The 49ers flat out sucked last night on both sides of the football, period!  Alex Smith looked pathetic last night as he completed 2 of 6 passes for 17 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Colin Kaepernick didn’t look good either as he completed 6 of 16 passes for 52 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  His interception was returned 73 yards for a TD by Texans’ safety Troy Nolan.  Rookie RB Kendall Hunter led the way on the ground for the Niners last night with 40 yards rushing on 8 carries (5.0 ypc).  Anthony Dixon pitched in with 15 yards rushing on 8 carries (1.9 ypc) last night.  No receiver caught more than 1 pass for the Niners last night!  The 49ers finished up with 55 yards on 16 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 8 of 22 passes (36.4%) for 50 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 19:24 last night!

CB Chris Culliver (8 tackles, 2 passes defensed), LB Scott McKillop (8 tackles) and safety C.J. Spillman (5 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the Niners’ D last night.  DT Ricky Jean-Francois (fumble recovery) and LB Ahmad Brooks (interception that he returned for 13-yard TD) also had big plays on D for the Niners last night.  The Texans rushed for 172 yards on 42 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 35 passes (68.6%) for 245 yards last night.  The 49ers are now 1-2 on the preseason.

The 49ers have finally found a taker for 23-year old safety Taylor Mays.  They have dealt Mays to the Cincinnati Bengals for an undisclosed late round draft pick.  Mays played in all 16 games as a rookie for the 49ers last year and he had 38 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  This is addition by subtraction as Mays has been a pain in the butt for whoever has been coaching the Niners.

The 49ers have signed 27-year old punter Sam Paulescu.  Paulescu played in 3 games for the Redskins last year and he punted the ball 17 times for 700 yards (41.2 avg).  He also had 1 touchback (5.9%) and he placed 2 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line (11.8%) last year.  Paulescu has now played in 20 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has punted the ball 102 times for 4,306 yards (42.2 avg).  He also has 11 touchbacks (10.8%) and he has placed punts inside the opposing 20-yard line 25 times (24.5%) in his NFL career so far.  49ers’ starting punter Andy Lee has a hip pointer so Paulescu is likely only going to punt for the 49ers until he is healthy.

The 49ers went with a conservative approach on offense last Saturday night in an effort to control the ball and the pace of the game and it worked.  Alex Smith looked a lot better than last week as he completed 8 of 13 passes for 126 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Rookie Colin Kaepernick was also a lot better as he completed 6 of 8 passes for 52 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Punter Andy Lee attempted 1 pass and it was picked off by the Raiders.  Rookie Kendall Hunter was outstanding in this game as he rushed for 105 yards on 9 carries (11.7 avg) with 1 TD run.  Xavier Omon also looked sharp as he rushed for 62 yards on 14 carries (4.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Anthony Dixon pitched in with 53 yards rushing on 12 carries (4.4 ypc) in this game.  WRs Braylon Edwards (2 rec, 46 yards) and Josh Morgan (2 rec, 40 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Niners in this game.  The 49ers rushed for 239 yards on 41 carries (5.8 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 22 passes (63.6%) for 163 yards as they had possession of the ball for 36:44 last night.

The defense was outstanding for the 49ers last Saturday night.  Safety Madieu Williams (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and CB Chris Culliver (4 tackles) led the way for the D in this game.  CB Tarrell Brown pitched in with an interception in this game for the Niners.  The Raiders finished up with 63 yards rushing on 22 carries (2.9 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 24 passes (58.3%) for 151 yards in this game.  The 49ers are now 1-1 on the pre-season.

The 49ers have signed 32-year old QB Josh McCown to battle it out for the #3 QB job in 2011.  McCown did not play at all last year.  He has played in 49 games (31 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has completed 610 of 1,058 passes (57.7%) for 6,584 yards with 35 TD passes and 40 INTs (71.3 QB Rating).  McCown has also carried the ball 127 times for 569 yards (4.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his NFL career.  McCown is 12-19 (38.7%) as a starting QB in the NFL.  I like this signing for the Niners as McCown should easily be able to win the #3 QB job in 2011.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The 49ers have released Josh McCown.

