There's not much that can be said after that debacle. I just hope that was rock bottom, because it's really hard to imagine a worse performance than that. While watching every second of one of the worst offensive displays I've ever seen, I was able to devise a number of solutions to some of the problems that are ailing the 49ers (offensive and otherwise). Here's a sampling, in no particular order: * Larry Allen should retire and be replaced by Adam Snyder. * Justin Smiley should be benched and replaced by David Baas. * Derek Smith should retire and be replaced by Brandon Moore. * Trent Dilfer should retire and be named assistant quarterbacks coach. * Jim Hostler should be fired and replaced by one of any number of small kitchen appliances. LET'S HOPE this finally alleviates some of the Alex Smith criticism. With any kind of decent offense around him, he could be a Pro Bowl quarterback. He should be nominated for sainthood for moving the ball AT ALL the past three weeks. Let's also hope the injury to his right shoulder doesn't keep him out more than a couple of weeks. Speaking of which, let's just keep Smith on the bench next week, regardless of the injury. Let Dilfer get banged around against another former team (and one of the best defenses of the past decade) and regroup during the bye week. I LOVE the 49ers' defense. Absolutely love it (except for Derek Smith). Nate Clements is worth every penny. I just hope all this extra work doesn't tire them out by November. And I genuinely feel bad for them having to make up for an offense that continues to party like it's 2005. I ALSO LOVE the 49ers' special teams. They were fantastic, and the offense wasted absolutely every break the special teams gave it (including a blocked punt and a recovered surprise onside kick at the start of the second half). AND OF COURSE I love Frank Gore. If he was frustrated last week, he might need a good suicide hotline number this week. He showed today that he still has the burst he had last year. He just can't ram his way through a half-dozen unblocked defenders. MY ESTEEMED COLLEAGUE Eddie suggests that the Chargers should fire Norv Turner so the Niners can bring him back as offensive coordinator. I'd like to second that motion. MY ESTEEMED COLLEAGUE Chris now has the unenviable task of rewatching this game play-by-play for this week's "Film Room" segment. I wouldn't blame him if he called in sick on this one.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Kneejerk Knotes: That was rock bottom, right?
Breaking the Huddle: Making a statement
There was a time when winning the NFC West was considered a given for the 49ers. After all, they were crowned division champion 13 times from 1981 to 1997.
Since '97, they've only captured the division once (2002). Today, they have the opportunity to stake claim to it once again by beating last season's champion, the Seattle Seahawks. QUARTERBACKS Matt Hasselbeck is off to one of his best starts as a pro, throwing for 751 yards with five touchdowns and only two interceptions. Normally a very accurate passer, occasionally Hasselbeck will take a chance — something he probably picked up from his former mentor, Brett Favre. Last time Hasselbeck faced the 49ers, it wasn't one of his best performances. He was sacked three times and threw two interceptions in a 24-14 loss at Seattle. That very matchup was probably Alex Smith's best all-around game of his short career. In fact, Smith appears to like the Seahawks. He had five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) against them last season and didn't throw an interception in two games. Smith showed signs of coming around late against the Steelers last week. Let's hope that continues into this week. Advantage: Seahawks RUNNING BACKS Honestly, I've never liked Shaun Alexander. I consider him the second coming of Emmitt Smith, not because he's light on his feet and dances a mean mambo, but because I believe he's a product of his offensive line. Two years ago, with perennial All-Pros Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson manning the left side of the line, Alexander was barely even touched as he compiled a then-record 27 rushing touchdowns. That offseason, Hutchinson left for a greener pasture, and Alexander hasn't been the same since. The holes that were there for Frank Gore last season haven't been there this season. Playing Seattle could go a long way in getting the ground game back on track. Last year, Gore torched the Seahawks for more than 400 total yards. After being completely shut down last week against the Steelers, I expect Gore to come out firing on all cylinders. Advantage: 49ers. WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS 49ers offseason acquisition Darrell Jackson gets a chance to prove to Seattle how big of a mistake it was to trade him, let alone within the division. Look for him to be very fired up. With Vernon Davis out, Delanie Walker will be called upon to make a few plays. He's up to the task. The Seahawks wideouts are interchangeable. Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch (13 receptions, 199 yards and a touchdown) has been Hasselbeck's favorite target the past two weeks, but Nate Burleson and Bobby Engram can be counted on to make plays too. Advantage: Draw. OFFENSIVE LINE There's been much criticism thrust upon the 49ers' offensive line over the past week, most of it deserved. I expect Larry Allen and Co. to come out early and establish dominance at the line of scrimmage early in this one. Jones headlines a solid group for Seattle. Hasselbeck has only been sacked five times this season. Advantage: Draw. DEFENSIVE LINE Patrick Kerney got off to a fast start for Seattle this season, collecting 1.5 sacks Week 1 against the Buccaneers. Since then he's been quiet. I consider the defensive line the weakest link in the Seahawks' defense. The 49ers D-line, however, had progressed nicely so far, especially with the resurgence of Bryant Young. I expect these two units to have a large impact on the outcome of the game. If the 49ers' O-line can dominate, then Gore will have his first monster day of the season. And if San Fran's D-line can get pressure on Hasselbeck, freeing up the linebackers, then this might not be a close game at all. Advantage: 49ers. LINEBACKERS If the D-line is the Seahawks' weakness on defense, then the linebackers would be their strength. Julian Peterson (officially a Seahawk now) and Lofa Tatupu make up one of the best linebacking tandems in the NFL today. Both have a nose for the ball and a knack for making plays. The 49ers counter with rookie sensation Patrick Willis. If there's something he hasn't done so far, I'd like someone to let me know what it is. For the 49ers group to become even more dangerous, though, there has to be more Brandon Moore, less Derek Smith. Advantage: Seahawks. SECONDARY Both teams are solid in the defensive backfield. Nate Clements has been the force the 49ers hoped he would be this season. The Seahawks counter with Marcus Trufant and Deon Grant. I'll be surprised if there's many huge passing plays today. Advantage: Draw. SPECIAL TEAMS Both teams feature playmakers on special teams. Burleson is always a threat to return one for Seattle, while the 49ers picked up Michael Lewis (Hooray Beer!) this week to take the place of Brandon Williams (good riddance). San Fran hasn't had a return man the caliber of Lewis since probably John Taylor or Deion Sanders. The kickers, Josh Brown and Joe Nedney, haven't missed a field goal this season. Advantage: Draw. COACHING Until I see more production on the offensive side of the ball, I'm going to consider offensive coordinator Jim Hostler a liability for the 49ers. Mike Holmgren is nothing of the sort for Seattle. It seems, though, Mike Nolan and his staff figured out how to beat the Seahawks last year. Let's hope it carries over to this season. Advantage: Seahawks. PREDICTION 49ers 28, Seahawks 21 — I expect the 49ers' offensive line to set the tone early. This is as close to a playoff game as you can have in Week 4. Last year's experience and this season's defense will lead the way for San Francisco. Clements or Willis will make a play late to seal the victory.
Fantasy Fury: Week 4 preview
Before I bring the Fury this week, I have two words for you: Bye week.
I know, it normally makes me cringe, too, but this week not so much.
