Terrell Owens is constantly facing greater coverage units. As a result it takes him longer to get open, and by that time Garcia is often looking to pass elsewhere. That it takes Owens longer to get open is not as big a problem as him dropping passes that do come his way. There are some that few receivers would have held onto, but others he should have. Great receivers need to hold onto the ball, even while taking the brutal hit - Owens unfortunately has the tendency to drop the ball, and has been seen at least once turning to run with the ball, before he ever caught it (a rookie mistake). More important than getting ‘more’ open, Owens needs to focus and make the catch.

At least JJ Stokes catches the ball. He may not see a lot of balls come his way, but when they do he catches them. This of course is a pleasant surprise - the unpleasant part though, is that balls never seem to come his way. Stokes simply is too far down the progression list to make an impact in the 49ers offense. This needs to be changed. He may not break tackles and create big plays like Owens does, but Stokes if an easy to hit target that is good for chunks of yardage. The 49ers should be exploiting him.