Niners Nation

Random 49ers Roster Facts and Figures

2009-11-25T02:33:14Z

I'm sitting here in Seattle at Sea-Tac International Airport waiting for my shuttle bus and I thought I'd roll out a random post for you. Well first, normally I'm a fan of San Francisco International Airport. It's nice looking, easy to get to on BART, and all around an ok experience. My problem with them is their lack of Internet, or more specifically, FREE Internet. I don't travel a ton, but SFO is on a short list of airports without free wifi. The ones that do have it? Las Vegas, Portland, OR, Oakland (as I found out today) and Seattle (actually only free until January 15 in a holiday deal with Google, but it's free while I'm here, so there!). Anyways, SFO needs to get with the program. The good news is I've been able to get some posts schedule in case I have any Internet issues over Thanksgiving.

For now though, I was putting together the Prospector's Guide for tomorrow, which is culled from the weekly game release the 49ers send out. It includes a whole bunch of random information on every random topic you can imagine. I might try to upload them to the site at some point for folks to check out if they're bored. But I noticed something today I had missed in the past. A small little part with roster facts and figures. I know some folks like to blow friends away (or possibly scare them) with their amazing 49ers knowledge. So, here are some random facts and figures about your 2009 San Francisco 49ers.

Oldest 49ers player: K Joe Nedney, 36, Born 3/22/73

Youngest 49ers player: QB Nate Davis, 22, Born 5/5/87

Most seasons as a 49er: LB Jeff Ulbrich (IR), TE/LS Brian Jennings - 10

Most NFL seasons: WR Isaac Bruce – 16th

Most Consecutive starts: 133, DE Justin Smith

Most Consecutive Games Played: 133, DE Justin Smith

Most Playoff Experience: 9 games, WR Isaac Bruce and S Michael Lewis

Heaviest 49er: G David Baas, DE/DT Isaac Sopoaga– 330 lbs.

Tallest 49er: T Adam Snyder, T Tony Pashos (IR) - 6-6

Shortest 49er: RB Frank Gore – 5-9

Former 1st round draft picks: 10 – DE Kentwan Balmer, CB Nate Clements, WR Michael Crabtree, TE Vernon Davis, LB Manny Lawson, QB Alex Smith, DE Justin Smith, LB Takeo Spikes, T Joe Staley and LB Patrick Willis

Pro Bowlers: 9, CB Dre’ Bly, WR Isaac Bruce, CB Nate Clements, RB Frank Gore, TE/LS Brian Jennings, P Andy Lee, S Michael Lewis, LB Takeo Spikes and LB Patrick Willis

Coaches who played in the NFL: Mike Singletary, Greg Manusky, Mike Johnson, Vance Joseph, Johnnie Lynn, Tom Rathman

Week 11 Statistical Matchup Review: 49ers @ Packers

2009-11-24T22:00:12Z

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I totally forgot to mention when I laid out the new schedule last week that I'll be posting a matchup review article every Tuesday. So, basically, my posting schedule will have you getting sick of me in no time. Just wanted to warn you.

Welcome to the first installment of my weekly matchup review articles in 2009. As I said last week, the format of these posts should be familiar to you if you were around last season. If not, the basic idea of this post is to look back at Sunday's (or Thursday's or Monday's) game, and see how the 49ers did in each of the key matchups I identified prior to the game.

Despite what some might think, I'm not an insider at Football Outsiders (FO), so I don't have access to the exact equation for DVOA or any of their other stats. Therefore, in my matchup review, I won't be saying, "Here's what DVOA said going into the game, and here's their actual DVOA for this matchup during the game." Instead, I simply look back at the play-by-play, aggregate the raw numbers for each matchup, consider the specific game situations that might have affected the numbers, and offer a quasi-objective evaluation of the Niners' performance in the matchups.

So, with the aims and methods revealed, it's time to review the matchups.

TEAM MATCHUP # 2: SF OFFENSE VS. GB DEFENSE ON 3RD AND LONG

For the moment, I'm going to ignore Team Matchup #1 (i.e., SF OFF's in-season trend vs. GB DEF's in-season trend) because I'll actually be able to give you the DVOA stats on that one once FO posts them this afternoon. So instead, I'll begin with Team Matchup #2. As you'll recall (See here if you don't), my bottom line about Team Matchup #2 was that the 49ers' OFF needed to perform a lot better than expected on 3rd & long because (a) they've sucked at it this season, and (b) GB's DEF has been awesome at it. Specifically, GB's DEF had a mind-blowing 119.3% DVOA advantage going into the game. So how did the Niners do? Based on the play-by-play, below is a table showing the game time, field position, play, and result of every 3rd & long the 49ers' OFF faced on Sunday (successful plays are in bold):

Distance	Yardline	Quarter	Time Left	Score	Type of Play	Direction	Play	Yards
7	SF 19	1	1:43	SF 3 - GB 6	Pass	NA	Smith sacked	-2
7	SF 23	2	11:25	SF 3 - GB 6	Pass	Short Right	Incomplete to Bruce	0
19	SF11	2	8:08	SF 3 - GB 13	Pass	Short Right	Complete to Crabtree	6
9	SF 20	2	2:00	SF 3 - GB 20	Pass	Short Left	Complete to Davis	4
10	GB 36	3	12:12	SF 3 - GB 23	Pass	Short Left	Complete to Hill	8
20	GB 38	3	7:35	SF 3 - GB 23	Pass	Deep Left	Complete to Crabtree	38TD
8	SF 14	3	2:29	SF 10 - GB 23	Pass	Short Right	Incomplete to Davis	0
10	GB 24	4	10:42	SF 10 - GB 30	Pass	Deep Middle	Complete to Davis	24TD

After the jump, I'll discuss why this table means one of two people needs a stern talking-to, and I'll review the rest of the matchups...

Just to remind you, a 3rd-down play is only considered successful if it achieves a 1st down. For this reason, 3rd & long plays tend to be particularly unsuccessful, so the 49ers' 25% success rate isn't actually all that bad. And given that they scored 2 TDs on 3rd & long, I'd say their performance in this matchup was, on the surface, better than expected. However, there are two below-the-suface patterns in the table that help uncover why their success in this matchup didn't end up helping the 49ers actually win the game.

First, you'll notice that both successful plays came in the 2nd half while losing by 20 points. As Mike Singletary hinted at during his Monday press conference, and contrary to Brian "I can't bring myself to say Michael Crabtree didn't drop it, no matter what the video evidence shows" Billick's assertion during the game, it's simply easier to have success on OFF while on the wrong side of a 2nd-half blowout than it is otherwise. Maybe, as Billick pointed out, GB wasn't playing a true prevent DEF at the time, but, I'm sorry, only the very best teams/players maintain high motivation/focus when they have that big of a lead that late in the game (See 2007 Week 8: Patriots 52, Redskins 7). Packer coaches may not have been calling passive defensive formations, but that doesn't mean Packer players weren't playing passive defense. So, given the score and game time when the 2 TDs occurred, I have to discount their impact on the overall evaluation. Therefore, the Niner OFF's grade on 3rd & long goes from something like a C to a D; still better than expected, but not a lot better. And, as I said in the preview, they needed to play a lot better than expected on 3rd & long in order to have a good chance of winning the game.

The second devil in the details is something of a pet peeve for me. Namely, their only 2 successful plays coincided with the only 2 times Alex Smith actually threw a 3rd & long pass beyond the first down marker: all 6 failures were to "short" routes, whereas the 2 successes were to "deep" routes. Now, I'm not going to affix 100% of the blame on Jimmy Raye for this. He could easily be calling 3rd & long plays with medium-to-deep primary receivers, only to have Smith - for whatever reason - check down to shorter secondary receivers when actually executing the play. Only people with access to the play calls, a candid Alex Smith, and the coach's game film -- people otherwise known as members of the 49ers roster and coaching staff - would know exactly on whom the blame lays. Nevertheless, blaming people isn't going to change anything. What matters most is that the 2009 49ers OFF is currently burdened with either (a) an offensive coordinator who has a tendency to call for short routes on 3rd & long, or (b) a QB who has a tendency to throw short passes on 3rd & long. So either one, or both, have to be dealt with going forward. Otherwise, we'll be seeing a lot more of this ineptitude on 3rd & long.

TEAM MATCHUP # 3: SF OFFENSE VS. GB DEFENSE IN THE FIRST QUARTER

Only two words necessary here: Nailed it! OK, one self-aggrandizing statement from me isn't fair to you, so I'll actually go to the trouble of discussing something that honestly requires no more discussion than those two words.

By now, you probably already know the overall 1st quarter stats: 54 rushing yards, 0 passing yards, 1 sack allowed for -2 yards. Here are some more advanced stats for you:

6.5 yards per play including Frank Gore's 42-yard run, 1.7 yards per play omitting Gore's run
2 successful plays from scrimmage, 6 unsuccessful plays
Time of possession: 3 minutes, 37 seconds
Smith's QB rating for the 1st quarter: 39.6

All in all, that's not playing OFF in a way that overcomes your matchup disadvantage. Yeah, you can say that the score was only 6-3 Packers at the end of the 1st quarter, and that Gore's run should mean more than what I'm allowing, but neither of these things overshadows the clear slow-starting trend for the Niner OFF. Neither can overshadow the fact that the 49ers are averaging only 3.6 points per game in the 1st quarter, and have scored 0 points in the 1st quarter - that would be 4 times - more often than they've scored 7 or more - that would be 3 times.

I've said it before and I'll say it until I'm six feet under. Good teams regularly take an early lead on their opponents, and early leads on the road are huge. Of course, you might say, "Well, it's not like the Niners aren't trying to score in the 1st quarter." On the contrary, I'd actually say they are, in fact, not trying as hard as they should be to score in the 1st quarter. Don't believe me? Here is the play selection for the 1st quarter against GB: pass short right, run up the middle, run up the middle, end around, run up the middle, run up the middle, pass short right, pass play but sacked.

Here's the problem, fellow Niner fans. Our beloved team seems to have a game strategy that's in diametric opposition to game theory, statistical research, and Bill Walsh, all of which suggest that passing the ball is more successful than running the ball, and therefore that teams should pass the ball early to get a lead, but then run the ball late to preserve the lead. Want a perfect example of this utterly-obvious, yet often-ignored winning strategy? Look no further than Sunday's opponent.

