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Posts: 6693
01/09/13 05:08 PM
Grand Poobah
By Art Wellersdick (Featured Columnist) on January 7, 2013 The Pistol Formation and the Read Option The Packers haven't faced a team that uses the read option all season. When they faced Seattle earlier this year the Seahawks had not made the transition to it yet. It is a tough offense to prepare for and even tougher to play against the first time a team sees it on the field. The pistol formation, as seen in the accompanying photo, is also a new wrinkle that the Packers haven't seen very much of at all, and no one in the NFL is more familiar with it than Colin Kaepernick. I've been having trouble finding statistics on how often the 49ers use the read option and the pistol formation, but from my own observations it seems that the 49ers haven't actually used them all that much, certainly not as often as Seattle or the Washington Redskins. There is a good chance that the 49ers have been holding something back in this department. If so, there is that much less tape for the Packers to study, but it also might be because Frank Gore is not the best back suited for this sort of offense. He struggled at times when the 49ers, under offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, went to the spread offense a couple years ago and he was forced to run out of the shotgun formation. However, running back LaMichael James is another player well-versed in this new style of offense and he has looked better and better each of the last three weeks as he's gained more playing time. As Gore seems to be winding down a bit, James is heating up. This new approach on offense is going to be an unfamiliar one for the Packers defense and the 49ers have two of the best players in the league to carry out this approach. If Jim Harbaugh has been holding back a little bit—both to become more familiar with the approach in non-game situations and to sandbag teams looking to study them on film—and they end up using it much more often than in any previous game, they could very well catch Green Bay completely off-guard.
Posts: 3975
01/09/13 06:03 PM
International Man of Mystery
Posts: 1925
01/09/13 06:26 PM
Who's got it better than us? NOBODY!
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01/09/13 10:27 PM
Niners, 'Bama & Biscuits
01/09/13 10:34 PM
01/09/13 10:43 PM
Posts: 5327
01/10/13 12:02 AM
Head Jackal
01/10/13 12:05 AM
01/10/13 12:47 AM
01/10/13 01:06 AM
Posts: 3953
01/10/13 01:12 AM
Colorado Springs
01/10/13 01:17 AM
Posts: 2641
01/10/13 04:45 AM
the Dude abides
Miller or Robinson? Miller for the longer term, with room for him to progress. Robinson right now if it were just for a playoff run. Experience is important in these elimination games. Robinson unfortunately spent his prime on some poor Niner clubs but did manage to translate it to a new contract elsewhere. His special teams contribution also shouldn't be ignored. Miller seems to have better mobility and agility relative to the demands of the position, but maybe not the power. Perhaps if there was a bona fide classic fullback, the reliance on that Dumbo package wouldn't be considered necessary. Follow the fullback used to be a staple for the halfbacks of dinasoar era football. Which Harbaugh isn't adverse to in certain situations. I don't have the same angst I did last year, when the possibilities of a remarkable 'worst to first' dream season got more and more tangible. After two years of Harbaugh it's clear the Niners are an upper level contending team, and will challenge to at least make the playoffs with some consistency in the near future. It's also evident that they are about equal to most of the remaining playoff teams at present. Not necessarily a lot better or a lot worse. Winning or losing against any of the remaining teams wouldn't be a surprise either way.Factoring in momentum, injuries, experience and so on,any given game can swing wildly one way or another. It's not a dishonor to be beaten at this stage of the season if it were to happen, but I think they should have a slight edge against Green Bay. As good as he is, Rodgers is a known quantity. Kap is a wild card to them. Kicking at night in Candlestick in January is always an adventure, even for the most seasoned veterans. It may not even be about distance, but more about reading the conditions and being able to adjust. I just hope the game doesn't come down to a late field goal attempt. I think it will be a 27 - 24 type of game for the home team, but weather might factor into it and keep the scoring lower.
01/10/13 11:21 AM
Posts: 2194
01/10/13 02:55 PM
Cage!
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