During an already-famous rant, head coach Mike Singletary talked about needing men to play for him in order for his football team to succeed. Well, he may just have the men he was looking for as the San Francisco 49ers head into the 2010 season. It also helps that the Niners will be playing in an incredibly weak NFC West. Making the playoffs is a necessity for this team.
However, all those lofty expectations will not be fulfilled if quarterback Alex Smith doesn’t find the form that allowed him to the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Smith supporters will tell you that he’s never felt comfortable because of the revolving door of coaches that he’s been introduced to in his time with San Fran. That excuse goes away now with Singletary and the rest of the staff on for another year.
Smith supporters will also tell you that he’s never really had any superstar receivers to throw the ball to. That may be true, but he might have his best ever trio of receivers this season with Michael Crabtree, Ted Ginn (coming over from Miami) and Josh Morgan. There are question marks as to what these receivers can offer, but they’re all full of potential just like Smith. It also helps to have one of the best tight ends in the game in Vernon Davis.
The running game has always been there with Frank Gore, but because the Niners have never been able to establish a true passing game, defences have been able to stack up against the run and force Gore into tough running situations. If they could ever establish a pass attack, the offensive line for this team certainly has the ability to open up holes since they have talent across the entire line.
With all the positivity surrounding what could be, let’s not forget that this Niners team is coming off a season in which their offence was near the bottom five in a lot of major categories. They still have a lot of work ahead of them before they can be considered a dangerous team to play against.
Defensively, the Niners are stacked with talent across the board. Out of all the previews I’ve done so far, this is by far the best defensive group that I’ve seen. Led by Patrick Willis in the middle, the Niners don’t have too many holes that can be exploited by opposing offences. Teams that score points on San Fran will certainly have earned them.
Two players to watch out for in camp are Ted Ginn and Brian Westbrook. Ginn is looking for a fresh start after starting his career in Miami. He’s always had the potential for greatness, but can he find himself in San Fran and create a lethal 1-2 combination with Crabtree? Westbrook just wanted a chance to win the Super Bowl when he chose the Niners. We don’t know how much he has left in the tank, but with limited carries, can he find enough form to create a nice 1-2 with Gore to further enhance the running attack?
2010 Prediction: 11-5