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The Good
The Defense is probably the most encouraging thing out of the 2007 season. For the length of time it spent on the field, ranking in the low 20’s should be an encouraging sign for this unit. Patrick Willis earned Defensive Rookie of the Year and AP All-Pro honors after leading the league in tackles. Nate Clements, by some considered overvalued with his huge contract, made a stoundout play every game, and sometimes several.

In his final season with the team, Bryant Young continued to play at the level he did as a rookie and Pro-Bowler. He displayed the leadership and class befitting the last remnant of the championship dynasty, and if he hasn’t ensured a future place in the Hall of Fame, it’s a crime.

Third year defensive lineman Isaac Sopoaga grew into the lineup slowly as he began to realize his power and quickness, and became more valuable in games than starter Aubrayo Franklin. He virtually assured his status as the incumbent starter for ‘08, and became an offseason priority as a free agent for the team to re-sign.

Safeties Michael Lewis and Mark Roman became one of the better safety tandems in the league. Strong Safety Michael Lewis was another of Mike Nolan’s free agents from the Ravens Eagles, who was second on the team in tackles behind Patrick Willis. Lewis proved himself to be invaluable to the run defense. Free Safety Mark Roman became as much a threat to receivers as Lewis was to running backs, displaying a knack for hard hits and dimly hearkening to the play of Ronnie Lott.

Rookie Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky appeared to have a keen grasp on calling plays for the defense, and though the unit as a whole caused few turnovers and was susceptible to long drives, they did not give up many big plays. Perhaps the greatest byproduct of his coaching, and likely Mike Nolan as well, was the consistent professional attitude of the defense. Even in the midst of an 8-game losing streak, to a man the defense continued to assert that they asked themselves what they could be doing better. They simply refused to criticize their teammates or coaches on the offensive side of the ball. They accepted that whether or not they were on the field too much, that they still had to do their job.

The Bad
The defense appeared to be well on its way when Walt Harris intercepted the first pass of the season from Matt Leinart and ran toward the endzone. For the first two games, the defense put pressure on both Leinart and Bulger, and were able to keep Edgerrin James from killing them, and shut down Stephen Jackson. The most valuable player from the first two games, besides tackling machine Patrick Willis, was Outside Linebacker Manny Lawson.

Film from the first two games shows him displaying incredible backside pressure and pursuit. He routinely found himself in the opposing team’s backfield shortly after a handoff, and more often than not found the ballcarrier within a yard or two of the line of scrimmage. He also shortened the time quarterbacks had when he blitzed. When he went down with the injury to his knee, the defense appeared far less active, and quarterback pressure was a much-lamented missing ingredient.

Marc Bulger knew what the 49ers’ pressure was like as he found himself on the ground often, and suffered broken ribs. It was the first time I can remember a player being worthy of team MVP honors, simply by not being able to play.

The ineptitude of the offense kept the defense on the field longer than other units, and it was remarkable that it remained relatively healthy up until the end of the year. Turnovers became an issue in close games, as the unit was forced into a ‘bend but don’t break’ style. Oftentimes the defense kept the game close, but the offense could not capitalize on its opportunities.

Going Forward
It is almost scary to think that Patrick Willis was just a rookie, and still has improvements to make. That alone should encourage all 49er fans going into 2008. The bright side of Manny Lawson’s injury was it forced Parys Haralson into action, and he began to improve drastically as the second half of the season wore on. With the return of Manny Lawson looming for 2008, hopes are he can play a full season and see what he and Willis can do together. It will be interesting to see if the 49ers incorporate a blitz package featuring Lawson and Haralson on opposite ends.

Walt Harris’ temporary injury status allowed Shawntae Spencer to show that he was better than originally thought. He shined as a nickel back, and when Harris was out he held his own opposite Nate Clements. This also allowed Marcus Hudson to see the field as a nickel back and show what he could do. Rookie DaShon Goldson also saw the field quite a bit, and showed remarkable poise and intelligence. He became another promising defensive prospect of Nolan and McCloughan.

The defensive line became a legitimate cause for concern during the seaon, but may receive less attention during the offseason than many people think. Ray McDonald and Joe Cohen were a little slower to impress, as most rookie defensive linemen are a little undersized for the NFL, and have yet to really grasp the technique to excel. Cohen was placed on Injured Reserve (IR) early on, but McDonald did see game action, and showed good quickness off the snap.

Melvin Oliver, after a solid 2006 rookie season, was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, and did not have the opportunity to show his second-year improvement. It is unclear whether McCloughan, Nolan, and Manusky have enough confidence in their talent pool to go forward with current personnel, but the signs are encouraging. Pass-rushing skills will have a high premium in training camp.

A disappointment, free agent Tully Banta-Cain from the New England Patriots will probably find himself in stiff competition as the weak-side linebacker with players such as Parys Haralson, Brandon Moore, and Roderick Green. Derek Smith is expected to be asked to retire, and it is unclear who would take his place. Jeff Ulbrich remained an important member of the unit in the Nickel package, but Brandon Moore also filled in nicely from that spot.

The Defensive Line and weakside linebacker positions need the most ironing out, but everything looks solid going forward. Tommorrow I’ll look at the Special Teams.