49ers Find Silver Lining with Emerging Play of RB Carlos Hyde
The San Francisco 49ers are out of the playoff hunt, and there are pressing questions surrounding their roster after this season's closure.
But one of the budding bright spots emerging from this season is rookie running back Carlos Hyde.
The 57th overall pick has largely been shadowed by the veteran presence and ability of running back Frank Gore. Yet with Gore's future uncertain, signs point to the promising rookie becoming the featured back of San Francisco's offense in 2015 and beyond.
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Hyde enjoyed an increased role in San Francisco's Week 15 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Before an ankle injury sidelined him in the second half, Hyde ripped off a number of substantial gains against one of the top rushing defenses in the NFL.
His 9.17 yards-per-carry average during the contest was the highest in any game from his young pro career.
A strong running game has long been a forte of the 49ers offense. But with the 31-year-old Gore a free agent in the upcoming offseason, San Francisco's front office will be faced with the question of whether or not Hyde will be the back who forces this inevitable transition.
If Hyde can replicate what he was able to do versus Seattle, the 49ers won't suffer too much of a drop-off within their backfield.
Breaking Down the Numbers
The 49ers made every indication that Hyde would be the heir apparent to Gore when the veteran either retired or moved on from San Francisco after 2014.
Selecting Hyde in the second round did more than enough to suggest the prospect would be a significant part of the 49ers' future plans.
Gore's future with the 49ers has yet to be determined. The all-time franchise rushing leader has indicated that he is not ready to call it quits and would like to be back in San Francisco next season, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area.
But the ultimate decision lies with the front office.
Hyde presses the discussion.
San Francisco's No. 2 back is averaging four yards per carry on the season. While Hyde has just 333 yards on 83 rushing attempts, he is tied for the team's lead in touchdowns (four) and has posted a higher yards-per-carry average than his senior mentor.
| Frank Gore | 204 | 804 | 3.9 | 57.4 | 3 |
| Carlos Hyde | 83 | 333 | 4.0 | 23.8 | 4 |
This average was inflated by his statistics against Seattle—a team that boasts the fifth-best rushing defense in the league with just 1,233 yards allowed.
Hyde posted 55 yards on six carries during the contest. One can only wonder what he would have been able to do had he not been injured following the head injury to Gore.
Breaking Down the Film
Hyde's longest rush on Sunday came at the 13:34 mark of the first quarter. His 28-yard rush—which is the longest of his career, per Eric Branch of SFGate.com—would have gone for 38 yards had it not been for an illegal block on wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.
The 10-yard penalty cut off some yardage from the total. Yet Hyde's rush is worth another look.
After a four-yard loss from Gore on San Francisco's first play from scrimmage, the 49ers will line up in a four-wide receiver set with Hyde as the lone running threat. He is lined up off quarterback Colin Kaepernick's left after motioning over from the other side, which pulls Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright over in this direction.
San Francisco's offensive line suggests a run to its right. Hyde's initial step also hints at this. But he'll cut back on the misdirection, which forces Wright to be out of position long enough for Hyde to break the tackle.
With Wright out of the equation, Hyde's next contest will be to evade safety Earl Thomas. Thomas also bit on the fake, per Kevin Lynch of SFGate.com. Note the exterior blocking on the right side of the screen, which allows for a larger lane for Hyde's run.
Lloyd's illegal block (yellow arrow) negates another 10 yards, but it's clear how Hyde uses the blocker to evade another tackle before being forced out of bounds.
The rookie running back did everything he was supposed to do on this play. He wisely used the misdirection to exploit a gap, waited for it to open, broke tackles in the process and exploited seams within the secondary to rip off a huge gain.
Unfortunately, this drive ended with a 49ers punt. While Gore was able to back up Hyde's run with a 15-yard gain on the following play, two incomplete passes and a sack thwarted any ability for the offense to put up points.
But another Hyde rush led to San Francisco's first, and only, touchdown of the day.
This run was a 10-yard gain in the closing seconds of the first quarter. The 49ers push the ball to the Seahawks' 29-yard line, and Hyde will get the call.
Hyde is lined up behind fullback Bruce Miller. Kaepernick motions a tight end over to the left side for additional blocking.
Miller executes a perfect lead block, which opens up an additional lane for Hyde. Note the other key blocks that prevent additional convergence from Seattle's defense. Only Thomas' exceptional closing speed prevents Hyde from breaking off a substantially larger gain.
Both of these runs encompass what teams need from a featured back. Hyde's patience in following his lead blockers was a key aspect. Being able to quickly recognize the best route of attack is another positive attribute.
While his overall season numbers have not been off the charts, an increased role might be something that ultimately benefits his production.
Speculating 2015 and Beyond
Hyde's status for Week 16 against the San Diego Chargers is not yet known. Per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, Hyde is scheduled for an MRI this week on his injured ankle.
But Hyde also injured his back on the same third-quarter rushing play.
“I just went down awkwardly,” Hyde said, via Maiocco. “I was trying to torque my body ... I was trying to dip my shoulder but [linebacker Bobby Wagner] caught on to me and pulled back.”
Gore's concussion, combined with Hyde's injury, could impact the ground attack versus San Diego. The 49ers have Alfonso Smith on the roster, who received ample playing time in the second half last week.
The biggest question will be what San Francisco elects to do in 2015.
The 49ers currently have two running backs on their 53-man roster next season—Hyde and Kendall Hunter (injured reserve). Considering their salary-cap obligations, Gore's return would likely have to be a team-friendly deal—something far less than his $6.45 million salary in 2014.
Then there is the question of whether or not Gore would want to take a secondary role behind Hyde—if San Francisco elects to switch its featured back.
Hyde has age in his corner. The 24-year-old also has the promising ability to run not just up the middle, but to the outside—an attribute no longer utilized by Gore with much frequency.
Regardless of what the situation will be next year, San Francisco's ground game looks to be in good shape with Hyde taking over the reins.
The only question will be whether or not Gore is alongside him.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated. Contractual information courtesy of Spotrac.com.
Peter Panacy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Be sure to check out his entire archive on 49ers news, insight and analysis.
Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.
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