The 49ers' two new coordinators had their first chance to show what they're made of Monday night in San Francisco's 17-13 loss to the Denver Broncos. They had decidedly different results.
Jim Hostler's offense seemed to pick up right where Norv Turner's left off. The starting unit marched down the field for a field goal and a touchdown in the first quarter, and the second team continued to move the ball well in the second.
Greg Manusky's defense, however, was nothing short of abysmal in allowing touchdowns on two of Denver's first three drives. The big-name acquisitions — Nate Clements, Tully Banta-Cain and Michael Lewis — hardly got a chance to have an impact. The Broncos ran the ball so effortlessly early on that they almost never needed to throw.
The starting units represented the extreme positives and negatives from Monday's game. Here's a kneejerk rundown of the good, the bad and the indifferent. GOOD Alex Smith — Smith connected with excellent passes to his top two receivers, Darrell Jackson and Arnaz Battle, and led the 49ers to 10 points in the first quarter. Michael Robinson and Maurice Hicks — Neither of these backs would be able to fill Frank Gore's shoes alone, but when they work together, they can get the job done. Hicks touched the ball just four times on offense (three carries, one reception) but gained 39 yards. Robinson ran hard, as usual, averaging more than 4.0 yards per carry and punching in a 1-yard touchdown run. Brandon Williams — Williams finally started to look like a real wide receiver, finishing with three catches for 31 yards. He was also solid in the return game, averaging nearly 30 yards on three kick returns and more than 10 on two punt returns. Williams' roster spot should be safe — his status on the depth chart as a receiver remains to be seen. Marques Douglas — Though he didn't accomplish much, Douglas appeared as quick and as active in the first quarter as I ever remember seeing him. He was about the only defensive starter who looked like he knew what he was doing. BAD First-team defense — I'm not going to single anyone out. They were terrible. Ok, I'll single out the defensive line, which might as well have been playing on ice. Hopefully the return of nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin will make the line a little more formidable, and hopefully the rest of the defense won't look so tentative once they become more comfortable in Greg Manusky's 3-4 scheme. This was simply an atrocious performance. Shaun Hill — The third-string quarterback put one foot firmly out the door with a positively pedestrian performance. His end-zone interception early in the fourth quarter was the lowlight of an awful night, which ended with a dud of a fourth-down throw that was the 49ers' last chance. Luke Getsy suddenly has a chance to make this team. Ok, maybe not. Ashley Lelie — His status was confirmed by his stunning lack of playing time in the first half, though he caught a couple of meaningless passes in the second half. He has to know by now that his place on this team is far from secure, and if that doesn't motivate him, nothing will. INDIFFERENT Vernon Davis — Poised for a breakout year, Davis never saw the ball in his one quarter of action but continued to look good as a blocker. Patrick Willis — The 11th overall pick in the draft wasn't disappointing in his debut; he simply wasn't spectacular. Willis seemed tentative at times but more often than not ended up around the ball. He also made a nice stop near the goal line in the first quarter, one of few defensive highlights for the 49ers. Tarell Brown — He made an instant impact with outstanding coverage and a nice interception on the sideline in the second quarter, but he looked lost at times as the game progressed. Still, it's not hard to see his talent.
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