I'm happy with the OL

[Flyingiguana]

Six sacks

Because Alex can't get rid of the ball & has a slow release (except for the one Ware came on the blind side).

and 2 yards pc running and the O-Line makes you happy.

Yes. If the Niners had a passing game the running game would be fine. Which player do you want the Niners to replace on the OL?

Alex has a 90 qb rating and he is the reason we lost? Please, take your meds and quit posting.

A 90 passer rating is average so far this year. I never said anything bad about his play last week; but this week he had a chance to win the game and he blew it. There's a reason the Niners don't pass very much; Alex isn't very good at it.

he has defenders in his face before any wind up. early in the game they were moving smith around and it was working well. then they got away from it and the line couldn't hold up.

hopefully the coaching staff can come up with a way to minimize the weak line in both passing and rushing the ball.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Ok for those who think the OL was the problem who needs to be replaced? Who blew it? Name names & plays.

For some reason I can't get video of individual plays on NFL.com (any suggestions re: the video links within the play-by-play?), and I didn't get to watch this game nearly as closely as I wanted. However, from what I did see, defensive players were living in the backfield. Vernon was destroyed on a designed screen that led to a sack, though two defenders met at Smith. It looked like either A. Davis or Rachal was to blame for the second guy. I know I saw another sack in which Smith just didn't have a chance, but I don't recall it well enough to say who was to blame. And Gore almost never had room to run.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Posted this in Sick's other thread, but it's probably more relevant here:

Ok, this is for Sick who was asking about specific examples of problems with the OL:

1st and 10 at the start of the 2nd:

NFL Videos: Cowboys defense, sack, 9-yd loss

This is the busted screen. Three guys come through and hit Smith before he's even finished dropping back. Hard to believe Smith didn't fumble. V. Davis and Goodwin blew their blocks.

2nd and 10 in the 2nd:

NFL Videos: Cowboys defense, sack, 9-yd loss

Blitz, Staley goes outside to take Ware. Hatcher comes untouched and basically hits Smith as he hits his back foot on the dropback.

3rd and 8 in the early 3rd quarter:

NFL Videos: Cowboys defense, sack, 6-yd loss

Strange formation; unclear who is to blame and perhaps Smith should have called TO. Smith drops back, blitz off the back side which Gore picks up; Ware just blows by Staley with an inside swim move. Smith sidesteps him, but is hit immediately by Hatcher who got around Iupati to the outside.

2nd and 8 in the late-4th:

NFL Videos: Cowboys defense, sack, 8-yd loss

Play action, Ware comes off the right side completely untouched. Looks like one of the RBs should have picked him up. No chance to throw.

1st and 10 in late-3rd quarter:

NFL Videos: Cowboys defense, sack, 7-yd loss

Smith drops back and hesitates. Ware gets around Staley for the sack. Smith could have gotten this ball off or possibly stepped to his left.

I can't find the sixth sack here. That's the OT one. However, of these five, I would say the blocking (not just the OL) failed completely on four of them. On three, Smith was hit literally as or before he planted. On a fourth, Ware beat Staley as cleanly with a swim move as I have ever seen, though Smith initially avoided the pressure. Now, maybe Smith should be recognizing the blitzes and audibling out of the called plays. But even when the other team blitzes, we've got to give our QB time to at least hit his backfoot on the called pass. That's just inexcusable. All too often it seems that if Smith doesn't throw as soon as he hits his back foot, the pocket just collapses.

I've seen a fair bit of the Pats' first two games, and Brady just sits in the pocket. He could knit a sweater back there, despite a rookie RT and facing some blue-chip pass rushers like Shaun Philips and Cameron Wake. Now, neither of those guys is Ware. Not by a long shot. But we've got to be able to give our QB - whoever it is, but especially if it's Smith - more time to throw.

 

[clyde_carbon]

he has defenders in his face before any wind up. early in the game they were moving smith around and it was working well. then they got away from it and the line couldn't hold up.

hopefully the coaching staff can come up with a way to minimize the weak line in both passing and rushing the ball.

The Cowboys have Jay Ratliff, one of the best penetrating and pocket collapsing NTs in the league, the best pure pass-rusher in the league in DeMarcus Ware, and another OLB that gets a lot of QB hits/hurries in Anthony Spencer. No matter what line we have, the Coweboys will get some pressure at one point or the other. When do we start asking Smith to step up, side-step, or maneuver in the pocket? Or is that too much to ask?

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Apparently those links didn't post. You can track them down in Sick's two reasons thread.

Clyde, what pocket? On four of the five sacks above, there was no pocket. On the sixth, Smith might have been able to sidestep, but he couldn't see Ware coming from his backside.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Apparently those links didn't post. You can track them down in Sick's two reasons thread.

