Friday, September 06, 2002
49ERS OPENER -- THE DAY AFTER
Just a few thoughts on the 49ers win over the Giants:
1) Jose Cortez has proven himself to be a clutch late-game NFL kicker...
...unfortunately, he seems to do lowsy in any other situation. He had one kicked blocked (the same problem he had last year), missed a 40+ yarder and came very close to missing another chip shot. The fact is, had he missed that last kick, he would have been cut before the team got on the return flight home. Had he made one of those earlier field goals, the 49ers wouldn't have even needed a game winning kick.
2) The 49ers need another clutch receiver.
Terrell Owens came through in the end, but the one glaring weakness of this team is not having a second go to receiver. It was something that should have been addressed this past off season in the draft or with one of the available free agents like Antonio Freeman.
Back in the glory years, the 49ers not only had Jerry Rice to throw to, but also John Taylor, Brent Jones, Tom Rathman, and Roger Craig. Any of those players could have had their number called on any given play as the primary receiver. Now, the fullback is primarily used as a blocker, the tight end is never the first option, running backs are almost always used for screens or short passes, and the second receiver (Stokes) seems to disappear for large parts of the game.
What the 49ers fail to realize is they need to spread the ball around. By utilizing other players as primary receivers, teams will no longer be able focus all their energies on defending Owens. This in turn will lead to Owens getting more opportunities at single coverage.
They would be a lot better off if they could find a new #2 wideout.
3)The defense showed a lot of improvement in the second half.
Jamie Winborn was particularly impressive with 17 tackels. If Winborn continues at that level, he'll be going to the Pro Bowl in February. Ulbrich may have a hard time getting his job back.
Even when the Giants offensive was going up and down the field in the first half, the defense got the big stops and turnovers when they needed them. The 49ers shut down the running game and did a much better job against the Giants receivers in the second half. I would probably attribute the last Giants score to the fatigue factor, as the 49ers offense wasn't giving the defense much help.
4) The 49ers will have to play a whole lot better if they want to be able to compete with the Rams, but I'm sure they'll take the W.
I'll try to post my NFL predictions tomorrow!
Junior Bro 10:20:00 PM
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