Truth or Fluke: 2007 San Francisco 49ers edition

By Os Davis  |   Wednesday, January 09, 2008  |  Comments( 5 )

San Francisco 49ers
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Just because the 2007 season is over for the San Francisco 49ers doesn't mean there are no more games to be played. In fact, here at RealFootball365.com, we have a whole group of contestants ready to play the first edition of a contest we like to call "Truth or Fluke?"

After every underwhelming or overwhelming season - heck, let's face it, every season - from a given team, the doublethink and second-guessing begins immediately after the final tick is off the clock in the hopes that next year things will be different. The real trick of getting a glimpse of future results is in determining which one-year performances are truly indicative of the personnel's current skill level.

On this basis shall a handful of 49ers be judged. What kind of 2008 might San Francisco have? Who was for real and who has no cred, brilliant season or poor? Let's find out on ... "Truth or Fluke?"

Contestant No. 1: Frank Gore. Otherwise known as The Killer of Fantasy Teams, Gore may have read too many of his own headlines in 2007. After a seemingly breakout year in 2006 (running up 312 carries for 1,695 yards), Gore was a hallmark of inconsistency, not seeing a 100-yard game until Week 12. To make matters worse, Gore managed just five TDs this year, seeing the end zone in only three games and just once after Week 2.

Gore broke his hand in the preseason and battled a nagging ankle for much of the regular season as well, possibly indicating some relative frailty there. On top of the on-the-field problems for the man, too, was the passing away of his mother and the death of close friend Sean Taylor.

All in all, however, if we're willing to give a Reggie Bush the benefit of the doubt for his subpar season, Gore probably deserves a little as well. Plus, Gore looked decent as a receiver, leading the low-watt offense with his 53 catches. Verdict on 2007 performance: Fluke.

Contestant No. 2: Tully Banta-Cain. After spending three years in relative anonymity behind those all-star linebackers of the New England Patriots, Banta-Cain saw playing time in all 16 games in 2006 and tested the free-agent waters in '07 to land a starting job somewhere.

That somewhere was supposed to have been San Francisco, the franchise often credited with having had the second-best offseason after the Patriots. (Especially considering most of us reckoned that first-round draft choice would be a lot lower in the rotation than top 10.) New defensive coordinator Greg Manusky (see below) sought out Banta-Cain and may have ended up with another sufferer of Patriot syndrome, i.e. another marginal player whose skills were amplified in Belichick's defensive schemes.

The stats say Banta-Cain turned in just 41 tackles, one fewer than as a first-half, third-down guy for New England in 2006. Purely empirically speaking, Banta-Cain simply looked lost most of the season and played way more on special teams toward year's end. This experiment may be a failure. Verdict: Truth.

Contestant No. 3: Patrick Willis. Whoa, was Willis good. Monstrously good. Devilishly good. Seriously, 18 tackles (and 17 solo) each in back-to-back games? A 20-tackle game? Willis bagging the defensive rookie of the year award was a no-brainer, with the only question centering around why it wasn't unanimous. Another year or two like this and the hyperbolizing will begin; "San Francisco" may yet become synonymous with "defense" if it builds the unit around Willis. Verdict: Truth.

Contestant No. 4: Greg Manusky. Promoted from the linebacker coach position to defensive coordinator, Manusky was given a pitiful 'D' mired among the worst three for the two years previous. This season, "thanks" to the horrid offense, the 49ers' defense was forced to spend 33:31 on the field per game in 2007. Thus do the stats and the scoreboard look bad for the Niners.

However, the additions made to the San Francisco defense - Willis, Nate Clements, Michael Lewis - looked great much of the time and there may be real cause for optimism here. Heck, who else wouldn't be surprised to see Manusky put in some time as interim coach before 2008 season's end? Verdict: Fluke. Or truth, if you're down with me in believing that this defense is way better than its unfortunate statistics show.

Contestant No. 5: Alex Smith. If quarterbacks were said to be on the hot seat, the blogosphere would be running low on synonyms for "inferno" to describe Smith's position right now. The former No. 1 pick has failed to produce in three seasons and 2007 was no exception. Then there was the injury in Seattle that was alternatively described as season-ending and recoverable, the rushed return to the field, and the bizarre tit-for-tat exchange with Mike Nolan that preceded Smith's decision to undergo surgery and spend the rest of the season the IR. The 49ers were desperate enough by 2007's end to sign (and play!) Chris Weinke (giggle). Sorry to say it, San Francisco backers, but this one may be David Carr II. Verdict: Truth.

And as these question-marked 49ers (OK, not Willis - no questions there) leave the set, their lovely parting gifts are collected: a second-round draft choice, a censured head coach and lots of anxiety. Hold on for one tough reality show in 2008, San Francisco.

RealFootball365.com: That's my final answer all year-round.
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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