Frank Gore Injury: 5 Ramifications For The San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-6 on Monday Night Football. The victory came at a huge cost to the 49ers, as star running back Frank Gore sustained a fractured hip and is lost for the season.
Frank Gore was the most indispensable player on the 49er offense. He participated in nearly every offensive snap and accounted for between 40-50 percent of their total yards. The loss of Frank Gore will have immediate ramifications for the 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers now stand at 4-7 and, amazingly, are still in the playoff chase in the weak NFC West. The Niners only trail the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams by one game and play both of those teams again later in the season.
The big question now is: Will the 49ers be able to make a playoff run without Frank Gore?
When any team loses their top offensive weapon, other players must step up. Here are the top five critical issues now facing the 49ers, as they try to replace Frank Gore.
5. The Coaching Staff Must Open Up the Offense
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The San Francisco 49ers will no longer be able to run the ball between the tackles on what seemed like virtually every play. Head Coach Mike Singletary must now abandon this approach, which may be a blessing in disguise. This run up the gut mentality wasn't really working anyway, as confirmed by the 49ers' 3-7 record entering the Arizona game.
Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson must now get creative, which quite frankly, is what the 49er offense has needed all along. Since taking over for Jimmy Raye, following the third game of the 2010 season, I have seen Johnson improve his play-calling and offensive creativity, albeit very gradually.
The lone exception to this was against Tampa Bay, when I believe Mike Singletary read the stats on the poor rushing defense of the Buccaneers and set in stone the run up the gut game plan. This obviously did not work, as the 49ers were shut out.
At this stage of the season, Singletary needs to back out of the offense and let Mike Johnson take control. If this happens, Johnson will have the flexibility to be more creative and get the ball to the 49ers' other playmakers.
The loss of Frank Gore was a devastating blow, but the 49ers do have other players that can step up. Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Brian Westbrook, Josh Morgan, Delanie Walker and Anthony Dixon have been under utilized all season. Now is the time for Mike Johnson to spread the ball around and get these players involved.
Even after a 27-point effort against Arizona, the 49er offense ranks 31st in the league, averaging only 17 points per game. More creativity and diversity was needed anyway, and the injury to Frank Gore will force this to happen.
4. Brian Westbrook And Anthony Dixon Must Be Effective
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I have been saying all season that the 49ers need to get Brian Westbrook involved in the offense. With Frank Gore out for the remainder of the season they are now forced to play him.
Brian Westbrook responded with a big game against the Cardinals on Monday night. He rushed for a game high 136 yards on 23 carries, a 5.9 yards per carry average. Why the 49ers rarely used him in the prior 10 games remains one of the most galling inadequacies of the Mike Singletary coaching regime.
Brian Westbrook is a former Pro Bowl running back and still has good speed and breakaway potential every time he touches the football. I expect him to be more involved in the passing game in the upcoming games also, as he is an excellent receiver out of the backfield.
While it is very unfortunate that Westbrook gets his chance only because of the injury to Frank Gore, he is more than capable of leading the way.
One major difference between Westbrook and Gore is that Gore rarely came out of a game. Westbrook will need a breather from time to time, which brings us to Anthony Dixon.
I firmly believe Anthony Dixon can play in the NFL. He is a hard, punishing runner, but also has decent speed to break a longer run. Dixon had 14 carries for 54 yards against Arizona, after Gore left the game.
Anthony Dixon will now be called upon to contribute to the 49er offense and will get his chance, as he spells Brian Westbrook. The one area that Dixon must improve is his blitz pickup, but as a runner, he will definitely make an impact.
3. Troy Smith and the Passing Game Must Improve
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In addition to Brian Westbrook and Anthony Dixon carrying the load on the ground, the 49ers will need a stronger and more consistent passing game. After a strong first couple of games against Denver and St. Louis, the 49er passing attack has not fared well.
In their past two games, Troy Smith has thrown for only 148 yards against Tampa Bay and 129 yards against Arizona. This is simply not going to get the job done, if the 49ers have any hope of reaching the postseason.
In both of these games, failure to execute was the main issue. The failures encompassed three areas. Troy Smith missed some open receivers, the offensive line did not consistently give Smith enough time to throw and the receivers sometimes ran poor routes. All of these things must improve in order for the 49er passing attack to become more productive.
Offensive Coordinator Mike Johnson will now depend on Troy Smith to make more plays. Smith will need to make correct reads and execute good throws. He will also need to use his mobility to get out of the pocket buying time, or run for key first downs.
Young stars Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree will need to step up their performance to help offset the loss of Frank Gore. In the 49ers' past two games, Davis and Crabtree have each made only three receptions, well below the contribution the Niners need from them.
In addition, Brian Westbrook can be an effective receiver out of the backfield and is quite dangerous on screen passes. Delanie Walker and Josh Morgan can also be big play weapons and must be more involved in the offense.
