In The Bubble

by xkinghx | 5 years ago | 0 Comments

 

 

 

n this first edition of 'In The Bubble' we will be answering the question, " why are the 49ers On The Bubble?"

 

     The San Francisco 49ers are currently sitting at 6-4 and in a three-way tie for the NFC West. This once proud-and-strong organization, sitting at the top of the food chain with 8 NRG Championships, currently finds itself struggling for another ring. Having up-and-downs throughout the seasons and in the playoffs, they can't seem to get out of their own way. The previous drought was 16 seasons long, which began back in mid-Madden 17. Are we going to see another decade and half worth of seasons before the glorious 49ers return to their throne?

     Going over the stats, we can quickly see that the biggest problem is the offense. Sitting in the middle-of-the-pack in scoring, the 49ers are averaging 25 points-a-game. Compare that to the currently undefeated Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers, who are averaging 37 and 31 points-a-game respectively, we can start to get an idea of how much more points one needs to average to be a top dog this season. Even the beloved Houston Texans are averaging more than the 49ers: 28 points-a-game. The differences aren't huge, but it goes to show how big of a difference one more point can do for you. 

     Rank 29 out of 32 teams, the 49ers rushing attack is almost non-existent. Matt Breida leads the charge, but isn't the lone-wolf. He shares the backfield with two other players; Raheem Mostert and Latavius Murray. One has to wonder why a three-back committee. When we inspect these players individually, Murray and Mostert are both averaging 3.5 and 3.2 yards per carry, respectively. Yet Matt Breida is averaging 6.1 yards a carry! So the question to the coaches has to be, "why?" Why isn't Matt Breida the bell-cow of the 49ers?

     Another stat that pops out is the lack of receptions for the running backs. A total of 27 receptions, inclduing the fullback, out of a 196 total receptions for the team. That means 13% of caught passes are by the backs. We can imagine how much smaller that percentage gets if we calculated for targets. The West Coast offense lives on dump-offs to the backs, but it appears this coaching staffs tends to lean more on their big-body receivers.

     Maybe long-gone are the days when Carlos Hyde was the lead receiver for the 49ers, which made people whisper, "he's not even like that!" Yet, this is one of the reasons those 49ers won championships back then. Throwing to the open man, which usually was the running back, and not worried about big-plays or statistics. Maybe the old saying, 'money talks,' is true for these 49ers. The QB, Center and TE are the three highest paid positions on their offense. Snap the ball to Garappolo and throw it to Kittle! Yet the question lingers because Breida is their 4th highest paid offensive player, but he shares the ball with two other backs. 

     The 49ers are boasting one of the top 10 defenses in the league, in regards to yardage, and a top 5 sackmaster in Don Callahan. Then why are we bringing up the defense if we know they are playing well? We all know the cliche saying of, "defense wins championships," however, it's not the defense's job to score points. It is the defense's job to get the ball back to their offense and here in lies another problem.

     The 49ers are middle-of-the-pack in turnovers. Those championship 49ers were top 5 in turnovers. Those defenses got the ball back to their offense and their offense put up points. Now, their defense doesn't get the ball back to their offesne as often and in-turn their offense isn't scoring as much points as needed to dominate. Top 5 in pressuring the Quarterback, but they aren't resulting in turnovers for whatever reason. 

     Speaking of pressuring, we must return to the offense because just as they are top 5 in pressuring the Quarterback, they are also top 5 in allowing their Quaterback to be pressured. Garoppolo is taking more hits then he has in the previous seasons. Looking back at the previous two season and comparing it to the current season, Garaoppolo is at his lowest completion percentage, lowest average passing yards, lowest TD total, most sacks per game and lowest rate. Granted, we are 10 games into the season, but at the rate he's going, these numbers will remain his current all-time low.

     The biggest culprit for thier lack-luster offense is their offensive line. Outside of LT Mike McGlinchey, this offensive line is either too old or too inexperienced. Something has to happen and soon, or Garappolo will continue this downward spiral. With 2 years left on his contract, one has to wonder if the 49ers want to resign him to big money or invest in a prospect this upcoming draft. If there aren't any plans to improve this offensive line soon, one can say that Garoppolo's last two years with the 49ers won't be a happy one.

     In conclusion, there are multiple problems that need to be resolved within this organization and it starts from the top. Money management: resign Garoppolo and draft starting caliber players or letting him walk and focusing that money in other positions. Positions like ballhawking defensive backs. Also more play-calls that hides their inabilities; like dumping it off to Breida before Garoppolo gets hit. More West Coast and less Air Corryell. With these steps, maybe one day the glorious 49ers will return to sit on their throne.