- The San Francisco 49ers began the 2009 season with interim head coach Mike Singletary now installed as the new head coach
- Shaun Hill started the season as the teams QB until the bye in week 6 then was replaced by former number 1 pick Alex Smith
- The team was expected to challenge Arizona for the NFC west crown but ended up finishing 8-8
- Scored 330 points while allowing 281
San Francisco 49ers
NFC West
Players
2010 Schedule
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Week 1
SF @ SEA
09/12/10
4:15 pm
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Week 2
NO @ SF
09/20/10
8:30 pm
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Week 3
SF @ KC
09/26/10
1:00 pm
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Week 4
SF @ ATL
10/03/10
1:00 pm
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Week 5
PHI @ SF
10/10/10
8:15 pm
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Week 6
OAK @ SF
10/17/10
4:00 pm
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Week 7
SF @ CAR
10/24/10
1:00 pm
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Week 8
DEN @ SF
10/31/10
1:00 pm
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Week 9
bye
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Week 10
STL @ SF
11/14/10
4:15 pm
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Week 11
TB @ SF
11/21/10
4:00 pm
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Week 12
SF @ ARI
11/29/10
8:30 pm
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Week 13
SF @ GB
12/05/10
1:00 pm
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Week 14
SEA @ SF
12/12/10
4:00 pm
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Week 15
SF @ SD
12/16/10
8:15 pm
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Week 16
SF @ STL
12/26/10
1:00 pm
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Week 17
ARI @ SF
01/02/11
4:15 pm
Offensive Depth Chart
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Quarterback
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Running Back
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Wide Receiver
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Tight End
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Kicker
2009
By Air
- Alex Smith will not have to compete for the starting position this year as he is already slated to be the teams starting QB
- Smith threw for 2350 yards in 11 games
- Vernon Davis finally used his superhuman combine stats to produce on the field grabbing a TE record 13 TDs
- Michael Crabtree signed with the team late but will be with the team starting week 1 and he should have a good season
- Josh Morgan will also provide another solid target for Smith
By Land
- The 49ers ranked 25th in team rushing yards with 1600 yards on the ground in ‘09
- Frank Gore led the team in rushing with 1120 yards on 229 carries
- Glen Coffee served as the teams second back but only averaged 2.7 yards per carry
QB
- Smith has his starting position back and will look to lead his team to the top of the NFC west in 2010
- He threw for 2350 yards at a 60.5 completion percentage
- Smith threw 18 TDs to only 12 INTs
- 18 touchdowns was Smith’s career high
- David Carr was signed as the teams backup and sck dummy. Carr will provide veteran presence in case of injury
RB
- Frank Gore was one of the best backs in football last season
- He gained 1,120 yards on 229 attempts while scoring 10 TDs on the season
- Frank Gore was also a very effective receiver out of the backfield grabbing 52 passes for 406 yards and 3 TDs
- Glen Coffee rushed for 226 yards on 83 attempts and scored 1 TD. He also caught 11 passes for 76 yards
WR
- The 49ers will look to have an almost completely reworked receiving corps starting in week 1 then they did last year on opening day
- Michael Crabtree will be the teams #1 receiver after ending the season with 48 catches for 625 yards and 2 TDs in 11 games
- Josh Morgan caught 52 passes for 527 yards and 3 TDs
- The team also brought in Ted Ginn Jr. from the Dolphins, he will be primarily be the third slot receiver and this could be a role in which he shines
TE
- The 49ers have arguably the best TE in football with Vernon Davis, who has a unique mix of size, strength, and speed
- Davis caught 78 passes for 965 yards and 13 TDs
- Delanie Walker, the backup TE, caught 21 passes for 233 yards
San Francisco Defense
- Patrick Willis led the team with 152 tackles, Dashon Goldson had 94
- The 49ers had 44 sacks last season
- Leading sacker was Manny Lawson with 6.5
- How can the team build around Willis and make the defense stronger??
- Dashon Goldson led the team with 4 INTs
- Team forced 23 fumbles
- Team forced a total of 41 turnovers
Offensive Line
Analysis: This is struggling unit but could see an improvement with the new ball control offense. Lineman love to run block so you might see a little more attitude from them this year.
Offensive Scheme
Analysis: Singletary brings a lot of pride to work with him, and how he as pulled in Jimmy Raye to help run a ball control offense this year. They have been terribly unstable at OC so it’s really no surprise Alex Smith failed.
Analysis: He has been on both ends of the spectrum in play calling, but he comes over from the Jets as their RB coach the past few years where he has gotten a lot out of Thomas Jones. Singletary is preaching ball control, so watch for a heavy run attack whenever they can afford it.