The Packers threw the ball on 2 of their first 3 plays, and on 10 of their first 17 plays in the 1st quarter; a slight skew towards passing the ball resulted in a 3-point lead at the end of the 1st. Did they start running it to preserve the lead at that point? Quite the opposite: a Patriots-esque 24 of GB's 26 plays from scrimmage in the 2nd quarter were passes, with the 24 passes coming from one 14-consecutive-passes stretch and another 10-consecutive-passes stretch to end the half. What happened? A 3-point lead ballooned to a 20-point lead in a matter of 15 minutes.

So, to recap, 34 of GB's 45 plays in the 1st half were passes (they had 2 running plays to finish the 1st quarter that I didn't mention above), and they ended up with a 20-point lead going into the locker room. Meanwhile, throughout the 2nd quarter, the Niners continued to run up the middle and throw short passes, which led to a 20-point halftime deficit. Hopefully, you get the idea: pass early to take a lead.

Now for the endgame. In the 3rd quarter, 6 of GB's 14 plays were runs; not run-heavy, but definitely less pass-heavy than their 1st half imbalance. And in the 4th quarter, low and behold 9 of the Packers' 15 non-kneel-down plays were runs. Putting these together, GB's play selection during the 2nd half was 52% run, as compared to their 1st-half play selection, which was 76% pass.

I use the Packers as an example, not to distort general evidence by citing an exceptional anecdote, but rather because the anecdote is fresh in our memories and summarily fits the general evidence. The fact of the matter is that, as long as the 49ers come out running the ball up the middle and throwing short passes in the 1st half, they're not going to build the kind of early lead that a running back like Gore and a DEF like theirs are perfectly suited to preserve. Furthermore, as the Packers example shows, a 3-point lead in the 1st quarter does not represent grounds to shift into lead-preserving, run-baby-run mode. Look no further than to their losses against the Vikings, Titans, and Colts to see how much a slim first-half lead is not a lead at all.

My point here is that, rather than starting each game with a series of up-the-middle runs and short passes, the 49ers need to instead pass the ball frequently during the first half, and continue to pass - preferably down the field - until they've built a comfortable lead. Then, holding a comfortable lead in the 2nd half, that's when Gore should become the focal point of the offense. Unfortunately, Jimmy Raye, and I suppose Mike Singletary, seem to think winning means doing the opposite. Unlike the 49ers' problems on 3rd & long, I do blame Raye/Singletary 100% for this one because they're the ones that put in the game plan and author the 15-play script. I'm sorry, but, when the script isn't working, it's time to start editing on the fly. A screenplay with a lot of early action, climaxing in a massive butt-kicking, and ending with an uneventful dénouement is what the studio execs are looking for.

TEAM MATCHUP # 4: SF OFFENSIVE LINE VS. GB DEFENSIVE FRONT 7 ON UP-THE-MIDDLE RUNS

In detailing this disadvantage for the 49ers' OL in their matchup with the Packers' defensive front 7, I cited each unit's Stuffed Rate and Up-The-Middle ALY. So how did the Niners' OL fare on Sunday in these two areas?

Well, in terms of having their runs stopped for zero or negative yardage, SF's OL had 2 such plays on 8 RB carries, for a Stuffed Rate of 25%, which nailed the expected rate right on the nose (Aside: Where's the dude who says stats can't predict anything?). Therefore, on this stat, we'd have to say the OL didn't overcome its disadvantage.

With respect to C/G ALY, the Niners' OL contributed 13 unadjusted line yards on 5 RB carries, good for a magical average of 2.6 unadjusted line yards per carry. Of course, they were going against the 8th-best defensive front 7 in the NFL, so we can kind of adjust this upward in our minds to something around 3.0 to 3.5. Oh wait, that hits the expected number on the nose again (Aside: C'mon, show yourself Mr. Stats Naysayer!). So again, the OL didn't overcome it's disadvantage.

All in all, my overall view on this matchup is that the 49ers' OL didn't overperform they way that they needed to going into the game, but the game played out in such a manner that they really didn't need to overperform in the first place. Indeed, when a team only has 8 RB carries in a game, it's kind of obvious that the run-blocking performance of their OL was not a major factor in the result of that game.

TEAM MATCHUP # 5: SF DEFENSIVE FRONT 7 VS. GB OFFENSIVE LINE ON LEFT-SIDE RUNS

In the preview post, my bottom line for this matchup was that the 49ers had a general advantage when GB runs to the left side of their formation, but especially when they run to the outside left (GB OL ALY = 2.87 yards per RB carry; SF defensive front 7 ALY = 2.71 yards per carry).

In Sunday's game, the defensive front 7's Unadjusted ALY on left-side runs was 2.62 yards overall, and their Unadjusted ALY on GB runs to the outside left was 2.43 yards per RB carry. Given that I'm not privy to FO's opponent adjustments, we just have to wing it here, and say that we probably need to adjust these raw numbers upward just a little because the Packers' OL was near the bottom of the league on such runs going into the game. Doing so leads to the conclusion that the Niners', once again, played about as well as expected in the left-end/left-side run-stopping matchup.

Unfortunately, like the 3rd & long matchup, left-end run-stopping on Sunday was another case of the Niners' devil being in the details. Specifically, GB's two longest RB carries during the game were both on runs to the outside left, and they both came at the most inopportune times. The first was a 26-yard carry by Ryan Grant on his first outside-left run of the game, and the second was a back-breaking 21-yard Grant carry with 2:51 left in the game, which allowed GB to salt away the game for all intents and purposes. So basically, the Niners' defensive front 7 took a favorable matchup, and turned it into a non-trivial contributor to the loss. On this week of Thanksgiving, a good analogy for the Niners performance in this matchup is screwing up the turkey. After 57 minutes in the oven, the 49ers had a beautiful, juicy bird, but those last 3 minutes of cooking time ended up turning it into bad eats, and having their fans reaching for the sweet potato casserole.

PLAYER MATCHUP # 1: VERNON DAVIS VS. GB PASS DEF

Going into the game, I wanted to see whether the Niners' OFF would be able to "impose its will" in the passing game by getting the ball to Vernon Davis despite GB's prowess when it comes to defending TEs. Of course, just looking at the stat line (12 targets, 9 yards per target, 18 yards per catch, 3 FDs, 1 TD), you'd have to say VD exceeded expectations overall. However, going inside the numbers, you realize that SF's utilization of VD did not resemble "imposing its will" in the slightest. That's because 11 of VD's 12 targets came during the 2nd half. Furthermore, VD did not have a pass thrown his way until there were 2 minutes left in the 1st half. In other words, SF's OFF basically ignored VD for the first 28 minutes of game time.

I'm not going to beat the proverbial dead horse here, but this is not winning football. Not even attempting to get the ball to a player who's #3 among TEs in targets for nearly the entire first half is an epic fail from a strategic standpoint; an epic fail that compounds the OFF's previously described epic fail with respect to 1st-half passing.

The sickening thing is that, once they started throwing the ball to VD in the 2nd half, he was incredibly productive. To me, that's the most frustrating part of watching this OFF. It's like they stubbornly implement their short pass and up-the-middle run game plan until they're (un)comfortably behind in the game, then the light comes on and they play efficient NFL OFF, only to revert back to their Hostlerian game plan to start the following game. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Despite what Mike "aw shucks, I don't know what you're talking about" Singletary might be saying during his Monday press conferences, I have to believe that the coaching staff notices this pattern. It goes without saying that they know more about football than I (or any other sentient Niner fan) do. So the question that needs to be asked is not, "Mike, why don't you use the spread more?" Rather, it's, "Mike, why do you play OFF backwards?" or, "Mike, why does Jimmy Raye only call an NFL-caliber offense when the score forces him to?" I hate to break the news to Mike, but it's not only the players who don't show up for all 60 minutes of the game; it's also the aptly named "offensive" coaching staff. Matt Barrows seems to agree with me on this point.

PLAYER MATCHUP # 2: DONALD DRIVER VS. SF PASS DEF

I said going into the game that SF's pass DEF needed to either prevent Driver's catches from hurting them in crucial situations or prevent him from catching the ball in the first place. His stat line for the game (8 targets, 5 yards per target, 8 yards per catch, 2 FDs, 0 TDs) suggests they succeeded in limiting the damage. What makes their performance against Driver even better was that none of his targets came on 3rd down or in the red zone. In other words, they played a perfect game when it came to preventing Driver from touching the ball in crucial situations.

Unfortunately, stopping Driver doesn't mean much when you decide not to cover his counterpart, Greg Jennings, in general, but specifically in crucial situations. Overall, Jennings had 7 targets, for 18 yards per target, 25.2 yards per catch, 3 FDs, and 1 TD. That's pretty bad pass DEF from the Niners against an opponent's #1 WR. However, what's worse is that 4 of Jennings' 7 targets came on 3rd down, with these targets resulting in 3 catches for 3 FDs. So, in the end, their perfect performance against Driver was offset by their nearly (im)perfect performance against Jennings.

BOTTOM LINE

Based on their performance during Sunday's game, here are the main matchup-related reasons why the 49ers lost to the Packers:

The OFF didn't overcome their disadvantage on 3rd & long because they didn't actually throw the ball beyond the 1st-down marker until the game was basically out of reach.
Their OFF once again came out of the locker room with a Hostlerian play-calling philosophy during the 1st quarter.
When it actually mattered, the defensive front 7 failed to exploit their advantage on GB runs to the outside left.
The OFF didn't throw the ball to their high-target TE during the first 28 minutes of the game.
Their pass DEF offset a highly efficient performance against Driver with a highly inefficient performance against Jennings.

Coming up tomorrow, an evaluation of how the Niners played against the Packers according to Singletary's Formula for Success.

*DVOA and ALY statistics used to produce this article were obtained from Football Outsiders.

Poll

Which of the following matchup performances was the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT reason for the 49ers' loss to the Packers on Sunday?

A World Turned Upside Down: Week 11 in the NFL

2009-11-24T20:00:16Z

When General Cornwallis and the British army surrendered to General Washington and the Continental army to end the Revolutionary war, the British played the song, "A World Turned Upside Down". After all, that's how the world seemed to them. How else could they explain how the rag tag continental army could defeat the greatest army in the world at that time? On Sunday, several teams probably felt the same way. How could the Bengals lose to the Raiders? How could the Steelers lose to the Chiefs? How could the Broncos go from a 3 1/2 game lead, to a 1 game deficit in only 4 weeks? And how could the Browns blow a 21 point lead and lose to the Lions? OK, maybe not the last one. This is the Browns we're talking about after all. But how did the Browns blow a 21 point lead against one of the worst teams in the NFL?

Browns 37, Lions 38

No one outside of Cleveland and Detroit had any interest in this game going into Sunday, but without a doubt, this was the best game of the week. The much maligned Browns offense finally got on track in this game, scoring more points in the first quarter (24) than they had scored in an entire game (20) on the season. And they had to feel pretty good about their chances of getting their second win with an early 24-3 lead. But Matthew Stafford and the Lions fought back. Stafford completed 26 of 43 passes for 422 yards and become the youngest QB ever to throw 5 TD's in one game. But the most important pass thrown by Stafford didn't even show up on the stat sheet. Trailing 37-31 with only seconds left in the game, Stafford threw a "Hail Mary" from mid field that landed harmlessly in the endzone. Unfortunately for the Browns, a pass interference penalty was called on Hank Poteat, so the Lions got one free untimed play from the 1 yard line. Stafford was hit hard on the "Hail Mary" throw and wasn't able to come out for the play, so the Lions sent out a cold Daunte Culpepper. Luckily, Brown's coach Eric Mangini called a time out, allowing Stafford time to get fixed up and back out on to the field. Stafford threw his 5th TD and the Lions won. Lions coach Jim Schwartz said afterwards, "It's a game that you either win or you lose." That's deep, Captain Obvious. Ever thought of putting that on a bumper sticker?

Dolphins 24, Panthers 17

Rickey "The Pineapple Express" Williams may have actually benefited from the time he spent out of the NFL. While most RB's start losing a step as they get older because of all the pounding they take, Williams seems to be going stronger than ever. With Ronnie Brown done for the season, the Dolphins turned to Williams, and he was more than ready to step up. Williams rushed for 119 yards and scored 3 TD's as the Dolphins held off the Panthers to get back into the playoff picture. Of course, the Panthers coach John Fox helped the Dolphins by turning away from their powerful running game and letting Jake Delhomme throw the ball 42 times. Delhomme may have avoided throwing an interception in the last 3 games, but if you let him throw it 42 times, I guarantee he'll find a way to lose. Delhomme completed only 19 of his 42 passes as well as throwing his 14 interception on the season early in the 3rd while in the redzone. The Panthers did cut the lead down to 17-14 late in the 4th, but a 46 yard TD run by Williams put the nail in the coffin. I would like to thank Coach Fox. I was starting to think the 49ers pick might fall out of the top 10. I feel a lot better now.

Redskins 6, Cowboys 7

Last week the Cowboys were shutout until the 4th quarter and ended up losing to the Packers 7-17. Once again the Cowboys offense did the same thing, being shutout for 3 quarters and only managing 7 points for the game. Luckily for them, they were playing the offensively challenged Redskins, so this time they came out on top 7-6. Part of the Cowboys ineffectiveness was because of an injury suffered by Tony Romo while making a tackle in the first quarter. Romo completed only 8 of his passes before finally getting on track, completing 7 passes on the final drive with the game on the line. It also helped that Shaun Suisham missed 2 FG's for the Redskins. Jason Campbell, who completed 24 of 37 passes for 256 yards said, "Other than a couple of plays, we pretty much beat them." For those who are wondering, Washington had 324 yards of total offense, Dallas had 304. Washington had 58 offensive plays, Dallas had 61. And Washington had the ball for 28:34 while Dallas had it for 31:26. Oh ya Campbell, you sure dominated them.

Steelers 24, Chiefs 27

Just how bad are things going for the Steelers right now? Well not only were the defending Super Bowl champions defeated by the lowly Chiefs, but it was Mr Irrelevant who finished them off. The last player chosen in last year's draft, Ryan "Don't call me a" Succop, kicked the game winning FG for the Chiefs, who now have won back to back games. The Steelers might have had an inkling they were in trouble this week when Jamaal Charles of the Chiefs returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a TD. It was the 4th kick return for a TD in 5 games against the Steelers and an NFL record 8th straight game the Steelers have given up a return of any kind for a TD. Ben Roethlisberger played well, throwing for 398 yards and 3 TD's, but he had to leave late in the game because of a concussion. On the other side of the ball, Matt Cassel played horribly in the first half, completing only 4 passes for 35 yards before doing a 180 in the second half and throwing for 213 yards. The win was the Chiefs first home win of the season. Not that you could tell it was a home game for the Chiefs since half the fans in the stadium were waiving terrible towels. By the way, what makes the towels so terrible? Is it the color?

Seahawks 9, Vikings 35

Brett Favre is like the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps going, and going, and going. And like the Energizer Bunny it's starting to get really annoying, but for completely different reasons. Don't misunderstand me. I'm sure Brett is a great guy. I just don't want to hear about him any more. Jim Mora said, "I saw Brett after the game and said, 'Would you retire please,'". My thoughts exactly. In the game Favre was almost perfect completing 22 of 25 passes for 213 yards and 4 TD's. The Viking fans even started chanting "MVP, MVP, MVP". Will the nightmare ever end? Matt Hasselbeck also played well, completing 19 of 26 passes for 231 yards. The problem for the Seahawks was that they only got 4 yards on the ground. That's not a typo. That's 4 total rushing yards for the entire game. Ouch! Hasselbeck said afterwards, "When they put Tarvaris Jackson in in the fourth quarter, it's almost embarrassing to be down by that much, when they're pulling their guys. It's just hard being in this situation right now. We're not used to it." Don't worry Matt. There's still 6 more games left in the season. I'm sure you'll get used to it before the season's over.

Falcons 31, Giants 34

For everyone who's competing in the prediction game here at Niners Nation, who've decided to stop picking the Giants after their 4 game losing streak, I'll just say, "Wah, wah, wahhhhh!" The Giants went an incredible 42 days without a win before sneaking by the Falcons. Of course, they almost blew it. With a 31-17 4th quarter lead, it looked like the Giants would cruise to victory, but Matt Ryan (26 of 46 for 268 yards) wouldn't give up. Ryan threw a TD pass to Eric Weems with 6:01 to play and a TD pass to Tony Gonzalez with 28 seconds left to tie the game. Luckily for the Giants, the NFL has the stupidest OT system of any major sports league. The Giants won the coin toss and instantly were 2 to 1 favorites to win the game. Eli Manning, who had a career high 384 yards passing and 3 TD's, drove the Giants into FG range and Lawrence Tynes put it in from 36 yards for the win. Afterwards, Ryan said, "We had a lot of great contributions and great efforts from a lot of guys in the second half to come back from 14 down. But with that said, there are no moral victories." You're preaching to the choir, brother.

Saints 38, Buccaneers 7

The Saints are now 10-0 for the first time in franchise history and have the Patriots coming to town next week. Of all the teams remaining on the Saints schedule, only the Patriots and Cowboys have winning records. Ramp up the hype machine! The Buccaneers actually had the early lead as rookie QB Josh Freeman (17 of 33 for 126 yards and 3 interceptions) drove them 95 yards down field for a 7-0 lead. But it was all Saints after that. The Bucs were actually trailing by only 3 just before the half, but some poor clock management allowed the Saints to get the ball back, and they quickly scored to take a 17-7 half time lead. Drew Brees was only average, completing 19 of 29 for 187 yards but the RB tandem of Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell combined to carry the ball 24 times for 167 yards and 2 TD's. Saint's coach Sean Payton said in a post game interview, "I like where we're at." Really!? I never would have guessed that.

Bills 15, Jaguars 18

The Jaguars won again on Sunday, improving to 6-4 and staying right in the thick of the playoff hunt, and once again no one in Jacksonville saw it. Unless something drastic happens, the Jaguars will be the only team in the NFL to have all 8 of their home games blacked out because they don't sell out their stadium. They even have a winning record. Then again, maybe the good citizens of Jacksonville are thinking the same thing I'm thinking. The Jaguars seem like a weak 6-4 team. How else do you explain that they barely beat a Bill's team that just fired their head coach and can't decide who they want starting at the QB position. Mike Fitzpatrick got the nod over Stanford alum Trent Edwards, but the end results were the same. The Bills hung around into the 4th quarter only to see the other team make the plays when it counted. The Jaguars David Garrard (21 of 30 for 215 yards) had only 3 game winning drives in 58 games before orchestrating game winning drives in back to back games. Trailing 15-12, Garrard threw a TD pass to Mike Sims-Walker with only 56 seconds remaining to take the lead. For their part, the Bills have been outscored 109-40 in the 4th quarter during the season. TO did have his best game in a Bill's uniform, catching 9 passes for 197 yards and 1 TD, but it wasn't enough to keep him from losing his jersey for the second straight game. Last week, the Titan's Chris Johnson got TO's jersey. This week it was the Jaguar's Sims-Walker who was the lucky recipient. Only 6 more jerseys to give away TO.

Bengals 17, Raiders 20

Raiders Special Teams player, Marquis Cooper, died in a tragic boating accident in the off season and the Raiders decided to dedicate this game to his memory. Fittingly, it was a special teams blunder that lost the Bengals the game. Early on it looked like it was going to be business as usual with the Bengals going out to an early 14-0 lead. But Bruce Gradkowski, who was starting his first game of the season, got the Raiders offense on track and cut the lead to 14-10 in the 3rd. With just under 2 minutes left, Gradkowski (17 of 34 for 183 yards and 2 TD's) drove the Raiders down the field and scored a game tying TD with only 33 seconds left in the game. The Bengals fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Janikowski kicked the game winner. Sam Williams said after, "He (Cooper) caused the fumble. That was unbelievable." Now I know it was an emotional win and I don't mean to make fun of peoples beliefs. But I watched the fumble several times and it looked like Brandon Myers forced the fumble.

Jets 14, Patriots 31

A lot was made of Bill Belichick's 4th and 2 call last week. Plenty of people, including myself, criticized the call. But others defended it. They used statistics taken out of context. I saw lots of comments by people who emphatically believed it was the right call. The problem is that the right call is the one that helps teams win games. If people want to say they liked the call and they hope he makes the same call again, that's fine. But to say it was the right call is ludicrous. It would be like me defending my choice to not sell my home until after the home market bubble burst. I can pull out charts and graphs and regressions and say all the stats indicated the home market would continue to go up so holding on to the home was the right call, but the bubble did burst and I lost the money. The right call is the one that improves your chances of winning. The wrong call decreases them. If the Patriots got the 1st down then it would have been the right call. But they didn't. The Patriots would have been better off if they had punted it. No one can argue with that. That means it was the wrong call. Oh ya, the Patriots also beat the Jets 31-14. Tom Brady completed 28 of 41 passes for 310 yards and Wes Welker caught 15 of those passes for 192 yards.

Eagles 24, Bears 20

Will the real Eagles please stand up. One week they look like they couldn't beat a powder puff team and lose to the Raiders. Then in the next week they look like they could beat anyone in the NFL as they destroy the Giants. In games decided by 10 or more points, the Eagles are 5-1. In games decided by 8 or less, they're 0-3. That is, they were 0-3 before sneaking by the Bears. Of course it helped that the Bears offense had forgotten how to score a TD. After 6 FG's and 2 redzone interceptions over their last 6 quarters, the Bears finally scored a TD to take a 20-17 lead. With 11 minutes left in the game it looked like they would extend that lead, but the Eagles blocked the FG attempt and Donovan McNabb drove them 62 yards for the go ahead TD with 5 minutes to play. Jay Cutler had two chances to retake the lead but his final throw ended with his league leading 18th interception. I thought Cutler was supposed to take the Bears to the next level. I wonder how many fans that were once excited about the Cutler trade, wish they had Kyle Orton and their three 1st round draft picks back?

Colts 17, Ravens 15

Until the Colts lose, I'm not going to bet against them. There have been several games when I thought the Colts win streak (now at 19 straight) would come to an end, but somehow the Colts keep pulling it out in the end. Once again on Sunday the Colts came out on the good side of a back and forth game. What helped the Colts the most was that the Ravens, just like the Bears, couldn't get into the endzone. Seven times in the game the Ravens drove to the Colt's 28 yard line or closer, including a 1st and goal from the 1, and all they got were 5 FG's. That might work against the Browns, but it's going to take more than that to get past the Colts. What had to hurt the most for the Ravens was watching their ex kicker, Matt Stover, kick the game winning FG the week after they cut their own PK for ineffectiveness. Billy Cundiff did kick 5 FG'sin his first game withthe Ravens, but it was his 1 miss that was the difference in the game. But the weirdest part of the game was when Ed Reed was fielding a punt with only 17 seconds left. Instead of holding onto the ball to give their offense one last chance, he pitched to the side where no one was actually standing. Maybe he saw something gross on the ball and he didn't want to hold it.

Cardinals 21, Rams 13

We got a brief glimpse at what life without Kurt Warner will be like for the Cardinals and it had to put a smile on the face of every 49er fan. Leading 21-3, Warner didn't play in the second half because of concussion like symptoms. It was only a precaution but why take a risk with a big lead against the Rams? Well the Rams fought back and the Cardinals did nothing with Matt Leinart leading the way. Just so you can get an idea, Warner was 15 of 19 for 203 yards and 2 TD's, while Leinart was 10 of 14 for only 74 yards and 0 TD's. Steven Jackson lead the way for the Rams with 116 yards and 1 TD and reached 1,000 yards rushing on the season, becoming the first Ram ever to run for 1,000 yards in 5 straight seasons. The Rams even had a chance to tie it late in the game. Down by 8 the Rams had a 4th and 4 from the Cardinals 7 yard line. Marc Bulger threw to Donnie Avery in the endzone but their was a lot of jockeying for position and it was incomplete. Both Avery and Bulger were visibly upset when they didn't get the pass interference penalty. Bulger said later, "We'll just go with the ref's call and hopefully next time it'll go our way." Rumor has it that Bulger found the official later and offered him a $1 bribe.

Chargers 32, Broncos 3

Seven weeks into the season everything was great in Denver. They were off to a 6-0 start with a 3 1/2 game lead in the division and all the controversy surrounding Cutler was in the past. Things sure can change in a hurry. Chris Simms got his first start since almost dying because of a spleen injury and he didn't last long. I actually feel bad for Simms. His dad is a Super Bowl winning QB and he's getting pulled for a QB playing on 1 leg. The Broncos did have a good drive early on, but a costly goal line fumble ended that. But we all knew the offense would struggle with Simms. What's more surprising is how the defense was pushed around by the Chargers. Phillip Rivers completed 17 of 22 passes for a season low 145 yards but the Broncos never came close to sacking him. He said afterwards, "I was touched one time that I remember." And he didn't have to throw much since the Chargers rushed for 203 yards even though they came into the game with one of the NFL's worst rushing attacks. So much for the magic being worked by that new defensive coordinator of theirs. What was his name again? I guess it doesn't matter. I'll think of it eventually.

49ers 24, Packers 30

SHAUN HILL MADE MIKE SINGLETARY! WHY DID HE FORGET IT? I CAN'T EVEN BUY HIS JERSEY. WHY DID THE 49ERS GET RID OF ALLEN ROSSUM? IT'S SO STUPID. HE WAS THE GREATEST RETURN MAN EVER. WORST OF ALL, THEY GOT RID OF KORY SHEETS. HE WAS OUR FUTURE. HE WOULD HAVE RAN SO FAST AND NO ONE WOULD EVER CATCH HIM. I DON'T THINK HE EVER GOT TACKLED. WHY ARE THEY TOO STUPID TO SEE THIS? WE'LL NEVER GET A WINNING TEAM UNTIL WE STOP SUPPORTING THIS LOSING ONE. FIRE EVERYONE. I DEMAND A WINNER! WE MUST ALL SHOUT IN ALL CAPS UNTIL THE 49ERS STOP MAKING STUPID PERSONNEL DECISIONS. That one was for you KSWOF.

49ers QB issues: Marc Bulger for the short term anyone?

2009-11-24T18:00:17Z

Before anybody loses their lunch over this, or flips out on me, I'm just posting this out of curiosity. I'm not advocating one way or the other on this. So take a deep breath before posting your response.

The Rams announced yesterday that QB Marc Bulger is likely to miss 3-6 weeks with a broken tibia. In reporting on this, Mike Sando commented that this could be the end for Bulger in St. Louis. He's scheduled to make $8.5 million next season and has three years after that worth almost $30 million. As Sando said, it "was going to make it tough for the Rams to justify keeping him unless Bulger played at a high level while the Rams won a few games down the stretch." Over the course of this season, Bulger has had two good to really good games: last week against New Orleans (26/40, 298 yards, 2/1) and a few more weeks before that at Jacksonville (22/34, 213 yards, 1/1). Not great, but certainly some skilled performances.

Is that enough to warrant bringing him back in St. Louis? I don't know their cap space, and I don't know what their plans are with what will be a very high draft pick. But say St. Louis decided to release him to start clearing up cap space. I've said it in the comments somewhere else, and I'll say it again, the current crop of free agent quarterbacks is rather miserable. Your two best QB options are Kyle Orton and Jason Campbell. Some may like one or the other, but clearly this is not a high caliber group.

And so I thought I'd at least put this out there for people to chew on. Say the end of the season arrives, and Alex Smith has not really shown enough to warrant keeping him around. And say you improve the offensive line in the offseason, because whomever is there will need to be kept alive in some fashion. Whether you go look to groom Nate Davis, or you decide to draft a young QB high in the draft, would you bring in Bulger for a Chris Chandler type of role (mentoring Steve McNair)? A guy who can play for a year or two and bring more than Trent Dilfer brought to the table. A guy who can help you develop that young QB.

I'm not saying this has any remote chance of happening. And even if it was on the radar, I'm not saying I'd agree or disagree with such a move at this point. Bulger has struggled the last three or so years, but one can say that has coincided with some miserable Rams teams that have combined for 6 wins during that time. I'm not saying it would work, but is anybody intrigued by such an option? Or is this a pointless exercise?

Mike Singletary Approval Rating, Week 11

2009-11-24T15:00:15Z

We return for Week 11 of the Approval Ratings, and I can't imagine they'll turn out all that pretty. We're going to roll out ratings for Coach Singletary, OC Jimmy Raye and DC Greg Manusky over the course of the week, and given the team's performance on Sunday, I'm curious to see how far the ratings fall. Last week, Mike Singletary's rating rose from 81% to 88%% following the victory over Chicago. If ESPN.com is any sign, it's going to be a precipitous fall. This week has seen Coach Singletary's rating there drop from 84% to 66%.

We rolled out Singletary's Monday press conference transcript yesterday and it left some folks back on board, and other folks annoyed with the same old comments. At this point, I again can imagine that he probably made a decent amount of money when he was a motivational speaker. He even recognized when he was nearing that territory during his lunch money comments.

The issue I'm curious about in relation to Singletary relates to the offense. When I post the Jimmy Raye Approval Rating we'll discuss the issues of the idea of a spread offense, or shotgun spread, or whatever, in greater depth. For now though, I'm curious about how people view the offense at this point in terms of the overall philosophy in place. We've heard over and over that Coach Singletary wants a smash mouth offense that will punch teams in the mouth. They'll establish a strong running game, which would then open up the passing game. Of course, the offense has been most successful when trailing and forced to open up the passing game beyond this "smash-mouth style."

So I guess the question out of all of this is how much is Mike Singletary driving the offensive philosophy? People jump all over Jimmy Raye for some of his calls, but is this something he's being kind of pushed into by Singletary? We can't tell for sure what Singletary's influence is on Jimmy Raye because we're not insiders. It's possible Mike Singletary told Jimmy Raye upon hiring him that he's in charge, and Singletary then stepped out of the picture for the most part. It's also possible he's continued pushing this smash mouth philosophy, and Raye is not allowed to open it up as much. I'd imagine it's somewhere in the middle, but I'm curious what people think.

Poll

Do you approve of the job Mike Singletary is doing as head coach?

Golden Nuggets: Couldn't tell ya..

2009-11-24T11:00:26Z

Morning folks, morning! James here coming your way in a good mood for once. Yes, you heard it right, a good mood. Mostly because I had things that of course, made me happy today--I fully expect my mood to go lower and lower and lower as I read about the Niners. I hadn't really thought about them at all today, aside from the trash talk I received from this Raiders fan I know, but I'm sure I have a good amount of links for you today concerning the team and their failures. We came up short, really short, and I don't see it going much better from here. Sure, a wildcard is still within reach but I'm seriously doubting that this team can pull it together and get it done. I still have hope though, this isn't a terrible team by any means and I'd go as far as to say it's the most talented in the division, why things aren't coming together I couldn't tell ya. I'll just get to providing you with some linkage. Here ya go.

Coach Singletary is angry with the 49ers current record, which stands at 4-6.(PressDemocrat.com)

The 49ers need to plot a course on offense and stick with it. (PressDemocrat.com)

The team reportedly dropped the previous tampering charges filed by the Jets. This sucks. (MercuryNews.com)

Even Singletary can admit that the 49ers playoffs hopes are dwindling. Ugh, here comes the depression. (Yahoo.com)

Singletary is dedicated to QB Alex Smith, but to the spread? Eh.. not so much. (SacBee.com)

Here's some Monday Locker Room Talk.. yay. (49ers.com)

Here is yesterday's edition of Singletary's Notebook. (49ers.com)

Hm. This article really reeks of "hey I like being up my own [site decorum]" but I won't read it. Title is "To air is human, but personnel is less than divine." (SFGate.com)

49ers drop tampering charge - MNF Open Thread

2009-11-24T01:08:31Z

According to Maiocco, the 49ers have dropped their tampering charge surrounding Michael Crabtree and the Jets. According to Maiocco's source, the 49ers have their guy and are fine moving on from it. Sounds a bit like "being the bigger man." I wonder if the team would be so big about it if Crabtree was struggling right now? I would have liked a draft choice or some kind of compensation, but in the end, the 49ers did get their guy and their guy looks gooooood.

As for tonight, the Titans head to Houston with the hope of continuing their resurgence on the back of Chris Johnson. Given how Tennessee has played lately, I think this could be a fun game to watch. Feel free to discuss the game here.

Mike Singletary "lunch money" transcript

2009-11-23T23:53:34Z

Folks were wondering when we'd get another great pearl from Mike Singletary and today we got one. Coach Singletary was talking about the need for a team to think like a champion and be able to overcome adversity. He indicated he didn't feel the team had enough guys who were there yet in that mentality. That was followed by this:

On why the team didn't think like that after starting 3-1:
"Well, that's what I'm saying. I can only relate it this way. It is like this kid who is going to school, and maybe some of you guys can relate, I know I can. But it is like this kid who is going to school and this guy is taking his lunch money every day. You are tired of this guy taking your lunch money. You are bigger than he is, you are stronger than he is, you can take this kid. But because this kid has been built up so much, everything you heard about him, they say this kid is better than you and you believe that. You are going to continue to give the kid your lunch money until one day you decide, ‘You know what, I'm done with that. I'm not giving you my money anymore and that's it.' That's the same thing in any situation whether it's football, whether it's life or anything else. I'll stop there because I don't want to be motivational."

The slogan for the 2009 49ers was don't tell me, show me. Unfortunately we've seen a lot of talk thus far, and only a modicum of "show me." I know there are a lot of folks who look at most of this as just talk. At the same time, is there any level of truth to the idea that the team is used to "getting their lunch money stolen" and they need to learn how to win? I know there are tangible reasons for the struggles (offensive line, play-calling, tackling, etc...), but does this idea of getting picked on for so long play into that?

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Press Conference - November 23, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

Opening statements:

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. How are you doing? Just to go over some of the injuries: [RB] Michael Robinson has a stinger. That's going to be MRI'd today. [SS] Michael Lewis, quad strain - left quad strain. [WR] Arnaz Battle, right leg strain. [WR] Jason Hill, left ankle sprain. [TE] Delanie Walker, forearm contusion. [LG] David Baas, right ankle sprain. [LB] Patrick Willis just has a trap spasm. [CB Marcus] Hudson, back strain. We'll see how he looks today and MRI it this week. [CB Tarell] Brown, left knee contusion. [S] Reggie Smith, abdominal strain non-related to the groin injury.

Just to get into the game yesterday, a few comments about the game. No, it is a game that we did not play well, a game that we did not tackle well, a game that we did not execute very well - particularly in the first half. And, what I have to say about that is not going to be motivational, it's not going to be - it is going to be fact. It's just a matter of when you have a team and you know you have players that want to be a good football team, they want to be good football players, you just have to work harder to get there. As a coaching staff, we just have to coach better. We just have to coach better, smarter. All of the little things that we're striving to get done, we just have to get them done. It's as simple as that. Yes, I am confident that this season will be a good season. We've got six weeks left. We've got six games left. I am convinced that going forward, that we will play better. I am convinced that in a situation like this, we have to continue to make some changes, whether they're personnel changes or whatever, to continue to try and get the people on the field that can get us where we need to go. Other than that, it's disappointing that we did not play well yesterday. We did not start well. But, we just have to continue to get better. Now, your questions."

On what if he means making the playoffs when he says "good season":

"At the very start of this season, our goal was to win enough games to go to the playoffs. That is still our goal. That has not changed, will not change. We're a team, in my mind, we're good enough to do that. We're running out of games and we're running out of time, but we are better. That's just something that I will not try to go through the ‘ifs' and the ‘buts' or whatever. We just have to get it done."

On whether coaching smarter entails tailoring the offense to QB Alex Smith's strengths:

"I would think that as we continue to move forward and [offensive coordinator] Jimmy Raye and I, and [quarterbacks coach] Mike Johnson, Alex Smith, you have to continue to learn what his strengths are. It would be, from the very first game that he played in Houston after that game, it would be very easy to say, ‘Oh, that's Alex Smith. Let's put him out there,' not taking into any consideration that the defense may be a lot different. Maybe there's something that they're giving up. Not every time that you see it, that's what it is. We're continuing to learn his strengths. We're continuing to have him communicate to us what works for him and what doesn't. I think, as we go forward, we have to really look at what's working for him and what works for the offense and continue to do more of those things."

On whether running the spread offense might suit his strengths better at this time:

"When you say spread offense, can you explain to me exactly what you mean?"

He seems to perform better when he takes the snap in the shotgun formation with more receivers on the field.

"Well, let me ask you this, just to make sure that I'm clarifying. So, you're saying he seems to work better from a shotgun with more receivers on the field. What if he had the same number of receivers on the field but he was still under the center. Would that still be spread to you?"

No. I think he does better out of the shotgun.

"You think he does better out of the shotgun."

It appears the results are better.

"OK. Alright, that's fair. I would just say this: I think for him, when - and I just went back to look at all of his time from Houston to yesterday - he's done well whether he's under center, he's done well whether he's got two backs in the backfield, he's done well whether he's got two or - I think the biggest thing for him is having time. I think that's the most important thing for him. It's to have time. I think one of the worst things that we could do right now is to put Alex Smith in shotgun and say, ‘OK. Let's go get it guys. Here's what it is.' And just let him throw 40, 50 times a game and let's see where you end up. As I'm looking at Alex Smith right now, Alex Smith, to me, is throwing as well as any quarterback in the league right now - as I'm looking at him right now. He is as accurate as any quarterback in the league right now. I think the smartest thing for us to do continuing to go forward is not to take all of training camp, not to take all of what we have gone into this season and just throw it out and say we're going to go to shotgun. I think the smartest thing for us to do is to continue to open it up as Alex Smith allows us to, as he continues to communicate, but we've got to protect him as well, and not just throw him out there because the first time he gets an interception, the first time he gets a tipped ball it is, ‘Well, why are you doing that? Do you think you should open it up that much? Do you think you should expose him that much?' I think we have to be smart about what we're doing. I think we have a good thing going with him. Unfortunately, we haven't done that in the first half, but I think we have a good thing going with him in terms of just allowing him - to every game like he had yesterday, or hopefully on the other side of that thing will be a win, but every game that he has where he can throw like that, it's all of the time he's missed, all of the crap that he's gone through, it gives him that confidence going forward to know, ‘I can do this. I can get this done.' So, hopefully, that starts coming in the first quarter and the second quarter and going forward, maybe you can run a little bit more."

On whether you can just be a passing team:

"I think going forward, even if you look at the Indianapolis Colts, they aren't just a passing team. They may pass more, but depending on the team that they are facing and whether they need to slow the game down or speed the game up, whether they are ahead in the game, or whether they are behind in the game, whether this team has a great pass rush or they don't, I think all of those things become a factor in how many times you are going to throw the ball. I think if you sit down and talk to Peyton Manning, I think one of the first things that he would tell you is that he loves handing the ball off because it is one less interception that he has to take the risk of taking. I do want to have a balance because I believe that if you can run the football, it forces them to respect the pass. It makes them vulnerable and vice versa. Football will always be that way, and when you have a balance, when you can effectively create a balanced attack, then it makes you a better football team. You can go into the game and Alex Smith to me is becoming a complete quarterback. The thing that I'm thankful that he's not doing is crying about not throwing the ball more. I'm really thankful that he's not doing that because he can sit back and look at the number of passes that he's thrown in the game and sit back and look at how accurate he has been. Some quarterbacks would be saying that and that really haven't been as successful as he has been throwing the ball. Some of them might have been crying more about not throwing the ball, even in the media. He hasn't been doing that, which shows me more about who he is, but from what I'm seeing from him, I'm excited about him and there are still some things that he's missing. There's still some reads that he's not getting, which makes it even more exciting, but we are going to get the offensive side of the ball going. I'm talking to Jimmy Raye too much and Jimmy Raye is talking to Alex too much and Alex is talking to Mike Johnson too much and we are talking to each other too much for it not to get where it needs to be so we can have a successful offense. With all of the weapons that we have - our offensive line, that's a work in progress. Hopefully, they are just going to continue to get better and just give us enough time that we need for Alex to get the ball out and for us to have some successful runs and go from there."

On why it is impossible for them to go to a spread offense at this point:

"I think when you are talking about a team going to the playoffs who hasn't been to the playoffs in seven years, the No. 1 thing you have to have is consistency, and to develop consistency, you have to have a certain number of repetitions in something before you can be successful at something. When Alex drops back and he throws that eight-route or that route where the receiver runs and he comes inside. For him to go back and throw that pass and have confidence that pass is going to be there as he goes back and he's looking at that safety. For him to do that, he has to do it 100 times before he can have confidence of knowing he can throw it at this speed because this time I am throwing to Jason Hill. I can throw it at this speed because this time I am throwing it to Michael Crabtree. You have to know the receivers. You have to have a feel for how fast those DBs are going to close on it. It's all of those little things that go into throwing that football with the confidence and the zip that you need in order for it to get there. So if I'm going to open up the offense, every step that I take as a quarterback, if it's a three step drop, it takes time to get the rhythm down, just in the three step drop. If I'm just dropping back and my footwork isn't good and I'm trying to make sure that I'm timing it with the receivers that are going there and if he's not there or my footwork isn't good, it's going to be a pick. It takes time to get that. So instead of working on this 100 times, I'm working on ‘this'100 times, it's a big difference and if that's what you've been doing in training camp, it makes a big difference."

On whether he looks at the trend the league is leaning towards with passing teams being more successful:

"I think every year coming out of the first half of the season, you have teams that pass the ball a lot and they look pretty good right now, but at some point in time, when you start talking about the playoff teams, they are going to have to run the ball and they are going to have to find a balance somewhere to run the football because if they are going to pass - here's what you have a lot and this is interesting, I like this, but what you have a lot is sometimes those passing teams, wherever they may be, whether it's New Orleans, Indianapolis whoever they might be, as you begin to get closer and closer to the playoffs, then those defenses get better, and if you are going to throw the ball a lot nine times out of 10, they are not just going to line up and show you what they are playing. They are going to make that quarterback work and more often than not, the quarterback is not going to be wrong and I just think that as you really get into the second half of the season and you begin to talk about the playoffs and those kinds of things, you have to strive for a balance and those teams that are throwing the ball, they have to be able to run the ball at some point in time. Now, do I think Alex can do that? Yes, I do. Do I think he will be given the opportunity to do that? At some point in time, yes, I do. I think I've said that before. I don't care if we have to throw the ball 100 times in the game. I really do not. I don't care if we run the ball 100 times a game. Do I like that better? Yes. Why? Because if I'm throwing it 100 times a game, chances are there are going to be some picks in there. I don't want that. I don't want to give the team anything if I can, but I'm not opposed to that. The common denominator for me and ever coach and every player that we have is to win. That has to be the common denominator. If that's not it, then we've got the wrong people. So yes, absolutely, whatever works, whatever the formula is, yes, I want that."

On whether he is discussing any potential personnel moves:

"I'm still looking at the film, still looking at the film. I am confident that there may be one or two, but I am still looking at the film."

On which side of the ball he is looking to make changes:

"I don't want to get into that, but there are a couple."

On the factors that led to a low rushing total against the Packers:

"I think one of the biggest things is you are behind. That's the No. 1 factor. That takes you out of everything. It takes you out of your game plan. Now you almost have to be in a panic mode like, ‘Alright, let's get our best passing plays. The run, that's it. We have to try to make it a game again before we can run the ball.' Yes there was time on the clock, but on defense we were not playing great as well. They were holding the ball and we could not get off the field on third down. That made it difficult. Better to try and throw the ball and try to get somewhere where can try to make it a game again. Then we could have a chance to run the ball."

On whether the passing game may not click until next year:

"No, I won't say that. We don't have to wait until next year. I think it is a process going forward. I think after Alex played the Houston game, and maybe after the Indianapolis game, everyone wanted to see the spread. I think we have to continue to work on it because it is a work in progress, it really is."

On whether the team is still adjusting to Smith:

"I think everything worked out for a reason. Would it have been better for Alex if he had started at the beginning of the season? Absolutely, yes. For his maturation, the whole nine yards, would it have been better for our team? Probably not. Shaun Hill started the season and did a tremendous job managing the team, throwing the balls he needed to throw. But I think he took us to a place and that was about as far as he could take us and it was Alex Smith's time to get in. But I also think that Alex Smith really had a chance to grow some. I think Alex Smith, really for the first time in his career, had a chance to sit on the bench and look at another quarterback and be able to listen to the coaches and say, ‘Shaun, I wouldn't have made that throw. Shaun, I wouldn't have done this.' And he would be able to say, ‘Now how would I have done that?' Rather than it being him every year, maybe he wasn't ready, but that's all you got. I think that Alex grew some from that as well. I think for him, it was a win-win situation."

On his emotions on being 4-6:

"You know what, my first emotion is anger. It really is. Anger because it doesn't have to be like this. It did not have to be this way. But at the same time, excitement. Excitement because I am just thankful that we don't have a team where I am coming in here the day after, you are 4-6, you got your tail kicked the day before, and you know when look at that film, ‘We can't do any better than that. We can't beat that team.' And I am looking at that schedule where ‘we can't beat those teams either, we just have to build for next year.' No, that's not what we are. That's not what we are. Where we are right now is, we are still hurting ourselves. We are our own worst enemy. If we could just beat the enemy within, then we have a chance to go out and beat the one we are playing against. When you talk about a championship team, when you talk about changing the culture, when you talk about taking that next step - and we will take that step - when you talk about taking that step, there is more involved in it. Even if you start the season and you are 5-0, there is more involved in it because you have to deal with some of the mental psyche that is involved in it and helping guys understand that you have to see yourselves different, you have to think different, you have to think like a champion. When you walk on that field you have to know, this is my game. When you start thinking like that and you start acting like that, when things go bad on the field you are able to take a step back and go, ‘We are going to make this happen, it is not going to be like it was before. We are going to take that step and we are going to go to the next step. We are going to win this game. We are going to get over this, we are going to around it, we are going to go under it. Whatever it is, we are going to win this game.' When you start thinking like that, that's when you start winning those kinds of games we played in yesterday, when you start thinking like that, when you know that. We don't have enough of those guys there yet. But we will get there and we will get there this year."

On why the team didn't think like that after starting 3-1:

"Well, that's what I'm saying. I can only relate it this way. It is like this kid who is going to school, and maybe some of you guys can relate, I know I can. But it is like this kid who is going to school and this guy is taking his lunch money every day. You are tired of this guy taking your lunch money. You are bigger than he is, you are stronger than he is, you can take this kid. But because this kid has been built up so much, everything you heard about him, they say this kid is better than you and you believe that. You are going to continue to give the kid your lunch money until one day you decide, ‘You know what, I'm done with that. I'm not giving you my money anymore and that's it.' That's the same thing in any situation whether it's football, whether it's life or anything else. I'll stop there because I don't want to be motivational."

On how great he's doing with his analogy:

"No, I'm done."

On whether anyone ever took his lunch money as a child:

"Absolutely."

On how old he was when it happened:

"[Maybe] seven, eight, nine [years old]. I was the last of ten kids."

On whether there is a difference to Alex Smith taking snaps under center in the shotgun formation:

"I do think it makes a difference, but the point that I was making is that he's had success whether he's been under center or in shotgun, and to me, I think it just gets down to that it's one thing when you see it on film, when you talk to him he has to give you that feel for ‘you know what, I really feel better in the shotgun [formation] or I really feel better taking it from under the center.' I think he has mixed feelings about both."

On the possibility that QB Alex Smith maybe much better in the shotgun formation:

"Maybe."

On whether the team can run off of shotgun formation just as effectively as taking snaps from under center:

"Running out of the shotgun [formation] and running from under center is a lot different because particularly having someone like Frank Gore. When you have a running back like Frank Gore, he is a hit-the-hole-downhill guy. He's not a fidget to the right and then give him the ball. When you're in the shotgun, you've got to figure out some kind of way, you've kind of have to work together on how you step this way and he steps that way. It's not like you're under center, you're going back, he's going forward -he's hitting that hole and you've this other guy running around here wrapping around the edge. No, it's not like that. It's different, you guys see what I'm saying? So it's different for the running back. For the quarterback it's great, but it's different for the running back when you've got that kind of running back."

On whether he understands the postgame statements by TE Vernon Davis and WR Michael Crabtree about their abilities flourishing under the spread offense:

"I understand that they're excited. I understand that anytime that they have the opportunity to catch the ball, they know that they're in a spread situation, and particularly Vernon, he's excited anytime he gets a play called his way. If I were them I would get excited too, but if I'm Crabtree, I need to be a little more quiet because he just got here. He's just trying to figure out what day it is, he didn't go through all the other stuff and I'm kidding when I'm saying that. I just talked to him awhile ago and he is excited about the spread set, Vernon is excited, all of the receivers are excited. I'm sure that Alex is excited as well, but I think it's one of those things where that's why we coach because we also have to look at what's good for Frank. We also have to look at what's good for the offense as a whole. But we do want to honor what the players think about, particularly a playmaker - a quarterback and that's why we've been in so many conversations with Alex. You're right about the point that you're making, Alex is such a humble guy, a meek guy, don't how long he'll stay that way but it's a great thing to have a quarterback like that says ‘what do you think, coach? What do you want?' But for him to be doing the things that he's doing right now, I'm not sure how long we're going to have that, but it's a great thing to have right now and I do want him to take that next step and be like, ‘Hey, you know what, here's what I like, here's what is good for us. That would be good and I think that Alex is getting to a place of being more comfortable being able to communicate that way, and I think as we go forward, he will do that. He's certainly gotten better."

On the possibility of WR Josh Morgan returning kicks again in the future:

"That is a thought. Obviously we liked what we saw yesterday. Hopefully, if Josh Morgan is the kickoff returner, then hopefully he's not returning too many of them in a game so we don't have to worry about it too often. I just think that yesterday, he did a nice job when called upon. I don't know, but we'll have to look at that a little bit more."

On what the coaching staff can do to bring the level of intensity to the players higher:

"I think you keep working. If it were an easy answer, everyone would figure it out. I just think you keep working and you just keep believing it's coming. When I'm talking to the players, I'm looking at the players and also listening to the players. There are a lot of good things happening, but at the end of the day, I just know that we'll get there, sooner than later."

49ers open as 3 point favorites against Jacksonville

2009-11-23T21:30:25Z

If I wasn't a 49ers fan I have to say I'd be throwing down heavy on the Jacksonville Jaguars at this point. The 49ers-Jaguars line has opened with the 49ers as a 3 point favorite. As we've discussed before, the home team automatically gets 3 points. So this sort of means bookies are thinking the two teams are on relatively equal footing.

Personally I think this is a very winnable game, but I also have reached a point where I really don't know what 49ers team will show up. Will the bend but don't break defense learn to tackle before Sunday, or will Maurice Jones-Drew bounce off would-be tacklers like a pinball? The Jaguars have one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL (#1 according to FO as of last week) and the 49ers defense has been inconsistent with the running backs. If the team can't contain MJD, it could be a long day.

As for recent trends for both teams:

Jacksonville is 2-6 straight up in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Jacksonville's last 8 games on the road
San Francisco is 2-2-2 against the spread in its last 6 games
San Francisco is 1-5 straight up in its last 6 games

Mike Singletary Monday lunchtime press conference

2009-11-23T19:36:30Z

It's the Monday morning after another Sunday loss and that means we get Mike Singletary's weekly Monday press conference at 11:45am. The 49ers are coming off a disappointing loss in Green Bay that once again seemed to raise more questions than answers. I'll post the transcript later in the day, but for now feel free to use this post to discuss the press conference. The link above takes you to a live stream of the press conference.

So what do we want answered out of this? I'd love to see someone ask Singletary about Crabtree and Davis's comments regarding the use of a more "spread" style offense. Speaking of the "spread" offense, due to the breakdown of things, the "offense" post I was planning for today will go up tomorrow around 11ish. But either way, I'd like to hear something about the offense, both o-line and the play-calling.

As for the defense, there were some big issues with tackling and finishing off plays that will hopefully come up today. The 49ers repeatedly shot themselves in the foot with shoddy tackling.

So, once again, if you want to watch Mike Singletary's press conference, head over to 49ers.com.

