2009 San Francisco 49ers Predictions
Preview courtesy of Ted Sevransky, An award-winning professional football handicapper featured on Touthouse.com. If you are interested in football betting this season, be sure to buy Ted Sevransky’s football picks at Touthouse.com

Overview:
It’s easy to make a least of the NFL’s worst organizations; squads that underachieve from the team president on down. The Detroit Lions have suffered from organizational meltdown over the last decade. Cincinnati should be at or near the top of the list. Obviously, Al Davis’ Oakland Raiders merit attention in this debate. I personally would include the Arizona Cardinals in my ‘Top 5’, even after their longtime loser status was interrupted by the team’s first ever trip to the Super Bowl last February. Last, but not least, we’ve got the San Francisco 49ers, an organization that has fallen on very hard times since the glory days of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Bill Walsh’s original West Coast offense.

The 49ers last winning season and playoff appearance came with Steve Mariucci on the sidelines in 2002. Last year’s 7-9 record matched the high water mark for the Niners in the last six seasons. There’s more hope and confidence in San Francisco heading into the 2009 campaign then we’ve seen in years, as the Niners closed out the 2008 campaign winning five of their last seven under interim head coach Mike Singletary. Singletary’s no-nonsense approach made headlines during the latter stages of the campaign, and the team’s turnaround under his tutelage earned him the full time head coaching gig in the offseason.

Offense:
To put it bluntly, this team has no quarterback. Former #1 overall pick Alex Smith has a career 54% completion percentage and a 19-31 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He didn’t play a down last year and has not been the least bit impressive during training camp. Smith is battling with Shaun Hill for the starting job. San Fran has gone 7-5 with Hill as the starter over the last two years, and his 90.5 career QB rating dwarfs Smith’s career 63.5 rating. That being said there’s a reason that Hill went undrafted coming out of college – he’s not the type of quarterback that will stretch opposing defenses with his arm strength. Whoever wins the job coming out of camp will not necessarily be the starter by midseason. We can expect subpar QB play in San Francisco once again this year.

The rest of the offense has plenty of holes as well in Jimmy Raye’s first year as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator; the 49ers seventh different offensive coordinator in the last seven years. The Niners ranked 27th in the NFL in rushing yardage last year, and feature back Frank Gore has a history of injury problems dating back to college. The offensive line allowed a league high 55 sacks in ‘08, and prized free agent pickup, tackle Marvel Smith, has missed 15 games over the last two years with back problems. #1 draft pick WR Michael Crabtree is embroiled in a nasty contract dispute, severely limiting his potential for success in his rookie season. Without Crabtree, a receiving trio of the aging Isaac Bruce, the youngster Josh Morgan and the free agent pickup Brandon Jones will not scare opposing secondaries.

Defense:
Mike Singletary and coordinator Greg Manusky simplified the 49ers defensive schemes after the mid-season coaching change last year, and the Niners adapted well to those changes. After allowing 29 or more points in seven of their first nine games, the 49ers allowed more than 16 points only twice in their last seven contests. At season’s end the defensive improvement was easily discernable in the stats, as San Francisco closed out the campaign with the league’s 13th ranked defense.

San Francisco still lacks a single dominant defensive lineman. Justin Smith led the line in sacks and tackles last year, the team’s defensive MVP, but his enormous contract is problematic for a team with significant salary cap issues. Around Smith, the Niners have a solid blue collar group of linemen. If last year’s second rounder Kentwan Balmer can live up to his hype, it’ll help this defense tremendously. Linebacker Patrick Willis has emerged into an elite defender, teaming with Takeo Spikes and the oft-injured Manny Lawson to form a strong trio. Veteran cornerbacks Nate Clements and Walt Harris will benefit tremendously if the pass rush improves. This defense has the potential to be the strength of the team, but it’s no sure thing.

Schedule:
The 49ers finished with a losing record last year even after facing one of the easiest opposing slates of any team in the league. All seven of their 2008 victories came against teams that failed to make the playoffs, and their -17 turnover ratio (dead last in the NFL) was a weekly problem. This year, San Francisco adds four games against the ultra-competitive AFC South. That being said, the overall weakness of their own division leaves the Niners with an average schedule in terms of both travel and toughness for the upcoming campaign.

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