Complex offense lags behind defense
The 49ers’ defense is ahead of their offense.
Just listen to wide receiver Pierre Garcon, who was asked Thursday if the defense’s speed had caught his attention.
“Apparently, we can’t run the ball or throw the ball against our defense,” Garcon said, “so everything is standing out.”
This shouldn’t be too surprising: The offense being installed by head coach Kyle Shanahan is known for its graduate-level complexity, and players have noted that defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s scheme is fairly easy to digest.
In other words, there’s no reason to panic about the struggles of the 49ers’ offense in early June. That said, fans can be forgiven for offseason pessimism when it comes to an offense that has ranked 31st in the NFL the past two seasons and failed to fix its myriad issues in a single offseason: The 49ers, for example, lack an established wideout beyond Garcon, and their starting quarterback is Brian Hoyer, 31, who is playing for his sixth team in the past seven seasons.
About Hoyer. He could be a serviceable placeholder, but his primary strengths appear to be his leadership and knowledge of the offense. Shanahan was his offensive coordinator with the Browns in 2014.
On Thursday, Garcon and fullback Kyle Juszczyk raved about intangibles when asked about Hoyer’s best traits.
“Brian’s got leadership; a lot of poise,” Juszczyk said. “... He’s someone that’s easy to talk to. So if there’s something you need to work out with him, he’s easy to come to and you can hash it out. He does a great job of leading this offense.”
Said Garcon: “He’s definitely being a good leader, helping us out, trying to get us all on the same page. It is tough because everyone is coming together and we’re learning something new.”
Indeed, the 49ers have added 51 players since Feb. 21 and many are absorbing an offense that Juszczyk termed “a little more advanced” than what he ran the past four season with the Ravens.
On Thursday, the 49ers unofficially allowed four sacks in practice and offensive line coach John Benton acknowledged his pupils’ work-inprogress status.
“I guess growing pains isn’t a bad term,” Benton said. “Obviously, unacceptable. As much as anything, we have to learn how to practice. I thought we had a really good day the other day. If you start doing that seesaw effect, we’re going to be in trouble all year.”
Many expect that to be the case for the 49ers, who are coming off a 2-14 season. Shanahan, CEO Jed York and general manager John Lynch have made it clear they patiently will rebuild, which is code for: We’re certainly not going to the playoffs in 2017.
Still, it will be intriguing to see what Shanahan, who was hired for his offensive acumen, can do with an offense that hasn’t ranked among the NFL’s top 10 in points or yards for 13 seasons.
The early returns in practice might be a bit discouraging, but the season opener is three months away. The 49ers will end their offseason program with a mandatory minicamp next week before reuniting in late July for training camp.
“When they come back from those six weeks, I think that’s when they really start to finetune those details and get rolling,” said wide receivers coach Mike LaFleur. “We’ve got to do it at some point because we’re playing in September, regardless.” Briefly: The 49ers released undrafted rookie offensive lineman Evan Goodman to make room on the roster for linebacker Elvis Dumervil, who officially signed. … Cornerback Rashard Robinson did not practice because of an undisclosed injury that didn’t appear serious. … Linebacker Ahmad Brooks limped off the field at the end of practice. … Linebacker Eli Harold missed practice for a personal reason. … Benton said a hamstring injury has kept center Jeremy Zuttah out of offseason practice, but he will be ready for training camp.