Giants Battled, But Mistakes Thwart Efforts to Keep Pace (Offensive Player Reviews) 

The sophomoric game plan and the absence of legit receivers – when Johnson is your No. 1 receiver, you’re in big trouble -- did not do the rookie quarterback any favors.  

So what did the rookie quarterback do?  He battled.  He kept on showing that he’s this offense’s leader, that he’s the real deal.  He kept on showing us that all he needed was a little help out there.  

Somebody to make a tough catch for him.  Alas, tough catches are not part of his group DNA.  Every throw has to be perfect.  

These coaches and this organization are asking an awful lot of this kid.  And when they failed him so often today, he just put them on his back and fought his way to 17 second-half points that showed off a level of toughness, competitiveness, and pride that should carry him to a long NFL career.  

Hopefully, the help that is needed will eventually arrive.  Right now, it’s completely non-existent.  

Dart remains the only reason to keep watching this football team.  When he’s not on the field, might as well turn off the TV.  The defense is a shell.  The special teams are falling apart.  

Dart’s the only piece of this team that continues to fight to the end.  Even his numbers today were presentable.  

He went 8 for 56 on the ground, including an 18-yard scramble and a 6-yard touchdown run.  Through the air, he was 24-of-33 for 191 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.  

He took care of the ball.  He ran smart, and when he had to, he ran tough.  He took a few hits we wished he hadn’t taken, but he kept getting up.  

After an erratic first half in the pocket, he picked up his pocket movement and awareness in the second half.  After his early struggles, he did not wilt.  He responded.  He showed all the right stuff.  

We love how this kid hates to lose.  He needs to get with an offensive coach who will let him contribute more to the game plan.  No way was he satisfied with throwing all these button hooks.  He’s a downfield guy.  Let him throw the ball downfield!  

And if they’re taking that away, attack the intermediate areas with creativity.  Yes, we understand that the lack of receiving options is limiting what the coaches can call.  

Regardless, that first half was tough to watch, even after Dart’s requisite touchdown drive to open the game.  We love how he’s gotten the league on its heels every week as he comes out of the tunnel snorting like a runaway train.  

Navigating the rest of the game is the challenge that needs to be better met.  Getting him better receivers is the real and ultimate challenge.

Running Backs 

⬛Tyrone Tracy

Getting the starting job with Cam Skattebo done for the year, Tracy was disappointed with a bunch of mediocre reads with the ball in his hands (5 carries for 18 yards on the ground, three catches for 19 yards through the air).  

He doesn’t appear to scare anyone out there.  There was his requisite 11-yard run between the tackles, but the 49ers easily met every other touch.  

He made nobody miss, broke no tackles, and ran away from no one.  His ball security was immaculate, but Tracy needs to do more out there if he wants to keep seeing the ball.

⬛Devin Singletary

The better of the team’s two active running backs this week, the veteran seems to be showing some life now that he’s getting on the field more with Skattebo out.  

His numbers were solid – 8 carries for 43 yards on the ground, two catches for 8 yards through the air – plus there were some smart blitz pickups out there that produced some professional-looking protections.  

Singletary is so smart and reliable in everything he does; he’s a great role model for young backs.  He can still play a bit, judging from the yardage he made after contact and the creases that he found and exploited. 

Receivers

⬛Wan’Dale Robinson

It seemed like we were back in the Daniel Jones days when Robinson was limited to running patterns no deeper than three yards downfield.  So far this year, he’s been unleashed a bit with the intermediate routes, but not today.  

Robinson caught 9 of his 11 targets for a measly 46 yards.  Not one of his catches made a difference (his longest catch went for 9 yards).  

His deepest route came late in the third quarter in a 20-10 game when he could not shake single coverage on 3rd-&-8 and allowed the ball to be batted away easily.  

When his quarterback really needed somebody to make a play, Robinson came up short. 

⬛Darius Slayton

Talk about coming up small, Slayton had another deep ball dropped right into his hands in the end zone today, which he expectedly allowed to be ripped out of his hands for the incompletion.  

This was a sure touchdown until Slayton crumpled against contact.  He must have the weakest hands in the league, as he simply cannot hold onto any ball against any kind of contact.  

Slayton spent most of his day settling into soft zones in garbage time and body-catching balls (5 catches for 62 yards).  

Only two of his targets fell incomplete -- the one in the end zone, and another end zone fade where he was blanketed one-on-one by a 49ers corner.  

⬛Ray-Ray McCloud

Getting his first 12-15 snaps with his new team, the veteran McCloud caught his lone target for 5 yards.  

At least McCloud brings a veteran’s sensibility to this young and unproven receiver group. We expect him to contribute more as the season progresses. 

⬛Beaux Collins

Getting some early game snaps, Collins suffered a third-quarter injury on a special teams play that finished his day early.  Per usual, Collins did not have any balls thrown his way.

⬛Gunner Olszewski

Talk about making the most of your opportunities!  Olszewski replaced the shaken-up Slayton after his end zone drop, and three snaps later, Olszewski was hauling in the touchdown pass in the end zone that Slayton had failed to hold.  

