San Francisco 49ers offence needs more work
Even though the San Francisco 49ers prevailed over the Minnesota Vikings, the win was far from satisfying. It could be considered an improvement for the 49ers but it just won’t be enough to get them places if their offense doesn’t pick up significantly.
To the credit of the 49ers they were up against one of the strongest defences in all of the NHL. The Vikings are no pushovers and this is the preseason so judgements about the 49ers based on Sunday’s game won’t necessarily hold into the regular season. But what we have seen so far out of the 49ers would leave fans uncomfortably concerned.
San Francisco’s starting quarterback, Alex Smith at least was content with how the offence fared and said that they went down the field ‘methodically.’ He said that the 49ers defences was not easy to deal with, “We just came out against the No. 1 rush defense in the NFL and marched it down the field.”
One thing that was indeed working well for the 49ers offence was rookie Anthony Dixon. The rookie made quite the impression against the Indianapolis Colts in their previous preseason game leading the rushing yards. This time again he lead the 49ers with 51 yards rushing and a touchdown. Dixon wasn’t just leading the 49ers, he was way ahead of the game. San Francisco’s running overall was just terrible. In 10 attempts in the first half the 49ers gained just 7 yards rushing.
Coach Mike Singletary said that the greatest disappointment for him in the game was the team’s failure to run the ball. He added that any team, including the 49ers would face serious problems with their offense if they can’t run the ball. Singletary called out Dixon and said that in his opinion Dixon performed well enough but still struggled. “I really think that has more to do with Minnesota's defensive line than his instinct.”
Dixon’s 51 yards came in 20 attempts against Minnesota. That comes out to just 2.55 yards per rush. “I learned you have to know how to take 3, 4 yards sometimes.” He said that he wanted to make big plays for the team and that distracted him from what he should have been doing. “I learned to listen today,” Dixon said adding that this preseason experience would aid him in the regular season.
What didn’t quite work for the 49ers was Nate Davis. Nate was 7 for 16 with 114 yards which included a 65 yard pass to Ted Ginn Jr. but his drives only culminated into field goals twice. No touchdowns for him and into the end of the game Davis had three-and-outs two times. Coach Mike Singletary was not at all pleased. Singletary said that in his opinion Davis was inconsistent.
Singletary’s criticism of Davis was hard and unforgiving bordering on being excessive. The coach commended Davis on his skills but said that he had a lot to learn. He said that Davis had yet to learn to play the position and learn to command the huddle. “I just think right now he's competing against himself,” Singletary said.
The strongest words of criticism were when the coach questioned Davis’s work ethics. He said that Davis was working hard to learn the plays. “But in the offseason, that's when you take the time to get that done. And I'm not sure how hard he worked this offseason to get that done.”
Davis retorted that he had in fact worked hard this summer but admitted that the coach’s comment meant that he should have worked even harder. “I feel OK with where I am,” Davis said. But Singletary does not. Many believe that Nate Davis is the future of the 49ers offense but not if this keeps up. Davis has to impress Singletary if he wants the top spot.
After the game the coach said that he had tried to explain to the team that they were up against the number one ranked team against the run over the past years. “I'm sure they'll take me at my word after playing this game.”
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