49ers run game an innovative relic
San Francisco Chronicle / 11-11-12
Like a teenager examining a typewriter or an eight-track tape, Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis scratched his head this past week while studying video of the 49ers' offense.
In today's I-formation era, the 49ers will split running backs Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter at equal depth in the backfield, the NFL equivalent of using a rotary phone. From that formation, they will run double sweeps and two-back traps - X's and O's straight out of a '90s video game.
SNIP
While spread offenses are routinely bringing extra wide receivers onto the field, the 49ers often trot out additional linemen. On Gore's 23-yard touchdown run in a season-opening win at Green Bay, he ran over the right side of a seven-linemen formation that featured 355-pound guard Leonard Davis at tight end and 308-pound center Daniel Kilgore at wing back.
Such jumbo packages can be particularly effective against modern-day defenses, which have shrunk to combat the spread. There has been an influx of smaller and quicker ends and outside linebackers to keep up with the bevy of skill-position players in pass-happy attacks.
READ MORE: http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-run-game-an-innovative-relic-4026982.php
Interesting read ...
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A relic.
It is interesting to read the impressions of events at that time and what we know about them now. For example, a Riley column during the Lewinsky scandal and the HR chase between Sosa & McGwire. He labeled the HR chase the only thing that is pure going on in America at the time.
Anyways, I remember reading about the 4 teams that first round byes for the 97-98 playoffs and that article reminded me of it by saying the 49ers have more rushing attempts than passing attempts. 3 of those 4 teams had more rushing attempts than passing attempts, Chiefs, Steelers, & 49ers. Only the Packers had more passing attempts but they still ran the ball a lot w/ Dorsey Levens. It had a stat, 9 out of the last 10 SB champions (at the time) had more rushing yards than their opponent. The last 10 out of 10 NFC Champions had more rushing yards in that game.
Jerome Bettis made two predictions that turned out to be accurate in that article. The AFC would end its 13-year losing streak in the Super Bowl and a running back would be MVP in that game. However, I think he was talking about himself. 