By: Nick Newton
Seein’ Red
08/27/06

I’m not one to panic at anything that happens in pre-season, but by the time January rolls around, this pre-season will have seemed like a Super Bowl season. That is to say, if what I’m seeing continues on into week one. Besides having an offense that takes longer to start up than .com’s homepage, our Niners have a defense that seems worse than last year. Hell, they seem worse than Dennis Ericksons defense.

Now before I break this down on you, I need to get some things nailed into your little pea brains. Number one, I live on the Eastern side of the U.S. so I have to avoid the score all day and stay up to catch it delayed on NFL Network at twelve A.M. (Who, much to the contribution of my suicidal tendencies, still sometimes run the final scores on a ticker below the screen in the first quarter.) Number two, normally I have to watch the opposing teams home network broadcast the game. So I inevitably have to mute it to avoid hearing the sloshy slurping sounds coming from the booth. Number three, in order to watch ANY of my beloved Niner games, I have to purchase Sunday Ticket. And in order to get the Sunday Ticket, I have to purchase Direct TV satellite, which last night went out with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. So much of this article is coming to you via frustration. But so much more than frustration it comes to you in truth. Even if you don’t want to hear it.

Third down defense- This is the part that really reminds me of Ericksons defense. The D will hold some of the most prolific offenses to third down, sometimes third and very long as they did last night, and then blow coverage on a forty yard play. Nothing wears down a defense more than being on the field for three downs at a time in between touchdowns.

Poor tackling- If theres something I hate more than bad third down defense, it’s poor tackling. It seems like every play there are three or four broken tackles or one or two guys just diving near the ball carrier. You’d think with such defensive minded gurus on the team like Nolan and Singletary, these professional athletes would have better tackling skills by now. Hell, even when they did manage to wrap up a defender, they appeared weak and unable to bring them to the ground (ahem, Parrish). It seemed like every time one of the cornerbacks or safeties would get their arms around a receiver, (which was normally 15 or 20 yards down the field), the receiver would run right through said defender, leaving just a set of gold legs kicking wildly in the air. (I didn’t mention the linebackers in that group, because our linebackers prefer diving into the ball carrier to tackling him.)

Coverage- If you can call it that. Huge huge cushions. Another reminder of the Erickson days. The cornerbacks and such are playing lightyears off of the receivers, which I think is intentional because of our green factor at defensive back. Over the top help from the safeties looked as confused and disoriented as the cornerbacks who were supposed to be covering. In a nutshell, Bledsoe, a rather mediocre quarterback, used a receiving group devoid of their first string player, Terrell Owens, to pick apart our alleged secondary.

Alignment- Sucks. Pick up or trade for some linebackers and go back to the 3-4.

Pass rush- Non existant. Beldsoe the statue had all day to throw to whoever he wanted. Hell, if he had wanted, Bledsoe could’ve snapped the ball, waited for T.O’s hammy to heal, have him suit up, stretch, have a gatorade, attend to Derrick Smith’s heat exhaustion, and still have enough pocket to throw a touchdown to Owens.

Run Defense- Come on. At the end of both halves when the Cowboys were trying to run out the clock, our run defense was giving up huge chunks of yardage. So much, in fact, that a simple attempt to kill the clock, turned into a chance for the cowboys to add points before the half, which they did. At the end of the game, Dallas again was able to keep the ball series after series simply by routine runs and short checkdowns. If it’s fourth quarter, first and ten, and they’re getting that natural ass, you know it’s gonna be a run. PLUG THE HOLES!

Okay, so it may not be time to break out the vanilla ice cream on Nolan and company just yet. It is still pre-season. But with everything that Niner fans have been through the past five or six years, it is quite alarming to observe a backslide, even if it is preseason. Already some fans are crying to “give Nolan time to upgrade the defense”. And there’s nothing to kill your enthusiasm for a new season like hearing “next year” for the fifth straight year.

Before I close this article out, I want to leave you with a thought that occurs to me quietly on rainy autumn sundays most often. Something that will keep you warm on those long, lonely, crying nights that very well may accompany this season: What if we dont get the offense and defense on the same page at the same time? What if we end up like the Cardinals? With a good defense, or a good offense, and never both? Think about that the next time you open your mouth to say “next season”.

Other Notes, Highlights, and Takes: Tom Rouen turned heads with a damn decent performance in the second half and may have moved afront Andy Lee in the position battle for punter. Special teams in general is a bright spot so far this year. The offense, while slow to start, looks like it may not be as big a disappointment as last year. Alex still looked poised, eventhough he made a few bad decisions, and looks to be developing nicely. Vernon Davis and Alex Smith hooked up for Vernons first NFL touchdown. Jeff Ulbrich had a few good tackles and seems to have come back 100% from his injury. Quarterback S. Hill looks solid as a potential backup. Robinson seems to have out played Maurice Hicks again and looks like a better option at backup RB.