Marc Hudgens, Real Football 365
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has to be pleased with his defense today. After all, the unit didn't allow a touchdown in the 49ers' 9-7 loss to Baltimore on Sunday. Manusky's offensive counterpart, coordinator Jim Hostler, must feel the opposite of Manusky today. Offensively, adjectives to describe the group's performance throughout the season and yesterday include anemic and inept.
It was the shot in the arm that Dilfer and the rest of the offense needed. Unfortunately, however, the antidote quickly wore off, and the offense returned to its three-and-out ways. That was basically when the game ended. The defense, on the other hand, looked solid in spite of the absence of Manny Lawson and the hand injury to Walt Harris late in the third. Every Niner on that side of the ball got in on the action and made at least one tackle. Standout rookie linebacker Patrick Willis and veteran LB Derek Smith were outstanding, each racking up 12 tackles. Ultimately, the 'D' held the Ravens to only 5.0 yards per pass and about 3.0 yards runs, also allowing only seven third-down conversions on 19 attempts.
Coach Mike Nolan was adamant about not placing any blame on the offensive line. That's hard not to do, though. How else do you explain only 49 rushing yards, three sacks and pressure all day on quarterback Trent Dilfer? Granted, the offense did appear to have lived up to expectations ... for a drive. Late in the third quarter, the 'O' looked as if it was hitting on all cylinders, as Dilfer threw two consecutive deep passes, the second one being a 23-yard
touchdown pass to wideout Arnaz Battle. Dilfer was fired up after his success, and the crowd was on its feet.
It was the shot in the arm that Dilfer and the rest of the offense needed. Unfortunately, however, the antidote quickly wore off, and the offense returned to its three-and-out ways. That was basically when the game ended. The defense, on the other hand, looked solid in spite of the absence of Manny Lawson and the hand injury to Walt Harris late in the third. Every Niner on that side of the ball got in on the action and made at least one tackle. Standout rookie linebacker Patrick Willis and veteran LB Derek Smith were outstanding, each racking up 12 tackles. Ultimately, the 'D' held the Ravens to only 5.0 yards per pass and about 3.0 yards runs, also allowing only seven third-down conversions on 19 attempts.Despite how well the 49ers' defense has played this year, the sad reality is that the team's offense is awful. At 2-3, San Francisco has to right its ship immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment