The Harbaugh era in 49ers Land started much like the past 3 coaching eras started. A vanilla team in all 3 facets of the game, outmatched in the preseason. Yawn - not a good sign if the team wants to… He is right. I will keep saying that until I can convince the fan in me.

Being the preseason I had identified really 2 areas to evaluate the team's status. 1) Show that the team has jelled and that there is chemistry. 2) Make few mistakes particularly in game management. Looking completely over matched the 49ers failed in both these areas - particularly early in the game, when it 'really mattered'.

Alex Smith looked rusty, very rusty. I could deal with that at this stage if the offensive line had any bit of chemistry - but it did not, and was abused time and time again. Smith had no time to throw, and until later in the game, when the horses were called off by the Saints, neither did Kaepernick. When the quarterbacks were able to get rid of the ball they were rarely on target and in sync with what the receivers were doing. The pressure got to both QBs big time.

The offensive bright points? Kaepernick has the tools. He can extend plays, and get the ball out fast, but his skills will not be any good until his eyes and mind adjust to the speed of the NFL. Kaepernick also needs to know when he can extend a play in the West Coast Offense. So much of the WCO depends on timing, and delaying a throw often takes a receiver out of position to make a play on the ball. There were also a few bright points from some of the depth backs and receivers. Ronald Johnson, Kevin Jurovich and Mike Williams are interesting prospects.

If the offense has looked good in practice it might be because it plays against the 49ers defense - particularly the second string. The defense started out ok, and was competitive, but as key components were removed due to pitch count, the Saints began to eat them alive. The defensive backfield is very shallow with all the injuries - particularly at corner. Williams got lucky playing the ball once when he should have played the man too. Whitner came up with a play or too though. Bowman is not Takeo Spikes. He is still getting adjusted to the NFL, loads of talent, but he does not have the experience yet.

The bright points? The starting run defense is solid. The 49ers were competitive on defense early in the game. Lary Grant looked pretty good at linebacker, and Ahmad Brooks can still get to the quarterback. Aldon Smith has tools and is ready to play in the NFL. Dobbs looked good on the defensive line as well.

Chemistry just was not there at any nearly any point in the game, and unfortunately the team made mistakes, lots of them including in game management. That ultimately means they failed my second evaluation test too.

The team had to burn through its timeouts early in the game to avoid delay of game penalties. There were pre-snap penalties, and mental errors (including a late hit that negated a great special teams play by Kenny Rowe where he blocked and recovered a punt). The team also blew containment and in general looked sloppy, not just out of sync.

Other bright points? Despite going vanilla on both sides of the ball, it was great to see Akers nail a 59 yard field goal. Harbaugh also sprinkled in a few interesting plays and formations: Delanie Walker at full back and 9 players in defensive coverage.

What it all amounts to? An ugly preseason game that shows that all the hope for this team still relies on the team coming together and playing football at a high level. They are not there yet. They have some talent, they do not have great depth, but they do have fire. The 49ers need to get their act together, the coaches have to get the team to play disciplined ball and they have to do it fast, not just because they face the Raiders on Saturday in their second NFL preseason game, but also because they are behind the eight ball compared to teams with consistency year over year - and the season is just around the corner.