Give Gore a break: time for WRs to catch more passes

By Anthony Bialy  |   Monday, April 14, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

San Francisco 49ers
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A team that was led in catches by a running back likely had a poor season. One whose top reception man only got to 53 probably didn’t exactly challenge for a playoff spot. And a franchise that endured both was the 2007 Niners. The brutally low total paired with the fact that it wasn’t even obtained by a wide receiver sums up the offense’s campaign, but there are glimmers of hope for improvement this year.

First, the cold numbers: Frank Gore’s 53 catches was the third-fewest total to lead a team in the NFL in 2007. Marty Booker of the fantastically inept Dolphins caught a meager 50 balls, while the man who has taken Booker’s place in Miami, then-Jaguar Ernest Wilford, was the worst of his team’s best with 45. But Jacksonville can at least set forth the excuse that they were all about handing it off: they had 32.6 rushing attempts per game, second-most in the league.

Bobby Wade just finished ahead of Gore, leading Minnesota after nabbing a mere 54, but, like the Jaguars, their team executed an offensive concept that was a half-step above the wishbone. Leaning mainly on Adrian Peterson, they finished with 30.9 tries on the ground per contest.

Unlike those teams, San Francisco didn’t particularly overcompensate for an ineffective throwing game with a power rushing style. Their muddy offensive identity was reflected in their limp results: they finished second-to-last in runs a game and also dead last in completion percentage with 53.4 percent.

This team’s pathetically minuscule success rate looks even worse in light of the fact that so many throws were to the running back. It’s one thing to play AFL-style football where there are many missed connections with receivers because most routes are straight and deep, but they had a low rate while leaning on screen- and check down-type throws, which is simply unfortunate.

A comparison to a team in a similar numerical predicament doesn’t help, either: the only other running back to lead his team in receptions after 2007 was Philadelphia’s Brian Westbrook. Importantly, the Eagles also fell short of a postseason appearance, but the fact their running back was also their top receiver can be justified by the fact that he caught 90 passes on the way to leading the league in yards from scrimmage, gaining 2,104 of them. Westbrook’s status as a uniquely elite asset combined with his exceptionally high reception total makes his franchise’s situation far more acceptable than San Francisco’s.

It’s true that teams don’t necessarily need gaudy results from wide receivers to be successful. For one, San Diego won two playoff games and held in there against the Patriots with an offense whose top two receivers were a tight end and running back; at the same time, it’s needless to announce that those players, Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson, could be mildly described as special cases.

It’s fine to base a passing offense around players who aren’t wideouts as long as they’re arguably each the best in the NFL at their position; on the other hand, letting the aerial offense revolve around good but not absolutely unstoppable weapons like Gore and Vernon Davis, the latter of whom caught 52 passes to finish second for the Niners, isn’t going to lead to January games.

Blame anyone you’d like, whether it be the throwers, catchers, or coaches, but a single question remains for 2008: is there hope for change? It starts at the top, or, in the case of new offensive coordinator Mike Martz, from the second-highest level.

Of course renowned for focusing on the pass, Martz will hopefully be able to get a fair performance out of whomever starts at quarterback and devise schemes that better incorporate the wide receivers. The problem is this team and their new coordinator need to first have faith in the running game; if Martz is willing to establish Gore as a rusher, this franchise won’t have to lean on Gore the receiver.

The addition of a promising receiver could be beneficial, too. Bryant Johnson’s 46 catches would have put him near his new team’s lead, and the Niners obviously hope he’ll smash past that total. Notably, Johnson was backing up two stellar receivers in Arizona in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, which naturally limited his own production; he now faces an opportunity to emerge from their large shadows and start casting his own.

By producing personally, Johnson could aid an offense that needs further contributions from wideouts, even though the problems certainly can’t all be stuck on last year’s crew. On top of that, adding a wide receiver next weekend at the draft remains one of this team’s wisest options, as a deeper talent pool would result in an automatic upgrade before making any tweaks to the system.

Hoping that Johnson will break out this year and that any rookie receiver will be able to contribute immediately are both gambles, but, based on last year’s overall team reception totals, it’s worth the chance.
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About Anthony Bialy

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CommentsComments: 3  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Jedi		04:30 PM
04/15/2008
The formula is pretty simple, the for the passing attack to be successfull, the quarterback (whomever that will be) needs to make...
No.2
CoachDGAdam		05:36 PM
04/15/2008
Why Frank Gore Should Lead the Team In Receptions Is it just me, or has anyone else made the connection of Martz coming to the...
No.3
EastCoast9er		07:25 AM
04/16/2008
I read the article and then reread it to make sure and yet once again I saw no reference to the Offensive Line and their impact...
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