Niners pan for defensive gold

By Carlos Zepeda  |   Monday, May 14, 2007  |  Comments( 15 )

San Francisco 49ers
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Last year's 49ers team, which finished a respectable 7-9, brought back flashes of the good old days in San Francisco. Frank Gore had a breakout year in leading the NFC with 1,695 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, which took the pressure off second-year QB Alex Smith. The offense, led by those two young up-and-comers, took strides, but it was the defense that prevented the 49ers from making a real run at the playoffs.

The 'D' ranked 25th in the NFL in 2006, giving up 344 yards a game, 25 passing TDs and 18 rushing scores. There were a few bright spots, though. Linebacker Brandon Moore became a full-time starter and responded with team highs in tackles (92) and sacks (6½). Eleven-year veteran cornerback Walt Harris had a career-high eight interceptions during his first season in San Francisco and made the Pro Bowl.

This offseason, the front office made the commitment to improving the porous defense, bringing in CB Nate Clements, the top corner on the market, and strong safety Micheal Lewis to repair a secondary that was terrible last year. The Niners also spent their first pick in the draft on inside linebacker Patrick Willis, and six of their nine overall choices on defensive players.

The signing of Clements means that Harris and Shawtae Spencer will compete for the other CB spot. After a Pro Bowl year it will be Harris' job to lose, but the team may opt for the 6-foot-1 Spencer (one INT in '06) to help cover the giant receivers of the NFC West. However, moving Harris out of a starting role would likely cost the team some turnovers.

Clements, meanwhile, never had more than six picks in a season with Buffalo, and most of them come at the expense of the Miami Dolphins. Of his 23 career picks, in fact, nine have been against the Dolphins.

Greg Manusky, the 49ers' new defensive coordinator, needs to find a way for his pupils to get to the quarterback. Second-year LB Manny Lawson added 15 pounds of muscle in hopes of improving on his rookie campaign that saw him total 57 tackles and 2½ sacks. They also added free-agent LB Tully Banta-Cain from New England. Banta-Cain stepped in for the Patriots last year after Junior Seau broke his arm and responded well with 43 tackles and 5½ sacks.

The NFC West will be one of the highest-scoring divisions in football, and three of the 49ers' first five games will be against division rivals Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis. All three teams love to throw the ball, using three-receiver sets, so the play of the revamped secondary will likely determine how far San Francisco will go this season.

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