Letters to the Editor
-
Niners O-line woes
The problem with the Niners' offense isn't Alex Smith (who's doing just fine, considering the circumstances) or Frank Gore, or even the mediocre collection of pass receivers.
Their offensive line, which was strength of the team last year, has suddenly gotten old. Larry Allen has at last become "football old," and Jonas Jennings isn't matching past performances either except for his ability to sustain injuries. Center Eric Heitmann hasn't recovered his quickness from his broken leg up in Seattle last year. In short, half of the offensive line isn't doing the job. On the other side they have a new stud tackle in Joe Staley, but he is a rookie.
When there is no push off the line and no holes created, Frank Gore, who hardly needs a step beyond before he's getting big gains, is negated. When the run game is shot Smith has almost no time to throw. Additionally, his receiving corps has only one real speedster, Lelie, whose bad mojo at Denver and Atlanta has apparently followed him here to the bench. The rest get little separation and have no time to run their routes before there's a fire drill behind the line.
Even Hostler's playcalling hasn't been terrible, or wouldn't be if the O line did its job. Either Allen et al will wake up, there'll be some substitutions, the Niners will begin to use a lot more trickery, or they're going to face a season with a great young defense and no offense.