Finding the 49ers: How Much Room Is There for Improvement in San Francisco?

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Defensive Stats

The 49ers were 13th against the run, total yards allowed, and yards per game.  Not too shabby. 

Against the pass however, the 49ers were 20th in passing yards allowed overall and per game.  They were 23rd in the league in points allowed overall and per game.

Turnover Stats

We gave the ball away 35 times in 2008 compared to only 18 takeaways.  That's -17 in the turnover margin.  That's -1 per game.

Final Conclusions

One extra possession for the other team is going to hurt.

One could argue that the reason the defensive stats weren't as good as they could be is due to the fact that the other team is getting more opportunities.  The defense is on the field longer, especially late in the game when it's most important. 

However, we can't let the defense totally off the hook either.

While the 35 giveaways was an NFL worst in 2008, the 18 takeaways was in the bottom five as well.  The fact is, this team almost seemed to not want the ball last season.  The offense gave it back to the opposition and the defense didn't get it back very often. 

I think we all know this is going to change quickly. With the stern Mike Singletary overseeing Greg Manusky and Jimmy Raye, these guys are going to preach discipline with the ball on offense and a relentless pursuit of it on defense. 

Winning the turnover battle will go a long ways, however our passing defense plays a role in takeaways and allowed a lot of yardage and scoring last year on it's own. With the addition of veteran Dre Bly and projected-star Dashon Goldson, let's hope our long-plagued secondary can finally play as well as the other units.

All in all, I think the 49er faithful can expect improvement in most, if not all categories we've discussed here, if we can find a way to get and keep the ball.

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