No quarterback got sacked more this season than the 49ers’ Alex Smith. That doesn’t reflect well on his offensive linemen.
But several factors went into those 44 sacks. Sometimes, protection broke down among running backs and tight ends. Other times, receivers couldn’t get open or Smith held the ball too long.
Overall, the offensive line evolved into a sturdy, stable unit. Otherwise, the 49ers (13-3) likely wouldn’t be idle for this past weekend’s NFC wild-card round as the No. 2 seed.
Left tackle Joe Staley is headed to his first Pro Bowl. Left guard Mike Iupati and center Jonathan Goodwin are first alternates for Honolulu. Right guard Adam Snyder smoothly replaced Chilo Rachal after 2{ games, and right tackle Anthony Davis’ improvement is obvious.
The 49ers’ line had a far darker portrait after an exhibition-opening loss in New Orleans. The Saints called 18 first-half blitzes in a 24-3 rout, sacking Smith twice and Colin Kaepernick four times.
“It’s a young group, and we were behind in the sense it was a new offense,” said Mike Solari, who coaches the offensive line with Tim Drevno. “We were behind in that there were no (offseason activities) and minicamp.”
The No. 3-seeded Saints will encounter a much-improved 49ers line when they meet in the divisional round at Candlestick Park on Saturday.
A key for the 49ers line has been its ability to avoid penalties. Offensive linemen have been called for holding only six times: none on Staley and Davis, one apiece on Goodwin and Snyder, two on Iupati in a Dec. 4 win over St. Louis and two on Rachal in his final start against Cincinnati on Sept. 25.
“We’re very good there in that aspect,” Solari said. “They’re very disciplined in their play and the way they go about their technique. You also look at the aspect that they’re good athletes and can move their feet and keep their hands covered up.”
After the 49ers linemen committed no holds or any other penalties in a 34-27 win at St. Louis on Jan. 1, Davis posted on his ever-feisty Twitter account that he’s had only four holding calls tracing back to 10th grade, including two last season as a rookie.
This season’s improvement goes beyond penalties. “There’s a different level of accountability that we hold ourselves to,” Davis said. “We know each other so well that if you blow your assignment, you get that look, like ‘Come on.’ It’s the tightest group I’ve ever been a part of.”
While Davis and Iupati were first-round draft picks last year, Goodwin is a 10th-year veteran who joined the unit as a free agent this past offseason after leaving the Saints, with whom he won the Super Bowl two seasons ago.
“Jonathan is like the quiet leader, very calm and very refreshing on the sideline during the game,” Solari said. “He’s never too high or low, and that’s great demeanor for the young guys.”
Goodwin’s experience in calling blocking adjustments has been crucial. It is a job that, before Goodwin’s arrival, was ticketed for Snyder, a versatile veteran who believes right guard is his best spot. “Being able to play one position helps me a ton,” Snyder said.
Solari said Snyder’s tutorial at center sped up his learning of the newly installed schemes. After Rachal struggled in the first half of a Week 3 win at Cincinnati, Snyder has stabilized the unit. But Snyder went out with a hamstring injury early in a Thanksgiving loss at Baltimore, and Smith ended up getting sacked nine times, reminiscent of an exhibition-opening show in New Orleans.
Staley, the 49ers’ first Pro Bowl tackle since Harris Barton in 1993, attributed the line’s strides to mental maturation: “What doesn’t get talked enough about is how you prepare off the field with film study, identifying blitzes and schemes.”
Aside from Goodwin’s Super Bowl run two years ago, these linemen have never prepared for a bigger game than now. Solari, has, however, as he worked on the 49ers staff that produced the franchise’s last Super Bowl winner in the 1994 season.
“The intensity picks up. You also notice mentally the concentration picks up in the sense of the meetings,” Solari said. “There’s more of a sense of urgency.
“You’ve got to win. You’ve got to perform at a high level. It’s exciting.”
