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49ers-Broncos game preview – with Neil Reynolds
by Michael E Lawrence
October 27th 2010
We caught up with analyst, broadcaster and writer Neil Reynolds at the 49ers’ team practice earlier today to ask him who he thinks will come out on top in Sunday’s game…
Football Diner: Neil, what’s the main storyline heading into the game?
 Neil: For me, it’s the big one that came out this week in that Troy Smith is going to start instead of Alex Smith. It’s just a move that very nearly smacks of desperation, but it’s about trying to light a fire under this offense. Troy Smith is someone who can make plays when it breaks down and Coach Singletary talked about his leadership earlier today – so maybe he can get this team going in the right direction. I think it’s a brave move because David Carr was listed as the number two quarterback all season and there’s been a bit of clamouring for Carr too. So I’m very interested to see what Troy Smith can do, and of course we’ve got two teams who are absolutely desperate for a win.
Football Diner: Right – we’ve got the 1-6 49ers and the 2-5 Broncos going head to head. It’s not the marquee matchup that we were expecting, but it’s certainly going to be hard fought on Sunday…
Neil: Yeah exactly. I think sometimes you see teams who are struggling in the NFL and yet they can still put up a 35-31 type shootout and hopefully that’ll be the case here. More than that these two franchises still genuinely believe they can make the playoffs. I got the chance to talk with Josh McDaniels a couple of weeks ago and he still thinks the Broncos are a good team – he likes what he’s got and he feels they’re tough, they’re smart. Admittedly they weren’t that smart and tough against the Raiders last week – you don’t get blown out like that without something going wrong! But, these teams are both still feeling like they could salvage their seasons. Look at San Francisco, they’re still only three games out of first place in that NFC West with nine games to play. So, I don’t think we’re necessarily going to see playoff calibre football but I think we’ll see that kind of intensity, that kind of passion. There should be a playoff atmosphere in Wembley stadium too – the fans make a lot of noise and you just know they’ll be really into it.
Football Diner: Who do you think are the playmakers we should be watching out for? Let’s start with San Francisco…
 Neil: Well Frank Gore and Vernon Davis really stand out because Troy Smith is going to need help around him – he wasn’t with the 49ers in the pre season and hasn’t got the whole playbook down yet or even taken a snap with the first team offense. I think the 49ers have to hand the ball to Frank Gore – he doesn’t come off the field on third downs, he’s effective in the passing game and there’s not a better workhorse in the NFL. Vernon Davis is such a great playmaker too, and the 49ers need to target him often. He’s got a lot of desire and he’s kind of become a leader for them after a rough start, and we all know what an awesome physical specimen he is. On defense for the 49ers it all starts with Patrick Willis – I don’t think there’s a better middle linebacker in the NFL. He’s relentless to the ball, he can go sideline to sideline.
Football Diner: And for Denver?
Neil: It’s all about Kyle Orton. He’s putting up big numbers and he’s really turned a corner. He can make every throw in the book and, for me, I think the Broncos have got to get back to what was working: they’ve got to let this be Kyle Orton’s offense. It’s not a team that’s really physical or that runs the ball very well, and Orton has some weapons to watch for in Demaryius Thomas, Jabar Gaffney, Eddie Royal and now Brandon Lloyd. The Tim Tebow experiment has been a nice enough, but the Broncos need to give Orton the reps to let him capitalise on those receivers. In the NFL you need to go with the hot hand and, right now, that hot hand is Kyle Orton.
Football Diner: Are you ready to make a fearless prediction for Sunday? Give us a winner, a score line and an outstanding performer or two…
Neil: OK – I think Troy Smith will do just enough, I think Frank Gore will get a couple of touchdowns on the ground, and I reckon Vernon Davis will get one through the air as well… and it’s going to be 30-21 to the 49ers. You can take that to the bank!
Football Diner: And where can we catch up with you over the weekend?
Neil: Well, on Saturday I’ll be heavily involved in the NFL Fan Rally at Trafalgar Square from 1 pm until 5 pm – there’ll be loads of former NFL greats there and I’ll also get the chance to interview NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, which will be a real honour. Then, on Sunday I’ll be running here, there and everywhere! You can see me interviewing members of the Broncos and 49ers in Sky’s build-up to the game earlier in the day, and later I’ll be at the Radio 5 Live Sports Extra studios to be part of their coverage of the big game itself.
Neil Reynolds is an analyst, broadcaster and writer for the NFLUK, the BBC and Sky Sports. Join him on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra at 16.45 on Sunday for full coverage of Broncos-49ers game at Wembley.
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