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49ers: Dream/nightmare scenario
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pause8cafe
May 26, 2012, 7:44:14 PM5/26/12
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Friday, May 25, 2012
By Mike Sando
Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never
too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and
worst-case scenarios for the 49ers in 2012:
Dream scenario (14-2): The 49ers pick up where they left off last
season. They continue to force turnovers and protect the football
while dictating field position with their dominant special teams. This
time, however, the offense has more firepower.
Receiver Michael Crabtree backs up coach Jim Harbaugh's comments
suggesting Crabtree has all-time-great hands. A rejuvenated Randy Moss
strikes fear into secondaries. Quarterback Alex Smith, armed with
sufficient weapons, strikes for explosive plays more frequently. The
offensive line, stabilized by Alex Boone's emergence as a top young
guard, sustains drives on third downs and finishes them in the red
zone.
Rookie receiver A.J. Jenkins hits stride in December as the 49ers
clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs heading into
Week 17. Colin Kaepernick throws for 350 yards and four touchdowns in
the regular-season finale as San Francisco eliminates division-rival
Arizona from playoff contention. Sufficiently rested, the 49ers score
a dominating victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots,
delivering San Francisco its first Super Bowl title since the 1994
season.
Nightmare scenario (6-10): The odds catch up to Smith when the Detroit
Lions' Ndamukong Suh delivers a controversial hit at the knees in Week
2. Kaepernick isn't ready, Moss loses interest and the offense can't
score enough points. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning has the Denver Broncos
looking like contenders.
The 49ers realize they were fortunate to have Smith start 18 games the
previous season despite taking 51 sacks. They realize how risky it was
going into the season without a proven right guard. How hard would it
have been to pay one of the veteran options the team considered in
free agency? That's a question reporters keep asking, even though none
of them said much before the season. The question stings now that
Smith is done for the season and Kaepernick is running for his life.
Tough defense and special teams keep the 49ers reasonably competitive.
The coaching staff does its best to stabilize the situation. The 49ers
compete and steal victories from other teams with quarterback issues.
In the end, however, they become the latest team to suffer a hard fall
after posting a glittering record the previous season. Rock bottom
arrives when Sando notes, again, that the 13 teams finishing 13-3 from
2004 to 2010 averaged 8.3 victories the following season.
By Mike Sando
Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never
too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and
worst-case scenarios for the 49ers in 2012:
Dream scenario (14-2): The 49ers pick up where they left off last
season. They continue to force turnovers and protect the football
while dictating field position with their dominant special teams. This
time, however, the offense has more firepower.
Receiver Michael Crabtree backs up coach Jim Harbaugh's comments
suggesting Crabtree has all-time-great hands. A rejuvenated Randy Moss
strikes fear into secondaries. Quarterback Alex Smith, armed with
sufficient weapons, strikes for explosive plays more frequently. The
offensive line, stabilized by Alex Boone's emergence as a top young
guard, sustains drives on third downs and finishes them in the red
zone.
Rookie receiver A.J. Jenkins hits stride in December as the 49ers
clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs heading into
Week 17. Colin Kaepernick throws for 350 yards and four touchdowns in
the regular-season finale as San Francisco eliminates division-rival
Arizona from playoff contention. Sufficiently rested, the 49ers score
a dominating victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots,
delivering San Francisco its first Super Bowl title since the 1994
season.
Nightmare scenario (6-10): The odds catch up to Smith when the Detroit
Lions' Ndamukong Suh delivers a controversial hit at the knees in Week
2. Kaepernick isn't ready, Moss loses interest and the offense can't
score enough points. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning has the Denver Broncos
looking like contenders.
The 49ers realize they were fortunate to have Smith start 18 games the
previous season despite taking 51 sacks. They realize how risky it was
going into the season without a proven right guard. How hard would it
have been to pay one of the veteran options the team considered in
free agency? That's a question reporters keep asking, even though none
of them said much before the season. The question stings now that
Smith is done for the season and Kaepernick is running for his life.
Tough defense and special teams keep the 49ers reasonably competitive.
The coaching staff does its best to stabilize the situation. The 49ers
compete and steal victories from other teams with quarterback issues.
In the end, however, they become the latest team to suffer a hard fall
after posting a glittering record the previous season. Rock bottom
arrives when Sando notes, again, that the 13 teams finishing 13-3 from
2004 to 2010 averaged 8.3 victories the following season.
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