Hit List: Dedicated to the Whiners

This week in Hit List, we take a look at the Niners' 37-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and provide a guide of sorts for how fans should properly cope with the defeat.

GREETINGS, Observer readers. Nick here with a special Monday morning Hit List for your reading pleasure. Like most 49er fans, I watched Smittay and his crew lose their first game of the season to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday morning. In short, it was a pretty competitive game, and the 49ers offense played much better than my pessimistic side would have predicted after the Niners barely edged the Rams in week 2. I left my local sports bar on Sunday feeling disappointed by the loss, but encouraged by what Hostler and Nolan were attempting to do with the offense.

Yet, as I sit in front of my computer and browse the internets regarding all things 49ers, I'm extremely surprised by the general fan reaction to this game. For many of the 49er Faithful, Sunday's loss has somehow warranted the trading of half of the offense to the Redskins and starting Trent Dilfer by Week 8. I'm not exactly sure what these fans were expecting of the Niners against one of the best teams in the league (I was fully prepared for the worst outcome possible), but apparently some were hoping the San Francisco 49ers would morph into the Indianapolis Colts over the course of a week and destroy the Steelers by a great margin. Needless to say, such expectations proved to be kind of delusional.

Thus, today's special edition of the Hit List is a guide for all the 49er fans out there who are calling for Alex Smith's head on a stick, or for the future offspring of Vernon Davis to be cursed with the mark of the beast. As a public service, I give you The Week 3 Guide to Losing for Forty-Whiner Fans. Consume, digest, floss, and enjoy.

THE COMPLAINT - Alex Smith is a bust and is the main reason the 49ers are playing poor on offense in 2007.

THE REALITY - It's difficult for Alex Smith to put up Tom Brady numbers when the 49ers offensive line can't seem to hold back a four-man rush this season, let alone a massive blitz with 245 pounds of linebacker by the name of James Farrior coming at Smittay full-speed. It also doesn't help when your Pro Bowl running back is contained for only 39 yards on the day (it's hard to fool your opponent with play action when you can't move the ball on the ground in the first place).

Alex Smith deserves a big thumbs up for his performance in Pittsburgh, especially for the heart he displayed when hollering at his offensive line midway through the game to give him some much needed pass protection. And did you leave the TV on long enough to see that TD pass to Taylor Jacobs at the end of the game? Smith can play, but he's still young. Fans out there calling for Dilfer need to give Smittay a bit more time to realize his full potential. I, for one, believe he can be the quarterback we all want him to be. As of now, he just needs some help from his offensive line.

THE COMPLAINT - Frank Gore has regressed and his Pro Bowl season was a fluke.

THE REALITY - My editor James here at the Observer said it best — there is a big elephant in the room that was supposed to be one of the 49ers' strengths as football team in 2007. The offensive line is just not getting it done. There have been massive breakdowns in protection across the entire line over the past three weeks, and it is safe to say this isn't the same group of gigantic men 49er fans grew to respect during the 2006 season.

Their lackluster performance is hurting both Gore's running and Smith's passing. The only solution is to pray that there is improvement as the season continues or that one of the Niners' heralded backups in Adam Snyder, David Baas or Tony Wragge can step in and step up. Otherwise, against good defensive teams, you can expect Frank Gore to be contained all year.

THE COMPLAINT - Vernon Davis is a liability and should be jettisoned into space.

THE REALITY - No. Seriously, just stop. Click-Clack showed why he is the 49ers' best receiver Sunday with great all-around play. The man may drop a pass here and there, but when VD gets into the open field, he becomes a liability for whatever defense is trying to stop him. His clutch catch in the third quarter against Pittsburgh would have put the 49ers in position to put 6 on the board but was negated by a terrible call by the officials.

One thing you can argue as a Niner fan is that referees seem to never give San Francisco any breaks regarding close calls ... at least since about the time Mariucci left town. Don't ask me why, but the past two-plus years have been very frustrating for the 49ers and poor officiating.

THE COMPLAINT - Jim Hostler is a poor offensive coordinator and should be blamed for the Niners problems on offense.

THE REALITY - Yes and no, and here's where things get tricky. In his first year, Hostler is no doubt inexperienced regarding the coordinator duties. I think his biggest faults are not pushing Smith to throw farther downfield on a regular basis as well as not using Gore effectively by calling the plays that suit Gore's strengths as a running back.

People have also called Hostler (and Nolan as well) conservative with the offensive play-calling, which I believe was accurate after the Niners' first two weeks of the season. However, against Pittsburgh, the 49ers came out throwing on their first drive, allowing Smittay to hit Delanie "D-Love" Walker, Darrell Jackson, and Vernon Davis with some well-timed passes.

The final numbers on the day were 19 runs and 35 passes for the 49ers offense. Granted, the Niners were playing from behind most of the day, but allowing Smith to throw the ball more (and also with the plays Hostler was calling) was a big step forward in building up the confidence of the entire offensive unit.

The main problem now isn't the plays Hostler is calling (besides the way he uses Gore), but getting the offensive line to run the plays well. Hostler gets a moderately-sized thumbs-up for his performance in Pittsburgh, but I hope his improvement continues.

[On a side note, I want to ask again if Hostler just doesn't like to pull the guards on the runs with Gore. That means shifting Larry Allen to the outside after the snap to help Gore get around the edge. It worked like a charm last year, but maybe Hostler knows something I don't. All I know is that the 49ers' running game doesn't look very creative. I definitely miss Norv Turner in that respect.]

And with that, I'm outta here. I'll be back Saturday with another Hit List to prepare you guys for Sunday's game against Seattle. You can learn more about my general feelings regarding the Seahawks right here. To close, here is who I liked and didn't like Sunday against the Steelers:

Manny Lawson wants you to sign his knee brace: Nate Clements, Patrick Willis, Hannibal Navies (it's clear he's no Manny Lawson though), Mark Roman, Vernon Davis, Alex Smith, Andy Lee, Joe Nedney and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky (he's so refreshing after suffering through the tepid Billy Davis era).

Trent Dilfer wants to have a word with you: Larry Allen, Derek Smith (without Lawson, we're stuck with him for the rest of the season), Tully Banta-Cain (who must REALLY using like the spin move in Madden 2008), Brandon Williams (he'll be cut in 2008, guaranteed) and, sadly enough, Ashley Lelie.

[EDIT: Wow... I called that one. 49ers wide receiver/punt returner Brandon Williams was waived today. Former Saint Michael Lewis was signed by the Niners and will probably replace B-Will this weekend on special teams. I hereby endorse the move. Good job Nolan.]