George Kittle Could see a lot of Snaps in the Backfield Week 1
Interior offensive line is once again a major concern for the San Francisco 49ers.
Sure enough it is right guard and center that are the enormous question marks. As of now, it looks as if Daniel Brunskill is set to start at center and Tom Compton at right guard in week 1.
That duo is not going to allow Kyle Shanahan sound sleep at night prior to facing the Cardinals. They have not looked remotely strong at all at their positions nor do they show signs of improving.
Since they do not show a trend of improving, Shanahan is going to have to start thinking of ways to overcome that flaw. Quick passes and counter-run plays are just a couple of ways he will mask the weakness.
But should the 49ers put themselves in a third-and-long or must-pass situation, they put Jimmy Garoppolo at risk. Max protection is going to be needed to increase the likelihood of the play being executed.
That is why George Kittle could see a lot of snaps in the backfield week 1.
There were plenty of instances last season where the pass protection at the interior was massively failing the 49ers. How Shanahan got around that was a split gun formation with one running back and Kittle. He even used it in the Super Bowl when Chris Jones was having his way in the game.
While utilizing Kittle in the backfield worked better for the overall pass protection, it restricts the offense. Not only does it take away Garoppolo's best receiving option, but Kittle in the backfield signals the 49ers will be passing.
Still, there are not many options to overcome the poor interior offensive line on must pass downs.
Sure, Kyle Juszczyk can be placed in the backfield as an extra security blanket for Garoppolo instead of Kittle. But I do not expect much of that because Juszczyk will already have a heavy workload as a lead blocker in the run game and even as a receiver. He is going to need to get some breaks in when he can, especially since he is coming off a muscle strain. Keeping him fresh is key.
Do not be shocked to see Shanahan get Garoppolo on the move and out of the pocket. There is a reason Garoppolo has not been practicing with a brace on, so that he can have increased mobility. He is certainly going to need it for this game, unless Brunskill and especially Compton prove to be capable.
Winning week 1 against the Cardinals is going to be more about the 49ers overcoming their own issues. If they can keep the interior offensive line from becoming a critical weakness in the game, then they should handle the Cardinals just fine.
