You Heard It Here First: The San Francisco 49ers Are For Real
By Chris Smith
With all the talk about what’s happening in the lead up to NFL free agency and the NFL Draft, let’s take a moment to look a little further ahead to the 2012 season in this week’s You Heard It Here First.
San Francisco will have more than 10 wins for the second season in a row
A lot of people are going to be asking the question, “can the 49ers repeat their 2011 success?” I am putting my flag in the ground right now and saying, yes, they can. They have a few pieces that they still need — a true #1 wide receiver being primary amongst those — but they have a lot of very good players already and have a system that works for them.
It begins with the defense. The strength here is the linebackers. Patrick Willis is arguably the best inside linebacker in the NFL today. Navarro Bowman and Aldon Smith also came up huge in 2011. On the defensive line, Ray McDonald is one of the best run stopping defensive ends in the NFL right now and Justin Smith on the other side almost gets forgotten, but he does a superb job as well.
There is a possibility they add to this by drafting a genuine nose tackle in either Dontari Poe or Alameda Ta’amu, which should only scare their opposition more.
Looking at the offense, it begins and ends with the running game. Frank Gore is about the most underrated running back in the NFL. He’s what I like to call “spectacularly unspectacular” meaning that he does an elite job, while never really looking like it. The future is bright here too as San Fran have lucked into their backup Kendall Hunter, who is showing all the signs of being another franchise running back for the team.
Then, there’s the passing game. Alex Smith has thrived under new Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and is finally showing the ability that made him a #1 over pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. He has a beast of a tight end in Vernon Davis — who still holds the record for the fastest 40 time by a tight end at the NFL Combine this century. All he needs is one more receiver. Kyle Williams is developing into a very good situational receiver, but Michael Crabtree hasn’t worked out as the burner the team needs and will have to be either replaced or demoted in favor of someone new.
Finally, the offensive line of this team is one of the best up-and-coming lines in the NFL. Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis have proven to be an instant success after both being picked in the first-round of the 2010 draft. Joe Staley is playing better now than at any point in his career and Jonathan Goodwin has filled probably the biggest need at center since being signed after the New Orleans Saints let him go.
The 49ers are set to get back to the glory days of Steve Young and Joe Montana. Will it happen? I think so. And when it does, just remember – you heard it here first.
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