Article Courtesy of Ted Sevransky, A Professional Football Handicapper Featured on Touthouse.com. If you are betting on football this season, be sure to check out Ted’s 2008 Football Predictions!

2008 San Francisco 49ers NFL Football Predictions
The 49ers were one of the ‘hyped’ teams coming into 2007, as many pundits and observers expected a breakthrough campaign for San Francisco after a decade of mediocrity.  Those pundits were dead wrong as the Niners lost eight straight following their 2-0 start, stumbling to a 5-11 record.  In the offseason, head coach Mike Nolan became the first coach in 49ers history to keep his job following three consecutive losing seasons.  Clearly, Nolan must guide his team to a winning record in ’08, or he’ll be looking for work next winter.
 
The Niners biggest question marks lie on the offensive side of the football.  Nolan brought in Mike Martz from Detroit as the new offensive coordinator, the 49ers sixth new coordinator in the last six seasons.  That’s not exactly continuity on offense, to put it mildly.  Martz failed miserably with his pass happy offense in Detroit, despite a solid quarterback and a bevy of former Top 10 draft picks at wide receiver.  The culprit?  Detroit’s porous offensive line, which didn’t open up holes for any sort of running game nor protect Jon Kitna from getting hit early and often in the pocket.
 
San Francisco’s offensive line looks equally bad, if not worse, than the Lions units from recent seasons.  Four of the five projected starters are in new positions or a new starter, with center Eric Heitmann the only returning starter at the same position he occupied last year.  Future Hall of Famer Larry Allen is expected to retire; last year’s rookie sensation Joe Staley is moving from right tackle to left tackle.  Guard David Bass is coming off surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.  This unit has more questions than answers right now.
 
Alex Smith was the #1 overall draft choice out of Utah four years ago.  At the time, many observers questioned whether he was a product of Urban Meyer’s system as opposed to being a legitimate #1.  Smith’s critics have had plenty of ammunition in his first three seasons in the league – at no point has he looked like a solid NFL quarterback, let alone a former #1 pick.  Learning another new offense and playing behind another spotty offensive line doesn’t give this observer much confidence in Smith’s ability to have a breakout season in ’08.
 
The Niners made a couple of big free agent splashes at wide receiver, picking up 35 year old Issac Bruce from St Louis and former first rounder Bryant Johnson from Arizona.  Even if those two step up with stellar seasons, the Niners will need increased production from last year’s free agent signee Ashley Lelie and former first rounder Vernon Davis at tight end.  Running back Frank Gore has battled injuries and fumble problems throughout his three previous seasons in the league.
 
The Niners defensive line is a problem area as well.  Coordinator Greg Manusky, in his second year on the job, will rely heavily on free agent addition Justin Smith from Cincinnati, and this year’s #1 draft choice Kentwan Balmer from North Carolina.  Those two will need to replace Bryant Young (retirement) and Marquis Douglas (free agent to Tampa Bay).  Manusky finally has the personnel in place to run his preferred 3-4 defense, making the play of the defensive line that much more important in 2008.
 
San Fran looks good with their back seven defensively.  Last year’s defensive rookie of the year, Patrick Willis, has plenty of talent surrounding him, including LB Manny Lawson (coming off a torn ACL) and pro-bowl caliber cornerbacks Nate Clements, Shawntae Spencer and Walt Harris.  Remember, the Niners lost four games last year in which they allowed less than three touchdowns – it wasn’t the fault of the defense that their season went down the tubes.  Rather, the 32nd ranked offense that produced less than 14 points per game was the primary cause of the 49ers malaise. 
 
San Francisco is lined with an Over/Under of 6.5 wins for the 2008 season.  Their schedule doesn’t make the Over an easy bet to make.  The 49ers play a whopping six different road games at 1:00PM Eastern starting time, including a brutal stretch of four early start games on the road in a five week span in November and December.  Tough games outside of division include a home game against New England and visits to play the Saints, Cowboys and Giants.  But their home slate is relatively manageable, with ‘winable’ games against Arizona, Detroit, St Louis, the New York Jets and Washington.

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