Outside of New Orleans' Drew Brees and Reggie Bush, your team shouldn't be counting heavily upon anybody on a bye this week, and the Saints needed a break to regroup. Jacksonville, Tennessee and Washington could take every week of the season off and I wouldn't notice. But for future reference, the matchups are beginning to matter even more. How you play the next seven weeks will either put you in position to challenge for your title or drop you so far out, you're be more focused on the new season of "24" then fantasy playoffs. Here's a preview of what you should expect from Week 4's matchups: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, 1 p.m. — 49ers running back Frank Gore and Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck are must-starts this week. Gore toasted Seattle in San Fran's two victories last year. Expect him and the offensive line to get on track this week. Hasselbeck is off to a solid start thus far. I believe the 49ers defense will be able to contain the run so any success Seattle has will come through the air. Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, 10 a.m. — Packers gunslinger Brett Favre will break Hall of Famer Dan Marino's touchdown record this week, so have him in your lineup. The Vikings will start running back Chester Taylor after he missed the past two games, but don't start him. Rookie sensation Adrian Peterson is the better play. St. Louis Rams at Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, 10 a.m. — Both quarterbacks are solid plays. The Cowboys' Tony Romo is making an early case for fantasy MVP, while the Rams' Marc Bulger still has WRs Torry Holt and Drew Bennett. Bulger may be protected by the most unrecognizable group of lineman in NFL history, but St. Louis isn't going to pound the ball with rookie tailback Brian Leonard ( who's filling in for Steven Jackson), so take a shot this week. The Rams will definitely have to. New York Jets at Buffalo Bills, Sunday, 10 a.m. — Running backs Thomas Jones (NYJ) and Marshawn Lynch (BUF) will both have big games. Expect 100-plus yards and at least a score from both. Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions, Sunday, 10 a.m. — The Bears' defense is banged up going into the Lions' den. DT Tommie Harris, LB Lance Briggs and CBs Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher are all out. In the past, it wouldn't matter, but this Detroit team can move the ball. Expect WR Roy Williams to finally walk the walk against the wounded "Monsters of the Midway." Start Chicago's defense if your league gives special teams points. Devin Hester is a bad man. I actually expect this to be a shootout. Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins, Sunday, 10 a.m. — Expect Raiders QB Daunte Culpepper to exact revenge on the Dolphins for cutting him. Also, go with both running backs: LaMont Jordan and Ronnie Brown. Houston Texans at Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, 10 a.m. — Before the season, I wrote down Matt Schaub to have a monster game this week. I don't see how that's possible without WRs Andre Johnson and Jacoby Jones, but he still should be solid. The Falcons will pass a lot, so Joe Harrington and Co. might be useful if you're in a pinch. Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns, Sunday, 10 a.m. — The Ravens' defense will see the real Browns offense this week, but Baltimore's offense won't provide many fireworks, so expect a close, low-scoring affair. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers, Sunday, 1 p.m. — Panthers WR Steve Smith is the one must-start in this matchup. Expect the Bucs defense to show its age this week. Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, 1 p.m. — Steelers tailback Willie Parker is a must-start, while the Cards' Edgerrin James will see little to no room to run. Also, Pittsburgh wideout Santonio Holmes is a sleeper this week with Hines Ward sitting this one out. Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers, Sunday, 1 p.m. — Mark my words: LaDainian Tomlinson will finally go off this week. Expect 200-plus total yards and multiple scores. The Chiefs' Larry Johnson, on the other hand, will have to wait another week. Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, 1 p.m. — The Broncos always get behind early at Indy. That could bode well for people starting Jay Cutler and Co. Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants, Sunday, 5:15 p.m. — Anyone have any more questions for Mr. McNabb? I didn't think so. Start McNabb and his partner in crime, Brian Westbrook. Also, WR Reggie Brown is my sleeper of the week. NFC East matchups are always fun. New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, 5:30 p.m. — Tom Brady gets on my nerves. He's having the year of a lifetime. He just had a baby with Bridget Moynahan and he's dating Giselle. None of that has anything to do with fantasy sports. You already know who to start in this matchup: Everyone, with the exception of Bengals running back Rudi Johnson (hamstring).
START: 49ers WR Darrell Jackson.
SIT: Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander.
START: Packers WR Donald Driver; Packers defense.
SIT: Vikings QB Kelly Holcomb; Packers RB Brandon Jackson.
START: Cowboys RB Marion Barber; Cowboys defense; Cowboys WR Terrell Owens; Cowboys TE Jason Witten.
SIT: All Rams not listed above.
START: Jets defense; 49ers WR Darrell Jackson.
SIT: Bills QB Trent Edwards; Bills WR Lee Evans; Jets QB Chad Pennington.
START: Lions QB Jon Kitna; Lions WR Calvin Johnson; Bears QB Brian Griese; Bears RB Cedric Benson; Bears WR Bernard Berrian.
SIT: Lions RB Tatum Bell; Lions RB Kevin Jones; Bears WR Mushin Muhammad.
START: Raiders WR Jerry Porter; Raiders defense.
SIT: Dolphins QB Trent Green; Dolphins WR Chris Chambers.
START: Texans TE Owen Daniels; Texans defense; Falcons WR Roddy White.
SIT: Falcons RB Warrick Dunn; Falcons RB Jerious Norwood.
START: Ravens RB Willis McGahee; Ravens TE Todd Heap.
SIT: Browns QB Derek Anderson; Browns RB Jamal Lewis; Ravens QB Steve McNair; Ravens WR Mark Clayton.
START: Panthers defense.
SIT: Bucs QB Jeff Garcia; Bucs RB Cadillac Williams.
START: Steelers defense; Steelers TE Heath Miller; Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald.
SIT: Cardinals QB Matt Leinart.
START: Chargers TE Antonio Gates; Chargers QB Philip Rivers; Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe.
SIT: Chargers WR Vincent Jackson; Chiefs RB Larry Johnson; Chiefs QB Damon Huard.
START: All Colts; Broncos RB Travis Henry.
SIT: Both defenses.
START: Giants QB Eli Manning; Giants WR Plaxico Burress; Giants TE Jeremy Shockey.
SIT: Giants RB Derrick Ward; Giants defense.
START: Brady sickens me.
SIT: Bengals RB Kenny Watson.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Win the West: Week 4 predictions
Things have gotten a little more interesting in the 49ers Observer "Win the West" competition — sort of like they have in the real NFC West. The three prognosticators that entered last week with perfect 5-0 records (James, Eddie and Chris) all lost at least two of last week's four games. So now we've got three guys at 7-2 and three guys at 6-3. That spread won't change at all this week, as all six of us chose all three five-ring-holders (49ers, Cowboys and Steelers) to win. Hopefully we're right. This outcome would leave the 49ers a game ahead of Seattle for first and give them a 3-0 record in the division, and it would further relegate the Cardinals and Rams as also-rans in what was supposed to be a very competitive division. Here are this week's picks: James (7-2) San Francisco 23, Seattle 20 Dallas 34, St. Louis 10 Pittsburgh 17, Arizona 14 Chris (7-2) San Francisco 27, Seattle 14 Dallas 31, St. Louis 21 Pittsburgh 21, Arizona 17 JR (7-2) San Francisco 45, Seattle 20 Dallas 41, St. Louis 14 Pittsburgh 28, Arizona 20 Eddie (6-3) San Francisco 28, Seahawks 21 Dallas 38, St. Louis 24 Pittsburgh 31, Arizona 21 Ben (6-3) San Francisco 24, Seattle 21 Dallas 31, St. Louis 14 Pittsburgh 30, Arizona 21 Nick (6-3) San Francisco 20, Seattle 16 Dallas 34, St. Louis 13 Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 10
Nolan's goal coming into view
To give you a little background about me and perhaps validate my opinion in some way, I played high school football for a very, very bad team. So bad that if you had any ability whatsoever, it usually meant you were playing both ways, and I was no exception (even without much ability). At a strapping 6-1 and 200 pounds, I was the second-biggest starter on both our offensive and defensive lines.
