LaMichael James

The knee-jerk habitual thinking is that Alex Smith cannot throw a ball far downfield. This idea has become a shibboleth oft repeated by NFL pundits, both amateur and professional. It has become a mantra almost as popular as the “game manager” epithet.

Pigeonholing people is a common human tendency, but it is not one of our most endearing traits. And it ignores the evidence to the contrary.

Even with a limited receiver group, Smith completed several very long balls in 2011. One in particular, a 60-yard touchdown to Ted Ginn, Jr that was called back on a holding penalty, was a beauty I have replayed on my DVR many times. A perfect throw caught during a full-speed run. Add to that the throw to Vernon Davis on the last drive in the Saints Divisional Playoff game, a bullet down the sideline that set the 49ers up for the final touchdown.

The bullets thrown to Vernon Davis for touchdowns in clutch situations were beautiful passes that even the game announcers could not help but applaud.

And, even with a weak receiving corps, a strong rushing game and a strike-shortened preseason, Alex Smith still threw for 3,144 yards in the 2011 season. He finished 19th in total yards.

But in 2012, I suggest Smith will surprise all of us.

He has enthusiastically and voluntarily worked with a throwing coach, using modern scientific methods to identify and fix mechanical problems with his technique this offseason. He had developed some bad habits after shoulder surgery by favoring the shoulder. This should improve his accuracy on the mid-to-long-range balls.

Smith is heavily critiqued even though his accuracy was good enough in 2011 to win 13 games, several surging from behind with clutch throws that were beauties to watch.

Imagine what he can do with the addition of three new prime receivers, two of which, Randy Moss and A.J. Jenkins, can really stretch the field. Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree can bedevil the middle depth defenders while Vernon Davis is the ultimate wild card and threat.  

Kendall Hunter, Frank Gore and LaMichael James will provide short field and screen-play threats that can take it all the way, given half a chance and a timely block or two.

One limiting factor on Smith’s total yard record is the fact that the 49ers strongly beefed up an already very good rushing squad. Every second used to gain a rushing yard takes time off the clock that is not available for passing plays. Adding a beefy Jacobs for short yardage rushes will obviate the need for some pass plays.

Even with the rushing attack improvements, Alex Smith has an opportunity to show off a more complete repertoire of passes. I would not be surprised if he rose from 19th in total yards to break into the Top 10.

And that means throwing for more than 4,000 yards.

Alex Smith finally has the tools to take the "monkey off his back."

Nobody understands the damage that LaMichael James can do with the ball in his hands better than Jim Harbaugh.

When Harbaugh's Stanford Cardinal took on the Oregon Ducks in 2010, James posted a ridiculous 257 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.

“I’ve seen him play up close,” Harbaugh said soon after his San Francisco 49ers drafted James on April 27th, according to The Oregonian. “I’ve seen all the things he can do and lost games to his team, large degree of his efforts…I’m really excited to have him on our team.” 

If there was one thing the 49ers offense could have used last season, it was speed. That was clearly a point of emphasis in their 2012 draft, as James will be joined by a fellow rookie speedster in wide receiver A.J. Jenkins of Illinois. 

So far, James is having no problem easing into Harbaugh's fast-paced practices. 

"I went to Oregon," James told The Oregonian, "so everything's quick-paced at Oregon and I'm pretty used to the tempo."

Some are speculating that James' electrifying speed, quickness, and play-making ability could even change the 49ers' offense.

San Francisco's acquisition of Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, and A.J. Jenkins will open up their offense and likely allow Alex Smith to take more snaps out of the shotgun in spread formations. James' experience in a spread offense at Oregon means he should see plenty of carries out of these open formations. 

James will also likely be a viable third down option. Though he did not catch a lot of passes at Oregon, he has solid hands and is a capable pass protector. On top of that, James has been returning kickoffs and punts in practice. 

After watching him torment his Stanford defense in 2010, I doubt Harbaugh will waste time getting James the ball during his upcoming rookie season.

Between spread formation carries, third down looks and repetitions in the return game, look for James to make an instant impact in 2012. 

Although LaMichael James won't be carrying the ball 300 times like he did for the Oregon Ducks, he should be a key part of the San Francisco 49ers offense in 2012.

Drafted 61st overall, James was one of the best running backs in college football over the last three years.

After getting the starting job as a freshmen, the 5'8" speedster went on to rush for 1,546 yards and 14 TD. In his sophomore campaign, James went for 1,731 yards and 21 TD. That year he was a Heisman Trophy finalist, even though he missed one game with a suspension.

In 2011, he returned and led the Ducks to their first Rose Bowl win in 95 years. Despite missing two games due to injury, James racked up four separate 200-yard games, on his way to over 1,800 yards and 18 scores.

After three years at Oregon, James goes down as one the best Pac-12 running backs of all time. If he returned for his senior season, he probably would have broken the Pac-12 rushing record and the NCAA record held by Ron Dayne.

As impressive as James' collegiate career was, how will his skills transfer to the fast-paced environment of the NFL? His speed does present problems for defenses, but will his small frame be able to withstand the punishment of the NFL?

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh seems to think so. In a press conference in late April, Harbaugh talked extensively about James and his role with the 49ers via Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News.  

I don’t think that he’ll be limited to just a third-down back. Then you have to take into consideration fourth down, too.This is somebody who has a chance to evolve into a punt returner, a kick-off returner, he’s got to work on his hands in those situations, returning punts. And that may be X amount of time before he’s really ready to do that. We’ve got a pretty good darn returner in Ted Ginn as it is now. But that will definitely create a possibility down the road for us. He’s proven that he’s a multi-down back, in our eyes..