Major Off-Season Moves
June 14, 2010
Signed RB Anthony Dixon to a four-year contract.
June 8, 2010
Traded WR Isaac Bruce to St. Louis Rams.
May 20, 2010
Promoted Trent Baalke to vice president of player personnel. Named Joel Patten director of college scouting.
May 5, 2010
Agreed to terms with LB Patrick Willis on a five-year contract extension through the 2016 season.
May 4, 2010
Agreed to terms with LB Patrick Willis on a five-year contract extension through the 2016 season.
April 27, 2010
Signed LB Travis LaBoy to a one-year contract. Agreed to terms with LB Mike Balogun LB, CB Tramaine Brock, QB Jarrett Brown, WR Shay Hodge, LB Keaton Kristick, WR Scott Long, S Christopher Maragos, WR Jared Perry, CB Patrick Stoudamire and CB-S Leroy Vann.
April 13, 2010
Signed OL David Baas to a one-year contract.
April 3, 2010
Signed LB Ahmad Brooks to a two-year contract.
March 30, 2010
Signed PK Shane Andrus to a one-year contract.
March 23, 2010
Re-signed OL Barry Sims to a one-year contract.
March 17, 2010
Signed CB Karl Paymah to a one-year contract.
March 15, 2010
Signed QB David Carr to a two-year contract. Traded QB Shaun Hill to Detroit for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick.
February 4, 2010
Named Ray Brown assistant offensive line coach.
January 22, 2010
Signed G Brian De La Puente to a future contract.
January 21, 2010
Named Mike Solari offensive line coach.
January 18, 2010
Named Kurt Schottenheimer special teams coordinator.
January 12, 2010
Signed FB Jehuu Caulcrick to a future contract.
January 11, 2010
Signed TE Joe Jon Finley to a reserve-future contract.
Strength of Schedule
We are firm believers that strength-of-schedule analysis is essential when ranking players at every position. We applied this system (without the 5% NFL draft impact) in hindsight to last year's schedule as we were curious how well it could work. The notable results were that Michael Turner and the Falcons had a #32 ranked (easiest) rush schedule last season and DeAngelo Williams and the Panthers were #30.
Our SoS considers three factors when determining rankings for schedules for the upcoming year:
80% weight is applied to the quality of defense from the previous year. We determine quality of defense based on fantasy points given up (run and pass). However, before we get to that number, we factor in the quality of teams that these defenses faced (basically a strength-of-schedule for the previous year). This was all done by hand. Let's just say our boy, Stitchface, has a bit of the carpal tunnel-syndrome going on.
15% weight is applied to Free-Agent movement. We ranked each free agent's impact to their former team (2008), and then ranked each team according to whether they added or lost talent overall.
5% weight is applied to the NFL draft impact. It's tough to gauge a rookie's effectiveness which is why we valued it so low. Certain teams not only drafted defensemen well in '09, but also will be sliding those guys into highly deficient positions from '08, and usually, anything is an upgrade when you are starting a rookie.
If you trust Stitchface's formula (and you will eventually), all you need to realize is the following... The higher the SoS number, the easier the fantasy schedule.
Ranking: 1=toughest 32=easiest
Breaking News
based on PYRO OLINE rankings- MIA has the 16th best pass block, 49ers=27th, Lions=23rd, Ravens=20th... so Henne fairs best in that regard expand +
Last year Frank Gore, who many Miami U faithful say is the school's best RB ever, had career bests in rushing TDs (10) and total TDs (13) expand +
Nedney out for Week 16 expand +
49ers kicker Joe Nedney (hamstring) has officially been ruled out for their Week 16 game against the Lions.
Pyro's Take:
The 49ers will instead use Ricky Schmitt for the kicking duties Sunday. It's his first NFL game, so he may be a bit nervous, but there are plenty of points to be had against the Lions, so if Nedney was your guy, think about grabbing Schmitt as his replacement on your fantasy team this week.
Gore limited by toe injury expand +
49ers running back Frank Gore was limited in practice on Wednesday due to a toe injury.
Pyro's Take:
Gore should be just fine this weekend, and though he's going up against a tough Eagles D, he still makes for a fine RB1 play on your fantasy football team on Sunday.
Singletary promises Gore more carries expand +
49ers coach Mike Singletary promised running back Frank Gore that he would not have another game like he did against Seattle in Week 13 when he only got 9 carries.
"He's a huge part of our offense and we're trying to figure it out," Singletary said. "In order for us to win, we need you to run the ball. Just be patient while we find that balance."
