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| Thursday, August 31 By Kevin Lynch Pro Football Weekly | |||||||||||||||||
| These are not the 49ers of our youth. This team bears little resemblance to the great San Francisco clubs that won five titles in 14 seasons. With last season's grand collapse to 4-12, the team had no choice but to face the enormous debt accrued from seven seasons of skirting the salary cap.
Quarterbacks: Garcia struggled through the first two games of the preseason, even though he excelled in the minds of 49ers coaches during the offseason. Garcia seemed to lapse back into his old habit of fleeing the pocket too early and failing to spot open receivers. But the feeling was that Garcia just began the summer in a minor slump and that he would regain the prowess he displayed at the end of last season. If not, Mirer, of all people, seems ready to take the helm. The former top-round pick has been reduced to a journeyman after winning the 1993 AFC Rookie of the Year award. But Mirer showed flashes of his collegiate and first-year form in training camp. Tim Rattay has the edge over fellow rookie Giovanni Carmazzi for the No. 3 spot. Grade: C+ Running backs: Charlie Garner quickly emerged as the starting running back last season after Garrison Hearst failed to recover from a circulatory problem in his foot. Garner turned in the best season of his six-year career by rushing for 1,229 yards and averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Garner sat out several training-camp practices because of tendinitis in his foot, but the hope is that it won't be a chronic problem. Fullback Fred Beasley continued to impress after ending last season as a starter. Beasley is the total package: a bruising 240-pound blocker who can also run and catch. Second-year man Terry Jackson might have been the training-camp MVP. He'll be the first running back off the bench. The team could have more talented backs depending on the recovery of Hearst and fifth-round pick Paul Smith, who is battling a calf pull. Grade: B- Receivers: Possibly the deepest area on the team. Terrell Owens is likely to be the primary target. The 220-pound Owens recently beat the Rams' Isaac Bruce and the Redskins' Michael Westbrook in a 100-yard dash during the "Superstars" competition. In addition to being fast, Owens may be the most physical receiver in the game. Owens dedicated himself to an offseason training program that included a high-protein, low-fat diet. He's coming off a down year in which his TD total dropped from 14 to four. Jerry Rice is back for what may be his last hurrah. He's the last link to the 49ers' back-to-back title teams of the late '80s. Rice also brings professionalism and work ethic to a young team that needs both. Last year's quarterback switch affected third wide receiver J.J. Stokes, whose production nearly was sliced in half (63 catches in '98 vs. 34 in '99). Stokes remains one of the best third options in the league. The newcomer to this crew is second-year man Tai Streets, who's definitely a player to watch. Tight end Greg Clark is a great blocker and underrated receiver who needs to stay healthy. Grade: B+ Offensive linemen: Comedian Rodney Dangerfield could do a bit on this line. Talk about no respect -- the line was called "atrocious" by one fantasy football magazine. No team had a higher per-carry average than the 49ers, and the line allowed 34 sacks last season, down from 53 the year before. One goal was to keep the line intact from last season, but center Chris Dalman's herniated disc put a crimp in that plan. Dalman's career appears to be in grave jeopardy, but the team believes it has a more-than-adequate replacement in Jeremy Newberry, who switches over from right guard. Dave Fiore, who started last season at left tackle, is the best bet to replace Newberry at the right guard spot. Either Gragg or Willig will man one tackle spot, while versatile Derrick Deese handles the other side. Reliable veteran Ray Brown continues to man the fort at left guard. Grade: B Defensive linemen: The team is solid at defensive tackle with Bryant Young and Junior Bryant as the starters. Young rebounded from a harrowing broken leg suffered in '98 to lead the team in sacks with 11 last season. Nobody else had more than 41½. But the team may have discovered a pass-rushing talent in Peterson, who turned in three sacks in his first exhibition game. Peterson will be a rush defensive end on obvious passing downs. Pleasant is likely to start at one defensive end spot. The veteran is cagey and is a good run stopper. Rookies John Milem and John Engelberger will share time at right end with second-year man Chike Okeafor. The backups will all be young players, with the exception of defensive tackle Brentson Buckner. Grade: B- Linebackers: Ken Norton's back injury has the entire team turning blue from holding its collective breath. Norton has played in 144 straight games and rarely misses a practice. Norton is expected to do more heavy lifting this year with his switch to middle linebacker, where he often will be tangling with offensive linemen. Winfred Tubbs will move to the "plugger" position, where he should make more tackles. Peterson will serve as the outside linebacker, where his main responsibility will be covering tight ends. Jeff Posey has found a home at outside 'backer after spending his first two years as a defensive end. He'll push for playing time. Ulbrich appears to have a promising future, but he has been limited by a knee injury. He should be ready by the season opener. Grade: C+ Defensive backs: The secondary has been totally revamped. Pro Bowler Lance Schulters is moving from free to strong safety. The team is likely to start the season with Plummer on the left corner and four-year veteran Monty Montgomery on the right. At presstime, sure-tackling Pierson Prioleau appeared to have the edge over Zack Bronson at free safety. This group is expected to be better than last year's secondary, which ranked dead last in pass defense. How much better might determine how much better the entire team is. Grade: C Special teams: Place kicker Wade Richey led the league in field-goal percentage with a .913 conversion rate, a remarkable statistic considering the blustery winds of 3Com Park. Punter Chad Stanley has a powerful leg, but he had two punts blocked in '99 and a net average of just 30.7 yards. Return man Kevin Williams, who worked under new special-teams coach Bruce DeHaven in Buffalo, should be an improvement over R.W. McQuarters. Grade: C 
Material from Pro Football Weekly.Visit their website at http://www.profootballweekly.com |
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Jerry Rice still has the desire to play.