The 49ers will need to win three or four out of their remaining five games in order to have any chance of reaching the playoffs. The passing game will need to improve for this to be a real possibility.
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2. The Offensive Line Must Improve
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The San Francisco 49ers wanted to solidify their offensive line, following the 2009 season. They drafted right tackle Anthony Davis and right guard Mike Iupati in the first round of the 2010 draft and immediately threw them in as starters.
The offensive line has been extremely inconsistent in 2010. Injuries to center Eric Heitmann and left guard Joe Staley have contributed to this lack of performance. In addition, David Baas, who was formerly a guard, was moved to the center position to replace Heitmann.
Bass, who has performed fairly well, sustained a jaw injury against the Cardinals, and it remains to be seen if he will miss any action. If Baas is out, reserve Tony Wragge will take over the center position.
Rookie Anthony Davis was thrown into a full-time starting role too quickly. He has been troubled with penalties and also gets beat in pass protection way too often. The 49ers are forced to help Davis with a back or tight end, or they risk a breakdown of the protection when he has to go one on one.
Chilo Rachal, now in his third year with the 49ers has been a disappointment at left guard. Rachal and Staley were the lone starters remaining from the 2009 season. Rachal's job is threatened by Adam Snyder, who adds a lot of versatility along the line. Snyder's value is that he can play virtually any of the line positions, which means he constantly is needed to fill in when injuries occur.
One of the bright spots for the 49er offensive line has been Mike Iupati. He has proven to be a powerful run blocker and routinely drives his man off the line. Iupati has been adequate in pass protection and continues to improve in this area.
The bottom line is that the 49er offensive line has been far too inconsistent, They will need substantial improvement to enable Troy Smith and the passing game to be effective. Brian Westbrook and Anthony Dixon will also benefit from improved line play.
1. The Onus Falls on the Defense
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The first four keys to the 49ers' future without Frank Gore revolved around the offense. However, the largest factor is the 49er defense. It is unrealistic to expect everything to suddenly click for a weak 49er offense, so the onus falls to the defense.
The defense will need to stifle opposing offenses, as the 49ers will struggle to score points. The 49ers have had solid play from Justin Smith, Patrick Willis and for the most part, Takeo Spikes. The rest of the defensive unit has been inconsistent or downright poor.
The 49er defense, which generally has been strong against the run, will need an improved pass rush and better play out of their defensive secondary. Justin Smith has been the only 49er defensive lineman to apply any pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The 49ers have been forced to blitz quite often, which exposes the suspect defensive backfield, when the blitz fails to generate enough pressure.
Rush linebackers Parys Haralson, Travis LaBoy and Ahmad Brooks have been inadequate. A huge priority for the 49ers this offseason will be to obtain someone who is a strong, consistent pass rusher.
The other outside linebacker, Manny Lawson has been effective on some blitz opportunities, but is also the best cover man among the linebacking corps. Lawson, therefore, is usually in coverage and not asked to blitz.
The defense will also need to generate more turnovers, in order to give the offense short field chances. Against Arizona, the Niners had one interception and recovered a fumble. This trend will need to continue for the 49ers to be successful.
Starting safety Dashon Goldson also must be a better playmaker. He has no interceptions or fumbles caused this entire season. Goldson showed this ability in 2009, but his play has fallen off in 2010. Injuries and the fact that Goldson has assumed a larger role in coordinating the defensive backfield are explanations for this drop off.
The 49er defense is frequently on the field for much too long, due to offensive ineptitude. However, for the 49ers to have any shot at the playoffs, the defense will need to excel in this gut check.
The 49ers Have A Chance
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The San Francisco 49ers still have a chance, which is incredible, given their 4-7 record. The NFC West is so weak this year that a 7-9 record could win the division. If the 49ers were to finish 8-8, that would almost assuredly earn them the playoff berth.
The 49ers travel to Green Bay to play the Packers this Sunday. Do I think the 49ers will win this game?
The answer is a strong "no". Green Bay, at 7-4 is fighting for a playoff spot and trails the Chicago Bears by a game in the NFC North. In addition, the Packers lost a tough game this past Sunday against Atlanta, so they will be ready to play this week.
The 49ers also have a tough road test coming up against San Diego, which is suddenly playing very good football. If the 49ers lose that game, which is also quite likely, there is no further room for error.
The 49ers still play the Seahawks, Rams and Cardinals one more time. If they were to win all of three of these games, they would finish with a 7-9 record. It's quite possible that one or both of the Seahawks and Rams could finish at 7-9, also. The 49ers would hold all the tie breakers and win the division with a sub .500 record.
Without Frank Gore, the task will be harder, but it will force the team to explore other options and show more diversity in their game plan. This creative approach is something that the 49ers have lacked all season, so in this way, the Gore injury forces them to expand their vision.
The 49ers have a chance and at 4-7, that's more than even they could ask for. It's now up to their entire squad to step up, including the coaching staff, if the 49ers hope to continue winning and make the playoffs.
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