Niners still looking for snug fit in Levi’s
SANTA CLARA >> Year 5 of Levi’s Stadium finally could bring what’s been missed since Candlestick: a 49ers home-field advantage.
It will take more wins than losses from the home team, and that would be a first.
First up on a friendly home schedule is today’s matchup against the Detroit Lions, who lost 48-17 in their opener at home Monday night to the New York Jets.
If the 49ers are to snap a fouryear playoff drought (and 23year Lombardi Trophy vanishing act), they absolutely need to hold serve at home.
“Hopefully the energy, the fans turn out,” left tackle Joe Staley said. “We’ll see, though. This is the fourth, fifth year of it and it’s kind of hit or miss.”
In past years, the 49ers have gone 4-4, 4-4, 1-7 and 3-5 at The
Big ‘L’. (See, Levi’s Stadium still lacks a catchy nickname after all these playoff-missing years.)
But the 49ers won three of their last four home games last season, including two December wins by Jimmy Garoppolo, whose GQ-bearded mug has made it onto a bobblehead for fans today.
The Lions, under former Patriots assistant Matt Patricia, are 1 of 5 visitors to Levi’s Stadium who’ll bring a new head coach; the others are the Arizona Cardinals, the Raiders, the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears. New coaches went 0-7 in last weekend’s debuts, by the way.
Levi’s Stadium has yet to deliver Candlestick-esque nostalgia, no offense to Garoppolo’s comeback over the Titans in his first 49ers home start or an ensuing Christmas Eve upset of Jacksonville that coach Kyle Shanahan says “was as loud as any game I’ve been in.”
So, could this be the season that home-field advantage emerges and cheers ricochet off the Mount York suite tower?
Here are five ways to a cheer-filled home opener: 1. HIT TARGETS >> Garoppolo’s career-high three interceptions sealed the 49ers’ fate in a season-opening, 24-16 loss at Minnesota. He has as many touchdowns as interceptions (8:8) in his 49ers tenure. But don’t panic.
As much as Shanahan wants fewer turnovers, he’s not opposed to Garoppolo getting into a gunfight with Matthew Stafford, who had four passes intercepted Monday.
“I like guys who aren’t scared to fail,” Shanahan said. “They’re going to let it rip. They’re not going to just guess and gamble, but they’re trying to win the game and they try to see stuff and they try to let it rip.”
Staley, who’s blocked for a dozen 49ers quarterbacks since 2007, is the voice of reason when it comes to Garoppolo’s style.
Said Staley: “There’s going to be games where sometimes it’s not perfect. There’s going to be games, too, where he’s going to have five touchdowns, no interceptions and a (expletive) ton of yards. We have all the confidence in the world in Jimmy.
“He’s a great quarterback and I’m really excited to get back out there Sunday to get this past game behind us.”
2. CATCH THE BALL >> OK, Garoppolo needs more help than what he got in the opener, when potential touchdown receptions were dropped by Pierre Garçon, Dante Pettis and George Kittle. It would also help if receivers ran the right route in pressure situations (see: Kendrick Bourne’s wrong-way cut on a picksix at Minnesota).
The wide receiving corps must step up in place of Marquise Goodwin, who won’t play because of a quadriceps bruise. That puts Pettis in line for his first career start, and he flashed big-time potential in last Sunday’s debut by producing the 49ers’ only touchdown on a 22-yard, off-schedule play.
Garoppolo also figures to throw more to his running backs, as Matt Breida had the only reception (5 yards) last game between him and Alfred Morris.
Kittle, by the way, knew he simply misjudged a Garoppolo bomb at midfield with green grass ahead of him last game. Said Kittle: “It was just a bad play.” Time for some good plays now.
3. PROTECT THE BALL >> Morris’ goal-line fumble set the stage for last weekend’s opening loss. Was it an anomaly, even though he also lost control of the ball on the previous carry?
Morris did not lose a fumble in 651 carries the previous four seasons. However, he lost seven fumbles his first two years in Washington, when, coincidentally, he played under Shanahan.
Morris said after last Sunday’s game his sweaty forearms contributed to the fumble. That game was played indoors. Sunday’s temperature calls for temperatures in the 70s under partly-sunny skies. Matt Breida, who evenly split time in the backfield with Morris in the opener, has yet to fumble in his career. He had 105 carries and 21 receptions as a rookie but did drop five passes. The Lions forced no fumbles in their opener Monday.
4. GET SPECIAL >> The 49ers aren’t taking for granted how easily the Lions succumbed to the Jets, and one such area that hurt Detroit was on special teams. About a minute after the Jets returned an interception for a touchdown, they scored on a 78-yard punt return for a 21-point lead midway through the third quarter.
Raheem Mostert, the 49ers special-teams ace, pointed out that the Lions will come in ready to make amends and they’ll be doing so with a veteran special teams coordinator in Joe Marciano. Shanahan coached with him in Houston.
“We have to win our oneon-one battles,” said Mostert, an expert gunner. “We did that (last game) but it didn’t help the team enough. We have to be on our keys, win the one-on-ones and make big plays.”
Such big plays could come from Pettis as a punt returner, or, more likely, kicker Robbie Gould, who’s made 26 consecutive fieldgoal attempts and is one shy of Phil Dawson’s record.
5. GET LOUD >> Let’s get back to home-field advantage. Why is it important? Because the 49ers won’t need a silent snap count for its offensive line, which could be starting undrafted rookie Najee Toran at right guard if Mike Person can’t play on a bad foot.
“I don’t think people realize how big a deal that is, being able to hear cadence,” Staley said.
Minnesota’s “Skol!” chants and raucous crowd made for the second-loudest venue Staley has encountered in his 12-year career. (“Seattle will always be No. 1,” Staley said.)
If 49ers fans can get riled up today, do it when their defense is on the field, a defense that played OK against the Vikings but could really pump up the Levi’s Stadium crowd with sacks and turnovers.
“The energy level is up on the fan base this year,” Staley said, “and hopefully they show up and get loud.”
How last week’s five keys panned out in a 24-16 loss at Minnesota:
1. WIN IN THE TRENCHES >> They did early but not after guards Mike Person and Joshua Garnett got hurt.
2. BACKFIELD BOOM >> Alfred Morris and Matt Breida split time, and there wasn’t a boom as much as there was a bust with Morris’ goal-line fumble.
3. JIMMY G. MAGIC >> Garoppolo endured not only is first loss but his first threeinterception game.
4. SHERMAN IMPACT >> He played every defensive snap, recovered a fumble and successfully defended 1 of 2 passes that came his way.
5. PLAYING CHESS >> Shanahan’s red-zone calls yielded 1 TD in 4 series, but his second-half misdirection plays opened up passing lanes in the comeback attempt.