Offense-The 49ers' offense was bad.

First of all, the offense was predictable. I was correctly predicting about 1 play out of 3. I can only image how easy it must have been for Ray Rhodes, the defensive coordinator of the Broncos.

Secondly, the Owens was a liability when it counted. Except for the one touchdown against the Broncos and the one big reception against the Giants, Terrell Owens has been invisible for both games this season. Against the Broncos, TO twice dropped critical passes that would have been 3rd down conversions. Great receivers don't drop 3rd down conversions, they catch them. In addition, Owens was called for consecutive false start penalties in the first quarter. Bottom line-if Owens can't get open and catch the ball, then start featuring another receiver. It can't hurt, because right now Owens is doing very little to help the team.

Thirdly, the offense had no rhythm. The 49ers could not consistently move the ball. For the west coast offense to operate properly, there must be a rhythm. Drives stalled time after time because of penalties, or dropped passes, or mistakes by Garcia.

Which brings me to the fourth point. Garcia had happy feet for the whole game. On any drop deeper than 3 steps, Garcia NEVER set his feet and went through his progression. His feet were jumping up and down the entire time in the pocket. I can't blame him for it because the pass protection was non-existent on almost every 5 or 7 step drop. In addition, Jeff Garcia drastically underthrew the deep pass intended for Tai Streets. The result was an interception that truly turned the tide of the game in favor of the Broncos.

Fifth-The quick slant, a staple of the west coast offense, has practically disappeared from the playbook. If it is still used, the pass is never thrown to the slanting receiver.

Sixth-The offense is in need of a major shakeup. If you have watched the last two games, you will agree. If defenses are blanketing Owens then call several plays in a row to Stokes or Johnson, or even call five or six running plays in a row. As many have suggested, begin the game in a no-huddle offense (hey, it can't hurt because the offense is practically dead in the water right now). This offense won't see a 14 point lead until major changes are made or when the 49ers play a truly horrible team. The offense needs a change and it needs it badly. If the team can't score more than 17 points in a game, the 49ers WILL BE BLOWN OUT by a team with a powerful offense.

Bottom Line-if Owens can't get open and catch the ball, then feature another receiver. The pass protection must improve, especially against the blitz. The Broncos blitzed often, and the 49ers never made them pay for it. The cause of that is poor play calling, bad coaching, dropped passes, and bad pass protection.

Defense-The 49ers defense was playing quite well until the second half when it was forced to stay on the field because the offense couldn't sustain a drive for more than 5 or 6 plays. By the 4th quarter, the 49er defense was dead tired and showed it.

First-the corners played well. The Bronco wide receivers were kept in check until the 4th quarter, when the defense started to tire out (once again, it wasn't the defense's fault). Plummer had his usual good game and Rumph made a few good plays including a crushing hit on Ed McCaffrey. Webster rebounded beautifully from his bad outing in New York. His name was rarely mentioned, a great compliment for a cornerback.

Secondly, the 4 man from line could not sustain much of a pass rush in the second half. Early on Carter and Peterson were forcing Griese to hurry his throws, which resulted in frequent incompletions. Stubblefield had a pretty good game, making several takles, but neither he nor Bryan Young could get to the passer. Against the run, the defensive line and linebackers were great until they started to tire toward the end of the game.

Thirdly, the officiating put the 49ers defense in bad positions. When the Broncos would down block, Stubblefield was repeatedly turned around with his back facing a Bronco offensive lineman. The OL would then block Stubby in the back. It happened several times in the first half and was never called. The Bronco offensive lineman held the 49ers on the defensive line all day. There were very few called.

Fourth-the defensive blitzing was overused. Very few of the outside blitzes resulted in rushed throws or sacks. Far too many of the outside blitzes were picked up by the Bronco running backs and the Broncos often took advantage of the occupied blitzing defender's absence in the secondary.