Even at 2-6, midseason awards must be handed out. But Alex Smith and David Carr might not want to collect their hardware:
MVP
RB Frank Gore: He’s the Niners’ leading rusher, receiver and, if such a category existed, he’s lead the NFL in number of blitzing linebackers redirected. He’s accounted for 40 percent of the offensive yardage and is on pace for 2,078 all-purpose yards, 103 shy of breaking his own franchise record set in 2006.
HONORABLE MENTION
LB Patrick Willis: If we could have
all have such off years. Willis raised the bar ridiculously high in his
first three seasons, but he still ranks ninth in the NFL in tackles.
Willis remains scary, even to foreign sportswriters. Oliver Brown of the
London Daily Telegraph wrote, fingers presumably trembling, that Willis
“used to eat raccoons and has confessed to enjoying the act of hurting
his opponents.”
MOST IMPROVED
LB Manny Lawson:
Mike Singletary says the light has finally come on for Lawson in his
fifth season. As a result, there have been some dark moments for
opposing QBs. Oakland’s Jason Campbell called Lawson’s fully extended
interception one of the best he’s ever seen. Denver’s Kyle Orton wasn’t
saying much after the 6-5, 240-pound Lawson, in human-missile mode,
buried him in London.
HONORABLE MENTION
WR Michael Crabtree:
After a miserable beginning to 2010, Crabtree has built on his
impressive rookie season. His numbers over his past five games would
translate to 80 catches for 972 yards and 9 touchdowns over a 16-game
season.
MOST DISAPPOINTING
QB Alex Smith: Nice
guys finish … the season on the bench? It appears Smith, even when
healthy, will back up Troy Smith, barring injury or poor play. If so,
it’s likely a sad end to a largely forgettable six seasons in San
Francisco. For Smith’s sake, that looooong-awaited breakout season will
come in a different uniform.
HONORABLE MENTION
S Dashon Goldson:
Speaking of breakout seasons, Goldson has been strangely quiet after
starring in first full season as a starter in ’09. His next
interception, forced fumble or sack will be his first this season. He
does have some missed tackles, though.
BEST PERFORMANCE AT AN ADVANCED AGE
DT Justin Smith: A 10-year veteran, Smith, 31, wouldn’t look out
of place with a leather helmet. He’s made 147 consecutive starts – 61
more than any other NFL defensive lineman – likely because he doesn’t
seem to notice stuff like open wounds. Smith said he had no idea how he
broke his hand open, requiring five stitches, against the Raiders. Smith
leads the Niners in sacks (4), tackles for loss (9), QB hits (26) and
QB pressures (35). He’s gotten better with age in San Francisco. He had
9.5 sacks in his first 31 games with the 49ers and had 7.5 in his past
nine.
HONORABLE MENTION
LB Takeo Spikes: After Week 3, Spikes, 33, and safety Michael
Lewis were told they would begin to cede playing time to rookies. In
response, Lewis requested his release. In contrast, Spikes refused to
become NaVorro Bowman’s caddy. The 13-year veteran ranks third on the
team in tackles and has increasingly stayed on the field in third-down
situations, a role he surrendered to Bowman earlier this season.
BEST ROOKIE
LG Mike Iupati:
Size, power, instincts, agility. Iupati has suffered his share of
growing pains as part of an inconsistent line. But the Niners didn’t
make a first-round mistake with this guy.
HONORABLE MENTION
RT Anthony Davis:
Yes, there have been false starts and he’s looked overmatched at times.
But as a 21-year-old manning this position by himself — that is, he’s
not receiving blocking assistance from teammates — he’s performed well.
Those concerns about his desire have also been put to rest.
BEST OFFSEASON ACQUISITION
QB Troy Smith:
If they didn’t grab the unemployed Smith six days before the season
opener, it’s fair to assume they would be 1-7 and the season would be
over. Officially over.
WR/KR Ted Ginn: The fourth-year
speedster has done little to stretch the field (5 catches, 68 yards),
but he’s brought life to the Niners’ horrendous return units, averaging
26.2 yards on kickoffs and 8.6 on punts. His 20-yard punt return was San
Francisco’s longest since 2008.
WORST OFFSEASON ACQUISTION
QB David Carr:
Mike Singletary was adamant that Carr was not brought in to compete
with Alex Smith for the starting spot, “We did not have David Carr come
in here and compete with him for number one, we did not. Absolutely,
unequivocally did not,” Singletary said in early September. As it turns
out, Carr was even worse than Singletary wanted him to be, failing to
fulfill his designated role of milquetoast backup.
HONORABLE MENTION
RB Brian Westbrook:
Nothing against Westbrook, who might have plenty of tread left on the
tires. Or not. Tough to tell since Bill Ring has nine fewer touches than
Westbrook through eight games. The Niners keep saying Westbrook will
get more involved in the offense. The surgeon general advises you not to
hold your breath waiting for this to happen.
SINGLETARY SOUND BITES
• “We will not try to stop Drew Brees, we will stop Drew Brees,” to Dennis O’Donnell on weekly KPIX show.
• “Yes. Yes,” on if Jimmy Raye would remain the offensive coordinator the rest of the season. He fired Raye the following day.
• “That was poor sportsmanship on my behalf,” on not shaking hands with Falcons coach Mike Smith.
• “I am nowhere near that point,” on Oct. 6 on possibly benching Alex Smith, who he nearly benched four days later.
SINGLETARY ON EXCITEMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES
• At 0-1, “I’m just excited to have the opportunity this early in the season to play a great football team.”
• At 0-3, “First and foremost, I’m excited about the opportunity that we have this week.”
•
At 0-5, “It’s a great challenge. As well as a tremendous opportunity
that we have as a team. So I’m excited (about) where we are.”
• At 2-6, “We have a tremendous opportunity and we’re going to take advantage of that opportunity.”
REMEMBERING JIMMY RAYE
• When we got him, he didn’t know H from apple butter,” on rookie RB Anthony Dixon.
•
“Who’s Yahoo? I don’t know him … Whoever Yahoo is, maybe he should
come call the plays,” on Yahoo story detailing play-calling problems.
•
“I think this is the only place I’ve coached in 34 years that the
coaches’ performance was evaluated,” on Sept. 23, four days before he
was fired.
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