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49ers hit snooze button in loss to Green Bay
By Morris Phillips November 22, 2009 |
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Like arriving at the hotel without baggage misplaced on an airline flight, the 49ers lined up for the opening kickoff at Lambeau Field without their game faces. When their game faces finally did arrive, the Packers had the jump, leading 23-3 midway through the third quarter. A late 49ers’ flurry could only bring them respectability in a 30-24 loss that drops San Francisco to 4-6 on the season. “In order to play 49ers football, you have to play 60 minutes,” coach Mike Singletary said. “You have to start fast, whether you on the road or you’re at home, it doesn’t matter.” “We have to come out and be ready to go from the start.” How slow was the 49ers start? Painfully slow. On offense, Alex Smith didn’t complete his first pass until midway through the second quarter. And it wasn’t a significant development when it did happen. Smith’s six-yard completion to Michael Crabtree came on 3rd and 19, and preceeded Andy Lee’s third of four punts in the opening half. When the half ended, and four sacks and a completion for a loss to Frank Gore had been figured in, the 49ers totaled minus seven yards passing for the half. On defense, the 49ers didn’t record a sack until Parys Haralson corralled Aaron Rodgers on the first play of the fourth quarter. By then the Packers had racked up 22 of their 26 first downs on the day. With the 49ers offense sputtering, and their defense unable to get stops, the Packers enjoyed nearly 42 minutes of ball possession on the day. What about the 49ers run game? You know, hit ‘em in the mouth. Well, Gore had just seven carries on the day, and a 42-yard gain in the first quarter to set up a field goal was the only one of the seven that had any impact. With only 10 rush attempts on the day, the 49ers may have to change their ad campaign or face charges of false advertising. To be fair, the 49ers continue to struggle with injuries and ineffective play on the offensive line. And in Smith’s eyes, it must feel like cruel punishment as poor offensive line play in 2007 was a major reason why Smith’s play was so tepid then and how he eventually suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. But the numbers say Smith is 1-9 in his last 10 starts in 2007 and 2009, and even with him showing signs of progress, fans have to be wondering how long the growth process will take. One thing’s for sure: Smith has to improve his ability to recognize defenses. Like Tennessee, the Packers love to give quarterbacks different defensive looks before the snap of the ball. And once again, Smith struggled to read, react and fire, a major reason why the passing attack took the first half off. On Smith’s interception in the fourth quarter, he hurried his throw under pressure and threw so far off target it was difficult to determine who he was throwing to. It didn’t seem significant at the time with the 49ers down 23-10, but that pick might have been the difference in the game. On defense, the lack of a pass rush and the inability to make plays on third down became a chronic problem on Sunday. From Tarell Brown, who really struggled, to Patrick Willis, the 49ers just couldn’t cover receivers, who often made took short passes and then broke free for additional yardage after the catch. Once again, whatever merits the 49ers secondary deserve, they just aren’t fast enough, and teams are exploiting that lack of speed on a weekly basis. For Rodgers, the 49ers were a welcome sight, allowing him to have a big game, when for most of the year, he has suffered to avoid sacks behind a subpar offensive line. But not on Sunday, when he completed 32 of 45 for 344 yards. Rodgers’ pass to Greg Jennings in the second quarter was classic catch and run football with 49ers falling over themselves in the wake of the 64-yard touchdown play that put the Pack up 13-3. Next week, the 49ers begin a series of favorable opponents with Jacksonville (6-4) coming to Candlestick. Based on the merits of the remaining opponents, the 49ers could make a run, but they’ll have to play much better, preferably from the onset of games. |
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