Pretty intimidating, I know. So over the last several years during the 49ers' struggles with futility, I could identify with how the psychology of losing game after game affects the play of the team. The program I played in hadn't posted a winning season in over 10 years, and even though we had a decent enough pool of athletes in the school, we couldn't field a team capable of winning or even competing with schools in our division. Losing becomes a cancer when it becomes expected, and that's precisely what happened to our beloved franchise in the recent past. Enter Mike Nolan. At first glance, it was hard to formulate an opinion on the hiring of a rookie coach to take the reins of a team that had just posted a 2-14 mark and was in total disarray. Truthfully, my heart really went out to the guy. Who would want to walk into a situation that at the outset is completely devoid of any chance for success? Nolan did so with aplomb, and his mission statement from Day 1 (winning the NFC West) hasn't changed a single note. I remember when he first made that comment and both laughing and feeling somewhat patronized by his optimism. Did he really expect us to believe the 49ers could win the division? Well, on the weekend of an early but important matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, one that will clearly indicate who's the boss of the division, nobody's laughing now. I've never been to a 49ers practice. I don't get to see how the coach carries himself in day to day operations, but I know that one thing he's definitely brought to the team is swagger. It's made itself most evident in the defense so far, and we've seen some flashes of it from the offense at times, but not nearly as consistently. On the defensive side of the ball, Nolan's area of expertise, we've seen a dramatic change this season. When finally given the freedom to bring in more talent via free agency and after a couple of successful drafts, we can see the identity begin to take shape, and I've never seen anything quite like it almost 20 years of being a "49ers Observer." This defense is beginning to resemble that of the Baltimore Ravens teams that Nolan put his signature on as well, and they can really be a lot of fun to watch. One of the things that I always look for in a matchup between two football teams is who can get more physical. As a player, I knew that the first series of downs were absolutely crucial. I wanted to hit my opponent as hard and as violently (and sometimes illegally) as I possibly could, so that for the rest of the game, he'd be thinking about me before the snap instead of his assignment. This is why when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers matched up against the Raiders in the Super Bowl, even though I really wanted to see Jerry Rice get himself another ring, I knew it wasn't going to happen. Tampa was just bigger, stronger and meaner than the Raiders, and it showed. Same goes for the Ravens and the Giants during Ray Lewis' MVP campaign. The Ravens just punched the Giants right in the mouth and New York never recovered. As we all know, both championship games ended in a rout. For the first time in memory, the 49ers are becoming one of those teams that can out-physical their opponents and win by forcing mistakes. We've already seen examples of this against the Rams and Cardinals, when even though the offense was doing next to nothing, the defense was forcing turnovers, scoring points, and creating opportunities. Some say the Niners got lucky in those games, and that's partly true, but I've always believed that luck is the meeting of opportunity and preparedness, and when the defense created opportunities, the offense was prepared to capitalize just enough to win the game. It was a different story against the Steelers in general, as their defense was able to beat on our offense and create those same opportunities for their benefit. Herein lies the key to the 49ers offensive woes. Last season, behind the leadership of Larry Allen, San Francisco's resident Bad Mother-f'er (this belongs to him), they weren't just running on defenses, they were punishing them. For whatever reason, that hasn't happened so far this season, but I think that it could return at any moment and will quickly turn things around for the better. Football is so much about playing with emotion and energy, and perhaps a game like this against the division rival Seahawks will light a flame underneath Larry's considerable backside and he and his cohorts will just start pummelling people. In this game against the Seahawks' undersized but speedy defense, I really think this kind of turnaround could take place. If the 49ers commit to the run early and stick with it, you know that the defense is going to get tired of having to deal with the big uglies that San Francisco will keep throwing at them over and over again. Once they wear down, it opens everything up for Alex Smith and the passing game to make plays. Once that part of the offensive game plan is able to aggressively go after the defense's weaknesses, the team will be that much closer to becoming complete and balanced, ready to compete with any and all teams in the league. This is definitely the biggest game of the young 2007 season for San Francisco. If the 49ers are able to manhandle the Seahawks' defense like they did last year, combined with the more punishing play of the defense, I really think this could turn into a blowout, and I think I speak for all of us as 49er Faithful when I say that we live for blowouts. I hope they become a weekly occurrence, in a positive way of course, for us again.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Film Room II: Steelers blitz summary
The first two games of the season it was no secret that the 49ers were going to give the ball to Frank Gore early and often. In 2006 they were able to sneak up on teams who weren't expecting such a punishing ground game. Thus far in 2007, teams have apparently learned their lessons and are now stacking the line and sending blitzers on what seems like every play.
While I was assembling this week's defense-based Film Room article, I also went over the Niners' snaps on offense and took notes on all the blitzes that the Steelers sent. Here are the statistics I came up with: FIRST HALF SF Plays: 14 run 18 pass Total: 32 Pittsburgh blitzes: 7 with 5 rushers 3 with 6 rushers 1 with 7 rushers 2 with 8 or more Total: 13 SECOND HALF SF Plays: 7 run 19 pass Total: 26 Pittsburgh blitzes: 11 with 5 rushers 4 with 6 rushers Total: 15 If you consider that Pittsburgh did not send more than four men on the Niners' last four-play drive at the end of the game, that's 15 blitzes out of 21 plays in the second half. Adding both halves together, we get 28 blitzes out of 58 plays, which is a whole lot of blitzing. The Steelers were also very creative when they send just four rushers, as they utilized lots of pre-snap movement and bluffs. Here's the full run-down: *1st Half, 1st Series 3rd and 5 SF30: Smith rolls left and throws a 12 yard strike to Darrell Jackson for the first down. Pittsburgh goes with 2 down linemen and sends 3 linebackers. Alex doesn’t get the play off until 0 shows on the play clock, so two Steeler linebackers get running starts at the left side of the line. One goes outside Jennings and is cut-blocked by Gore. The other runs right into Larry Allen and goes nowhere. The right side of the line (incl. Davis) holds up against the other 3 guys. Total: 5. 2nd and 2 SF50: Gore runs left for 1 yard. San Francisco lines up with two TE’s (Bajema and Davis) both on the right side. Bajema motions left and the Steelers promptly overload the left side. They send both OLBs, both SILBs, and SS Polamalu – a total of 8. Again, they all take off as the play clock expires, overwhelm the line and stuff Gore in the backfield. There was no particular breakdown. Jonas Jennings in particular owned his guy. It was just too many people to block. It was amazing Gore got back to the LOS at all. Total: 8. 3rd and 1 PIT49: Smith scrambles right for 4 yards. The Niners come out with 2 TE’s and 2 HB’s (Gore and Norris). The Steelers promptly bring 9 men into the box – everybody but Polamalu and one CB who is out wide on Jackson. They all key on the left side and come on the snap, which thankfully occurs with 4 seconds left on the play clock so the Steelers can’t get a running start. Smith takes off on a bootleg to the right, with Norris out 5 yards in front of him. The linebacker on Norris has some trouble deciding if he should stay in coverage or come up to make the tackle. He stays in coverage, and Smith runs for the first down. Total: Um, most of them I think. 1st and 10 PIT45: Smith throws a screen left to Davis for 31 yards. The Steelers bring an OLB and an ILB. Larry Allen and Jonas Jennings end up on the ground, but Smith somehow has enough time to get the ball out on a screen. Vernon Davis makes the catch and takes off down the sideline with Polamalu giving chase, but he doesn’t even get close – Vernon is faster. Davis finally gets horse-collared by the Steelers FS Smith, who had an angle. This was obviously a penalty, but it wasn’t called. Total: 5. 