Where’s the 49ers’ defense?

By Mike Young  |   Thursday, August 23, 2007  |  Comments( 15 )

San Francisco 49ers
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If you're looking for signs that the 49ers' defense will step up and become at least mediocre this year, you're probably still waiting.

There hasn't been much time to check out the starters - mostly thanks to opposing teams' offenses being pulled after jobs well done - but the little amount they have played has been disappointing.

After Jay Cutler & Co. marched down the field for an easy score when Denver visited San Francisco, fans probably weren't too worried. It was the first series of the opening preseason game and the guys just needed to wake up and smell the pigskin.

On Saturday, however, the lowly Oakland Raiders were at Bill Walsh Field and the 49ers' defense still couldn't hold it together. The unit came out solid, holding the Raiders to a total of 3 net yards on their first three drives, but that was with struggling young quarterback Andrew Walter at the helm.

Still, even Walter was able to lead a 17-play drive in the second quarter that was punctuated by LaMont Jordan punching it in for a 3-yard touchdown.

Things got worse for the Niners on the Raiders' next series, with Daunte Culpepper recovering his own fumble on his first snap to dink and dunk down the field for another long scoring drive.

Two touchdowns in two drives for an offense that scored a total of 12 all last year.

Twelve. All season. Let it sink in a little.

Excuses that the 49ers' starting defensive line was out are valid, but that is already a position of weakness, with or without the first-stringers. The media and fans like to talk about the depth at linebacker, but in the second quarter they bit hard on the play action and couldn't chase down Culpepper despite his bum knee. The secondary just played too soft, which made for easy completions.

The defense made Walter and Culpepper look like tremendous. Why all the fuss over JaMarcus Russell? Lane Kiffin can just go with his world-beating tandem and head to the playoffs. At least that's how the 49ers made it appear.

If Rex Grossman looks like Jim McMahon in Chicago next week, it's time for 49er fans to worry. The preseason doesn't matter, but the starters have to show they can stop guys for more than a quarter.

Walter, Culpepper and Grossman are hardly a Murderers' Row of QBs. Think of the names that the 49ers will face in the NFC west alone: Marc Bulger, Matt Hasselbeck and Matt Leinart. Those guys are scary.

It is only preseason and things might turn around in a hurry, but if Mike Nolan's defense does not start showing it can simply hold its own, all the heralded offseason moves will not translate into wins.
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CommentsComments: 15  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
spectorns6		03:32 AM
08/23/2007
Takes a little while for a new defense to gel,ya have to remember there are as many as 6 new players not to mentions switching...
No.2
mike		10:09 AM
08/23/2007
We won't know what we really have until after 3 to 4 real games when all our starters are back & have had some game time playing...
No.3
Mad Mardigan		11:15 AM
08/23/2007
Our ENTIRE starting D-Line was out!!! Give me a break, we haven't looked as good as Ravens, Bears, Chargers D, but it's a huge...
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