Coaching at Stanford, Harbaugh saw James twice, and is aware of what James could bring to the 49ers offense. In his two games against the Cardinal while Harbaugh was coaching, James rushed for 382 yards and four touchdowns.

With three running backs ahead of him on the depth chart, James has a lot to prove before he gets major playing time. His versatility and speed will allow the 49ers to create mismatches. 

Despite his lack of size, James offers a skill set that has become more popular in the NFL. Think Darren Sproles. 

Like Sproles, James was a stud in college, but he may not be an every-down back. Yet, because of his speed, he is a major weapon on the field. 

Last year, Sproles rushed for 603 yards on just 87 carries. For everyone doing the math at home, that's 6.9 yards per carry. He also caught 86 balls for 710 yards and seven touchdowns, while returning punts and kicks.

Sproles, however, plays for the New Orleans Saints, one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL, with the record-setting Drew Brees at quarterback.

That being said, Sproles demonstrated that an undersized running back with speed can be a integral part of an offense in the NFL.

The 49ers are hoping James can do the same, and based on his results at Oregon, there is no reason why he can't succeed. 

So what does the future hold for James and the 49ers? Obviously, with his "home run" ability, the 49ers will try to get the ball in his hands, with a chance to score.

Although James didn't catch the ball out of the backfield much at Oregon, look for the 49ers to get him into open space on some quick screens or check-downs.

Since the 49ers have running backs Frank Gore, Brandon Jacobs and Kendall Hunter already on the roster, the pressure is off James to carry the load on the ground. He will be able to find his role in the offense, even if that means returning kicks or playing special teams.

With the extra talent on offense this year, look for the 49ers to open up the playbook, and don't be surprised if James is part of the offensive resurgence. 

If you can't beat them, have 'em join you.

That's what 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said when he selected Oregon running back LaMichael James in the second round. James gave Harbaugh and his Stanford program a plethora of fits because of his speed and versatility, both characteristics that he brings to a team that severely lacked them last season.

Despite adding bulldozing tailback Brandon Jacobs from the Giants in the offseason to help out the underrated Frank Gore and the hard-nosed Kendall Hunter, the 49ers looked to add more explosiveness to the stable and did so by selecting the former Oregon Duck.

James is a smaller back at 5'8" and 194 pounds, which usually would dock the value of his game in the eyes of NFL personnel men. And when one analyzes at his career in review, perhaps it did, but apparently not enough to the 49ers, who brought him in to complement the rest of the tailbacks on the roster in their West Coast Offense. 

Dating back to the golden years of the Bill Walsh-led 49ers, the tailback had an important role in the system, and that hasn't changed under second-year head coach Jim Harbaugh.

The tailback has to fill the role of an outlet receiver to the quarterback when the rest of the receivers are covered and as a receiver in a two-man combination concept, such as Curl-Flat, which has the tailback running a flat route, as well as in a check-release role.

The check-release role has the back to be a pass-blocker first, requiring him to go through his keys, and then becoming an option for the quarterback as an outlet receiver.

This may seem like a simple role for the tailback, but not so; most rookie runners have issues in pass protection, and while James is still improving in that department, he has the ability to become a surprisingly good blocker, which is beneficial to him because it gets him out on the field more.

James has two things going for him in this department: toughness and size. James is a very tough athlete, as he has good strength in his lower body and can take some punishment. Furthermore, initially, his size appears to be a detriment; however, it is not because he has a natural leverage advantage and is able to sit in his base, enabling him to anchor against blitzing defenders.

Moreover, the Oregon product has very good hands and is able to run a variety of routes from a split position or from the backfield. He's ran from the simple bubble screen, which enables him to do damage after the catch, to vertical comeback, which he does a good job of running by creating separation from the defender as well as creating space down the sideline for the ball to be placed by the quarterback. This ability fits into the 49ers scheme because they will be able to create matchup advantages by getting him on an outside linebacker.

But what kind of runner is he, is the question one may ask?

James is a quick-footed and explosive running back that has very good straight-line speed. He does a good job of bouncing from hole to hole (a la Thomas Jones) and displays quality vision to find the cutback lane as seen in the Inside Zone run concept that the Ducks offense bases their offense around and is frequently used in the NFL.

An example of his vision on this run concept was seen against Stanford this past season. The Ducks lined up in shotgun set with 11 personnel, which means one running back and one tight end, as they often do, and prepared to run their Inside Zone Read.

At the snap of the ball, James took a lateral step toward the quarterback, who read the unblocked blitzing defender from the backside. While the quarterback read the defender, he put the ball in the belly of James and subsequently decided to hand it off after seeing that the blitzing defender from the backside was not going to go after the James. 

When James received the ball, he scanned the defenders in the trenches and identified his key: the outside hip of the left guard.

The outside hip of the left guard (since the play is being ran left) tells James if he is going to continue his path to the outside and then up the outside hip of the guard or cut it to the back side of the play. Because the defender is penetrating to the outside of the key, James makes a cutback to the right and finds open space.

After making a cut to the back side, James brings it back to the play side by finding another running lane that frees him into the open field for the touchdown.

This kind of ability will make it hard for Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman to keep him off the field, which is why he's likely to receive a various roles that put him on the field despite still being eased into the playbook. 

There's also a likely chance that James gets an opportunity at the kick and punt return jobs, which would enable him to change the game around by flipping field position or potentially scoring a touchdown with his ability to make defenders miss and lightning straight-line speed.

James' versatility and explosiveness makes him a great fit for the 49ers offense. He is a quality runner that can stretch the defense horizontally through the Inside Zone run concept and then find the cutback lane while also displaying the ability to hit the home-run with his lightning straight-line speed.

Not to mention, James has quick feet and soft hands to run various routes to create separation from the defender and creating space from the sideline that allows the quarterback to throw the ball in the open area.