Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando from Seattle
The 49ers are finding out how hard it can be to win with young players in key positions on offense, particularly at quarterback.
Seattle coach Mike Holmgren acknowledged this when the Seahawks were struggling several years ago. Holmgren managed to keep his job long enough to reap the rewards of an offense that had time to grow together.
The 49ers may or may not give Mike Nolan as long as Holmgren wound up getting, but it's clear right now that youth and immaturity are hurting his offense. The Seahawks benefited from a veteran offensive staff led by Holmgren and coordinator Gil Haskell. The 49ers' offensive staff is quite a bit different, with Jim Hostler midway through his first season as an NFL coordinator.
The Seahawks and 49ers average 26.9 years in age (across their 53-man rosters), but the 49ers are much younger on offense and older on defense. The 49ers have the second-youngest starting offense in the league, but their defense is the 27th-youngest thanks largely to Bryant Young and Walt Harris. The Seahawks have it the other way around. They field the 27th-youngest offense (adjusting for Maurice Morris and Bobby Engram entering the lineup tonight), but their starting defense is the fifth-youngest in the league.
The 10 youngest starting offenses in the league entering Week 10 belonged to: New Orleans, San Francisco, Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Miami, Denver and the Jets. The Saints, Browns and Steelers are getting top-notch play from the quarterback position, which makes everything else work a whole lot better. Those other teams are suffering through growing pains.
