49ers vs. Texans: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for San Francisco
Football is back, and the San Francisco 49ers opened up their 2015 preseason campaign with a road contest against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Saturday.
The 49ers held a 10-8 lead entering halftime, but the Texans rallied for 15 unanswered points in the second half. Houston eventually walked away with a 23-10 victory.
As expected, the majority of starters didn't see too much of the field in this first preseason contest. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick led only one drive, and some, such as tight end Vernon Davis and linebacker NaVorro Bowman, didn't play at all.
There were some notable concerns emanating from the game. San Francisco's pass rush struggled to put much pressure on Houston's quarterbacks.
But there were some positives. Running back Jarryd Hayne and backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert each had strong efforts.
The preseason may not mean much when evaluating statistics and scores, but we can draw some insight regarding how this 49ers team is looking early on.
Position Grades for 49ers
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A- |
| WR | C |
| TE | C |
| OL | D |
| DL | C- |
| LB | F |
| DB | C |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | C+ |
It's a difficult task to grade each positional unit given the amount of players that entered the game over the course of four quarters.
For example, Gabbert posted a 125.6 quarterback rating while completing eight passes on 11 attempts for 86 yards and a touchdown. But No. 3 quarterback Dylan Thompson looked almost lost on the field in his first NFL effort.
Former Australian rugby star Hayne was the star of San Francisco's running back crop.
Hayne ripped off 63 rushing yards on five attempts and had an incredible run for 53 yards in the second quarter. He also averaged 12 yards on two punt returns and had a 33-yard kick return to open the third quarter per Taylor Price of 49ers.com.
There were some problematic moments for the offensive line as the game wore on. The unit allowed a sack of Thompson, which was followed two plays later by a safety. This may create some questions regarding depth within this unit.
San Francisco's defensive line was solid enough but also gave up 146 rushing yards over the course of the contest. This unit had some glaring holes to allow this stat.
Corey Lemonier got the start at outside linebacker and didn't exactly flash with a strong pass rush. In fact, San Francisco's pass-rushers struggled to offset Houston's quarterbacking group throughout the night.
Aside from veteran cornerback Shareece Wright, the 49ers' cornerbacks had some promising moments including two pass breakups.
Gabbert Has Progressed Since Last Preseason
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During the 2014 preseason, backup quarterback Gabbert was a virtual laughing stock for the 49ers.
Such wasn't the case in the opening preseason contest in 2015.
Gabbert finished the night with eight completions for 86 yards and one touchdown. His passing score in the second quarter found tight end Garrett Celek, which wound up being the 49ers' lone end-zone find of the night.
His passer rating against Houston was 125.6. In Week 1 of last year's preseason, Gabbert posted a lowly 1.7, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
Gabbert had spent a portion of the offseason working with quarterbacks coach Steve Logan in an attempt to lower his velocity while increasing his accuracy, per Barrows.
The results proved to be more than favorable.
Gabbert's strong showing is not going to suggest that he'll overtake Kaepernick for the starting job. Kaepernick had just one drive and completed a single 14-yard pass on three attempts.
But it is good to know that Gabbert is a few steps ahead of where he was this time last year. And that's good insurance to have in case Kaepernick misses any time due to injury.
Hayne Shocked Everyone
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Running back Hayne may still have a long way to go in order to ensure he makes the 49ers' 53-man roster in 2015.
But he made some huge strides against Houston.
Hayne finished the night with five carries for 63 yards—an average of 12.6 yards per attempt. His longest was a 53-yard rush down the left side in which he broke multiple tackles and showed the elusive speed and vision that made him such a threat while playing rugby.
On top of that, Hayne also averaged 12 yards on two punt returns and had a 33-yard kick return in the third quarter, per Taylor Price of 49ers.com.
Hayne's performance is inspiring and remarkable considering this was his first contest against an opponent at the NFL level. But it still doesn't mean he's ready to go for a regular-season role.
"He did some things, but we've got to grow from here," Tomsula said of Hayne, according to the team's website. "He can play in space. He's a premiere athlete in space."
49ers fans got to see some of the premiere abilities Saturday.
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Mike Purcell Has a Big Night
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Defensive tackle Mike Purcell has been a non-factor for most of his two-year pro career with the 49ers.
Since being signed as an undrafted free agent by San Francisco in 2013, Purcell has just two NFL games under his belt and is considered little more than a depth option along the defensive line.
But no one told Purcell that against Houston.
Purcell missed a crucial tackle in the first quarter but roared back with a strong effort in San Francisco's first preseason defensive stand in the red zone.
The 24-year-old veteran was all over the place in the first half in his attempt to find a roster spot along the D-line. By the end of the first half, Purcell had six tackles and one crucial stop of Texans running back Alfred Blue at the goal line, per Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area.
Purcell received a lot of playing time early in the game, but the D-line was without veteran tackle Darnell Dockett and Glenn Dorsey.
While the effort was commendable, Purcell still has a long way to ensure he'll find a spot within this unit. He'll be competing with depth linemen such as Tony Jerod-Eddie and Kaleb Ramsey for the final slots along the line.
Hayne on His NFL Debut
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Hayne's impressive NFL debut was one of the bright spots emanating from San Francisco's loss in Houston.
"I didn't want to go out there and look like a rugby player," Hayne said, according to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. "I wanted to look like an American NFL player, and I felt I did that."
He did.
Hayne's vision was apparent from his first carries. Granted, he was going up against a second-team defense for the most part. But it was solid enough of a performance to suggest that he'll have a promising future at the NFL level if he continues to improve.
And his teammates also agree.
“You can see the physicality he brought over from rugby," rookie linebacker Eli Harold said, according to Eric Branch of SFGate.com. "He’s strong. He’s a man."
San Francisco has plenty of depth at running back and in the return game. Running backs Carlos Hyde, Kendall Hunter and Reggie Bush are shoo-ins to make the 53-man roster. Bush and wide receiver Bruce Ellington can handle receiving efforts on special teams.
But the 49ers might be pressed to find a way to keep Hayne on the roster into the regular season if he continues to showcase such abilities.
Tomsula on Veterans Getting the Night off Against Houston
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Preseason games are always difficult to gauge when evaluating the overall efforts of the team. Frequently, a head coach elects to rest many of his veterans and/or give them only one or two drives.
Such is the nature of these four games leading into the regular season.
Tomsula's pregame decisions followed this trend.
Earlier in the week, Tomsula stated he was planning on starting linebacker Bowman in Houston, according to CSN Bay Area's Maiocco. It would have been the first game back for Bowman since his NFC Championship game injury two seasons ago.
But Bowman didn't end up playing. And neither did tight end Davis, running back Bush and defensive tackle Dockett.
"Those were all purely my decision," Tomsula stated, per the team's website. "We just need to see where things are at."
Again, veterans are frequently given preseason games off. This helps them rest up after training camp in preparation for the regular season. It also allows some of the younger cast members to have some more opportunities to showcase their skills.
Tomsula on Quarterback Gabbert
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Gabbert, the No. 2 quarterback, was one of the 49ers stars in Houston with his 125.6 passer rating against the Texans.
As stated previously, this was a far cry from the lowly numbers he posted in his first preseason game with the 49ers a year ago.
“It was good to see Blaine out there with a nice supporting cast,” Tomsula said, according to Tyler Emerick of 49ers.com. “I wanted to see him function like he does in practice. I think he showed that today.”
Prior to the game, Tomsula stated per Maiocco that he was a "believer in Gabbert."
The head coach will have plenty of more reasons to feel that way after Gabbert's most recent performance.
All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.
Peter Panacy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report covering the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him (@PeterPanacy) on Twitter.
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