Earlier this week we took a look at “six” 49ers who’ve played surprisingly well through the season’s first seven games. Now it’s time to look at some of the players who haven’t met expectations.
1. Vernon Davis
After catching two touchdown passes against the Cowboys in Week 1, Davis injured his back against the Bears a week later and hasn’t looked the same since. According to Greg Roman, the bye week did Captain Torpedo some good: “I think he’s back to form. He’s been playing through some things, which always commands a deep bow from me. Not always going to be 100 percent, but he’s gutted his way through it. I think he’s got a very focused glare when it comes to what he wants to accomplish from here on out.”
- Noteworthy stats: 14 receptions, 142 yards, three penalties, four drops
- PFF score: -9.8 (59th overall among tight ends)
2. Michael Crabtree
We already covered Crabtree’s early season struggles, which include a career low average yards per catch and lot of other reasons to give some of his snaps to Stevie Johnson.
- Noteworthy stats: 32 receptions, 322 yards, three touchdowns, three penalties (two declined), five drops
- PFF Score: -4.4 (96th overall among wide receivers)
3. Alex Boone
Is he the only player on the offensive line who’s had some shaky performances? Not even close, but no one expected too much from Jonathan Martin or Joe Looney. Boone’s been a starter for two seasons and held out, which brings a little extra scrutiny. In a way, Boone has exceeded expectations by coming in after no offseason work with the team and playing every snap in Week 2, and he hasn’t allowed a sack in the last two weeks. So, like his partner in holdout “crime” (just a joke — NFL players holding out is not a crime at all), maybe Boone’s season is on the upswing.
- Noteworthy stats: three quarterback sacks allowed, 10 quarterback hurries
- PFF Score: -4.2 (48th overall among guards)
4. Corey Lemonier
Snap counts: 39 in Week 1, 29 in Week 2, 22 in Week 3, 10 in Week 7 (when the defense was decimated by injuries). He’s a third-rounder in his second season who lost his job to a rookie fifth-rounder, and anything resembling an opportunity to see the field will vanish when the NFL reinstates Aldon Smith.
- Noteworthy stats: no sacks, one quarterback hit, one quarterback hurry, three missed tackles on special teams
- PFF Score: -7.4 (not enough snaps to qualify for 3-4 outside linebacker rankings)
5. Ahmad Brooks
He came into camp out of shape. He committed three penalties on the defense’s first series of the season. He’s managed to register a few sacks, but his overall level of play hasn’t come close to matching what we’ve seen over his last two seasons, when he was named Second-Team All-Pro. Truth be told, he hasn’t been THAT bad since the Week 1 disaster, and the 49ers didn’t really need him in that game anyway. I also have a feeling that things will change a bit for Brooks when Aldon gets back, too.
- Noteworthy stats: three sacks, two quarterback hits, five quarterback hurries, five missed tackles, five penalties
- PFF Score: -7.9 (45th overall among 3-4 outside linebackers … out of 46)
