When San Francisco right tackle Adam Snyder gave up five sacks in the first two weeks of the season, the 49ers were glad they had a Plan B. Former Jaguars tackle Tony Pashos stepped in to replace Snyder and provided mediocre pass blocking. He wasn't good, but he wasn't nearly as bad as Snyder either--giving up three sacks in five games. For a team with a very leaky right side of the offensive line, that was actually an improvement.
But Pashos is now done for the season with a broken shoulder blade, which means that Snyder is back at right tackle. And what that means is new starting quarterback Alex Smith better be mobile.
The 49ers kept starting Snyder until this past week, but they would quickly replace him with Pashos for the majority of the game. This past week they slid Snyder inside to guard to share time with Chilo Rachal while Pashos played right tackle. After the injury, Barry Sims replaced Pashos, and he didn't play that bad, but for now at least the 49ers plan to slide Snyder back outside.
You could argue that part of the 49ers problems (Shaun Hill has been sacked 18 times) is the constant shuffling on the offensive line. If that's the case, than there could be a bright side if Pashos' injury means the team will settle on a stable starting five for the rest of the season. But for now, whether Smith or Hill is quarterbacking, San Francisco still has pass protection problems.
