The Battle Up Front--10/26/01
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Coming off the bye week, the 49ers hope to be much healthier than they were going in. In particular the team is hoping that the health improvements of Jeremy Newberry, and Julian Peterson will help them win the battle up front on both sides of the ball.
Newberry, the 49ers center played a series last week before succumbing to the pain from an injury he suffered two weeks before. With Ben Lynch the backup center already injured, Dave Fiore had to shift over and John Milem moved into Fiore’s spot. Somehow the 49ers still managed to win, but they would much rather have the healthy first string line in it this week. The offensive battle up front will be key this week. Chicago has one of the best defenses in the league, and for the 49ers to have success against them they will have to establish the run. With the run the 49ers can slow down the rush on Jeff Garcia. This will be key when dealing with a very big defensive front. Julian Peterson returned to the line-up at less than 100%. Peterson the team’s star linebacker has been struggling ever since. A healthy Peterson can help the pass rush and allow the team to implore more complicated blitz schemes. The Bears like to pound the ball forward with their running backs. Thus the 49ers ability to get to the quarterback when given the opportunity will be key in this game.
The battle up front is always an important aspect of football games. This week however it seems to be the key to the game. The winner of this game will be the one that controls the line of scrimmage. It is very unlikely that either team can have success without owning the line of scrimmage.
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