NFL Preseason 2010: Top Notes from the 49ers' Win Over the Colts

As of Sunday, San Francisco 49ers Football is back for 2010, and a welcome sight it is!

The fact that key players like Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Patrick Willis, and Joe Nedney were not even dressed for the preseason opener against the defending AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts may have left some fans—anxious for a demonstration of the team's potential in this make or break year—somewhat disappointed, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.

The NFL preseason has always been a delicate dance of deception where two teams attempt to toe the razor thin line between getting sufficient practice reps at game speed and revealing too much of their repertoire on film before the regular season begins. Conservatism generally wins out and leads to watered down offenses facing "vanilla" defenses with highly simplified pass rush and coverage schemes. Star players often rest one or more games of the preseason schedule.

All this makes it more difficult to assess the true performance and progress of a team based their on-the-field showing in one of these contests, but the savvy eye can still generally sift out a few meaningful clues.

Sunday's game was certainly a mixed bag for the 49ers, perhaps aptly summed up by head coach Mike Singletary's half-time interview comment: "Well, I think it's just like, you know, the first preseason game." Insightful as that kernel of wisdom from Coach Sing might sound, it may actually be as succinct a summation of the game's performance as possible.

Here are the biggest keys I noticed from the game:

Kyle Williams Should Be the Man on Returns

The 49ers received the opening kickoff and highly-touted offseason trade acquisition Ted Ginn Jr. was the first to get the call at return man.

A key component of successful kick returning is following your blocking. Ginn did that. Unfortunately, he followed the weaker side of the blocking directly into the arms of the kick coverage team, well short of the 20-yardline.

Kyle Williams did much better and showed far better instincts on the following Colt kickoff, getting well past the 20-yardline, and seemingly missing out on significant yardage due only to a last-second trip up. A later punt return also seemed to barely miss a shot at big yardage.

The 49ers employed a rotational system for returns throughout the balance of the game, but it was clear that nobody else possessed the same cuts and instincts as Williams.

Leader after the first game: Williams with Ginn as a back-up.

Hands, Hands, HANDS!

With Gore resting, Michael Robinson entered the game as the primary running back for the 49ers, as he was expected to be the short-term back-up solution to Frank Gore in the wake of the retirement of Glen Coffee. Robinson quickly proved he was liability, by fumbling the first play from scrimmage and immediately surrendering a red-zone opportunity to Peyton Manning and the Colts.

Later in the game, notable drops and bobbles would plague Robinson, wide receiver Jason Hill, tight end Delanie Walker, and return candidate Bobby Guillory, leading to wasted opportunities and turnovers.

While Hill and Guillory may well wind up missing the 53-man cut, and the 49ers have since bolstered their depth at back-up RB by acquiring the dynamic former Philadelphia Eagle Brian Westbrook, it is easy to see that ball security needs to be an emphasis for the remainder of preseason.

Alex Smith: Lackluster, But Not Terrible

Scott Boehm/Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 15: Alex Smith #11 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass during the preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 15, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

Alex Smith will be the main scapegoat for the slow offensive start, but he does not deserve to be. There were many factors hampering his productivity.

It is difficult to accurately surmise the true motivations of a team in all (or any) situations in the preseason. Scoring and winning are certainly nice, but they often take a back seat to getting looks at particular players in particular situations.

This often leads to forcing the issue.

For the first several series, the 49ers offense seemed to be treating the game more like a practice than a competition. They seemed determined to see what they had in Michael Robinson, going to him repeatedly and predictably. The offense was a vastly simplified subset—granted they were facing an equally simplified defense—so it was difficult to truly assess how they looked.

Furthermore, while the 49ers were lacking Gore and Crabtree, they seemed to be facing the top Colts defensive unit for most of the first quarter.

Alex Smith's 7.4 passer rating will clearly not cut it in the regular season, but blame for the dearth of stats lies mostly with the receivers. As noted previously, 49er pass-catchers had a serious case of the drops, one of which (by TE Delanie Walker) resulted directly in the only interception the 49ers surrendered. Smith showed decent poise and was able to extend plays and deliver crisp passes, but he cannot catch the ball for his receivers.

Many made a big deal about the apparent under-throw where Smith failed to connect with an open Vernon Davis for a sure touchdown. However, as revealed in interviews and articles after the game, Smith put the pass on target, but Davis added an additional move on the defender that had not been planned for. With a little practice, that will get ironed out.

Some are already clamoring about the ever-popular prospect of the "quarterback controversy," after David Carr posted a passer rating in the triple digits. Alex Smith, however, will remain the starter, as he ought to.

Offensive Line: Time to Gel

The top 49ers offensive line unit: Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, David Baas, Chilo Rachal, and Anthony Davis, played well into the second half, though the rest of the offense and the opposing defense began to substitute much earlier.

