49ers at Steelers Preview (Game #3)

San Fran isn�t a very scary team. They have the last placed offense in the league. When you�re being carried by a pretty mediocre defense, you have problems.

I attack Walt Harris and Michael Lewis. Harris on Santonio Holmes is the match-up I like this game, but anyone can get in on the act. Harris lacks speed to cover the deep ball, but turns himself into a bigger liability by jumping routes. He likes to anticipate what you are going to do, and that�s always a weakness. He isn�t an awful corner, and he would be better off if the 49ers had a pass rush to help him. But he doesn�t. The Steelers have to run a few double fakes against him. I expect a few fades to Holmes deep. Once he�s second guessing himself, he�s done and can be had underneath.

Clements is a solid cover man. He doesn�t take many risks. He doesn�t get many passes thrown his way. His reputation as one of the leagues best cover men is deserved. I appreciate him more every time I watch him and I don�t expect to see the Steelers test him that much. The 49ers like to bring him off the edge. They�ll blitz him a handful of times each week, and hide it well. He won�t just line up on the edge and show what he�s doing. He�ll come from all the way over his man outside to rush the QB, or even from the slot. It�s probably the biggest concern I have in terms of San Fran�s pass rush.

The Steelers should be looking at Wilson and Washington to make plays on San Fran�s back-up corners and even safeties to make up for Clements.

I like the TE�s on these safeties and backers. The Miller/Spaeth combo has made plays in both games so far. That should only continue. Roman and Lewis lack range at the safety spot. Neither is an especially impressive player. I have little fear throwing in front of them or between them. I challenge Roman to come up and make plays. And any match-up the Steelers can get on Derek Smith and Banta-Cain is an advantage.

The 49ers biggest flaw has already been eluded to. They just lack any pass rusher worth a damn, besides maybe Young. They signed Tully Banta-Cain from the Pats. Banta-Cain not only lacks the speed to come off the edge, but he�s weak at the point of attack and frequently runs himself out of plays. And he lacks the athleticism to drop too deep. They�ll occasionally put him down in a three point stance and stunt him inside, but he�s not scary no matter how they rush him.

Manny Lawson looks good in his second year. He�s not very scary coming off the edge as a pass rusher, but is still one of the more athletic 3-4 OLB�s. Patrick Willis is at his best right now when blitzing. He�s not scared of mixing it up and comes full throttle. He can blow up a guard or a back if they aren�t careful. Davenport has given up pressure in each of the past two games. This is a nice test for him, but I don�t think he wins. On top of blitzing, Willis can move and he does a nice job of reading the QB. He was well worth the pick the 49ers spent on him, and then some.

Bryant Young on Colon is a match-up I like. Young likes to come off the edge, which Colon can handle. He�s not that explosive. I worry more about him as an interior pass rusher. The times when he gets matched up on Simmons are probably more critical. That�s where he can have some success.

Consistently applying pressure should be difficult for the 49ers, and I test them deep on crossing routes and vertical patterns with the receivers. I want to see the TE�s connect down the seam in this game, as well. Test Harris and these safeties deep often.

This run defense is vulnerable. Tully Banta Cain will frequently run himself out of plays, and is easily sealed by TE�s. Spaeth, Davis, and even Miller should have little probably kicking him out or sealing him off. #94, Marques Douglas just does not hold up against the run at LDE. Marvel Smith and Faneca should dominate him. Douglas is supported by an equally awful NT. Inside is #92, Aubrayo Franklin. The 49ers inside backers spend most of their time trying to work their way traffic or off of lineman, and that�s because of these two.

Those inside guys aren�t the best against the run, though, anyway. Derek Smith in particular takes bad angles, though that�s something I can attribute to most of the players on this defense. You could say the same about Douglas, Banta-Cain, and even Young.

Willis does not play the run with the same tenacity that he blitzes. He hesitates too often instead of flowing to the ball. That�s probably the biggest complaint about him I would have.

Manny Lawson surprised me with how well he played the run. As opposed to Banta-Cain, he does a nice job keeping his position. He does get caught inside once and a while, but he usually stays square to the line and leaves himself in a position to come off and make plays. He could give Miller problems.

