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The 49ers may not live up to their pre-season hype. This article gives a solid breakdown of what might be on tap for 2007:

The Niners
http://www.sportsmemo.com/handicappers/ted/blog/2476/

There seems to be a fair bit of hype among the handicapping community surrounding the San Francisco 49ers this year. The Niners are a trendy pick as a ‘surprise’ team for the 2007 campaign, understandably so. After all, San Francisco improved from the worst team in the league in ‘05 into a competitive 7-9 ballclub last year. Then, management opened up their checkbooks in the offseason, spending $40 million in guaranteed money for a quartet of new defensive starters. But before we get caught up in the hype surrounding San Francisco, let’s remember that this team still has a lot to prove.

The Niners won both meetings against division champs Seattle last year, and upset Denver at Invesco Field to eliminate the Broncos from playoff contention in Week 17. Their other four victories came against the Rams, Raiders, Vikings and Lions, not exactly a murderers row of opponents. And they lost every other game against a playoff caliber foe by double digit margins: 38-24 to the Eagles, 48-19 to the Chargers, 34-10 to the Saints and 41-10 to the Bears. This team was a long way from being capable of handling quality foes when the season ended last January.

San Francisco has two new coordinators. Greg Manusky, former Chargers LB coach, takes over as defensive coordinator, after Billy Davis was fired in the offseason. The Niners finished 26th in the NFL in total defense last year; 32nd in points allowed, so there’s a lot of work to be done. Former offensive coordinator Norv Turner left for the Chargers head coaching job. He will be replaced by Jim Hostler, their QB coach from last year. Hostler is the fifth offensive coordinator in the last five years for San Francisco – this team has very little continuity in that regard.

I’m not sold on former #1 pick Alex Smith developing into an elite level quarterback. In his career, Smith has 17 touchdown passes and 27 interceptions. His receiving corps is in a state of flux, with major question marks surrounding offseason pickups Darrell Jackson (from Seattle) and Ashley Lelie (from Atlanta), both of whom have underperformed in recent seasons. Last year’s #1 pick, TE Vernon Davis is coming off a season ending injury. There is little quality depth behind the starters in the receiving corps. San Fran had the 29th ranked passing game last year, and I’m not convinced it’s going to be much better this time around.

San Fran has question marks all over their offensive line. All five line positions have a major question coming into the season. Can Jonas Jennings get healthy and play effectively following offseason shoulder surgury? Can Eric Heitmann recover from a broken leg? Can Larry Allen get another productive year out of his aging body? Can first rounder Joe Staley from Central Michigan contribute as a starter from Day 1? Can Frank Gore solve his fumbling problems running behind this line? The Niners were the #6 rushing team in the NFL last year, but this offensive line makes me think that it’ll be tough for San Fran to match that production in ’07.

The Niners also have loads of question marks on the front seven defensively. They’ve shifted to a 3-4 defense, drafting LB Patrick Willis out of Ole Miss as an impact defender. San Francisco also expects major contributions from last year’s rookie star, Manny Lawson and free agent linebacker Tully Banta Cain from New England. But this defensive line looks very weak on paper, and the new schemes are going to take time before they are effective.

You have to like what San Francisco did to shore up their secondary in the offseason. They spent big bucks on free agent CB Nate Clements from Buffalo and S Michael Lewis from Philadelphia. Those two join a stellar cornerback group including pro bowler Nate Harris and promising youngster Shawntae Spencer. The talent level here is stellar, but the 49ers are going to need a pass rush to keep their secondary from getting burned, a pass rush that I’m not sure they’ll get on a consistent basis.

The 49ers played six games against other playoff teams last year, losing all four non-division games, but beating Seattle twice. This year, their division is tougher – Seattle is healthy and hungry; Arizona is clearly on the rise; and St Louis has to be considered at least a Wild Card contender with the best offense in the division. In ’07, the Niners must face the tough teams from the NFC North, including a trip to Pittsburgh and visits from the Bengals and Ravens. They also travel to Carolina and Atlanta from the NFC South, with a visit from the Saints. While I don’t expect the Niners to slide downwards in the standings, this team, on paper, has the look of the 7-9 team that they were last year….