Week 13 Preview

Week 13 is the week of What Might Have Been. The 49ers travel to Soldier Field in windy Chicago to face the Bears and, more appropriately, the 2 coaches that Jed York and Trent Baalke chose to let walk in favor of Jim Tomsula.

John Fox is the head coach of the team but the two men doing the most with the least are Vic Fangio and Adam Gase. Gase, who followed Fox to Chicago from Denver, has managed to turn Jay cutler into a relatively serviceable quarterback by running a quick, high school style offense. Fangio, the former 49ers defensive coordinator and arguably one of the best coordinators in football right now, has managed to piece together below-average players and establish the 14th ranked defense based on points per game, according to ESPN statistics.

The collective talent and knowledge on NFL staffs is incredible. Sure, there is a clear list of some of the best minds overall, but few schemes and adjustments are brand new for most of these coaches. Vic Fangio has separated himself as one of the best due to his depth of understanding the tendencies and situational choices of other teams.

Does that sound like any other coaches you might know? Maybe one that specialized in understanding situations and putting players in positions to succeed? Bill Walsh was unrelenting in his pursuit to understand the tendencies of a defense and design an offense built on defeating those traits. Bill Belichick has done the same for his defense. The result is that these coaches consistently oversee teams in the top tier of the league for many years in a row. Hall of Fame quarterbacks help but these coaches created favorable situations for their quarterbacks to excel.

I'll climb down off my soapbox now. Let's look at how the 49ers can leave Soldier Field with a win on Sunday. Or a loss, if you're interested in draft position.

The young defense showed again that they have some serious skills developing. I tweeted a few weeks ago that this defensive backfield could be one of the best in the league a few years from now. After watching how they handled the Arizona Cardinals, and specifically the speed of the receivers, that claim looks even more valid. The big plays hurt but to hold that offense to such little production is impressive. Baalke may finally be looking at the payoff for his persistence in drafting young DBs.

Chicago does not have as explosive of an offense as Arizona but they operate in a much different manner to mask that lack of talent. While Arizona is comfortable taking shots deep downfield, the Bears run an offense built on screens, short in-breaking routes, and sweeps. The design is meant to take pressure of off Jay Cutler and get the athletes on the outside the ball ASAP.

Alshon Jeffrey, who the 49ers passed on in favor of AJ Jenkins, will finally be fully healthy for the first time this season. I'd expect the Bears to be interested in making sure Jeffrey sees the ball often. After watching Brandon Marshall abuse Jimmie Ward last year, I wouldn't be surprised to see Gase create a matchup for Jeffrey on Ward, even if that's in the slot, to isolate the big receiver. Ward has certainly shown immense improvement and he'll need every bit of skill and development to hang with Jeffrey.

Offensively, the 49ers need to continue to do what they have done the past few weeks. Blaine Gabbert looked impressive again last week against Arizona and he may be building a case to be the guaranteed starting quarterback for next season. While I expect the team to draft a quarterback, it may not hurt to have Gabbert moving forward for the next year or two while a rookie is able to learn without pressure.

Brock Osweiler, the Broncos quarterback stepping in for Peyton Manning, has largely had the opportunity to study and develop as a backup and is now seeing the fruits of that preparation as he has stepped into an expanded role. Blaine Gabbert is obviously not Peyton Manning in terms of who you might look to learn from but the decreased pressure remains for any rookie entering the league. If the 49ers can use Blaine Gabbert as a serviceable veteran quarterback for another year or two, it may allow a rookie enough time to really grasp an NFL offense. The worst thing that could happen is a repeat of when Alex Smith was drafted and abused immediately.

Finishing drives in the red zone and third down production continue to be issues for this team. It's beginning to feel like a broken record, spanning the course of seasons and coaching changes. Vance McDonald has had two impressive weeks in a row and the offense may have found a groove with the young tight ends on the roster. If Gabbert, and Chyrst as a playcaller, can continue to find ways to get the ball in the hands of the big, athletic tight ends then the 49ers have a reasonable chance to get win number 4 this weekend.

Vic Fangio and Adam Gase are likely interested in reminding Jed what he missed on. I imagine Jed walks into a dimly lit bar, looks to his left and sees Fangio and Gase chatting up, laughing happily about their narrowly avoiding the dealings with the 49ers front office. Jed's team, full of young defensive backs and a quarterback rebuilding his career, will try to remind Fangio and Gase what they may have missed out on as well.