San Francisco 49ers: 5 Elite Tandems to Look out for in 2012

It's still early as NFL teams are preparing for the 2012 regular season, and the San Francisco 49ers are immersed in OTA's. As a top-5 team in the league, the Niners' roster is loaded with talent and there are few holes, if any. And with such talent and depth, elite tandems are emerging in the Bay Area—some looking to improve on their 2011 campaign and others looking to breakout for the first time together.

On both offense and defense, stars will be aligned in San Francisco come the 2012 regular season in September.

In the following slides, we will breakdown some emerging tandems that will be strengths for the 49ers this league year.

After breaking down some potentially hazardous tandems in the NFC West that could threaten the Niners, it only seemed logical to provide a counterpoint to that argument. Follow me through this piece for in-depth analysis about some of the best tandems in the NFL that happen to be on the 49ers roster. 

1. Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman

As a tandem, there's none better at any position in the entire league than this one.

Made up of two All-Pros, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman are carbon copies of one another playing the inside linebacker position in San Francisco.

Blessed with incredible instincts and awareness, Willis and Bowman are constantly around the football.

Both players were in the top of the league in tackles—Willis has led the entire NFL in tackles a few times already in his career.

Willis was already insanely difficult to run against but now with Bowman, it wouldn't be ludicrous for them to build on their record-setting numbers from 2011.

For 15 games straight, they didn't allow a 100-yard rusher or a rushing touchdown—both league records. With these two learning together and growing together, this defense could be even more force against the run in 2012.

They are also both extremely athletic and fast considering their position on the field.

They can contain dynamic players like Michael Vick and Cam Newton, overpower big backs like Brandon Jacobs and LaGarrette Blount or run down speedsters like LeSean McCoy and Ahmad Bradshaw. Willis and Bowman are the ultimate football players playing the linebacker position.

If they stay together, these two will be the best in the league for years to come.

2. Randy Moss and Michael Crabtree

In order to have a successful receiving tandem, it's always been important for wideouts to complement each other. It's not just about having two identical talented pass catchers and plugging them in—there needs to be balance, versatility and options.

While Randy Moss and Michael Crabtree are both talented receivers, physically, they are almost polar opposites.

Some of the early predictions have Moss slated as the split end No. 1 receiver, with Crabtree to the left of the line as the flanker. According to their abilities and what they bring to the table, this is the ideal situation.

With this tandem, the 49ers will have explosive down field ability, opening soft spots underneath for Crabtree to fill in and be a chain-mover. 

During a game, if Crabtree gets two or three short to intermediate catches in a row, it will only be a matter of time before San Francisco takes advantage and hits something down field to Moss. 

These two receivers may have the optimum skill set for what they will be asked to do for the 49ers in 2012. Crabtree will be able to flourish with Moss' presence, and the environment the future Hall of Famer is coming into will allow him to do what he does best.

Even if it only is for one year, this could be a very balanced and productive tandem.

3. Andy Lee and the Tony Montana Squad

Even though the offense and defense are taking steps forward this offseason, Jim Harbaugh's approach to the game will not change—he will still value special teams and take advantage of field position.

Harbaugh even proved it by re-signing All-Pro punter Andy Lee to a six-year, $20 million contract that will keep Lee in the Bay Area till 2018.

In 2011, Lee led the league with a net average of 44.6 yards per punt, breaking Oakland Raiders punter Shane Lechler's NFL single-season record set in 2009 of 43.9 yards. And similar to how Harbaugh and company put weapons around Alex Smith, they built a strong unit around Lee.

Enter the Tony Montana Squad.

This is an elite special teams unit with multiple gunners that get down field in a hurry.

Even though Blake Costanzo moved on to Chicago, the unit will still feature C.J. Spillman, Colin Jones, Rock Cartwright, Tavares Gooden and Anthony Dixon.

Delanie Walker, Brett Swain and DeMarcus Dobbs even get in on the action as well. This group has the aura of a family but the mentality of pack of wild dogs; it's a tight group that plays extremely well together.

Lee and the T.M.S. together, is a tandem that plays the field position aspect better than any team in the league right now. The 49ers are very lucky to have them as contributors in that all important third phase of the game.

It's going to be exciting to watch their growth together in 2012.

4. Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks

Another new and developing tandem this year will be with the two outside linebackers, Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks.

Now, of course, both players were on the team in 2011; however, Parys Haralson got the start over the rookie.

Entering his second year in the league, Smith is expected to take over at the right outside linebacker position.

A lot of fans are curious as to what this defense is going to look like with Aldon Smith as a full-time player.

In his rookie campaign in a shortened league year, and switching positions, Smith tallied a whopping fourteen sacks. Brooks as a starter only had seven, but mind you it was in fact his first season as a starter in San Francisco.

But together, Smith and Brooks accounted for 21 of the teams 42 sacks in 2012—that's half between two players.

What's enthralling about that is that's where the sacks are supposed to come from in this defense. In the 49ers' 3-4 scheme, Smith and Brooks are the ones who are expected to get pressure and be in the backfield pretty consistently.

This tandem of OLBs could become a nightmare for offenses in the league for the next few years. While they will develop into complete players at the outside linebacker position, their best attribute will be causing disruption in opposing backfields.

Smith and Brooks play a fierce brand of football. They are both physically gifted and technically sound.

The future looks bright for these two.

5. Alex Smith and Jim Harbaugh

This is blossoming into one of the better quarterback and head coach relationships in the league, as Jim Harbaugh has worked miracles with Alex Smith.

Smith's numbers in 2011 were some of the best of his career, and we can expect another step forward from him this coming season.

One consistent thing about the teams Harbaugh has been the head coach of, is that they don't regress. They rather capitalize on opportunities and get better. Now with new weapons, Harbaugh is going to help Smith find his guys on the field which should lead to more production in his game.

In 2011, Smith learned how to take care of the football, doing it better than any starting quarterback in the NFL with only five interceptions in 16 starts for the Niners.

The 49ers tied a record for fewest number of turnovers in a 16-game regular season. If Harbaugh can help Smith increase the touchdowns and keep the turnovers to a minimum, this tandem will methodically take teams apart.

The two biggest things that came away from this relationship were Smith's command on the field and poise in the huddle, as well as the emphasis on ball security. It's going to be interesting to see how Harbaugh gets a better quarterback out of Alex Smith in 2012, compared to last year. 

But we know these two are fond of one another and that they work well together. For them to have another year together should only create room for improvement. Next season will be about precision, strategy and wise decision making—and with Smith's improved mechanics, hopefully he will do all of those things just that much better.

Honorable Mentions

For the honorable mentions we have:

Frank Gore and Co.

Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker

Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown

Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner

Joe Staley and Mike Iupati

Even though opposing teams in the NFC West have some emerging talent, the tandems on the 49ers far outrank what the Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams bring to the table.

San Francisco has an extremely well put together roster that is strong at almost every position. They should be even more competitive this coming season than they were in the 13-3 campaign in 2011. 

Entering this season, there will be consistency, growth and added firepower to a team that was already so close to a Super Bowl. For these reasons and more, the 49ers are a legitimate favorite and contender to bring home a sixth Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. 

Look for these very talented 49ers tandems to make noise this year, establishing themselves as some of the best in the NFL as San Francisco looks to make a title run. 

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