49ers playoff chances take a hit, but....

2009-11-23T18:30:11Z

Heading into yesterday's game, I wasn't completely confident the team would win, but I figured a win was possible and the team would be able to stay in the thick of the playoff race. Instead, the team stumbled to defeat and find themselves in less than ideal position for the wild card. We'll still keep track of the wild card race (as seen in our new Rooting Guide), but I'm certainly not holding my breath. Al Michaels mentioned a stat that since 1990, of the teams that have started the season 4-6, only 7% have made the playoffs. That stat gave me the perfect excuse to roll out a Dumb and Dumber clip I've been waiting to use for a long time.

The Falcons loss certainly helped (given the head-to-head loss), while the Eagles win over the Bears did not help. In the end though, the 49ers loss in Green Bay made the Falcons loss matter less and the Eagles win matter more. There are three teams tied at 6-4 (GB, Philly, NY), and then the Falcons at 5-5. The Falcons and Green Bay own the tiebreaker over San Francisco, and given the way the team is playing, I can't imagine the 49ers will win at Philly.

HOWEVER....it's time to call in the optimists. I realize people are demoralized after yesterday's loss, but I'm going to roll out a little bit of optimism. Laugh at me, call me crazy, but I like having something to root for beyond just a draft choice. We can root for the Panthers draft choice. Why not root for a chance to win the NFC Worst? And if this gets your hopes up, only to see them dashed in the coming weeks, well I'll take the blame for that.

The 49ers face Jacksonville at home and Seattle on the road the next two weeks. Given recent struggles, both potential losses, but of course, also potential wins if the team can figure out something on offense, and learn how to tackle on defense (easy enough right?). The Cardinals on the other hand travel to Tennessee next week, and host Minnesota the following week. Two 49ers wins, two Arizona losses, and suddenly Monday December 14 is a battle for first place.

I'd imagine the chances of it playing out this way are not exactly inspiring, but who wants to live in reality, when I can set myself up for even more disappointment?!

There's something about Nate Davis...

2009-11-23T15:15:22Z

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Browse more photos »

Ok maybe that's a cheesy headline, but it's actually kind of true. Whether you're for or against 49ers QB Nate Davis (as opposed to those of us in the middle), the young man has inspired an inordinate amount of debate. I suppose this isn't surprising given the struggles of 49ers quarterbacks since the departure of Jeff Garcia.

Whatever the situation, it's not surprising some folks have latched on to Nate Davis as the guy of the future. They might not be calling him the next Montana, but they want him out there ASAP. Other folks have made it clear they think Nate Davis is nothing, is not going to make an impact in the future, and has no place on the 49ers roster going forward. Both sides have been quite vocal in their support or lack of support for Davis.

I bring all this up because of my own position, and my curiosity about the extreme folks thoughts on certain issues. When it comes to Nate Davis I am definitely excited by his potential, but I'm also not ready to bet the farm that he's the long term answer. I think the potential exists for him to be a long term answer, but I don't think the team needs to put him out there at this point in time.

What I want to do with this post is offer the various counter-arguments I see to the two extreme positions. I believe that it's way too early to make any sort of hard judgments about Nate Davis one way or the other. I can say with virtual certainty that plenty of folks will disagree on both sides of the debate, so please feel free to fire away with your opinions. And given how some of these debates have developed in the past, let's try and keep things respectful.

After the jump, I consider the two sides of the coin. There's no poll because I don't see this as a black and white issue even with numerous poll options. So whether you agree or disagree, let us know your thoughts in the comments...

Argument 1: Nate Davis should be starting now
I'd first like to clarify this argument. There are certain folks who want to see Nate Davis out on the field later in the season after the team is completely out of playoff contention. I am not talking about this argument. I think a little mop-up time is certainly not completely unreasonable. The argument I take issue with is the argument for getting Davis out there starting now, or as soon as possible.

The easy counter that seems to come up frequently is to point to Alex Smith's rookie season in 2005. Smith was in over his head and was just annihilated out there. Why do that again with Nate Davis as a rookie? Well, this is not actually the argument I would make, at least in its entirety. The 2009 San Francisco 49ers are much different from the 2005 49ers. This team is struggling, but this team also has a lot more talent on it and clearly Nate Davis would be surrounded with an immensely improved group of skill players.

The one area one might compare would be the struggles of the offensive line. And that's where my point is in countering this argument. As much as people complain about Alex Smith and Jimmy Raye, this offensive line is rather abysmal. They'll make a nice play once in a while, but more often than not it seems like Alex Smith has to run for his life. Actually, it's not even running for his life, because many times he has no time to run. Nate Davis certainly has a cannon for an arm and can get the ball deep to Crabtree, Davis and Morgan. However, when a quarterback has 1 second before the pass rush is on him, how exactly are the wide receivers supposed to run their vertical routes? If somebody can answer me that question, maybe you should send the 49ers a postcard.

Argument 2: Nate Davis is useless and has no place in the long term plans of this team
This is more of a summary of that side of the debate, than anything word-for-word. So feel free to correct me if you think I'm misconstruing the argument(s). The way I read it, some folks contend Davis is never going to be a good quarterback and the team needs to consider alternative options.

My problem with this side of the debate is the fact that Nate Davis has been in the NFL for less than one season. I realize his only game action came in the preseason, which is one reason I'm not prepared to name him the savior. At the same time, I don't see why the anti-Davis crowd can't admit that he showed some talent in the preseason (even if it was against backups). It is only preseason, but showing some skills in preseason has to be better than performing poorly in the preseason, right? Or am I wrong on that? Please feel free to rebut this presumption.

I know some folks are concerned about the learning disability, but that's another thing that I think is being overblown. Nate Davis has dyslexia, which basically involves an individual's ability to read, write and spell. It interferes with an individual's "acquisition and processing of language." The team brought Davis in before the draft and had him work with QB coach Mike Johnson. Obviously learning the playbook might be an issue, but I'm guessing the coaches figured that was something that could be overcome. Seeing as he learned the Ball State playbook, I'll agree with them on that. As far as in-game action, the only issue I could see would be in the hurry-up offense when Davis might be reading the play-chart on his forearm. However, I'd like to think the team has figured out a way to overcome that. I could be wrong, but that seems like a fairly basic issue to resolve.

Handling Nate Davis
As I said at the top, I fall somewhere in the middle of the pack when it comes to Nate Davis. I definitely see some skills that could project into the quarterback of the future. However, I also realize 1) it's only based on preseason performance, and 2) putting him in right now behind such an abysmal offensive line is not the smart move. If the team is in fact going to push him as the #1 guy next year (I'm not expecting it initially), why not get a couple big hogs on the offensive line to keep him upright? Build up that offensive line and suddenly those weapons could be absolutely fierce. Davis and Crabtree have looked good this year. Imagine how they would look with more time to develop their routes?

So how would I handle Nate Davis, long term? I'd go with some variation on the Carson Palmer/Steve McNair philosophy. Palmer was drafted in 2003 and sat out the entire year behind Jon Kitna. He never touched the field in a regular season game and then was named the starter at the beginning of the 2004 season. Steve McNair was drafted in 1995. He saw action in 4 games, starting 2 his rookie season. His second year he appeared in 9 games, starting 4. Both seasons the #1 QB was Chris Chandler, who finally gave way to McNair completely in 1997.

So, I'd say if Davis is going to see any playing time, it should be late in the game against the likes of Detroit and St. Louis, if even then. It's a bit more difficult in this situation because you don't have the aging veterans that know they're being worked out the door. You have a young guy in Alex Smith, and a still relatively young guy in Shaun Hill, who won't be quite so accommodating (even if they act nice about it). Hill's only chance as a starter going forward is if the team cuts loose Smith and wants a bridge to the QB of the future, be it Nate Davis or anybody else. But clearly Hill's not a long term answer (or even really a short term one). But the general idea, whomever you're rolling out there, is that Nate Davis could conceivably become your starting QB either midway through 2010, or at the start of 2011. I know that's too long a wait for some folks, but I think if you build up your offensive line this year it's worth the wait.

One interesting little fact about McNair, the year before McNair was drafted, Jeff Fisher took over as head coach with six games left in the season, and had the interim tag removed for the next year. Last year Mike Singletary was interim head coach for 9 games, before having the tag removed. And he also has a rookie QB. It's a bit of a stretch, but it's fun to consider those random possibilities.

Of course, if the offensive line is really the problem, and it's enough to make Alex Smith a better QB next year, that throws a monkey wrench into the plans I suppose.

Golden Nuggets: Worse than a blowout

2009-11-23T11:15:27Z

Good morning to you all, I'm here and I suppose I need to be laughed at just a little bit. I was confident all week and I did nothing but talk up my Niners and how they would win. My gut was wrong, which, and not to brag here, doesn't happen a lot. The 49ers came out and played themselves a sorry game fraught with bad decisions and bad play. The team forgot how to tackle, Alex forgot how to throw and everybody seemed to move in slow motion. The Packers offensive line decided they knew how to block and somebody forgot to tell Green Bay's secondary that they have no business NOT being washed up. It was such a disappointing game, with what's been going on in my life lately I swear I was gonna be borderline smashing my computer into the wall, fortunately I had a very good night so I'm at least feeling a little better. Still, we cannot ignore the problems with the 49ers.. I'll be putting together a huge post on one of the sites I write for concerning the future of this team.. until then check out some links and be around at 7 AM PST for the Nate Davis post Fooch is putting together. Thanks. Here's your links.

Yeah, the 49ers lost yesterday, and they were beaten by the QB they passed up. And also by the QB they eventually took. (SacBee.com)

I completely agree with this--the coaches screwed this game over with a terrible gameplan. I fail to see how McCarthy of all people outplanned us. Ugh. (SacBee.com)

I'm sick of all these close losses. Just blow us out again so I can stop being confident, ugh. (SFGate.com)

Yeah, one big problem that I just KNEW was going to be an issue (quote me on it)... This team still hasn't found a replacement for Allen Rossum. (SFGate.com)

Michael Lewis was back to his tackle-happy self, which is a good sign. (SFGate.com)

WR Michael Crabtree says the spread offense is the way to go. (SacBee.com)

Should the 49ers adjust to Alex Smith's skillset? (SFGate.com)

I suppose it's good that Aaron Rodgers isn't gloating about beating the 49ers. (MercuryNews.com)

I'm sick of the "late rallies" that always come up short--especially when the coaching is to blame at times. (MercuryNews.com)

Did the 49ers start to come back due to the spread? (PressDemocrat.com)

Maiocco has a report card for the 49ers. It almost seems like the man is drunk and upset as he writes this one. I suppose it's better than the report card I'd put together, it'd just be a wadded up piece of paper with spit on it. (PressDemocrat.com)

The DBs didn't answer Singletary's challenge. (PressDemocrat.com)

Here's another game review from the official website. (49ers.com)

And here is Maiocco's post-game. (PressDemocrat.com)

NBCSports.com SNF Live Stream/Open Thread

2009-11-23T00:53:38Z

NBCSports.com SNF Live Stream/Open Thread

There are plenty of posts open for discussion of the 49ers loss today. If you feel like discussing tonight's Eagles-Bears game, feel free to head in here. The link will take you to NBC's free live stream of the game if you don't have a tv. I've got Devin Hester going tonight in a fantasy league and could use a solid showing in my playoff push.

