San Francisco 49ers: Offensive Line Must Produce Victories in Upcoming Season

The San Francisco 49ers are heading in a new direction, and many changes are taking place to solidify the synergy of the offensive line in the upcoming preseason games.

The jury is still out on an offensive line that is pressing to be the heart and soul of the team and looking to maintain the same core group to run the multiple formations that Jim Harbaugh has designed in the 49ers offensive playbook.

The 49ers front line will be looking to re-establish its identity and develop a rhythm up front, which is being led by two-time Pro Bowl center Jonathan Goodwin.

Goodwin, a durable performer for the New Orleans Saints, will bring the toughness the 49ers have needed, which is critical for San Francisco to have success this season. It lost its starting center Eric Heitmann in training camp last year and never fully recovered by being forced to install a makeshift starting line for the 2010 NFL season opener.

Goodwin brings experience by starting 45 games over the last three years, and familiarity in making line calls in multiple formations is an immediate upgrade over former replacement center David Baas.

He will also be quickly implementing line audible calls and mastering the quarterback-center exchange with returning starting quarterback Alex Smith. Smith will be working with a solid line group that has the physical ability to give him the protection he must have to make plays.

The offensive guard position is anchored by Mike Iupati, a first-round draft pick in 2010 and a fixed stature on the left side for the next 10 years. He has the quick feet to pull and trap defensive linemen and open a running window for Frank Gore.

Iupati's main focus this year will be to keep his pad level down and deliver the kick-out blocks to free the running backs on the trap plays the 49ers will be running more often this year.

Iupati is developing a reputation for building double-wide lanes for running backs to run through and should give the 49ers the push from the left side of the line to get the ball across the goal line in the red zone situations from the 10-yard line.

The right side of the guard position is currently being held by Chilo Rachal. He has struggled since being drafted as a second-round pick in 2008. His power and mobility should be a perfect fit for the “West Coast” offensive scheme.

The 49ers should expect to see a lot more downfield blocking from Rachal because the expectation is for the guards to get off chip blocks and continue the play, while he’s seeking to get that second level against the defensive backs to gain those extra yards.

The offensive tackles will be lead by left side starter Joe Staley, a five-year veteran and first-round pick out of Central Michigan. Staley started all 16 games one the right side as a rookie tackle and then he moved to the left side in 2008 and continued producing solid play. He plays with toughness and showed he’s willing to put the team first, having played with a broken leg in a 23-20 overtime victory against the St. Louis Rams Nov. 14, 2010.

Staley will be a teacher in the new offensive system and he understands the importance of the synergies in the offensive scheme, which will be an required adjustment from 49ers offensive line toward their goal of playing situational football.

Staley will communicate with Iupati on line audible, motions shifts, blitz blocking assignments and gap reads, which is a must in the new 49ers offensive scheme because they will take what the defense gives them and have a simple focus on “keeping the drives moving.”

The right tackle position will be held Anthony Davis, a first-round draft pick in 2010 and an extremely young player coming into the league at 19 years old. He has the size, strength and potential to be a solid tackle in the league but has yet to display the mental capacity to be a mainstay at the position.

Davis had his best game on Monday Night Football against Arizona on Nov. 29, 2010, when the 49ers manhandled the Cardinals defensive line, which yielded 261 yards on the ground. This was a breakthrough because he knows he can play in this league against the best Pro Bowl players.

He didn’t take this offseason lightly and spent time in the weight room putting on more muscle to prepare for the wear and tear of a 16-game schedule. The true gift that Davis possesses is that he’s a teammate that will protect his players and is willing to get physical on the dirty plays.

The offensive line backups will be led by versatile right guard Adam Snyder—who can play multiple positions—Daniel Kilgore, Tony Wragge, Nick Howell, Anthony Boone and rookie guard Mike Pearson, a seventh-round draft pick from Montana State in the 2011 NFL draft (No. 239 overall). 

Pearson will be coming in looking to make an impact and find a spot. He started his final 35 games at Montana State and led MSU to a conference championship.

The two men responsible for building this offensive line coach Mike Solari and Tim Drevno. Solari a coach veteran with more than 20 years NFL experience with the 49ers. He also served under 49ers legendary line coach Bobb McKittrick.

Drevno comes in with a wealth of college experience and coming directly form Harbaugh’s staff at Stanford and should be very familiar with the offensive scheme being implemented in a short ramp-up period.

But for now, at least, the 49ers o-line unit is at training camp on the operating table receiving a transplant, and it has two doctors and not one doing the surgery. The traditional “West Coast” offensive linemen possessed speed, agility, quickness and carried a weight of about 280 pounds. Solari and Drevno must produce those same qualities, but with linemen weighing 315 to 330 pounds.