preseason game - 49ers vs. Colts

So much to talk about! I suppose that is true with any team; however with the 49ers this year, it's been a particularly unusual training camp and preseason: one former first-round pick stopped showing up for practice (it's now being reported that the 49ers have traded Kentwan Balmer to the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks for a sixth-round pick in next year's draft... from the first-round down to the sixth-round... talk about a loss in investment!); and just recently, last year's third-round pick, Glen Coffee, has up and retired from the league already. And that's aside from the injuries, which do in fact affect every team.

I've been reading different opinions about these events and yesterday's game too. Even as a fan, I try not to get too high while at the same time not get too low with my emotions. I'm always trying to avoid any 'knee-jerk' reactions! But here are some thoughts:

One thing I'd like to see is some way of comparing the 'success rates' of all 32 NFL teams regarding the draft. A lot of fans are coming down on the 49ers for their draft picks, particularly the higher ones. Shouldn't they have 'vetted' each of their picks better? Well, as we all know, it's a lot easier to do now in hindsight. I figure the 49ers would grade out well relative to most other teams. Some hits and some misses. And they seem to be balancing themselves out well with their lower round picks.

I'm a big fan of Coach Singletary. I believe that he brings out the best in his players, both in the way they play football and also their character as men. That Balmer decided he needed a change of atmosphere and Coffee decided to pursue the ministry instead of playing anymore are exceptions - I trust that Singletary is a great, inspiring leader. That is why I am perfectly comfortable with whomever they draft, even the ones that are considered to be 'character risks.' I'll always remember his edict: "I want winners! I want people that want to win."

Although reading too much into preseason games is pure folly, I really like this Anthony Dixon kid! The 49ers have gotten good performances from different running backs in preseason games before, but Dixon has an extra something or two that is cause for real optimism. He's a big back, yet runs with light feet (and a powerful stiff-arm). In other words, he's built like a fullback, but runs like a halfback. He's got good instincts to be elusive from would-be tackers, as opposed to always trying to run over people. I've read that all he needs to do now is improve at picking up blitzes and blocking to protect his quarterback. But running with the ball... check!

Speaking of quarterback, it's a touchy subject. I'm a supporter of Alex Smith and this is the year we've been waiting for. He's had a chance to soak up the same playbook over the course of two seasons, he's healthy, and he's got a heck of a supporting cast around him. This is his time to shine. But watching yesterday's game brought up some of my old worries about his ability: his passes tend to be high, thus setting up his receivers to be vulnerable to big hits and the ball being tipped; and how naturally can he lead his receivers with his throws, particularly on short passes? What I noticed when his backups David Carr and Nate Davis were playing is that they lead their receivers naturally where they don't have to break stride to catch the ball. At the pro level, I would expect this ability to be fundamental. I'm reminded of a former player for the Los Angeles Dodgers named Steve Sax. Here was a professional athlete, a major league second basemen, and he went through a phase of not being able to make the short throw to first base accurately after fielding a routine ground ball. It's like a mental block. Hitting the outlet receiver in stride should be automatic for any NFL quarterback. I hope Smith alleviates my concern about making such a throw.