The San Francisco 49ers opened their 2009 training camp in Santa Clara with the rookies reporting on July 28th and the veterans on July 30th. The first full day of practice was on Saturday August 1st as they began preparation for the 2009 regular season which kicks off on Sunday, September 13th when they play the Cardinals in Arizona.
Head Coach: Mike Singletary
San Francisco is yet another NFL team in transition heading into the 2009 season. In 2008 head coach, Mike Nolan was fired after starting the season 2-5. He was replaced on an interim basis by assistant head coach/defense, Mike Singletary. After leading his team to a 5-4 finish, including winning 4 out of their last 5 games, the move was made permanent. Singletary brings a sense of discipline and toughness to a team that had forgotten how to play all four quarters of a game. It still remains to be seen whether his current roster of players buy into his hardnosed, no nonsense philosophy, but something tells me he isn’t going to change.
Offense Preview
One of the biggest issues that Singletary faces heading into training camp is deciding on a starting quarterback. He will need to decide between former 2005 first round pick, Alex Smith and eight year veteran, Shaun Hill. Hill seems to have the edge in both overall skills and experience. Whoever gets the call will have to do more than just hand off to All-Pro RB Frank Gore if they hope to improve an offense that only averaged 21.2 points per game last season. First round pick, 10th overall Michael Crabtree from Texas Tech may provide a spark if he is fully recovered from his off season ankle surgery.
Defense Preview
Another issue will be on defense, where the 49ers are installing their seventh different defense in the past seven years. This lack of overall continuity between coaches and players has been the biggest hurdle this team has had to overcome over the past several seasons. New defensive coordinator Greg Manusky will be counting on third year player and former first round draft pick Manny Lawson to lead the way as the multi talented linebacker is set for a breakout season.
Overall Outlook
Overall, there is some good individual talent on this 49er team, but they have struggled to play as a team. San Francisco has endured six straight losing seasons which has been tough for the fans to handle after winning multiple Super Bowls in the 90’s. Singletary should be able to provide some stability, but it could take a few seasons for this team to get back to their winning ways.
