San Francisco 49ers Season Preview

(Courtesy of My Sportsbook) - Of the three new head coaches that will patrol NFL sidelines this fall, the 49ers' Mike Nolan is, by most accounts, in the least enviable position. Nolan inherits the worst team in the league, a 2-14 abomination a year ago, and will oversee a roster that is still mighty thin in the talent department. What's more, Nolan will work for an owner, John York, who is legendary for his ability to pinch pennies and create an overall negative feeling amongst those he employs. But here's where Nolan has it all over Cleveland's Romeo Crennel and Miami's Nick Saban: his team has a chance to compete for a division title sooner rather than later. Crennel and the Browns are part of a division with two of the AFC’s elite teams - Pittsburgh and Baltimore - as well as a Cincinnati club that most pundits feel could push for a playoff berth this season. If Cleveland wins a single game against that trio this season, Crennel will have done a terrific job.

Saban is in a similar situation. Behind the behemoth Patriots in the AFC East are the Jets, who come off a playoff berth and have grown stronger, and the Bills, who narrowly missed the postseason last year and will sport one of the toughest defenses in the league. Any room for marked growth for the Fins in that division? Not likely. Meanwhile, the 49ers play in the NFC West, where mediocrity rules and where 9-7 could have a team punching a postseason ticket. Even with its problems, is San Francisco going to be afraid of the literally defenseless Rams? How about the perpetually underachieving Seahawks? Has anyone ever feared the Cardinals, what with their one winning season in the past two decades? Ultimately, Niners fans want to see an on-field product that rivals the Joe Montana- and Steve Young-led editions of the team, back when Super Bowl titles were the only measure of success. The absence of that thinking is what got Steve Mariucci run out of the City by the Bay three years ago. But a franchise that has been mismanaged for the better part of a decade and has yet to bid adieu to salary cap hell will have to crawl before it can walk, and while few are expecting Nolan and company to deliver a championship in 2005, the current state of the NFC West at least allows for some hope of an imminent return to form. And when 2-14 is fresh in your mind, there is something to be said for hope. Below we take a capsule look at the 2005 edition of the San Francisco 49ers, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

RB: One of the biggest disappointments for the Niners last year was the play of running back Kevan Barlow (822 rushing yards, 7 TD), who took a step back after recording a 1,000-yard season in 2003. Nolan is hoping that Barlow can bounce back, and if not, third-round draft choice Frank Gore (Miami (FL)) could be the next man in. Gore struggled with injuries in three seasons with the Hurricanes, but averaged 5.7 yards per rush when he did play. Maurice Hicks (362 rushing yards, 2 TD, 16 receptions) started a couple of games in place of Barlow last year, and will be third on the depth chart in 2005 unless fellow incumbent Terry Jackson (101 rushing yards, 21 receptions) can unseat him. Veteran Fred Beasley (10 receptions) will begin his seventh season with the 49ers, and will be the team's starting fullback. If Jackson sticks with the team, he will serve as Beasley's backup.

WR/TE: Gone is Cedrick Wilson (47 receptions, 3 TD), who led Niners wideouts in catches and receiving yards (641) last year and signed a free agent deal with the Steelers in the offseason. Also departed is Curtis Conway (38 receptions, 3 TD), who was a major disappointment in his only season as a 49er. Expected to step up as the No. 1 receiver is Brandon Lloyd (43 receptions, 6 TD), who was inconsistent but led the team in touchdown catches. On the other side, the 49ers would like to see 2004 first-round draft choice Rashaun Woods (7 receptions, 1 TD) realize his promise, but Woods has been beset by injuries as a pro. Arnaz Battle (8 receptions), a college quarterback who worked primarily in the return game last season, could beat out Woods for a starting job. Veteran Johnnie Morton (55 receptions, 3 TD with the Chiefs) was signed as a free agent in the offseason, and will have to prove he can continue to produce at the age of 33. Fifth-round draft choice Rasheed Marshall (West Virginia), seventh-round pick Marcus Maxwell (Oregon) and undrafted free agent Fred Amey (Sacramento State) were in the hunt for the final receiving job in training camp. At tight end, the team needs Eric Johnson (82 receptions, 2 TD) to shake off a foot injury that plagued him in the preseason and be a presence over the middle. Holdovers Aaron Walker (10 receptions) and Steve Bush (2 receptions, 1 TD) will back Johnson if they can beat out seventh-round draft choice Billy Bajema (Oklahoma State).

