Daily Madden: What's Happened To The 49ers Offense?
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - The San Francisco 49ers were embarrassed for the second week in a row, this time at home in a 27-7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. "It looked like the fifth and sixth quarter of the Seattle game (last week)," John Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew.
"In Seattle they got whipped, not only on the scoreboard but physically... You didn't expect the Colts to come in and do it... It was a physical game that was won by the Colts.
"You know how in a fight you throw a lot of body punches early and the effect of them doesn't really show up until late in the game? That's what the Colts did to the 49ers," said Madden.
With Frank Gore's success running the ball in the first half, why didn't he get it more in the second? "If everything were equal, you'd want to run him more," Madden said. "(But) at some point, whether it's the score or the time on the clock, the running game goes out the window."
And why not more read-option plays by quarterback Colin Kaepernick? "I think the defenses have caught up with it, I really do," Madden said. "Last year teams kind of sprung it on the defenses, and they didn't have the answer... In the off-season I know every team spent a lot of time on it.
"Every team put it in themselves so they could work on it, and they have the answers for it now," said Madden. "The read-option a year ago was making the defenses read, too. The defenses aren't reading anymore, they're just going after the quarterback."
Daily Madden
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