49ers running QB tradition into the ground

Today’s column is about the 49er offense, such as it is. But first I want to talk about bread. That’s right, bread.

We have a tradition around here. We love our sourdough bread and we have the best sourdough in the world. If a dictator came in – OK, I’m pretending – and said sourdough is out and from now on Northern Californians can eat only rye or whole wheat or, heaven help us, pumpernickel, the population would revolt.

As it should. You don’t mess with tradition, especially a tradition unique to this part of the country.

The 49ers and their quarterbacks are the same as Northern California and sourdough. They share an identity and a tradition. There’s really no need to document the case re: the 49ers and QBs — just think Montana, Young, Brodie, Tittle and leave it at that.

And now we have the current 49ers regime. Specifically, we have offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye explaining the diminished, degraded, laughable role of the quarterback — Shaun Hill — in the so-called new, improved Niner scheme of things.

Raye: “This deal is 21 (running back Frank Gore). This ballpark is going to be run by No. 21. The guy that’s running the ship at the quarterback position — and for both of them, that is why the competition was what it was — it was never going to be that the lead dog in this race was going to be the quarterback.”

I’ll get back to Raye’s speech in a minute, although I’m completely confused how a dog can run a ship. I know some dogs are smart, especially border collies, but not THAT smart.

What Raye said was inflammatory. It’s like he was spitting on sourdough. He sure was disrespecting 49er football tradition – a pretty good tradition as football traditions go.

To paraphrase, he declared the quarterback chump, Hill or Alex Smith, always was perceived as a bit player in the Niner drama, a mere sidekick to the running back. The quarterback mostly will be a glorified hander-offer. Think of him as a turnstile.

He spins, faces Gore, hands off and gets the hell out of the way while Gore runs up the middle to the grunting sounds of offensive linemen.

This is what the Niners call an offense?

More Raye: “The bell cow in this operation will be No.21.”

So now the dog is a cow. Make up your mind, Jimmy.

Sorry. Back to Raye’s dog/cow riff.

“The quarterback’s job is to make sure we get that done (the handoff) and play within himself and make the plays available to him. It wasn’t from the beginning to tailor it so we would see the quarterback and do what his strengths were as our lead. That wasn’t the way it was.”

Now he tells us. Silly me, I thought something important was at stake in that quarterback competition that dragged on for months. Now I know different.

It feels like an outsider just came in and changed everything.

This someone — Mike Singletary, Raye, whoever — has no feel for our region and what made 49ers football special. This guy is doing violence to our tradition and trying to sell us on banana bread, or Chicago Bears smash-mouth football, whatever.

So, let’s talk football reality. What happens when the running game doesn’t work? Believe me, one day the Niners will meet a bigger, stronger team — it always happens. And the offensive line won’t open holes for Gore and the running game won’t go anywhere. Then they’ll have to fall back on the guy who is not the lead dog or the bell cow who has little experience at steering the ship.

I see problems looming. Icebergs anyone? I also see problems with Gore. Terrific little back. Yes, little. He’s 5-9. Last year he missed two games — ankle. In 2007 he missed one game — ankle. In 2006 he was OK, but in 2005 he missed two games — groin.

You see where I’m going with this. Gore gets bounced around and crunched and sometimes he can’t play. The Niners better have a PlanB. This plan needs to involve the quarterback. The quarterback will have to lead the offense. Sometimes he will have to win a game by himself, with or without Gore.

If Singletary and Raye and general manager Scot McCloughan didn’t think Hill or Smith could be the top dog (a schnauzer?) or lead cow (a Guernsey?), they should have acquired a better one in the offseason. But they didn’t.

Which means, if this running back thing doesn’t work, the 49ers are toast.

Source: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090826/NEWS/908269895/1057/SPORTS0908?Title=49ers-running-QB-tradition-into-the-ground