Niner Report: Learning Things The Hard(-a-)Way

The loss against the Eagles this past Sunday exposed some of this team's inadequacies that have been overlooked, ignored or glossed over because of the frisky start to the season. First and foremost: youth. Despite the optimism everyone feels when rookies or second-year players succeed, you have to keep in mind that these guys are young and inexperienced, and are going to make mistakes and learn some hard lessons. Gore's maddening fumble habits (eerily reminiscent of Dexter Carter) may force him to relinquish his goal line duties to rookie Michael Robinson.

It was also evident from watching the game that the Niners really have some problems in the defensive secondary; they can barely cover anyone. This is partially a result of the fact that the Niners are forced to blitz to make up for a weak pass rush, thus leaving the secondary a bit exposed. But the fact remains that the team needs more players back there, a problem the Eagles easily capitalized upon.

While the coaching staff has done a great job of getting its players prepared to play, head coach Mike Nolan is still experiencing a learning curve. Evidence: the infamous punt at the end of the first half. Nolan has defended his decision--even remaining a bit stand-offish--but to the casual observer the decision really wasn't even one: go for it! The team was down 21, in Eagle territory, and had a good drive going. The reward outweighed the risk, but Nolan chose the ultra-conservative approach. Obviously, the backlash to his decision will affect his coaching henceforth, but as Tim Kawakami writes, maybe the criticism is a good thing; at least we aren't making excuses for Nolan and Alex Smith anymore.

Overall, Nancy Gay really hits the nail on the head: the Niners just aren't ready for the big boys of the NFL yet.

Not only was Gore's game-deciding fumble awful to watch, its reprecussion were downright apocalyptic. Yes, the Truth will be out for about a month. HMB will be opening a support group by Friday. The only good news is that at least there is depth at tight end.

Blasphemy

Other random HMB observations:

• Michael Robinson looks like a load at running back. Normally, I'm 100% against this whole "draft a former college quarterback and switch his position" new fad (i.e. Rasheed Marshall, Arnaz Battle), but Robinson is looking like a perfect fit in his new role at running back.
• Antonio Bryant is walking a thin line. This guy might be even more insane than 'The Player", so I guess that it's fitting he's wearing 81. But his antics make him seem so combustible that I wouldn't be surprised if a sideline altercation took place. And, yes, it gives me a near-aneurysm every time.
• It's official: Alex Smith is a fantasy quarterback. Join HMB in congratulating him.
• The next draft needs to focus on defense. Now I'm not sanctioning a Mario Williams over Reggie Bush here (which is looking like the most egregious draft decision since Darko over Anthony/Wade/Bosh/Hinrich/entire draft class), but it is becoming blatantly obvious that this defense is in dire need of playmakers in the secondary and along the defensive front. Knowing Nolan's defensive background, I'm pretty sure we're in good hands with this one.
• My favorite non-Niners in the NFL are Chris Henry and Odell Thurman, respectively. I'm speechless, really.
  

That does it for this edition of the Niner Report, stay tuned for Friday's game preview and prediction.