49ers Today
So after several weeks of inspired play the 49ers are back to being blown out today in New Orleans. At the moment, the score is 31-10 Saints with eleven minutes to play. Given the less-than-explosive nature of the Niner offense, it's safe to say they'll drop to 5-7 after today's game.
Alex Smith is not a good NFL quarterback. Whether he'll ever be is debatable, but at the moment he simply isn't very good. He exercises poor judgment. He holds onto the ball too long. He telegraphs passes. His deep balls lack precision and are rarely completed. As good as Frank Gore may be, the Niners need a good passing attack to keep defenses off-balance. They don't have one yet.
Plus, Mike Nolan isn't a great coach. He appears to have the respect of the players, who play hard for him. This is more than can be said about his predecessor, Dennis Erickson. However, how many times do the 49ers have to call timeout because they don't have the right guys on the field? How many times do they call timeout because they can't start the play on time? This happens way too much.
If Norv Turner is calling the plays, why is he so willing to concede a punt? It seems like nearly every third down passing play the 49ers run is designed to fall two or three yards short, and of course Nolan elects to punt every time. That the 49ers went three-and-out seven times today shows that they're just not very good at executing basic third-down plays
Now the tired defense is unable to stop the Saints (admittedly impressive) two-tiered running attack, led by the bruising Deuce McCallister and the silky Reggie Bush. At least the clock will probably run down before the Saints can be the latest team to hang 40 points on the Niners.
Back to the drawing board.
