamstring) and Reggie Smith (knee) are both very doubtful. Konrad Reuland was limping a bit on Tuesday, so he's questionable. Vernon Davis missed Tuesday's practice for a private matter, but he's fine and good to go. Overall, this is a ridiculously healthy team.

Bubble Guys Without Practice Squad Eligibility: FB Moran Norris, WR Dominique Zeigler, TE Nate Lawrie, G/C Tony Wragge, CB Phillip Adams.

Bubble Guys With Practice Squad Eligibility: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson, RB Xavier Omon, FB Bruce Miller, FB Jack Corcoran, WR Lance Long, WR Chris Hogan, WR Roland Johnson, T Mike Person, DE Will Tukuafu, DE Demarcus Dobbs, NT Ian Williams, LB Keaton Kristick, CB Tramaine Brock, S Colin Jones, S Curtis Taylor and S Chris Maragos.