1st and 10 PIT14: Gore runs up the middle for no gain. Pittsburgh didn’t blitz on this play, but I wanted to note it because they did have 8 men in the box. It would have been a good time to call play-action. 3rd and 10 PIT14: Smith throws incomplete over the middle intended for Davis in the end zone. Pittsburgh has a lot of pre-snap motion on this play, and they on the blitz 3 linemen, 2 linebackers, and a corner who sprints around the right side of the line. Everyone is blocked except the corner, and Smith throws the ball a bit early due to the pressure. The ball was arguably still catchable, but Davis wasn’t watching. Total: 6. *2nd Series 1st and 10 SF22: Play-action, Smith throws left to Davis for 1 yard. The Niners line up with 3 WR’s, a TE (Davis) strong left, and Gore in the backfield. The Steelers line up in their base 3-4 and blitz all four linebackers. They bite on the play-action, but the SOLB goes unblocked. Smith, under pressure, throws toward Davis who is forced to jump as the pass is high. Polamalu, in man-to-man, immediately hits Davis in the thighs and brings him down. Total: 7. *3rd Series 2nd and 10 PIT22: Gore runs left for 1 yard. Pittsburgh in the base 3-4, brings their WOLB and SS Polamalu, who makes the tackle. I don’t think Gore saw him, because if he bounced this outside, he’d still be running (everyone was blocked). Total: 5. 1st and goal PIT10: Gore runs up the middle for 2 yards. Pittsburgh in the base 3-4, brings both OLB’s. Total: 5. 2nd and goal PIT5: Gore runs left for 1 yard. The Steelers bring both OLB’s and SS Polamalu. Hampton blows up this play. He didn’t stop to read gaps for an instant, he just ran to his right (toward Jennings) as soon as the ball was snapped and clogged up the hole. In fact, almost all the Steelers sprinted to the right side of the field off the snap -- it looked like they had our playbook on this one. Total: 6. *4th Series 1st and 10 SF8: Smith throws incomplete right. The Steelers bring 2 blitzers: the SOLB and the CB #24. The CB chases Smith into the back of the end zone and he throws the ball away. Total: 5. 2nd and 10 SF19: Gore runs up the middle for 2 yards. Pittsburgh blitzes both ILBs and the SOLB. Hampton angles for Larry Allen right off the snap, which of course is the direction the Niners are running. Also, it doesn’t help that WOLB Farrior knocks Smiley on his butt and there are linebackers everywhere. Total: 6. *5th Series 2nd and 5 SF37: Smith throws incomplete short right for TE Walker. Pittsburgh sends an OLB and an ILB, both of whom get a running start because again the ball isn’t snapped until about 0 shows on the play clock. Smith hesitates, then throws the ball away as Farrior closes for the hit. It seemed like Alex was anticipating the blitz and intended to throw a timing route, but the OL actually picked it up fairly well. Total: 5. 3rd and 5 SF37: (Shotgun) Smith throws incomplete short middle for TE Davis. Pittsburgh lined up with 2 down linemen, and tried to overload the left side of the line with an LB and two DB’s. Smith pointed them out before the snap to Allen, then Jennings, Allen and Hicks picked up the blitzers brilliantly. The pass was catchable, but Davis wasn’t ready for it. Total: 5. *6th Series Pittsburgh did not send any more than 4 rushers on this series. They managed to get pressure on Smith because they were pretty creative disguising their looks, bringing 6 and 7 players to the line before the snap and then dropping them all back into coverage. *2nd Half, 1st Series 2nd and 2 PIT47: Gore runs outside right for 6 yards. The Steelers bring both OLB’s and an ILB. They’re pretty much all picked up – good job by the OL and TE’s (Walker & Davis). If Farrior doesn’t shed Smiley’s block, this is a touchdown. Gore knew it too, as he thumped the ground with his fist after being tackled. Total: 6. 1st and 10 PIT41: Smith throws a screen left to Gore for 7 yards. The Steelers bring both OLB’s on this play. Gore made something out of nothing, as he was basically surrounded when he caught the ball. Total: 5. 1st and 10 PIT29: Smith sacked by Woodley for -3 yards. Pittsburgh brings both OLB’s, an ILB, and drops a DE into coverage. OLB Woodley flies around the right edge unblocked to make the tackle. This was Gore’s fault, as he stayed back to block but didn’t see Woodley in time. Total: 5. 2nd and 14 PIT32: Smith throws incomplete short left (pressured). Pittsburgh blitzes their WOLB and the SILB. The pressure comes when DE Keisel doesn’t bite on the play-action and basically just runs right for Smith. This looked like it was a screen designed for TE Walker. Total: 5. 3rd and 14 PIT32: Smith throws incomplete deep middle (intended for Davis). This is the now infamous 22 yard “incompletion” to Davis in the seam. The Steelers line up with one down lineman (Hampton), though DE Keisel is on the field standing like an LB. They have an LB come a yard behind the LOS and spy Smith, while the OLBs, Hampton, and Keisel come on the blitz. Gore and Jacobs chased FS Clark across the field for the tackle when they thought he’d recovered a fumble. Davis had also popped up and was nearby with Smiley when the tackle was made. Total: 4 (creative, though). *2nd Series 2nd and 9 SF21: Smith throws short left to Walker for 3 yards The Steelers bring both ILB’s and drop their OLB’s into coverage. The Niners line picks it up alright, but Smith dumps the ball off to Walker who goes nowhere. Total: 5. 3rd and 6 SF24: Smith throws short right to Battle for 11 yards. The Steelers line up with 1 down lineman (Hampton), and Kiesel standing as well as 4 LB’s crowding the line. One of those LB’s drops into coverage, and the rest come on the blitz. Smith, running right, makes a great throw to Battle for the first down. Total: 5. 1st and 15 SF30: Smith throws sideline right to Jackson for 17 yards. Pittsburgh brings, along with their 3 down linemen, one OLB and one ILB, all of whom are picked up by the OL. Good job on this one. Total: 5. 1st and 10 SF47: Smith throws sideline right to Jackson for 20 yards. Coming on the blitz are the SOLB and SS Polamalu. Both are picked up brilliantly by Norris and Gore. Total: 5. 1st and 10 PIT33: Robinson runs up the middle for 2 yards. The Steelers bring both OLB’s and Polamalu on the snap. Polamalu and Harrison are in the backfield instantly. Robinson avoids them by plowing into LB Foote and DE Kirsche. Total: 6. 2nd and 8 PIT31: Smith throws incomplete deep middle. Both OLBs and one ILB come right as the play clock expires (the ILB gets a running start, then pauses, then continues). Smith is hit as he throws, and the ball flies out of the endzone (Jackson was open). Heitmann is responsible for the pressure (the ILB blew past him). Total: 6. 3rd and 8 PIT31: Smith is sacked for -9 yards. Pittsburgh lines up with 2 down linemen and 3 linebackers standing at the line of scrimmage. Allen and Jennings both block the wrong man, and LB Haggans sprints through the line unblocked to make the initial hit, while Farrior comes in to clean up. Jennings actually ends up not blocking anyone on this play (the guy he went for ended up running around the edge and into RB Robinson). Total: 5. On Pittsburgh’s ensuing drive, we see shots of Allen and Jennings stomping furious up and down the sideline. Battle and Dilfer seem to be consoling Jennings, patting him on the back and talking. Reading lips Hal-9000 style, we can see Battle says, “Come on, man.” *3rd Series 1st and 10 SF37: Smith throws incomplete short right. Pittsburgh lines up in what looks like a 4-1-6 dime. They send their ILB and a DB on the rush. Total: 6. 2nd and 10 SF37: Smith throws short left to Jacobs for 5 yards. Pittsburgh sends the 4 men on the line plus the ILB. Total: 5. 3rd and 5 SF42: Smith throws short left, INTERCEPTED by McFadden, run back for a TOUCHDOWN. Pittsburgh sent 4 rushers on this play and used one LB as a QB spy to keep Smith from scrambling. Poor Larry Allen looks like he’s moving in slow motion this whole play. McFadden runs right by him. But then, Larry doesn’t get paid to tackle. *4th Series 1st and 10 PIT46: Smith scrambles up the middle for 25 yards (5 rushers) Pittsburgh sends 2 down linemen, their 2 middle linebackers, and one defensive back. Total: 5. 1st and 10 PIT21: Smith throws sideline left to Jacobs for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pittsburgh lines up with 1 down lineman, and overloads the right side of the line with an LB, the dime back and SS Polamalu. DE Keisel runs straight past Smiley (to Smiley’s right), gets chipped by Heitmann (who realizes Smiley made a mistake and runs to make the save), and gets one arm on Smith before Alex steps up and throws a nice pass into the corner of the end zone. Total: 5. *5th Series This drive consisted of 2 handoffs to Keasey. No pass rush.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
In the Tunnel: First look at the Seahawks
A big factor leading to all the optimism for 49ers fans this season was that San Francisco was victorious against the Seattle Seahawks twice last season.
