San Francisco 49ers expected to open up offense, pass more
By Bryan Rose
The San Francisco 49ers haven’t exactly been short of big play pass highlights during the past few seasons, but in terms of general passing, it’s not something the offense has done much of.
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In fact, during the past two years, San Francisco hasn’t ranked higher than 31st overall in total pass attempts, part of that due to the game managing style of Alex Smith and the youthfulness of Colin Kapernick, part of it due to Greg Roman attempting to use the ground-and-pound game.
But with Frank Gore aging and the 49ers adding offensive weapons to the wide receiver position, Roman suggests things could be opening up.
“We kind of went through everything we’ve done and really kind of stripped it back down to its most element basic parts and (started) over at square one,” he said. “I would say, I think it’s fair to make the statement that it’s a different offense, 2014.”
“Because we’ve got some new guys in, Brandon Lloyd has been out there everyday. He’s done a great job of taking advantage of his opportunities. Stevie Johnson’s another guy. So, we’ll see how it all goes.”
In addition to both Lloyd and Johnson, San Francisco is also getting back Michael Crabtree who missed the majority of the 49ers regular season after suffering an offseason ACL injury.
The hope is that they’ll also have Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis on the field, who despite being the third highest paid tight end in the league, is possible to continue a current hold out into the season.
Regardless, expect to see a more balance 49ers offense this season.