Last night's game certainly offered some reason for optimism. Not only did the starters play well, but they stayed healthy. That's more than you can say for some teams. Today, I'm taking a look at the injuries of the teams the 49ers will start the season against. This is without question the toughest stretch of the 9ers' schedule, so getting a little help in the form of timely injuries to their opponents could do wonders for the team's record out of the gate.Week 1 - Arizona: At this point, only two starters for the Cards are unlikely to play in week 1. On offense, center Al Johnson had his knee scoped and is likely to miss the opener. This is particularly problematic for the Cards because backup center Scott Peters is already out for the season. Keep an eye on the center-quarterback exchange in week 1 - fumbled snaps are a frequent problem when a center goes down. On defense, defensive tackle Gabe Watson suffered a broken knee cap in a card game with Fat Tony. This fares well for the 9ers, who's interior lines on both sides of the ball are playing well. There are other minor injuries to some of the Cards' skill players, but nothing serious enough to keep them out of the lineup for the season opener.
Week 2 - Seattle: No team is limping into the '08 season like the Seahawks. There are almost too many injuries to count. Most significantly, Deion Branch is doubtful for the season opener as a result of off-season ACL surgery. This is big because he has destroyed the 49ers, averaging 99 yards per game against them over the last two seasons. Bobby Engram, who historically hasn't done much against the 49ers, will be out until at least week 4 with a shoulder injury. With the departure of D.J. Hackett, this leaves the Seahawks paper thin at receiver. Yesterday, Nate Burleson and Courtney Taylor were the starting wideouts. Needless to say, they kicked a lot of field goals. Then there's the O-line. Starting center Chris Spencer is doubtful for the season opener and his replacement, Chris Gray, had to retire earlier in camp with back problems. The team currently has Steve Vallos, a 7th round pick from 2007 who played tackle in college, at center (see "fumbled snaps," supra). Starting right tackle Sean Locklear is hurt but will likely be ready for the season opener. However, missing the rest of the pre-season means he may be a little slow in week 2. Porkchop Womack was hurt the first day of OTAs. Even the long snapper is hurt. Other than Branch and Engram, none of these injuries are significant in isolation. But when you add them all up, the result is a team that has had to shuffle its roster quite a bit. This fares well for the 49ers.
Week 3 - Detroit: The Lions are actually pretty healthy, but who cares? Detroit sucks. No, seriously, who cares?
Week 4 - New Orleans: The big news here is the injury to Hollis Thomas. Thomas was a quality defensive tackle, but he was already hearing the footsteps of 1st round pick Sedrick Ellis. The injury thrusts Ellis into the starting lineup for the week 3 match up against the 49ers in New Orleans. I'm not sure this really works in the 9ers' favor - Ellis is a beast. Other than Thomas, cornerback Mike McKenzie and Jeremy Shockey are huge douche bags ... er, I mean, they're both coming back from injuries and will probably be in the lineup in week 4, although whether they'll be playing at full speed is yet to be seen.
Week 5 - New England: The one team with more players missing camp than the Seahawks is the Patsies. Unfortunately, that doesn't matter. So long as Brady and Moss are healthy, there's really no way the 49ers can beat this team.
Week 6 - Philadelphia: As of today, the Iggles have a pretty healthy roster. That said, I fully expect Donovan McNabb to be on IR by Week 6. That's just how he rolls.
Since I'm starting to speculate, I'll just stop here. The key game here is the Seahawks in week 2. If the Seahawks are hobbling, 3-0 is conceivable.