The 49ers have waived 23-year old OLB Thaddeus Gibson.  Gibson played in 3 games for the 49ers last year and he had 3 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.  This is no big loss for the 49ers as they have more than enough depth at linebacker to cover for Gibson being let go.  He won’t be missed in 2011 or down the road.

The 49ers were pitiful offensively last night and the scoreboard reflects how really poor they played.  Alex Smith started at QB last night and he was pathetic.  Smith completed 2 of 7 passes for only 10 yards last night.  Rookie QB Colin Kaepernick finished up the game and he didn’t look too good either.  Kaepernick completed 9 of 19 passes for 117 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 interceptions.  He also carried the ball 6 times for 47 yards (7.8 ypc) last night.  Rookie RB Kendall Hunter led the backs in rushing last night with 29 yards on 7 carries (4.1 ypc).  WRs Kyle Williams (2 rec, 34 yards) and Lance Long (2 rec, 26 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Niners last night.  The 49ers ran the ball well as they rushed for 136 yards on 29 carries (4.7 ypc) but they only completed 11 of 26 passes (42.3%) for 98 yards. 

The defense played well against the pass but not so good against the run last night.  Rookie DE/OLB Aldon Smith led the way for the D last night with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 sack.  LB Larry Grant and safety C.J. Spillman also pitched in with 5 tackles apiece last night.  The Saints rushed for 138 yards on 34 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 27 passes (55.6%) for 150 yards last night.  The Niners definately have a lot of work to do.

The Niners signed 27-year old QB Alex Smith to a 1-year deal.  He will have rookie  Colin Kaepernick breathing down the back of his neck this season.  Smith played in 11 games (10 starts) for the 49ers last year and he completed 204 of 342 passes (59.6%) for 2,370 yards with 14 TD passes and 10 INTs (82.1 QB Rating).  Smith also carried the ball 18 times for 60 yards (3.3 ypc) last year.  Smith played probably the best football of his career last season and the Niners are hoping for a repeat performance in 2011 out of him.  Smith has now played in 54 games (50 starts) in his first 5 years in the NFL and he has completed 864 of 1,514 passes (57.1%) for 9,399 yards with 51 TD passes and 53 INTs (72.1 QB Rating).  Smith has also carried the ball 129 times for 450 yards (3.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far in his career.  He is now 19-31 (38%) as a starting QB for the Niners.

23-year old rookie Colin Kaepernick was the Niners’ 2nd round pick last April out of Nevada.  He is clearly the QB of the Future for the Niners and that could start before the end of the 2011 season.  He has a much stronger arm than Alex Smith does and he is also a very mobile QB.  Head Coach Jim Harbaugh picked Kaepernick to be his guy under center and it will happen sooner rather than later.

23-year old McLeod Bethel-Thompson and 22-year old Jeremiah Masoli are going to battle it out in training camp for the #3 QB job for the Niners in 2011.  Bethel-Thompson is a local boy as he is a undrafted rookie out of Sacramento State.  He probably has the slight edge right now as Jeremiah Masoli is also working out an RB.  Masoli is a undrafted QB out of Mississippi.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 49ERS QBS IN 2011:  C

The Niners have re-signed 26-year old safety Dashon Goldson to a 1-year deal.  Goldson played in all 16 games for the 49ers last year and he had 80 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 5 passes defensed and 1 interception (it was returned for a TD).  Goldson has now played in 51 games in his first four years with the Niners and he has 210 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 14 passes defensed and 5 interceptions (1 returned for a TD).  It was a good move for the 49ers to bring back Goldson for 2011.

The 49ers have signed 28-year old WR Braylon Edwards to a 1-year, $3.5 million dollar deal.  Edwards played in all 16 games (15 starts) for the Jets last year and he caught 53 passes for 904 yards (17.1 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  He has now played in 90 games (84 starts) in his first six years in the NFL and he has caught 326 passes for 5,142 yards (15.8 avg) with 39 TD grabs.  Edwards is a good WR when he focused and motivated.  Alex Smith will like having a big target to hit down the field and Edwards will certainly be one of those.  This was a good signing for the 49ers.

UPDATE:  Edwards’ contract is essentially a 1-year, $1 million dollar deal.  He can earn $3.5 million bucks in 2011 if he catches at least 90 passes and makes the Pro Bowl.  While the Niners hope he will earn the extra $2.5 million bucks, they have to think that he won’t.