Do Da Dirty Bird: Previewing Week Five, Falcons @ 49ers

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

This edition of DDDB must open with an apology: It's been over a week since you Falcons fans have had a chance to hear my nonsensical ramblings, and that's just not OK. I want everyone to know that I'll be annoying you all season long. I signed up for this "Featured Columnist" thing with the intention of sticking with it.

Not to make excuses, but I faced a lot of time constraints last week with the new job. I'm overwhelmingly thankful to have such great work, but it does cut into B/R opportunities.

And besides that, the performance against New England in Week Three was so nondescript that I couldn't even bring myself to analyze it much beyond one Monday conversation with my pops. To think, I had just lauded the line by comparing them to the Giants, and they go and do that...

Anyway, it's time for a triumphant return of Falcon football (it will have been a whole two weeks!) and that which goes with it: John McCurdy's unabashedly biased game previews.

Let's talk about our trip to Candlestick.

San Francisco Rush Offense v. Atlanta Rush Defense

We get a bit of a break with Frank Gore being hurt. OK, it's a big bit of a break; dude went off against the Seahawks in Week Two, and he's been catching some passes beyond that, too.

But with his multiple foot injuries, it's Glen Coffee that we'll have to try to stop, and that's nowhere near the same challenge. The boy from 'Bama is a highly intelligent football player, but his more gangly frame has proved easy to take down when compared to Gore's cannonball of a body.

Case in point: The Niners have not managed 100 yards on the ground in either of the games that he's gotten the majority of the carries. He's going to have to get far more in-tune with the pro game before he can take his unusual (for a running back) build to high yardage totals.

Not that the Dirty Birds are so adept at stopping the run. A couple of weeks ago, I paid Fred Taylor some deserved compliments in my Week Three preview and then promptly began ignoring the New England ground game again. And you see what the "old man" did to us.

I think a lot of Taylor's success had to do with the Pats' offensive line just manhandling our defensive trenchmen. A pretty crappy (more bashing for them later) SF O-line isn't going to be able to do that, but we still will rely on Jonathan Babineaux in the middle and linebackers Curtis Lofton and Mike Peterson on the edges a little too much.

Hey, Jamaal Anderson, is it too much to ask that you make an occasional stop?

Still, the 49ers' run is suffering without Gore to the point that even if we need the 'backers to make every tackle, we'll probably hold them under the century mark.

Atlanta Rush Offense v. San Francisco Rush Defense

It'll be good for Michael Turner—with his frustrating performance against the Patriots his most recent football memory—to let some of his anger out. The Niners are conveniently providing the punching bags in their defensive line.

Sorry, was that harsh?

But in all seriousness, these guys can't stop the Burner. Justin Smith is a rusher (though he hasn't been doing much, considering Willis leads the team in sacks); Demetric Evans, Kentwan Balmer, and Ray McDonald are amounting to a revolving door. Isaac Sopoaga is underrated, but he's in a situation similar to our own Babs: If he's the only guy on the line committed to stuffing, how can the unit be consistent?

But that's the line. I haven't gotten to the linebackers, who Turner will inevitably reach and unavoidably be stopped by.

I knew Patrick Willis was swallowing people whole, but who led Takeo Spikes to the fountain of youth? Their lesser-known compadres, Parys Haralson and Manny Lawson, are racking up tackles this season, too. Around the six or seven-yard mark is where you shall not pass, Michael.

Of course, if Turner picks up six or seven every time he touches the ball, then it's all good, but that's some "McCurdy syndrome" (repeating myself). I've said that before, and it didn't turn out just how I wanted it...

Bottom line is, this game will not require mixing it up with runs; it will require good, old-fashioned beatdown runs from our main back.

San Francisco Pass Offense v. Atlanta Pass Defense

The Falcons' secondary is bad, blah blah blah, I sure hope our young corners don't get in one-on-one situations, blah blah blah

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