Seattle went on to win the NFC West by the slimmest of margins (and come within a field goal of the NFC championship game) as the 49ers failed to carry their momentum into a postseason berth. Nevertheless, the seed had been planted. What better step to take in Mike Nolan's goal to win the West than sweep the current division champions? The Seattle Seahawks have been the only consistent benchmark for success that the Nolan Ver. 2.0 Niners have had (here's Nolan Ver. 1.0), and seeing how they fare against an always well-prepared Mike Holmgren team this time around will tell us a lot about where the power lies in the division and just how far these 49ers have come. The Seahawks have built the foundation of their success on former MVP running back Shaun Alexander and the precision passing of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. Any 49ers fan from more than 10 years ago will see an awfully familiar looking scheme coming from their opponents this week. Holmgren and the Seahawks run possibly the purest version of the Walshian West Coast offense in the NFL today. It's predicated on short, high-percentage passes and precision route-running by recievers who can run after the catch. They've been operating this system for a long time now with the primary players intact, thus it's seldom they make many mental errors during a game. The Seahawks have a talented and capable offensive line. Last year they had to deal with the loss of all-world left guard Steve Hutchinson, and rookie Rob Sims had his growing pains. Shaun Alexander's performance suffered directly because of the change and the subsequent injuries that hindered the squad's overall production. This line is a fairly athletic group that can move in space and make blocks at the second level. With the exception of all-pro left tackle Walter Jones (who is a beast), none of these guys are listed above 312 — so pure power running definitely isn't their forte, but pulling and trapping is. In the passing game, Hasselbeck largely negates any protection breakdowns with short drops and a quick release. He's old enough and savvy enought that it's unlikely too many defenders will get to him consistently. Alexander is generally the starting point of the Seahawks' gameplan, and although he's not the same back that brought home the MVP hardware two seasons ago, he's still a threat. He's a little nicked up already with a broken wrist, so it remains to be seen how much of a workload the offense will put on him this week. But we do know he will be starting, and he will be wearing a cast. Hasselbeck has been the hand-picked signal-caller of Mike Holmgren's offense for several years now, and he rarely makes poor decisions within the system. Last year, the 49ers only saw him once as he sat out the midseason game with a knee injury and backup Seneca Wallace played in his place. Either way, the results were the same, but it can't be overlooked that Hasselbeck is a dangerous quarterback who can make throws and move around in the pocket to avoid the rush. He can be rattled, though, so if the defense can put him on the ground a few times, it may pay dividends as the game wears on. The Seahawks recieving corps boasts 3 productive players in Deion Branch, Nate Burleson and Bobby Engram. The Seahawks' preseason starter, D.J. Hackett, is sidelined with an ankle injury, but the combined experience and talents of these three other veterans means the Seahawks aren't stressing too badly about getting Hackett back. Branch in particular had a big game against the Bengals last week, and Burleson is a deep threat that needs to get rid of the dropsies to really become a top wideout. The only thing this group lacks is height, as only Burleson is over 6 feet. Veteran tight end Marcus Pollard also brings a considerable amount of pass catching ability, or should I say reliability, to the table and has provided Hasslebeck with a nice safety valve to dump to when necessary. There are really only a few things you need to know about Seattle's defensive unit. They are fast as hell, but they can be moved around in the running game. None of the guys that operate in the Seahawks' 4-3 defense are huge, imposing figures, but they can run and swarm to the ball. Last season, Frank Gore hung over 400 yards in two games against this defense, and we're not going to see anything terribly different except for the addition of safeties Deon Grant and Brian Russell and defensive end Patrick Kearney, and the subtractions of defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs and defensive end Grant Wistrom. Wistrom left in the offseason and Tubbs is rehabing a knee injury that will keep him out long term. Obviously, there are some concerns about the run defense, and that starts with the play of the defensive line. Losing Tubbs last season was huge — there's no way I can stress that enough — and the addition of Kearny doesn't exactly feel like an upgrade or downgrade over Wistrom, so in short this isn't a real strength for the Seahawks. They're somewhat more effective rushing the passer, but if the running game is established early, it will force them to stay honest. The linebacking unit is punctuated with stars Julian Peterson (I think we all remember him, f'ing sissy) and Lofa Tatupu, two guys who can really run and cover well in the passing game. Leroy Hill is entering his third season and appears to be the direction to run in when looking for a weakness. With the aformentioned additions in the secondary and the solid play of corners Marcus Trufant, a real burner, and Kelly Jennings, the Seattle pass defense is strong to say the least. They are somewhat smallish at the corners, with neither player reaching 6 feet, so it may be advantageous to keep the routes short and try to get around them after the catch. I like the way the 49ers matchup with the Seahawks in most regards. Passing against them will be difficult, but the Niners have had a hard time with that anyway. I really want to see them pound away with the running game and wear these guys out. Hell, even if they platooned in Baas and Snyder to keep fresh (and big) bodies on the field, I like the matchups that they're getting. I expect a high output from Gore once again here and a victory for the home team.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Line of Scrimmage: A must-win game?
This week in Line of Scrimmage, JR and Ben look ahead to this Sunday's big NFC West matchup between the 49ers and the Seahawks. It's an important game, as the teams both enter 2-1 and appear to be the only legitimate contenders for the division title. But does all that make this a must-win for the 49ers? YES: Okay, okay, I know the season is still young and the 49ers just lost on the road to a superior team only two years removed from a world championship. Nobody really expected them to win that game. Sure, it was possible, but the simple fact that they didn't get embarrassed is enough to get by another week. Things could get considerably uglier if they give us a repeat performance in Week 4, though. If the team were to go 2-2, they'd still be in close contention for the NFC West, but the mental impact on the players and fans would be profound. This isn't the big, scary AFC North anymore. It's the warm and fuzzy NFC West, where, so far, the 49ers have had success. I'd go so far as to say many Niner fans expect to win this game for the simple fact that they won twice last year against Seattle. Combine that with the 49ers playing at home, and you've got an all but guaranteed victory, right? This is the curse of high expectations. I know we haven't had to deal with this for a long time, but if the 49ers lose to the Seahawks, there's going to be a lot of questions surrounding the abilities and dedication of this team. Has the new talent brought in during the offseason been worthwhile? Does Nolan have them on the right track? Have they taken steps backward instead of progressing? Questions like these can be like dynamite in the head of a young NFL player. Alex Smith can't afford to have doubt creep into his mind and make him question his reads. The defense can't expect to give up plays on third down. They can't hesitate and see what the offense does first. They have to anticipate and react to things on the fly. The psyche of a football team is a fragile organism, it must be maintained or you'll end up like the New Orleans Saints — all the talent is in place, but the specter of doubt has invaded that locker room, and it's up to the coaches and the vocal leaders on that team to root it out. Two losses in a row, especially one to the division rival Seahawks, could severely damage the mental progression we've seen so far. — JR NO: Let's be honest. It's Week 4 of the NFL season. Is it a must-win for the New Orleans Saints? Maybe, since they're sitting at 0-3 and missing Deuce McAllister for the rest of the season. But I don't watch the Saints — I watch the 49ers. And if you had told me the Niners would be 2-1 to start the season before the year started, I would have done a dance. The Steelers game was a rout, no doubt about it. And yes, the Niners have more than a few things to work on before saying they're a truly good team. But to say they have to beat the Seahawks in Week 4? I don't think so. Let's look at the schedule for a second. After they play the Seahawks, the 49ers get Baltimore, the New York Giants, New Orleans and Atlanta before playing the Seahawks again. Let's say they go 2-2 in those games. That leaves them at 4-3 when they travel to Seattle. If they go 3-1 (which is a distinct possibility) then they're 5-2 heading up north. Either way, I like their chances. Let's turn this argument on it's head for a second. What if this is a must-win for the Seahawks? They're 2-1 with a date against Pittsburgh next and Shaun Alexander ailing as usual. If you ask me, the Seahawks are in far more dire shape than the Niners. — Ben
Film Room: Sopoaga and Franklin
