San Francisco 49ers Tickets

2008 San Francisco 49ers Season Preview The San Francisco 49ers were predicted by just about everyone to be the surprise playoff team of 2007, but they instead went in the opposite direction.

Injuries to quarterback Alex Smith and running back Frank Gore negated the progress the team made under head coach Mike Nolan in 2006, and now the 49ers are at a crossroads in 2008.

Smith and Nolan appear to have cleared up some bad feelings each shared for each other. Nolan felt Smith wasn't giving a 100 percent effort last season while the quarterback felt the head coach was throwing him under the bus with regard to his teammates and not being fair about the seriousness of his shoulder injury.

Smith, a former No. 1 overall pick, is now expected to enter a quarterback competition in training camp with Shaun Hill, who performed well in a few starts at the end of last season.

The 49ers had plenty of issues at wide receiver the past few seasons, so they made sure to address that in the offseason with two signings. The team brought in veteran Isaac Bruce as well as former top pick Bryant Johnson. Johnson had one of his best years with the Cardinals while Bruce had a quiet year with the Rams as he enters the twilight of his career.

The team also brought in wide receiver Ashley Lelie, who showed flashes in both Denver and Atlanta but could never really put it all together. The 49ers are hoping they can catch lightning in a bottle with the disgruntled and inconsistent wideout.

The 49ers are hoping for a breakout year from tight end Vernon Davis, who is going into his third season with San Francisco. Davis is an incredible athlete and in unbelievable shape, but his route running still needs work.

While the 49ers were active on the offensive end in free agency, defense is where they made their big splash, signing former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Justin Smith to a big contract. Smith will give the 49ers the pass rusher they have been searching for, something they certainly didn't have last year.

The defense should be solid, led by linebacker Patrick Willis, who won the Rookie of the Year award. Willis has already established himself as one of the top linebackers in the NFL after just one season in the league and should only get better from here on out.

The secondary is also decent, led by cornerback Nate Clements. Cornerback Walt Harris is also a solid defender.

The NFC West is certainly there for the taking, but the 49ers don't look like a team ready to take advantage of the opportunity.