Pyro's Take:
Good news for Gore owners as the RB has a great matchup in Week 16 going up against the Lions. He's still an RB1 on your fantasy football team as you head into your playoffs.
Crabtree suffers hip contusion, should be fine expand +
In the game against the Cardinals on Monday night, 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree sustained a hip contusion but returned to finish the game.
Pyro's Take:
Crabby is just fine and shouldn't miss any practice time this week. He's been getting a lot of targets lately and has decent fantasy playoff matchups against Philly in Week 15 and Detroit in Week 16. Think about using him as a WR3 for your team these next couple of games.
Josh Morgan has bruised hip but should be fine expand +
49ers wide receiver Josh Morgan is dealing with a bruised hip after Sunday's game against the Jaguars, but he should be ready to play this coming weekend in Seattle.
Pyro's Take:
Morgan's fantasy football value has increased slightly since QB Alex Smith was put into the lineup, but he still can't be used as more than a flex on your team.
Josh Morgan officially named starter expand +
49ers wide receiver Josh Morgan has officially been named the starting wide receiver alongside Michael Crabtree. Even though he has been starting for a couple of weeks now, no "official" word had yet been given. Isaac Bruce's run as a starter in the NFL is now over.
Pyro's Take:
Morgan and Crabtree make up an extremely talented, young receiving duo and could be paired together for a long time to come. Morgan, however, still isn't a fantasy football consideration, and Isaac Bruce might as well be playing soccer as far as fantasy is concerned.
Coach Singletary backs his TE despite moronic pre-game confrontation expand +
Mike Singletary sort of defended Vernon Davis for his pregame confrontation with DE Adewale Ogunleye. "Vernon is growing up," Singletary said. "I don't think he knows how important he is to this team. He's just got so much energy and he's an emotional guy and you need those guys to win a championship."
Pyro's Take:
As long he privately chided Davis, we support Singletary's decision. And everyone knows how important it is to have pyromaniac.com's support for day to day decisions on your NFL franchise and its players.
Vernon Davis practice, will start tomorrow night expand +
49ers tight end Vernon Davis (shoulder) practiced for a second straight day and though he is listed as probable on the injury report for tomorrow night's game, he is expected to start against the Bears.
Pyro's Take:
Davis is a must-start against a Bears D that gives out passing TDs like condoms on sex awareness day. Make sure he's in your fantasy football lineup as the game starts tomorrow night at 8:20pm ET.
Gore practices, will start Thursday night expand +
49ers running back Frank Gore (eye) practiced in full again on Wednesday and will make his normal start against the Bears tomorrow night.
Pyro's Take:
The Bears haven't been able to shut down anyone lately, so Gore is a must-start this Thursday night on your fantasy football team.
SIngletary backs his new QB expand +
49ers quarterback Alex Smith may have had a sub-par game last Sunday throwing three INTs, but coach Mike Singletary doesn't believe it was all his fault and is still backing his starting QB. "I thought Alex did a good job throwing the football," Singletary said Monday. "Alex had one play that was on him."
Pyro's Take:
Smith is entrenched as the starter in San Fran as he brings a whole new dimension to that offense with the vertical passing game. We'd be surprised if Alex doesn't throw for at least 3 TDs Thursday night against the 10-cent-ho Bears D, so feel free to start him on your fantasy football team this week.
Vernon Davis returns to practice on Tuesday expand +
49ers tight end Vernon Davis (shoulder) went through a full practice with the team on Tuesday and is expected to start as usual Thursday night.
Pyro's Take:
Davis has been talking shit about the Bears lately, claiming that the Niners will dominate the Bears front line and that they shouldn't have a problem with their linebackers either. He may be right, but it's still not the smartest thing to say with Samurai Mike Singletary as your coach.
Even if Samurai kicks his ass in the next couple of days, he should still be started on your fantasy football team against a weak Chicago D.
Vernon Davis suffers minor shoulder injury expand +
49ers tight end Vernon Davis suffered a minor shoulder injury in Sunday's game against the Titans that would have limited him in practice today if there was one being held. He is fully expected to start on Thursday against the Bears.
Pyro's Take:
Davis is finally living up to his potential and has become one of the elite fantasy football tight ends in the league this year. Start him at all costs against a Bears D that likes to hand out touchdowns like Jolly Ranchers on Halloween.
Gore to go solo on Thursday night expand +
49ers rookie running back Glen Coffee (concussion) has already been ruled out for the contest against the Bears on Thursday night.
Pyro's Take:
Concussions usually take at least a full week to get over, so missing Thursday night's game isn't a shocker by any means. Frank Gore will again carry the load and be a great fantasy football RB1 this week against a poor Bears D.
