I talked to a member of the 49ers' coaching staff last night who was still so angry about Sunday's 23-3 loss to the Seahawks that he could barely speak. The good news is that quarterback Alex Smith will probably not have surgery on his throwing shoulder.
The bad news is that backup Trent Dilfer was dreadful Sunday -- and the Ravens are headed to town. In Dilfer's defense, the San Francisco offensive line had by far its worst day of the season. A week earlier, the line had actually played relatively well in a 37-16 loss to the Steelers.
On Sunday, eight of the 49ers' nine penalties were on the offensive line, including a combined six for right guard Justin Smiley and left tackle Jonas Jennings. And I'm sure coaches were thrilled to read Jennings' explanation in the Chronicle.
"It's a bad day," Jennings said. "They out-executed us today. It's two plays called out there. Defensive coordinator calls one, offensive coordinator calls one. Sometimes he guesses right. Sometimes we guess right. We want to feel we can block all of them, if that's the case. But we haven't done that."
Smiley allowed a sack and was called for two holding penalties and a false start in the first half alone. If he keeps that up, it's a matter of time before he's replaced by David Baas. But the coach I talked to last night wasn't ready to make any knee-jerk moves.
"We just didn't play well at all," he said. "But that's about to change."
The one bit of good news is that rookie right tackle Joe Staley, a confirmed Hashmarkian, had a pretty nice day Sunday.
This is probably a bad idea, but I think the 49ers will find a way to beat the Ravens at home Sunday. They have a bye the following week, and there's a chance Smith could return for the Giants game Oct. 21.
After a slow start to the season, Smith was fairly effective against the Steelers. The coaches said he was playing with a lot more confidence, but we'll have to see how he responds to treatment on his Grade 3 shoulder separation.
Much more to come. Don't go anywhere.