Overall they had a decent debut, and their extended reps should serve them well as they move toward the regular season. However, they were not without room for improvement.

The inability of this unit to protect back-up QB David Carr against the second and third string pass-rush units of the Colts was sorely disappointing. Carr must have felt like he was back in Houston at times, as he fell victim to three sacks in the final two minutes of the first half. Procedures need some work to, as they were flagged on occasion for false starts and holding.

Run-blocking was more impressive, however, as the line paved the way for 132 yards rushing with several impressive drives in the second and third quarters, allowing the 49ers to score 34 unanswered points and take command of the game.

Overall: A good debut, but still a long road ahead.

Defense: Impressive in Spots, But Need Work on Fundamentals

Scott Boehm/Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 15: Reggie Smith #30 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for a touchdown during the preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 15, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

The 49er defense was tested early when Michael Robinson fumbled the first offensive play from scrimmage giving the Colts a red-zone try. The first-team unit, sans All-World linebacker Patrick Willis, rose to the occasion, stifling Peyton Manning and holding the Colts to a field goal.

However, they were less impressive on the next Colts drive, as Manning dissected the defense and drove 89 yards in nine plays for a touchdown.

The biggest issue was tackling, as the 49er defenders often took poor angles and allowed opposing offensive players to slip weak attempts. One play that stood out was the Colt's first touchdown from Joseph Addai, where no fewer than four 49ers had a shot at Addai before he crossed the goal line, but none could bring him down.

The back-ups continued to struggle with tackling, but made some big plays as well.

In all, the 49ers forced four turnovers, all by interception, though none were against the first-team offense, and Diyral Briggs gave one right back to the Colts, when he fumbled away a return of his interception.

Reggie Smith returned a tipped ball interception for the 49ers' first touchdown in the second quarter to swing the game's momentum, which certainly was the signature play of the game for the defense.

The back-ups also managed to generate decent pressure on the QB, registering two sacks and five hits on Colts back-ups.

With a little focus on fundamentals and tackling, the defense should be solid.

Anthony Dixon May Be Ready Sooner Rather Than Later:

Rookie RB Anthony Dixon put on a show that likely surprised everyone except possibly himself.

The rookie back rumbled for 100 yards and a touchdown showing an impressive combination of power and poise that is rare among NFL rushers. It is important to note that Dixon was not on the field against first-team defenders, but his performance was nonetheless very promising.

Offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye described Dixon as having "unlimited" upside, and Dixon showed much more up than down on Sunday. His power was impressive, his moves at times bordered on astounding, and his instincts were veteran-caliber. He showed that he is equally comfortable giving a fore-arm shove or dropping a stutter step on a defender and motoring past them.

The only knock on Dixon is that he was so used to running the ball in college that he lacks the necessary pass-blocking skills to defend Alex Smith on non-rushing plays. He showed that clearly on Sunday, looking confused on several plays trying to protect David Carr, particularly when Carr left the pocket and tried to scramble.

With the addition of Brian Westbrook, Dixon should get plenty of time to master the art of pass-blocking, but do not be surprised if he sees some playing time early in the year. That should grow as the season progresses.

One Down, 22 To Go:

Coach Sing wants to win every game: preseason, regular season, and post season.

While it was far from a perfect performance, and was ultimately inconsequential, the 49ers can take some pride in the fact that step one of 23 in Coach Sing's road to glory is a mission accomplished.

The Little Things That Don't Show Up in the Box Score

While the CW 44 Cable 12 carried the game in the Bay Area, the broadcast crew was the typical KPIX combination of Dennis O'Donnell and Eric Davis with Kim Coyle reporting on the sidelines.

While introducing a half-time segment on recent Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Rice, Coyle showed a lack of knowledge and research of team history by saying "They called him 'Fifi' as a rookie. . ."

Had anyone at KPIX merely watched the America's Game summary of the 1989 season, they would have known that Jerry Rice was actually called "Fifi" in 1987, due to his distinctive jheri curl hair-do (said to resemble Bert from Sesame Street).

Dennis O'Donnel later proved he too was in preseason form, when he inadvertently referred to back-up kicker Shane Andrus as spelling the "injured" Joe Nedney. Nedney, of course, was merely sitting out the game, not due to any injury.

It was also interesting to see the attire worn by the 49ers assistant coaches. While Coach Singletary sported his usual turtle-neck tee-shirt, many of the assistants, including offensive line coach Mike Solari, donned a short-sleeved button-up with collared shirt, eerily reminiscent of the ones worn in the Bill Walsh era.

Is it déjà vu all over again? One can hope.

Keep the Faith!