Olszewski had an obvious connection with Dart this preseason, but it wasn’t enough for the coaches to get him onto the field other than on special teams.  

The touchdown came from 24 yards out by a receiver who actually caught the ball with his hands extended, something that Slayton doesn’t do nearly enough.  

Let’s hope the coaches realize that Olszewski has more to contribute than just returns. 

Tight Ends 

⬛Theo Johnson

Johnson has evolved into Jaxson Dart’s primary target in the passing game, which is a dangerous way to try to make a living in this league, especially if you lack dexterity like Johnson.  

On the day’s lone deep route, Johnson was isolated on a linebacker and actually beat him up the sideline.  Alas, Dart read back shoulder and threw it there, while Johnson had a step and was expecting it over the top.  

He still had a chance to adjust to the well-thrown ball, but he looked back too late, which is one of Johnson’s many failings in the passing game.  He is rarely quick to get his head around things.  

He was able to get open over the middle on a 3rd-&-7, in a 17-7 game, but he simply dropped a well-thrown ball.  

On another 3rd-&-7 play, with Johnson the primary receiver yet again, he failed to get open and allowed a throw to be knocked away.  

The one play that Johnson did make for his quarterback was his opening drive catch-and-run into the end zone from 16 yards out.  

On this flat catch, Johnson correctly overpowered the defensive back in his path and bulled his way into the end zone.  

That was the extent of Johnson, the pass receiver, who finished with f ho-hum 3-27 numbers on six targets.  His blocking wasn’t quite up to snuff either.

⬛Chris Manhertz

Getting just a smattering of snaps, Manhertz’s blocking was solid enough, but he was barely on the field enough to impact today’s game.

⬛Thomas Fidone II

Getting also a smattering of snaps, Fidone split his time between run blocks and running patterns, but he was never targeted and barely noticed in the passing game.  His blocking was hit-and-miss.

Offensive Line

⬛Andrew Thomas

Thomas was back to his blind side pass-blocking mastery this week, even if one of the day’s two sacks was recorded by his man.  That sack came when the quarterback somehow lost track of how long an NFL pocket is supposed to last, even when first scrambling away from pressure.  

On this tough-to-watch blindside hit, Dart somehow held onto the ball, which may have been the most impressive part of this entire play.  

No blame for Thomas on this one, as he completely won his 1-on-1 battle, as he did throughout the entirety of today’s game.  

Thomas’ run-blocking was also solid but not as good as his pass-blocking.

⬛Marcus Mbow

Getting the start at right tackle with Jermaine Eleumunor inactive, we were stunned that the coaches gave the rookie so little help on his edge on passing downs.  

Mbow was left alone on his island to deal with the 49ers' edge attack, which, admittedly, was missing several big weapons but still featured legit NFL power.  

It wasn’t surprising that that’s where Mbow struggled.  He easily mirrored his man, but when it came time to hold his sand, he lost as many as he won, and that’s not good enough.  

On the day’s other sack, Mbow slipped on his retreat when met with power, and allowed his man a free run to his quarterback for the sack.  

He allowed a handful of other pressures, and didn’t do enough to finish off his man all the time.  He also committed a false start.  His run-blocking was positionally sound but lacked push.  

Everybody knows this kid needs a big offseason in the weight room.  He still has the lightest feet in his unit, but so much of the NFL pit play is about power, and that’s where he needs to improve.

⬛Jon Runyan

Though he played his third solid game in a row, there were still enough glitches in Runyan’s game to not give him anything above a “C” score.  

The coaches gave him a handful of short pulls to execute, but none of them succeeded.  His pass-blocking was solid-to-good.  His run-blocking lacked (surprise) punch.  

It’s the same old story with this veteran.  He seems to be playing a bit lighter than last year, and it’s showing in his inability to win physical confrontations.  There’s no push in his game.

⬛Greg Van Roten

The most physical of this unit’s starters remains its clumsiest.  Van Roten whiffed on a handful of assignments and never compensated for the lack of consistency with impressive power.  

He was able to hold his ground for sure, but there was also very little movement both at the point of attack and contact in space.  No missed assignments, no glaring misses, no definitive wins.

⬛John Michael Schmitz

After missing a game several weeks back with a concussion, Schmitz returned last week to play a solid game.  

We thought he took a step back, though, this week, with some sluggish reactions off the snap, plus an alarming lack of power in everything he attempted to do.  His doubles were ineffective.  There was no crispness to his game.  

His pass-blocking and decision-making seemed sharp, but he did not seem physically up to snuff.  

He also committed a false start when he flinched over the ball.  Schmitz had to leave the game early in the third quarter with a shin injury and did not return.

⬛Austin Schlottmann

The veteran stepped in when Schmitz went down, and the offense ran smoothly, as it did when Schlottman had to fill in for the game and a half that Schmitz missed recently.  

Schlottman was not particularly nifty out there – he seemed to especially struggle at the second level -- but he used his large body to take up space in-line, and he stayed on his feet well enough.  

It’s tough to judge his real-time performance, as it came essentially in garbage time with the 49ers backing off and the Giants throwing quick in front of them.  

Still, Schlottmann was where he was supposed to be, and he especially pass-blocked well and ran the show without a single glitch.