OL: The San Francisco line struggled mightily in 2004, prompting the club to excise three starters - center Brock Gutierrez, left tackle Kyle Kosier and right tackle Scott Gragg - from a year ago. Back to man the middle will be Jeremy Newberry, a two-time Pro Bowler who missed all of 2004 with a knee injury. At left tackle, the team gave big free agent money to former Bill Jonas Jennings, and the 325-pounder will protect Rattay's blind side. Slated to replace Gragg on the right side is Kwame Harris, who started seven games last season. The guard slots could be occupied by a pair of rookies in David Baas (2nd Round, Michigan) and Adam Snyder (3rd Round, Oregon), though Baas was bothered by a torn hamstring in training camp. If he can't return, Eric Heitmann, a 16-game starter at left guard last season, could fill in. Heitmann and guard Justin Smiley, a second-round draft choice out of Alabama last year, are likely to serve as backups. The Niners moved tight end and seventh-round draft choice Patrick Estes (Virginia) to tackle in training camp, and Estes looks like practice squad material.

DL: The 49ers will shift from a 4-3 to the Nolan-favored 3-4, a smart move for a team that has more talent at linebacker than on the line. Marques Douglas (72 tackles, 5.5 sacks with the Ravens) was a two-year starter under Nolan in Baltimore, and will man one end slot. Veteran Bryant Young (46 tackles, 3 sacks) will have to make the shift from 4-3 tackle to 3-4 end, and fellow holdover Anthony Adams (47 tackles) will be counted on to provide a presence in the middle. The top reserve on the line will be Tony Brown (22 tackles, 1 sack), a part-time starter a year ago. Fifth-round draft choice Ronald Fields (Mississippi State) and 2004 fourth-round choice Isaac Sopoaga will provide additional depth.

LB: If San Francisco's linebacking corps can adjust to the 3-4 scheme and stay healthy, it figures to be the strength of the defense. On the outside, Julian Peterson (27 tackles, 2.5 sacks) is a two-time Pro Bowler who missed the final 11 games last season with a ruptured Achilles, and Jamie Winborn (61 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 INT), who took his place, should start on the opposite side. Inside linebackers Derek Smith (110 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and Jeff Ulbrich (92 tackles, 1 tackles, 1 sack) were 1-2 on the team in tackles last season, and will be depended upon for their run-stopping abilities. Backups on the outside should include converted end Andre Carter (10 tackles, 2 sacks) and practice squad holdover Max Yates. Brandon Moore (27 tackles, 1 sack) and Saleem Rasheed (25 tackles), both of whom have starting experience, will play backup roles on the inside and contribute on special teams.

DB: Nolan and defensive coordinator Billy Davis are taking a chance here, moving disappointing cornerback Mike Rumph (5 tackles) to the all-important free safety slot, where he has no experience. Rumph missed the final 14 games of last season with a broken forearm. Elsewhere, there are few changes, as Shawntae Spencer (70 tackles) and Ahmed Plummer (22 tackles) were starters at cornerback last season, though Plummer missed the final 10 games with a neck injury. Rounding out the secondary is strong safety Tony Parrish (87 tackles), who hasn't missed a start in seven years as a pro. Backing Spencer and Plummer will likely be Rayshun Reed (6 tackles), who started one game last season, and former Bronco Willie Middlebrooks (20 tackles, 1 sack). Holdovers Dwaine Carpenter (54 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack) and Keith Lewis (10 tackles) should stick around as backup safeties. Draft choices Derrick Johnson (6th Round, Washington) and Daven Holly (7th Round, Cincinnati) are practice squad candidates.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The Niners are gambling with Joe Nedney in the kicking game, as Nedney has appeared in just one game over the past two seasons due to knee injuries. Punter Andy Lee (41.6 avg.) was adequate as a rookie, and will keep his job. San Francisco is unlikely to make any changes in the return game, with Maurice Hicks (20.1 avg.) back to handle kickoffs and Arnaz Battle (8.6 avg., 1 TD) on punts.

PROGNOSIS: The 49ers don't have much of a shot to reach the playoffs in their first year under Nolan, but they will be far from the embarrassment they were a year ago. The team has done a nice job re-tooling both the offensive line and defensive front seven, and the Niners are healthier in both of those all- important areas as well. The problems are at the skill positions. Rattay is a caretaker for Smith, and could have trouble being effective while looking over his shoulder. Barlow is something less than a first-rate running back, and there is nothing resembling a No. 1 receiver. Look for San Francisco to play good defense, keep most of its games close, and win a few it shouldn't. But also expect inconsistency from a team that will take a while to find itself under a new head coach.