This week’s Film Room spotlight is on the Niners' twin titans in the middle, nose tackles Aubrayo Franklin and Isaac Sopoaga. Franklin missed the entire preseason with a sprained knee suffered in training camp. In the absence of his major competition, Sopoaga took the opportunity to show how far he’s come in learning his position. On film, Franklin looks like he weighs about 20 pounds more than Sopoaga, but the big Samoan looks an inch or two taller and far more athletic. I don’t recall either having their name mentioned even once in the telecast, but that’s usually not a big deal for a nose tackle, as their work is not often very flashy. Rather, their job is primarily to occupy blockers — the more, the better. So how did they hold up against the Steelers vaunted offensive line? Read on and find out: The first thing I notice while reviewing the game is this: As they fade out into the commercial, the network plays a rock tune with highlight images of Roethlisberger and the subtitle, “BIG BEN UP NEXT”. *1st Half, 1st Series 1st and 10 PIT16: Parker runs left for 13 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin is engaged by the RG Simmons after the C Mahan swims past and goes to block a linebacker. Aubrayo knocks the Simmons on his butt, but Parker sidesteps and runs into the secondary. 1st and 10 PIT29: Roethlisberger is sacked for -4 yards, and FUMBLES. SF recovers. Franklin shoves C Mahan back a yard and drifts left, but it’s a play-fake. OLB Navies swoops in, knocks the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hands and recovers it (DE Young was right there as well). *2nd Series 1st and 10 PIT25: Roethlisberger throws short middle to Parker for 9 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin bull-rushes the RG Simmons about 7 yards into the backfield, then gets blocked in the back (arguably the side) just as he closes within a yard of Roethlisberger, who evades and dumps the ball off to Parker (tackled by Douglas after 9). No penalty. 2nd and 1 PIT34: Parker runs up the middle for 5 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin is double teamed by the C Mahan and RG Simmons. He holds his ground, but is only able to get one arm on Parker who runs past. 1st and 10 PIT39: Parker runs up the middle for 5 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin is engaged by the RG while the C swim-moves past him (again), and goes out to block LB Willis. Parker runs over the hole between the C and LG. 2nd and 5 PIT 44: Parker runs outside right for 1 yard. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin is blocked by the C, but manages to drift left and clog up the hole (along with BY). Parker tries to bounce the run outside and Willis drags him down by the jersey. 3rd and 4 PIT 45: Roethlisberger throws deep middle incomplete. (neither Franklin or Sopoaga were in on this play) *3rd Series 1st and 10 PIT9: Roethlisberger throws short left to Miller for 15 yards. Franklin, singled up against the C Mahan, pushes about a yard into the backfield before Roethlisberger gets the pass off. Willis comes on a blitz and clocks the RG Simmons pretty good (he seemed to be the weak link on the Steelers line in the first half). 1st and 10 PIT24: Parker runs left for -3 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin drifts right and is engaged by the RG, but the play is over pretty fast because DE Douglas explodes off the ball, through the LT Smith’s block, and makes the tackle. 2nd and 13 PIT21: Parker runs left for 8 yards. Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel Franklin stunts toward the LG Faneca and Sopoaga goes behind him toward the RG Simmons. Simmons follows Franklin and sends him sprawling with a shove from the side (he lands right at Parker’s feet). Banta-Cain spins past the LT's block and loses contain on Parker who says “thank you very much” and speeds through the hole. Weirdness – ILB Smith jumps on C Mahan’s back and gets carried a couple yards on this play. *4th Series 1st and 10 PIT20: WR Wilson runs right then back left for no gain. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga holds his ground and shoves the C back about a yard, then drifts toward the RT Colon (which is the direction Wilson is running). Willis flies in and cuts Wilson off on the right side of the field, but gets cut-blocked by the FB Davis. Willis pops up and still has time to make the tackle, but then he gets blocked by TE Miller, sheds him, and gets blocked by the FB again. As Wilson comes back across the field, CB Clements flies into the frame and makes an amazing open field tackle. 2nd and 10 PIT20: Parker runs right for 23 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga holds up at the point of attack and clogs up the middle. DE Young hits Parker in the backfield, but doesn’t wrap up. Parker escapes and bounces the run outside, making OLB’s Banta-Cain and Navies look silly trying to keep up. In Banta-Cain’s defense, he was fighting off TE Miller’s block at the time. 1st and 10 PIT43: RB Davenport runs up the middle for 1 yard. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga holds the point of attack and forces Davenport to redirect outside where he’s swarmed by defenders. Note: This play was nullified by an illegal formation penalty. 1st and 15 PIT38: Parker runs left for 2 yards. Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel (Line: Banta-Cain/Young/Franklin/Sopoaga) Sopoaga runs outside the LT and gets taken out of the play. Franklin drifts right and clogs up the hole, forcing Parker right into the arms of ILB Smith who makes a nice solo tackle. 2nd and 13 PIT40: Roethlisberger throws incomplete left. Neither Franklin or Sopoaga were in on this play, I just wanted to point it out because it started out looking like a 4-1-6, but DE/LB Moore backed off the line while SS M. Lewis and FS Roman came on the blitz. Moore gave TE Miller a nice pop within the 5 yard hit-zone and stayed on him in man coverage. Note: This play was nullified by the questionable illegal contact penalty on CB Clements. Roethlisberger raised his arms and complained, then started nodding and clapping when he saw the flag. This inspired in me undying hatred. 1st and 10 PIT45: Roethlisberger throws middle to Miller for 10 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga fights for hand-position with the C Mahan and goes nowhere. Actually, it looks like they’re playing patty-cake. This play seemed to be Willis’ fault, as Miller went uncovered and it looked like Willis realized it was his job and turned to give chase. 3rd and 1 SF26: Davenport runs up the middle for 3 yards. Franklin is pancaked by the C Mahan and LG Faneca. Sopoaga gets 2 yards into the backfield against LT Smith, but he’s walled out of the play by the entire left side of the line. 1st and 10 SF23: Parker runs right for 3 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin holds his ground against the C’s block, extends his arms to create space, and then drifts toward the play. Banta-Cain makes a nice tackle, fighting through TE Miller’s block. 2nd and 7 SF20: Parker runs left for 5 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin holds his ground against the C and an initial shove from LG Faneca, then fights through the blocks and trips up Parker. 3rd and 2 SF15: Direct snap to WR Ward for 6 yards. (Neither Franklin or Sopoaga in on this play) 1st and goal SF8: Roethlisberger throws short right to FB Davis for -1 yard. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin fights against blocks from C Mahan and RG Simmons, disengages, and flows down the line toward the play. Clements flies in to make the tackle before anyone else gets close. Great play. 2nd and goal SF9: Roethlisberger throws short right to TE Tuman, TOUCHDOWN. Franklin, blocked by the RG Simmons, pushes about 2 yards into the backfield and raises his arms as the ball is thrown, but it’s too little too late (Roethlisberger throws from about 7 yards in the backfield). *2nd Half, 1st Series 1st and 10 PIT20: Parker runs left for 5 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin gets a good push on the C Mahan and moves down the line toward the LT Smith, clogging up the hole and forcing Parker outside where DE/DT Douglas makes the tackle. Parker gets 5 yards after a generous spot. 2nd and 5 PIT25: Roethlisberger scrambles to the right for 18 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin is double-teamed by C Mahan and RG Simmons. He pushes them about a yard and a half back, then redirects toward LT Smith just as Roethlisberger runs through the hole where the RT was. Watching OLB Banta-Cain give chase on this play is painful due to the lack of effort. DE Young also missed an ankle-tackle which would have held the play to a gain of 5. D. Smith, covering RB Parker (matchup nightmare here), shed RB Parker’s block and chased Roethlisberger out of bounds. 1st and 10 PIT43: Parker runs left for 5 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin moves toward the LT and clogs up the running lane, forcing Parker to cut the run downfield before he’d have liked to. DE Young and ILB Willis make the tackle. This is the kind of play injured OLB Lawson blows up in the backfield from behind all the time. Banta-Cain was unblocked on the backside of the play, but pretty much jogged in pursuit. 2nd and 5 PIT48: Parker runs right for 5 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin is blocked out of the play by the Center. RB Parker runs over RT Colon for another chunk of yardage. 1st and 10 SF47: Davenport runs left for -2 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga, pushing toward the LT Smith, tosses RG Simmons aside like a ragdoll but then trips over TE Tuman. Tuman, incidentally, was ragdolled himself by DE Marques Douglas who knifed into the backfield to bring Davenport down for a 2 yard loss. Great effort by Douglas. On this play, ILB Smith tried to take LG Faneca head-on. He lost. 2nd and 12 SF50: Parker runs left for 2 yards. Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel (Line: Young/Franklin/Sopoaga/Banta-Cain) Sopoaga pushes C Mahan about 5 yards into the backfield, taking himself out of the play. The RG, Simmons, tries mightily to move Franklin out of the play, but fails. Franklin and Young effectively broke this play, forcing Parker left when the run was obviously designed to go right. Willis actually missed a tackle on this play. That’s sort of like seeing Jerry Rice drop a pass. Banta-Cain showed better effort on this play, chasing Parker down alongside CB W. Harris. 3rd and 10 SF48: Roethlisberger throws left to TE Miller for 31 yards. Formation: 3-2-6 Dime Neither Franklin or Sopoaga were in on this play, but I wanted to point it out. FS Roman comes on a blitz and should have a sack, but he’s obviously blocked in the back by the Center. In fact, it’s obvious it’s kind of ridiculous. Bryant Young also has a shot, but the RT trips him. He promptly falls on Roman’s ankle (Roman was limping afterward). The refs miss the two penalties in the backfield but manage to call an illegal contact penalty on CB Hudson, which is declined. Afterward, the announcers talk about how the Steelers should throw the ball at Roman to take advantage of the injury. 1st and 10 SF17: Roethlisberger throws incomplete right to Miller. Sopoaga, though he’s double-teamed by the C and RG, pushes about 4 yards into the backfield anyway. The play is initially called a catch. Coach Nolan challenges the play and wins, as Miller’s foot landed out of bounds. 2nd and 10 SF17: Roethlisberger throws incomplete short middle. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga is blocked by the C who holds him off with help from LG Faneca. This is the play where Willis bodyslams WR Hines Ward. Roman crushes him on the very next play, and I bet Mark was still angry about the block in the back robbing him of the sack. 3nd and 10 SF17: Roethlisberger throws incomplete short middle. Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel (Neither Sopoaga nor Franklin were in on this play) *2nd Series 1st and 10 PIT19: Roethlisberger throws short left to FB Davis for 10 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin goes nowhere, as he’s blocked by C Mahan with some help from RG Simmons. 1st and 10 PIT29: Parker runs left for 1 yard. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin gets blocked by the C, but stands him up and shoves him toward LT Smith and into the hole. Parker has nowhere to go. 2nd and 9 PIT30: Parker runs right for 3 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin holds his ground against a doubleteam from the C and RG. DE Young does a great job fighting off the RT Colon and TE Miller, who gets tossed to the ground. OLB Navies also held his ground well, allowing ILB Smith to make the tackle. 3rd and 6 PIT27: Roethlisberger throws short right to Holmes for 15 yards. (Neither Franklin nor Sopoaga in on this play) 1st and 10 PIT42: Roethlisberger throws right sideline to Holmes for 22 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin reads run on the play-action and pretty much goes nowhere on this play. Banta-Cain misses an easy sack by trying to arm-tackle Roethlisberger instead of wrapping up. In Tully’s defense, he was shoved in the back by LG Alan Faneca, who he beat on the play. 1st and 10 SF36: Parker runs up the middle for 2 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga demonstrates perfect technique on this play, standing up the C, finding the RB Parker, then tossing the C aside and making the tackle. 2nd and 7 SF34: Roethlisberger throws incomplete short right. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga splits a double-team (the RG and C), slices into the backfield, and Roethlisberger proceeds to slip out of the tackle and throw the ball away. Fields was also nearby, but he was held by the back of his shoulder pads by RT Colon behind him at the end of the play, and then he got blocked in the back by the Center. This was obviously intentional grounding, but it went uncalled. Not only was there no receiver in the vicinity of the throw, Roethlisberger wasn’t even close to being out of the pocket. The RT lined up on the right hash mark, and Ben was easily a yard or two left of it when he threw. All the announcers (Moose, Goose, and the other guy) were surprised it wasn’t called. 3rd and 7 SF34: Parker runs left for r yards. Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel. Neither Sopoaga or Franklin were in on this play. I just wanted to go over it because it was probably a fumble. When Parker was tackled, he landed on Marques Douglas and his knees and elbows appeared off the ground when the ball came out. It was hard to tell from the angle they showed, but it looked close enough that it shouldn’t have been whistled dead. *3rd Series Note: Haralson came in for Navies at OLB on this series. 1st and 10 PIT20: Parker runs over RT for 13 yards. Formation: Base 3-4. Sopoaga stands the C up but doesn’t go far. Seems like everyone gets blocked on this play, and Parker makes a nice cut to get downfield. Banta-Cain’s jersey is grabbed a little, but overall it's just a good play by the Steelers. 1st and 10 PIT34: Roethlisberger throws short right to FB Davis for -1 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga holds the point, then runs down the line toward the RT and beyond toward the FB. Willis makes the initial hit, but Sopoaga runs over and gets in on the action as well. 2nd and 11 PIT33: Parker runs outside right for 5 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga holds his ground then follows the flow of the play toward the RT then the sideline and makes an assist on the tackle. Banta-Cain should have made the stop in the backfield for a loss, but Parker slipped the arm-tackle. 3rd and 6 PIT 38: Roethlisberger throws middle to Holmes for 18 yards (Spencer covering). Formation: Who knows (Line: Douglas/Fields, many LBs standing up) 1st and 10 SF 44: Parker runs outside right for 5 yards. Formation: Base 3-4 Franklin is blocked out of the play by the RG. Keith Lewis gets his first non-special teams tackle on the season, bringing Parker down in the open field. Lewis looks very excited to finally see the field. 2nd and 6 SF39: Parker runs over RG for a gain of 4. Formation: 4-4-3 Interesting formation on this one. The DB’s are M. Lewis, K. Lewis, and Clements. The LB’s are Smith, Willis, Navies, and Banta-Cain. The down linemen are Young, Franklin, Sopoaga, and Franklin. Banta-Cain is lined up outside Young’s shoulder standing up. Franklin gets blasted off the ball by the C and the LG Faneca. Sopoaga, blocked by LT Smith, is too far away to be a factor in the play. Willie Parker gains an extra 2 yards at the end of this play by falling on a Niner (Douglas, I think) and rolling forward before hitting the ground. After that, Parker stands up and beats his chest like he's King Kong or something. 3rd and 2 SF35: Roethlisberger throws sideline right to Miller for 17 yards. Formation: 4-4-3 Franklin collapses the pocket about 4 yards, but it doesn’t matter much because Roethlisberger is in the shotgun. Sopoaga gets forced outside by the RG. Young was held and then shoved from behind after getting past his man. No call. 1st and 10 SF18: Parker runs outside left for 1 yard. Formation: 4-4-3 Sopoaga and Franklin are walled out of the play by LT Smith and LG Faneca. K.Lewis and N. Clements combine for this tackle. A great effort by both. Willis went one-on-one with Faneca and held up just fine. In fact, he spun off the block and headed back for the ball carrier and would have made the tackle if Clements or Lewis hadn’t. Faneca ended the play flat on his belly. 2nd and 9 SF17: Roethlisberger throws incomplete short left. Formation: 4-4-3 (Sopoaga shifts to LDE, with Franklin at LDT) Neither Sopoaga or Franklin go far, as this was a quick strike for the endzone. 3rd and 9 SF17: Roethlisberger throws incomplete short right. Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel (Neither Franklin or Sopoaga are in on this play) *4th Series, following onside kick 1st and 10 SF46: Davenport runs outside right for 5 yards. Formation: 4-4-3 Franklin gets blown off the ball by the C and RG Faneca on this play. Sopoaga stands his man up (LT Smith) and drifts toward the ball, but the play is to the other side of the field. 2nd and 5 SF41: Davenport runs over RT for 2 yards. Formation: 4-4-3 Franklin stands his man up and flows toward the RT, clogging up the middle nicely. Sopoaga is pushed back 2 yards by the doubleteam of Faneca and the LT. Marques Douglas takes a hilarious flying leap onto the pile at the end of this play. 3rd and 3 SF39: Davenport runs over LT for 39 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Formation: Base 3-4 Sopoaga stands C Mahan up, then sheds the block, but only gets one arm on Davenport who runs through the gap where LT Smith and LG Faneca have manhandled Marques Douglas. Banta-Cain bites on the fake end-around and doesn’t recover in time to get close enough for the tackle. M. Lewis misses a shoestring tackle. W. Harris goes for the strip instead of the tackle, and the Dump Truck scores. In The End ... Upon close review, I felt that Sopoaga clearly had a better game than Franklin, but that Douglas had a monster game and played the best of the defensive linemen. Sopoaga always seems like the strongest man on the field. Several plays per game I see him throw blockers aside like they were children. It's hard not to see that and get excited about his future. Franklin is huge out there, but other than his size there isn't anything about his game I can really point to and say is excellent. Neither gets off the ball lightning quick down after down, but Franklin seems the slower of the two. I don't intend to start a controversy, but it does seem that Sopoaga is a bit beyond Franklin at this point. Next week's Film Room spotlight is yet to be determined, but some people have suggested Heitmann and Smiley. If there are any players in particular whose snaps you would like to see analyzed like this, please post their names in the comments.