Mahan, Simmons and Faneca shouldn�t struggle much to take on Franklin, and they should have plenty of chances to get to the second level. There should be opportunities to run off tackle at Banta-Cain and Douglas, as well. The run game should be clicking as well as last week.

The Steelers corners have their easiest match-ups of the season this week. Arnaz Battle is a guy best suited to the slot, not as your number one target. Jackson and Battle both lack the speed to stretch the field. Battle is a tough and reliable possession receiver. I trust Townsend or McFadden on him all day. I don�t like Jackson at all. He runs bad routes. While being bigger and faster than Battle, he�s not as good of a football player. I put Taylor on him. I let Taylor play him tight. On his deep routes he frequently gets forced to the outside or runs it too tightly to the sideline, hanging his QB�s out to dry. It�s a problem he had in Seattle and it�s been a problem in San Fran.

The other guys aren�t that tough. The Steelers have come across Lelie in the past. He is buried on this 49ers depth chart, but still somewhat of a risk. The Steelers need to play him physical. But he shouldn�t be seeing the field all that often and he�s a one trick pony.

Lacking any reliable deep threat, the Steelers should be free to throw any blitz they want at the 49ers. Containment is the biggest issue in this game. The Steelers need to be careful to bring pressure from both sides. They need to stay in their blitzing lanes and keep Smith from running or getting on the edge. He�s more dangerous as a passer as well as a runner when out of the pocket, as everyone has seen. The 49ers backs (Gore) and TE�s aren�t much as blockers.

Vernon Davis doesn�t concern me all that much. The 49ers don�t seem to make much use of him. I expect Polamalu to be very active in the box throughout this game. The most I�ve seen them do is roll out Smith and let Davis slip out into the open field. He�s somewhat of a threat after he catches the ball and difficult to take down. But they don�t seem to be using him to stretch the field. If he�s capable of it, I�ve yet to see it.

Harrison should have a nice a game against Jennings, because he doesn�t move well and he�s not very strong. He�s not as good as either of the two players Harrison has faced so far this season. Same goes for Keisel when he gets his chances.

Joe Staley on the right side has good movement. If he struggles, it�s on bull rushes and inside moves. He needs to get stronger. Haggans and Woodley should both have some opportunities.

Should have few problems this week bottling up San Fran�s run game. I�ve already said that the Steelers should be free to bring as much pressure they want. Polamalu should be playing up near the line of scrimmage.

The 49ers run more of a power run game. They use a lot of their FB compared to most teams. Their front 5 struggles to get movement. At both tackle spots you have two players who are weak at the point of attack. Staley can move well, but Jennings is pretty awful. He�s unable to get to the second level, and he�s not going to be able to handle the Steelers DE�s or OLB�s.

They�ll pull Allen, but I�m not sure why. He can�t move at this point of his career. He doesn�t have the strength heads up, though, either. The best he can do is get in the way, which he still has the size to do. He can seal DL off but is useless in space. I don�t expect Keisel or Hampton to struggle with him.

The same can be said about their center, Eric Heitmann. Hampton should have his way, because Heitmann relies entirely on riding guys out of the play or trying to seal them off. There�s no way he can dig Hampton out of the middle.

Jason Smiley is probably the best run blocker, but that�s not saying a whole lot. He�s at his best in space and their most capable puller. But he can�t move Smith, which is what�s going to matter in the end.

Vernon Davis is a weak blocker. He can�t handle either OLB.

The game is in Smith�s hands, but the 49ers are too scared to let him try and win it with his arm. It�s a similar situation to last week, only the 49ers have fewer weapons outside.

They have a pretty good punter, but that�s about it. You�ll remember that the Steelers tried to sign him this off-season. He doesn�t have the most leg, but he has good control.

The strength of this 49ers team is their defense, and it�s a mediocre unit. The Steelers should be able to run freely and there will be chances for big plays. The 49ers offense lacks receiver talent. Steelers should be free to stack the box, but would be able to shut down their run game either way.