Packers 30 - 49ers 24: Hidden Nuggets

2009-11-23T00:18:30Z

I mentioned before that I get a press release with some of the positive statistical performances from the day's game. I'm thinking when the 49ers lose we'll call this Hidden Nuggets, since games like this sometimes require fans to look a little deeper for positives. And we can continue our gold miner theme on the site, right?

Frank Gore
One of the more interesting numbers came from Frank Gore. Gore's 42 yard rush pushed him over the 5,000 yard mark, making him just the fifth player in franchise history to reach that mark. With 5,051 yards, Gore now stands 484 yards behind Garrison Hearst (5,535) for fourth on the 49ers all-time rushing list. There are six games remaining on the season, and normally I'd think he could reach that mark, as he needs to average 80+ yards per game. He might need a big game like he had against Seattle given how the offensive line is performing in front of him. Throw in the lack of carries when the team falls behind and it will be interesting to see if that happens.

In addition, Gore scored a touchdown for the fourth consecutive game, which is a first for him. Prior to this season, he had rushed for touchdowns in three straight games from 9/7/08 through 9/21/08.

Vernon Davis
Davis finished with six receptions for a career high 108 yards and one touchdown. This was his second career 100-yard receiving game. Davis also set a new single-season career-high with 601 receiving yards on the season. He has 51 receptions on the season and needs 2 more receptions to break his single-season career-high of 52 receptions in 2007.

Additional random nuggets:

WR Michael Crabtree hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass from QB Alex Smith for his first career touchdown. The 38-yard touchdown pass was the longest of the season for Smith.
For the second time this season, QB Alex Smith tied his career-high with 3 touchdown passes. He previously tied this mark at Houston (10/25/09).
K Joe Nedney’s 46-yard field goal in the first quarter moved him into 7th place on the 49ers all-time scoring list. He finished the day with 465 points, trailing WR Terrell Owens (502 points) for 6th place all-time.
Seeing his first action at kick returner in his career, WR Josh Morgan notched the longest kickoff return of the season for the 49ers on a 76-yard return in the fourth quarter that set up an QB Alex Smith touchdown pass. Morgan finished the day with 2 returns for 101 yards.
DT Justin Smith extended his consecutive starts streak to 133 games, which leads all defensive linemen. Arizona DT Darnell Dockett is second at 74 games.
S Mark Roman extended his streak to 106 consecutive games played. He ranks 2nd in the NFL among safeties with 104 consecutive games played (Deon Grant, SEA – 137).

Packers 30 - 49ers 24: A tale of two offenses

2009-11-22T21:36:42Z

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Browse more photos »

That headline could very easily include a whole lot of cursing. This game was SO incredibly frustrating. The 49ers offense was absolutely abysmal for about three-quarters of the game. Then, when the team had fallen far behind, the offense opened up and suddenly was moving the ball with ease. This led to another big game from Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree's first career touchdown, and all our hopes raised, only to be smacked down yet again.

The fourth quarter of this game raises a variety of questions related to the offense. Were those last two touchdowns more garbage TDs, or did the offense show the potential it could have over the course of a full game? The team looks great running a shotgun offense, but is that something they could run for a vast majority of the game? I know people are demanding this kind of play-calling, but can a spread-style shotgun offense be effective for 4 quarters? I guess one answer to that is: might as well try it.

On to the good, the bad and the ugly...

The Good
Michael Crabtree - The young wide receiver is certainly showing he's a player in this league. Even though Crabtree is not putting up 100+ yards and multiple TDs a game (as some might want), he's showing an amazing ability to make the tough catches that truly great wide receivers make. It's still early in his young career, but if you're doubting Crabtree at this point, I don't know what else to tell you.

Vernon Davis - While he probably shouldn't have ducked on that Smith interception (unless it really was meant for Delanie Walker), Davis had another huge game for the 49ers with a big touchdown to cut it to a 2 possession game in the fourth quarter. Given that only one play (the over the middle pass) seems to work for Smith-Davis, I don't think we can question Vernon Davis's toughness at this point. He gets popped on those catches and always holds on to the ball now. Good stuff.

Josh Morgan kick returner - He's regressed as a receiver, but he had a big kick return for the 49ers in the fourth quarter. I wouldn't be surprised to see Morgan get more chances as a return man. It's overreacting to think this at this juncture, but maybe he can be that John Taylor return man.

The Good and Bad
Alex Smith - I can't stick Smith in the bad and I can't stick him in the good, so he gets his own special category. Smith struggled a lot for 3/4 of the game, before finally making some impressive throws late in the game. Part of the blame does fall on Smith for the struggles, but the offensive line also gets a lot of blame. Maybe going to that shotgun spread is the best option. Then any runs go on direct snaps to Gore?

The Bad
4th quarter defense - Yes, they finally got sacks on Aaron Rodgers, but they could not make the stop on multiple chances on that last drive. Great defenses get either a 3 and out, or at the very least 3 and out after a first down. They were probably incredibly tired given all the time they spent on the field, but in that last drive, there are no excuses.

The Ugly
LOLffensive Line - As mentioned above, Alex Smith deserves plenty of blame, but the LOLffensive line deserves more of the blame. There were numerous instances where Smith would drop back and as he was going to look down field he'd be sacked within .5 seconds. It's safe to say LOL coach Chris Foerster is on the hot seat. There have been injuries, but adjustments need to be made (so blame Raye as well).

Tackling - Just horrendous tackling by the 49ers defense today. Most of the Packer touchdowns seemed to come after horrific tackling by the 49ers. Even Patrick Willis was missing tackles. When that's happening, something is clearly amiss.

Brief Look Ahead
Week 12 - vs. Jacksonville - The Jaguars pulled out a last second win over the Buffalo Bills and continue their bizarre run, as they now stand 6-4. I'm amazed how well they've played. This is a home game, but the 49ers are going to have their work cut out for them. The run defense has really struggled, and Maurice Jones-Drew could do some bad things if it doesn't improve soon.

Packers 23 - 49ers 10: Fourth quarter thread

2009-11-22T20:34:57Z

vs.

Florida Danny made a good point about how the offense seems open up when the team is behind big, then shrivel up when things get close. It's really quite frustrating. Definitely something we'll be discussing at some point this week. In the meantime, the 49ers have the ball down 13 points. Maybe they can avoid embarrassing themselves.

GO NINERS!

Packers 23 - 49ers 3: Second half thread

2009-11-22T19:43:30Z

vs.

This game has been pretty miserable this far. In fact, it's been quite similar to the home debacle against the Atlanta Falcons. At the half the 49ers have been outgained 362 yards to 57 yards. Shockingly enough, that's just not gonna cut it. So, time for a new thread for the second half.

GO NINERS!

Packers 13 - 49ers 3: Second thread

2009-11-22T19:05:27Z

vs.

Well that first thread was pretty crappy to say the least. Aside from one big Frank Gore run, the offense has been absolutely abysmal, thanks in large part to the continued inept play of the offensive line. Very little is actually going right so we might as well open up a new thread.

GO NINERS!

San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers Open Thread

2009-11-22T17:00:13Z

vs.

Date: November 22, 2009
Time: 10:00am PST
Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Records: 49ers (4-5) Packers (5-4)
Bodoglife.com Spread: Packers -7; Over/Under 42; Money Line: 49ers +245, Packers -290 - The Packers are pretty big favorites after opening as 5.5 point favorites.
Weather: 47°F, 11mph S Wind
TV Broadcast: FOX - Thom Brenneman, Brian Billick
Westwood One Radio: Howard David, Dan Reeves
Radio: 107.7 The Bone, 680/1050 KNBR - Ted Robinson, Gary Plummer, Rod Brooks
Spanish Radio: KIQI 1010-AM, KATD 990-AM - Mathias Godinez, Melvin Moran, Marcos Gutierrez
Packers Coverage: Acme Packing Company

Week 11 Prediction Contest: Remember that if you didn't get in your 49ers prediction you can use the wildcard game on Sunday.

Sports Bar Thread

Injuries
49ers: Out - CB Nate Clements (shoulder), OT Joe Staley (knee); Questionable - LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder); Probable - WR Isaac Bruce (ankle), RB Glen Coffee (concussion), S Michael Lewis (quadricep), RB Michael Robinson (stinger), WR Michael Crabtree (knee), DT Demetric Evans (shoulder), S Mark Roman (knee), DE Justin Smith (back), OT Adam Snyder (shoulder)

Packers: Doubtful - OT Allen Barbre (ankle); Questionable - G Evan Dietrich-Smith (ankle), RB Ahman Green (groin); Probable - LB Desmond Bishop (ankle), LB Brandon Chillar (hand), TE Jermichael Finley (knee), DE Cullen Jenkins (ankle), DE Johnny Jolly (back), LB Brad Jones (concussion), LB Aaron Kampman (concussion), RB John Kuhn (hand), LB Clay Matthews (jaw), LB Brady Poppinga (quadricep), T Mark Tauscher (knee), C Scott Wells (concussion), CB Charles Woodson (hip)

Inactives
49ers: QB Nate Davis, LB Takeo Spikes, WR Brandon Jones, C Cody Wallace, CB Keith Smith, DT Ricky Jean-Francois, OT Joe Staley, CB Nate Clements

Packers: WR Biren Ealy, RB Ahman Green, S Matt Giordano, OT Breno Giacomini, OT Allen Barbre, DE Michael Montgomery, LB Jeremy Thompson

We're back with just a monster game for the 49ers. A win puts them right in the thick of the wildcard race and of course keeps them in shouting distance of the Cardinals in the West. The 49ers face a tall task in a Packers team that has quite a few playmakers on defense, and of course a solid arm in Aaron Rodgers. This battle of the top two defenses in the NFL will go a long way for one team's playoff chances.

GO NINERS!