The San Francisco 49ers Just Need Some Good Luck

The San Francisco 49ers are the best 0-5 team around.  Yes, I am being facetious.  The fact is that this team has a penchant for playing just well enough to lose.

What the 49ers need right now is a little good luck.  I'm not talking about the ball bouncing in the right direction for the Niners.  What I am talking about is Andrew Luck. 

The 49ers made way too many mistakes against the Eagles, and lost another winnable game.  Five turnovers is not a recipe for success, as  three costly fumbles ultimately gave the Eagles the victory.

On three separate occasions the 49ers were mounting drives, only to fumble the ball away. The Alex Smith fumble was brutal, and to see Frank Gore fumble twice means that he may be trying too hard.  This is why I have been saying for five games now that we need to see Brian Westbrook more involved to spell Gore every now and then.

Smith's fumble took potential points off the scoreboard for San Francisco and handed the Eagles a gift touchdown. 

Smith's two interceptions were understandable and I don't really fault him for those.  The first interception occurred in a long yardage situation where Smith threw the ball deep down the field for Ted Ginn Jr.  The second interception occurred at the three yard line and was just like a well placed punt.

Smith's late interception came when he was hit as he threw.  That one is on the offensive line, which did not play well.  Alex Smith did guide the 49ers to two fourth quarter touchdowns and was much better after Mike Singletary chewed him out.  Perhaps Singletary should chew him out before the game even starts.

The mistakes were not limited to Smith and Gore, however,  Joe Nedney missed a crucial 40 yard field goal and the special teams coverage units gave up several big returns.

Defensively, the 49ers were adequate, but gave up too many third down conversions.  The Niners defense allowed Philadelphia to drive for a key fourth quarter field goal, which was the ultimate difference in the final score.

I was particularly galled by the poor play along the offensive line.  Anthony Davis was called for several false start penalties and also let his man get by him on far too many pass rushing situations.  Chilo Rachal also was below par.  The 49ers need to rotate in Adam Snyder in order to allow the coaching staff to work with Davis and Rachal in between a series from time to time.

There were a few bright spots, as Alex Smith did show some courage and fortitude in rallying the 49ers to two fourth quarter touchdowns.  Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis were more involved in this game.  Ted Ginn also showed his talent on several strong kick returns.

Unfortunately, these bright spots were not enough to overcome their mistakes.  As I mentioned, playing just well enough to lose is becoming a trademark of this 2010 San Francisco 49er team. 

Nevertheless, a loss is a loss, and the 49ers are 0-5.  This team needs a little luck and Andrew Luck is who I'm talking about.  If he chooses to come out in the draft following this, his sophomore year at Stanford, and if the 49ers could somehow get him, they would have their franchise quarterback for the next dozen years.

Against USC, Andrew Luck willed his Stanford team to victory.  He threw for 285 yards completing 20 of 24 pass attempts.  Luck had three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran six times for 40 yards, converting a first down in the process.

Thus far in the 2010 season Andrew Luck has thrown for 16 touchdowns and has only 4 interceptions.  He has also added two rushing TD's and you can easily see how effective he is. 

Alex Smith will be a free agent after this season and at this point, unless he somehow turns it around, it's very doubtful that the 49ers will re-sign him.  If the 49ers can somehow land Andrew Luck, their luck may change. 

The San Francisco 49ers could use some good luck right now, and its name is Andrew.