Breaking Down San Francisco 49ers' Likely Opening Game Starting Lineup
The starting lineup the San Francisco 49ers used Week 1 of the preseason probably won’t be the same starting lineup the Niners use Week 1 of the regular season.
Week 1 of the preseason is diagnostic. It’s the coaches’ first opportunity to see how their players perform during live action. Sometimes certain players outperform the coaches’ expectations, while other players underperform.
By the end of the preseason, the coaches will adjust the starting lineup accordingly.
With that in mind, here’s an early look at what the 49ers’ starting lineup probably will look like Week 1 of the regular season.
Quarterback
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Quarterback: Colin Kaepernick
In 2012, Colin Kaepernick’s first season as the Niners’ starting quarterback, he completed 60.6 percent of his passes that traveled 20 or more yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus.
In 2013, Kaepernick completed 45.6 percent of his passes that traveled 20 or more yards downfield.
In 2014, Kaepernick completed only 33.3 percent of his passes that traveled 20 or more yards downfield.
This troubling trend may not be entirely Kaepernick’s fault—it seems every season the receivers around him got slower. So this offseason the Niners signed Torrey Smith, the best deep-threat receiver available on the free-agent market.
Once Kaepernick gets the feel of Smith’s speed and body language, the downfield passing efficiency should improve.
Running Back
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Running Back: Carlos Hyde
Carlos Hyde seemed uncomfortable in the 49ers’ offense as a rookie in 2014. He averaged only four yards per carry—slightly worse than the league average of 4.2.
Maybe he was uncomfortable in Frank Gore’s offense. The Niners' running game featured gap blocking, the blocking scheme Gore liked. We're talking power runs and counters—plays Gore has been running since his days at the University of Miami.
Hyde went to Ohio State, which used zone blocking. He had no background in the type of runs the Niners asked him to execute last season.
Now Gore is gone, Hyde’s the starting tailback and the Niners have adopted a zone-blocking scheme to suit his running style. He should play much better this season.
Wide Receiver
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Flanker: Anquan Boldin
Split End: Torrey Smith
The last time Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith started for the same team, they won the Super Bowl. That was in 2013 with the Baltimore Ravens when they beat the 49ers.
Now the Niners have Boldin and Smith, who are a perfect combination. They’re like Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch from the Oakland Raiders of the 1970s.
Boldin would be Biletnikoff, the receiver who goes over the middle and makes the tough catches on third down and in the red zone. And Smith would be Branch, the receiver who runs past cornerbacks like they’re standing still.
What more could a quarterback ask from a pair of receivers?
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Tight End
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Tight End: Vance McDonald
H-Back: Vernon Davis
No, I’m not saying Vance McDonald will be the starting tight end and Vernon Davis will be the backup.
Of course Davis will be the starter. But when the Niners use two tight ends (which they’ve been using frequently during training, much more frequently than they’ve been using two running backs), don’t be surprised if McDonald lines up at tight end and Davis lines up in the slot or the backfield.
McDonald is one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL. When he’s in the game, it would make sense to play him on the line of scrimmage to take advantage of what he does best—block.
Davis used to be one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, but not anymore. He’s getting old. It would make sense to reduce his blocking burden and take advantage of what he does best—catch passes.
Offensive Line
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Left Tackle: Joe Staley
Left Guard: Alex Boone
Center: Marcus Martin
Right Guard: Brandon Thomas
Right Tackle: Erik Pears
The Niners are set at three positions on the offensive line: The left tackle will be Joe Staley, the left guard will be Alex Boone and the right tackle will be Erik Pears, unless Anthony Davis decides he wants to unretire in the next few weeks, which isn’t likely.
The Niners are not set at center or right guard. Daniel Kilgore would be the starting center, but he’s still wearing a boot for the broken ankle he suffered last season. He may start next season on the physically unable to perform list.
The coaches have given fourth-year center Joe Looney the first chance to replace Kilgore at center, and so far Looney has struggled. He probably will lose his starting job during the preseason.
The Niners can move the current starting right guard, Marcus Martin, to center. Martin made eight starts at the position as a rookie in 2014 and played some center on Saturday against the Texans.
With Martin at center, the Niners can make Brandon Thomas the starting right guard. Thomas missed his rookie season with a torn ACL, so in a way he’s still a rookie. But he should earn a starting spot as he gets his feet underneath him during the preseason. He's a highly talented former third-round pick.
Defensive Line
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Left Defensive End: Glenn Dorsey
Nose Tackle: Ian Williams
Right Defensive End: Quinton Dial
The Niners lost two of the best 3-4 defensive ends in the NFL this offseason—Justin Smith and Ray McDonald. They were all-around excellent players who could stop the run and rush the quarterback.
The Niners don’t have any all-around excellent players who can replace them. So San Francisco probably will use a rotation of defensive linemen.
In the base defense, the Niners probably will use their best run-defending defensive ends, Glenn Dorsey and Quinton Dial, to replace Smith and McDonald.
In the sub-packages, the Niners probably will take Dorsey and Dial off the field and replace them with a couple of interior pass-rushers—Darnell Dockett and Tank Carradine.
Will those four defensive linemen be as good as the two they’re trying to replace?
Linebackers
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Left Outside Linebacker: Aaron Lynch
Left Inside Linebacker: NaVorro Bowman
Right Inside Linebacker: Nick Moody
Right Outside Linebacker: Ahmad Brooks
The Niners probably will replace Aldon Smith at right outside linebacker with Ahmad Brooks. Brooks played right outside linebacker in 2010, the season before Smith joined the team, and that’s the position Brooks played Week 1 of the preseason against the Texans.
At left outside linebacker, the Niners started three-year veteran Corey Lemonier, who’s nothing special. He has only one sack in two seasons with the team. Before the regular season begins, he probably will lose his starting job to Aaron Lynch, who had six sacks last season. He slowly is returning from a pulled hamstring.
At inside linebacker, Nick Moody probably will be the “Jack”—the one who covers the running backs out of the backfield. And NaVorro Bowman probably will be the “Mike”—the one who covers the tight ends.
Secondary
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Left Cornerback: Tramaine Brock
Strong Safety: Antoine Bethea
Free Safety: Eric Reid
Right Cornerback: Shareece Wright
In the base defense, the secondary is straightforward.
But it gets complicated in the sub-packages. In the past, the Niners mostly used a nickel defense—five defensive backs, two inside linebackers—because the two inside linebackers, NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis, were excellent in coverage.
Now Willis is gone. Will the Niners trust Nick Moody in coverage on passing plays? Or will they replace him with a sixth defensive back and play a dime defense?
And who would the dime defender be? Would it be a cornerback, like Keith Reaser? Or a safety, like Jaquiski Tartt?
The Niners themselves may not yet know the answer.
Special Teams
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*Kicker: Phil Dawson
Punter: Bradley Pinion
Kick/Punt Returner: Jarryd Hayne
Let's explain the asterisk.
Phil Dawson will kick most of the field goals, probably all of the ones within 45 yards of the uprights. But he’s 40 and losing leg power. The punter, rookie Bradley Pinion, probably will kick the really long field goals.
Pinion probably will kick the kickoffs, too. He has a much stronger leg than Dawson.
At punt returner, last season the Niners had Bruce Ellington, who had never returned punts before. He learned on the fly and performed pretty well, although he never seemed totally comfortable.
Week 1 of the preseason this year, former Rugby League star Jarryd Hayne seemed totally comfortable returning punts. Hayne might make the team if he shows he’s a better returner than Ellington.
All practice observations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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