imac_21 wrote:
The beef with Iupati is his pass blocking, and though it's cut off in the screen cap, you can see that his pass blocking grade is -1.something. He had a big day run blocking, but most on the team did. His pass blocking, again, was sub-standard.
This is true, but I'll take it. Even though his pass blocking isn't great, overall he's still a great guard. Guards aren't left tackles; the QB is going to see the pressure coming from interior rushers; and one of
Kaepernick's few bright spots is that he's one of the most mobile QBs in the NFL. And if the running game is dominating, the DL isn't going to be playing the pass so heavily. Plus,
Kaepernick only looks at one option in the passing game anyway before he takes off running.
Plus he's playing next to a pro bowl left tackle, and the Niners finally have a center who doesn't COMPLETELY suck at pass blocking (good riddance
Goodwin). Actually, they have two of 'em when
Martin comes back, and I think
Martin will quickly be one of the best centers in the NFL if he gets his chance to start. If not, he can play guard.
And
Iupati has been great at pass blocking in the past; he can get back to that level. In fact, he was at that level in the postseason before he broke his leg. I think
Iupati will keep getting better as the year goes on during a time when players usually shed a bit of weight.
Every time the Niners think they're a passing team they crumble. They need to think 90's Cowboys not 90's 49ers.
