Charlie Whitehurst and All the Big Men Running Around

Preseason is slow, uncomplicated, and though talent discrepancies can be pronounced, a good quarterback should have little trouble reading simplistic cover schemes and walking his offense down the field. Remember how Charlie Frye looked ok, if overmatched in the preseason, but was lost in the regular season? How the speed of the game was too much, and Frye spent most of the game staring blankly down the field, checking down underneath or scrambling? Charlie Whitehurst looks like regular-season Frye playing the preseason 49ers.

SD: WR (left), 2 TE (right), I

SF: 3-4 (5)

1-10-SD 17 (3:34) 33-G.Johnson left guard to SD 20 for 3 yards (28-C.Taylor, 56-S.McKillop).

Run.

SD: 2 WR (left/right, bunch) RB (right), Shotgun

SF: 3-4 (5)

2-7-SD 20 (2:57) (Shotgun) 6-C.Whitehurst pass short right to 13-C.Martin to SD 25 for 5 yards (33-E.Green).

49ers rush five. Whitehurst drops, plants and accurately throws to Charly Martin.

SD: WR (left/right), TE (left), I (left)

SF: 3-4 (5)

3-2-SD 25 (2:19) 6-C.Whitehurst pass short middle to 34-B.Latsko to SD 30 for 5 yards (56-S.McKillop, 50-J.Roland).

Whitehurst takes a five step drop, but dishes down underneath on a fullback angle route. The pass is slightly behind Latsko, but he pulls it in and turns up field.

SD: WR (right), 2 TE (left, motions right), I

SF: 3-4

1-10-SD 30 (1:46) 33-G.Johnson right end to SD 34 for 4 yards (56-S.McKillop).

Run.

SD: WR (left/right, motions left), TE (right), I (right)

SF: 3-4

2-6-SD 34 (1:08) 33-G.Johnson right end to SD 37 for 3 yards (54-M.Harris, 50-J.Roland).

Run.

SD: 2WR (left), TE (right), I (right)

SF: 3-4 (5)

3-3-SD 37 (:29) 6-C.Whitehurst sacked at SD 25 for -12 yards (54-M.Harris). PENALTY on SF-33-E.Green, Illegal Use of Hands, 5 yards, enforced at SD 37 - No Play.

49ers rush five. It's the same blitz, the only blitz: both outside linebacker. Marques Harris is matched against Latsko, and that is a mismatch. Whitehurst drops back eight yards. Latsko attempts to shade Harris around and back, but Whitehurst drops and drops and drops until there is no angle left, and Harris can run free almost straight to Whitehurst. From the defensive right, Pannel Egboh has nearly duplicated the same feat. Whitehurst is too deep, Seneca Wallace deep, and will not step up. Harris sacks Whitehurst through Latsko, but an illegal contact penalty erases the play.

Formation Unclear

1-10-SD 42 (15:00) 30-K.Moore left end to SD 43 for 1 yard (47-B.Miller, 50-J.Roland).

Run.

SD: WR (left, tight), WR (right), TE (right), I

SF: 3-4 (5)

2-9-SD 43 (14:22) 6-C.Whitehurst pass short right to 34-B.Latsko pushed ob at SD 46 for 3 yards (54-M.Harris).

Whitehurst takes an NFL drop back, roughly five yards, reads center, and then checks down underneath to Latsko.

SD: WR (left), 2WR (right, motions left), TE (left), RB (right), Shotgun

SF: 4-2

3-6-SD 46 (13:54) (Shotgun) 6-C.Whitehurst scrambles up the middle to SF 47 for 7 yards (67-P.Egboh).

Whitehurst drops back, looks hurriedly left then right and then pulls the ball down and runs for the first.

SD: 2WR (left), WR (right), TE (left), RB, Shotgun

SF: 3-4 (5)

1-10-SF 47 (13:11) (Shotgun) 6-C.Whitehurst pass incomplete short middle to 33-G.Johnson.

Low snap, but Whitehurst snatches it. He steps up and knuckleballs the pass into the turf.

SD: WR (left/right), TE (left), I (right)

SF: 3-4 (5)

2-10-SF 47 (13:06) 6-C.Whitehurst pass short left to 47-K.Sperry to SF 33 for 14 yards (30D-R.Smith). FUMBLES (30D-R.Smith), ball out of bounds at SF 33.

Play action, Whitehurst makes one read and zips the ball towards Kory Sperry. Sperry is running an out. The ball hits Sperry over his left shoulder pad, against his momentum, but it is a reasonably accurate pass. Sperry pulls the ball down and attempts to run but drops it during the motion. It's ruled a fumble, but it could have been an incomplete pass.

Run.

Run.

Run.

SD: WR (left), 2TE (right), I

SF: 3-4 (5)

2-7-SF 17 (10:51) 6-C.Whitehurst pass short right to 34-B.Latsko to SF 11 for 6 yards (41-T.Lambert).

Play action, reads deep, checks underneath to Latsko. Accurate pass.

Run.

Run.

SD: WR (left), 2TE (right), I (right)

SF: 3-4 (5)

2-6-SF 6 (8:48) 6-C.Whitehurst sacked at SF 12 for -6 yards (47-B.Miller). FUMBLES (47-B.Miller), RECOVERED by SF-67-P.Egboh at SF 12.

Whitehurst drops back, looks unflinchingly down field, but not towards any particular part, and holds the ball exposed near his right hip. Brit Miller runs a long, looping edge rush around left tackle that arrives at Whitehurst four seconds after the snap. He hits Whitehurst from behind and slaps the ball free. Fumble. 49ers recover.