The 49ers’ offense played 61 snaps against the Giants. Here’s a playtime breakdown for the 49ers’ offensive skill players.
- Vernon Davis: 61 snaps (100%)
- Michael Crabtree: 49 (80%)
- Alex Smith: 45 (74%)
- Frank Gore: 44 (72%)
- Mario Manningham: 41 (67%)
- Kyle Williams: 34 (56%)
- Delanie Walker: 21 (34%)
- Kendall Hunter: 17 (28%)
- Randy Moss: 17 (28%)
- Colin Kaepernick: 16 (26%)
- Bruce Miller: 11 (18%)
- Will Tukuafu: 4 (7%)
- Garrett Celek: 4 (7%)
- Ted Ginn Jr.: 1 (2%)
A few observations: Kendall Hunter needs more playing time. He’s averaging 5.5 yards per carry – 3rd best in the NFL behind C.J. Spiller and Robert Griffin III. He played 21 snaps against the Bills. He should play at least 25 snaps per game.
Also, fullbacks Bruce Miller and Will Tukuafu didn’t play enough against the Giants. The 49ers curiously used shotgun formations on 16 of their first 22 offensive plays. The 49ers need to get back to their strength – power running – and that means more playing time for the fullbacks.
One more thing: Colin Kaepernick seemed to play too much. He got 16 snaps – one fewer than Hunter. That could be considered too many. Kaepernick added almost nothing to the game. Actually, he disrupted the flow of the offense. It’s one thing to mix him in against a bad team in a blowout, but against a good team Greg Roman cannot dedicate one quarter of the offense to the backup quarterback.
By mixing Kaepernick into the game, Roman raises questions about the very nature of the 49ers offense: Is it a power-running offense or a pistol offense?
Comments are closed.