San Francisco 49ers: 4 Ways To Right the Ship in San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers are assured a spot in the 2011 NFL playoffs, having won the NFC West already and holding a 10-3 record. This holds no comfort for the organization or the fans, however, because the 49ers have shown some glaring weaknesses over the course of the last three games.

What can they do to right the ship?

Week 15 isn't the time you want to ask these kinds of questions. The hope is, for players, coaches and fans alike, that the team works all year long, constantly getting better until they unleash their full arsenal to devastating effect in the playoffs, thus winning the Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, the 49ers find themselves in a different kind of situation.

Opposing teams have had a season's worth of film to study, and the last few weeks show that teams have found the 49ers to be deficient in a few key areas that are vulnerable to exploitation.

Let's take a look at the problems and see what, if anything, can be done to fix them.

49ers' Offensive Line Must Protect Alex Smith

It's no secret that the 49ers are vulnerable to a strong pass rush. The Arizona Cardinals absolutely abused the middle of the offensive line in Week 14, sacking Smith five times. 

Thanksgiving Night against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football was a revelation. The Ravens tied a franchise record, sacking Smith nine times, and they could have had a few more if not for Smith's ability to avoid pressure.

All in all, the 49ers have given up 18 sacks in the last three games.

Mike Iupati, Jonathan Goodwin and Adam Snyder are all struggling with heavy pressure when it comes their way. Iupati looks like he needs to seriously work on his agility over the course of the next year, or his run-blocking prowess might not be enough to keep him long-term.

Goodwin is a band-aid, and the 49ers need to draft his replacement next year or give practice squad member Chase Beeler a shot in training camp.

Snyder is still battling from the effects of a sore hamstring, but the New Orleans Saints strong push to the finish line will cause head coach Jim Harbaugh to play him until the end.

What can be done to fix this issue? 

The answer lies in the next slide, as this is a problem that can be fixed with some scheme changes.

Adjust the Offensive Scheme

The two men in this picture, Vernon Davis and Kyle Williams, both need to get more opportunities to make things happen. 

The 49ers have been using Vernon Davis more as a blocker than as a pass-catching tight end. The thing is, Alex Smith is still getting hammered in the backfield, even with an extra blocker. The 49ers need to allow Smith to make the quick decisions needed to beat the blitz, not try and block all of the blitzers.  

Vernon Davis was putting up almost Gronkowski-like numbers only a couple of years ago, when he tied Antonio Gates' NFL record with 13 touchdowns in one season.

I respect Jim Harbaugh immensely for what he has accomplished in such a short time here in San Francisco, but he and offensive coordinator Greg Roman must bend on this issue.

Throw more slants to Williams, Michael Crabtree and Braylon Edwards. The times during the season where they did call more of those plays, the team moved the ball with ease and Smith showed excellent command of the West Coast offense.

Allow Smith the ability to change the play at the line of scrimmage. I know that the team does this in a way, but he needs more flexibility than simply two different plays to choose from.

Chris Brown of Grantland posted a brilliant analysis of how Harbaugh was making quarterback simple for Smith about a month ago. He rightly pointed out that the 49ers don't use hot routes the same way most teams do, but they have them built into the offense. 

The article was spot on, but it seems like the rest of the NFL took notes, too. The 49ers need to allow Smith the option to completely change the play at the line.

The 49ers ability to protect Smith is unquestionably bad. The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again while expecting different results.

The 49ers need to stop the insanity and do something different.

Blitz More Up the Middle, More Aldon Smith

It's hard to criticize defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and the 49ers defense at all, given their unrivaled success this year. I do have one complaint, however.

When you go back and look at the film of the team's loss against the Cardinals, you find that John Skelton was able to step up into the pocket multiple times to avoid the impending outside pass rush. He did it to great effect, rushing for 25 yards when nobody was open and hitting a few big passing plays, as well.

NaVorro Bowman is still a tremendous threat, and Larry Grant has already shown an ability to rush the passer, collecting a sack in Week 13 against the St. Louis Rams. 

Fangio needs to dial up a few more of those double dog blitzes and keep the quarterbacks from feeling comfortable about stepping up into the pocket against the 49ers. 

Pressure is what gives the 49ers' secondary so many of the team's interceptions, which leads me to my next point...Aldon Smith.

He needs to be starting. Now. He's one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL, but he only plays half the time. This needs to change.

Healthy Patrick Willis, Healthy Frank Gore

Patrick Willis didn't play against the Cardinals in Week 14, and it clearly showed. There's absolutely no way John Skelton gets away with abusing the team if Willis was in the lineup. No. Way.

The 49ers need their leader healthy going into the playoffs. It wouldn't surprise me to see the team take the same approach that the Baltimore Ravens did with Ray Lewis. He might not play until the 49ers' first playoff game.

Until then, the team will survive.

Frank Gore, on the other hand, needs to get healthy quick. His 10 carries against the Cardinals were far from ideal, and you know he would have gotten more if he wasn't banged up. 

Gore is a warrior, and he'll keep playing through the pain. The 49ers need him completely healthy, though, if they are to contend for a championship in 2011.