Clyde, what pocket? On four of the five sacks above, there was no pocket. On the sixth, Smith might have been able to sidestep, but he couldn't see Ware coming from his backside.

Then for fuck's sake use a hot read. Rob Ryan's defense is known for blitzing, so I have a hard time believing Roman and Harbaugh didn't implement hot reads for Smith in the gameplan. I'm not taking these excuses anymore. Smith needs to recognize the blitz and the hot read, period. Teams with elite pass-rushers like the Cowboys will get pressure on ANY OL, and you have to realize Smith isn't gonna get a clean pocket every time.

We have invested too much money and too many high picks for our OL to look this bad. At some point we need to start looking at the QB. But I realize that might be difficult for you Crimson.

 

[ViperVisor]

The Cowboys had 1 less sack than us last year.

They had 4 sacks and 6 QB hits the week before, yesterday on 20 less passing plays they got 6 sacks and 9 hits.

Nobody is asking for a "clean pocket every time". We would be happy with an improvement to average after years of less than that.

 

[imac_21]

Then for fuck's sake use a hot read. Rob Ryan's defense is known for blitzing, so I have a hard time believing Roman and Harbaugh didn't implement hot reads for Smith in the gameplan. I'm not taking these excuses anymore. Smith needs to recognize the blitz and the hot read, period. Teams with elite pass-rushers like the Cowboys will get pressure on ANY OL, and you have to realize Smith isn't gonna get a clean pocket every time.

We have invested too much money and too many high picks for our OL to look this bad. At some point we need to start looking at the QB. But I realize that might be difficult for you Crimson.

Haven't we invested more time, money and a higher pick into our QB? The OL is bad clyde. Staley got worked yesterday.

I understand you have decided that everything that goes wrong can be directly attributed to Smith, but the OL is not good. To a man they got punked yesterday. Look at Hatcher's second sack. He's one on one with Staley and Staley might get 2 fingers on him. Maybe. You want Smith to check to his hot read when a 3-4 DE undresses his LT? Can't he trust Staley to at least cause Hatcher to break stride?

Staley was directly responsible for 2 sacks yesterday. Smith is never going to be a good QB, but to use his inadequacies as excuses for the poor play of others is ridiculous.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

I'd shop Staley at this point. There shouldn't be much of a drop-off if any at all with whomever we plug in at his spot. Time to get something before his value is nill. Still wishing we had picked up McKinnie on the cheap.

 

[threelittleturds]

Haven't we invested more time, money and a higher pick into our QB? The OL is bad clyde. Staley got worked yesterday.

I understand you have decided that everything that goes wrong can be directly attributed to Smith, but the OL is not good. To a man they got punked yesterday. Look at Hatcher's second sack. He's one on one with Staley and Staley might get 2 fingers on him. Maybe. You want Smith to check to his hot read when a 3-4 DE undresses his LT? Can't he trust Staley to at least cause Hatcher to break stride?

Staley was directly responsible for 2 sacks yesterday. Smith is never going to be a good QB, but to use his inadequacies as excuses for the poor play of others is ridiculous.

Agreed, very well said.

 

[NinerSickness]

I'll admit I didn't see the Hatcher sack to which you guys are referring. If he beat Staley for a sack that's a pretty big deal; I can forgive Demarcus Ware beating you around the edge one time... Overall I thought the individual OL play from Staley & Davis were good considering whom they were blocking; but like I said I must've missed that play.

And I've been the biggest Staley critic around for years. And I abhored the Anthony Davis pick. I'll have to watch the game again more closely. I'll admit I was wrong if I see something I missed the first time...

 

[deep9er]

I'd shop Staley at this point. There shouldn't be much of a drop-off if any at all with whomever we plug in at his spot. Time to get something before his value is nill. Still wishing we had picked up McKinnie on the cheap.

don't think we can shop him even if want to? think he has 3 years left on his contract so would another team take it on knowing he gives up sacks? we can still use Staley even if back at RT.

agree if this keeps up, then we'd have no choice but to try something anyway? try Boone or Davis and see if they have potential? early on they'll give up sacks too, but at least they'd be looking ahead to future years.

 

[Flyingiguana]

Then for fuck's sake use a hot read. Rob Ryan's defense is known for blitzing, so I have a hard time believing Roman and Harbaugh didn't implement hot reads for Smith in the gameplan. I'm not taking these excuses anymore. Smith needs to recognize the blitz and the hot read, period. Teams with elite pass-rushers like the Cowboys will get pressure on ANY OL, and you have to realize Smith isn't gonna get a clean pocket every time.

We have invested too much money and too many high picks for our OL to look this bad. At some point we need to start looking at the QB. But I realize that might be difficult for you Crimson.

o u mean vernon davis with his head not lookin at smith? by the time he turned smith was on the ground.