Formation: Base 3-4
Formation: 4-2-5 Nickel
Formation: Base 3-4
Formation: 3-2-6 Dime
Formation: 4-4-3
Formation: Base 3-4
Formation: Base 3-4
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
How it feel to be B-Will?
I once asked a fellow 49er fan at my sports bar about wide receiver Brandon Williams and what he thought B-Will could contribute to the Niners this year as their punt returner.
He simply replied, "Motion for the fair catch, I guess." It's quickly becoming old news, but 49ers sixth-string wide receiver and fair-catch guy Brandon Williams was released today. In his place, the 49ers have signed Michael "Beer Man" Lewis (yes, another Michael Lewis), who formerly played with the Saints from 2001 to 2006. The new Michael Lewis is known as "Beer Man" because he drove a beer truck before getting a tryout with the Saints and making the roster at the ripe old age of 29. Hooray beer! (I'm totally going to yell that every time the Niners return a punt for the rest of the season. You readers out there as 49er fans are obligated to do the same. Don't let me down.) Meanwhile, Brandon Williams (also known as B-Will, a wannabe rapper name if I ever heard one) now joins Bryan Gilmore as another unemployed former 49ers wide receiver released in 2007. If you are getting the idea that I don't like Mr. Williams, well, you're 100 percent correct there, friend. Ignoring his muffed punt against the Rams two weeks ago, the guy never produced like a third-round draft pick should (other past third-round picks on the Niners' roster include Frank Gore, Adam Snyder and Jeff Ulbrich). Williams never caught a pass on offense outside of the preseason, and the guy is the worst kind of modern athlete in my eyes. Why do I believe B-Will deserves such scorn? This is one reason. Here is another. You know what the rest of the 49ers are doing at night while Brandon is shooting homemade rap videos in his kitchen? I can't be 100 percent sure, but I would bet Frank Gore is watching game tape, Smittay is studying his playbook with the Dilf, and Manny Lawson is bowling with Marcus Hudson (which is always better than making homemade rap videos in your kitchen). All I'm saying is that if you aren't starting in the NFL, but you are signed to a team and on the active roster, you should be focused and busting your ass to get on the football field and turn heads ... not rapping. I never thought Brandon Williams had that kind of focus, whether he was wearing No. 17 or the cursed No. 81 (previously worn by former 49er wide receivers Terrell Owens and Antonio Bryant). So on that note, thanks for coming Brandon. Here is your new home. Say "Hi" to Quincy Carter for me. Oh, and HOORAY BEER! Tell your friends. I want all of Monster Park screaming it by Week 8.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Hit List: Dedicated to the Whiners
This week in Hit List, we take a look at the Niners' 37-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and provide a guide of sorts for how fans should properly cope with the defeat. GREETINGS, Observer readers. Nick here with a special Monday morning Hit List for your reading pleasure. Like most 49er fans, I watched Smittay and his crew lose their first game of the season to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday morning. In short, it was a pretty competitive game, and the 49ers offense played much better than my pessimistic side would have predicted after the Niners barely edged the Rams in week 2. I left my local sports bar on Sunday feeling disappointed by the loss, but encouraged by what Hostler and Nolan were attempting to do with the offense. Yet, as I sit in front of my computer and browse the internets regarding all things 49ers, I'm extremely surprised by the general fan reaction to this game. For many of the 49er Faithful, Sunday's loss has somehow warranted the trading of half of the offense to the Redskins and starting Trent Dilfer by Week 8. I'm not exactly sure what these fans were expecting of the Niners against one of the best teams in the league (I was fully prepared for the worst outcome possible), but apparently some were hoping the San Francisco 49ers would morph into the Indianapolis Colts over the course of a week and destroy the Steelers by a great margin. Needless to say, such expectations proved to be kind of delusional. Thus, today's special edition of the Hit List is a guide for all the 49er fans out there who are calling for Alex Smith's head on a stick, or for the future offspring of Vernon Davis to be cursed with the mark of the beast. As a public service, I give you The Week 3 Guide to Losing for Forty-Whiner Fans. Consume, digest, floss, and enjoy. THE COMPLAINT - Alex Smith is a bust and is the main reason the 49ers are playing poor on offense in 2007. THE REALITY - It's difficult for Alex Smith to put up Tom Brady numbers when the 49ers offensive line can't seem to hold back a four-man rush this season, let alone a massive blitz with 245 pounds of linebacker by the name of James Farrior coming at Smittay full-speed. It also doesn't help when your Pro Bowl running back is contained for only 39 yards on the day (it's hard to fool your opponent with play action when you can't move the ball on the ground in the first place). Alex Smith deserves a big thumbs up for his performance in Pittsburgh, especially for the heart he displayed when hollering at his offensive line midway through the game to give him some much needed pass protection. And did you leave the TV on long enough to see that TD pass to Taylor Jacobs at the end of the game? Smith can play, but he's still young. Fans out there calling for Dilfer need to give Smittay a bit more time to realize his full potential. I, for one, believe he can be the quarterback we all want him to be. As of now, he just needs some help from his offensive line. THE COMPLAINT - Frank Gore has regressed and his Pro Bowl season was a fluke. THE REALITY - My editor James here at the Observer said it best — there is a big elephant in the room that was supposed to be one of the 49ers' strengths as football team in 2007. The offensive line is just not getting it done. There have been massive breakdowns in protection across the entire line over the past three weeks, and it is safe to say this isn't the same group of gigantic men 49er fans grew to respect during the 2006 season. Their lackluster performance is hurting both Gore's running and Smith's passing. The only solution is to pray that there is improvement as the season continues or that one of the Niners' heralded backups in Adam Snyder, David Baas or Tony Wragge can step in and step up. Otherwise, against good defensive teams, you can expect Frank Gore to be contained all year. THE COMPLAINT - Vernon Davis is a liability and should be jettisoned into space. THE REALITY - No. Seriously, just stop. Click-Clack showed why he is the 49ers' best receiver Sunday with great all-around play. The man may drop a pass here and there, but when VD gets into the open field, he becomes a liability for whatever defense is trying to stop him. His clutch catch in the third quarter against Pittsburgh would have put the 49ers in position to put 6 on the board but was negated by a terrible call by the officials. One thing you can argue as a Niner fan is that referees seem to never give San Francisco any breaks regarding close calls ... at least since about the time Mariucci left town. Don't ask me why, but the past two-plus years have been very frustrating for the 49ers and poor officiating. THE COMPLAINT - Jim Hostler is a poor offensive coordinator and should be blamed for the Niners problems on offense. THE REALITY - Yes and no, and here's where things get tricky. In his first year, Hostler is no doubt inexperienced regarding the coordinator duties. I think his biggest faults are not pushing Smith to throw farther downfield on a regular basis as well as not using Gore effectively by calling the plays that suit Gore's strengths as a running back. People have also called Hostler (and Nolan as well) conservative with the offensive play-calling, which I believe was accurate after the Niners' first two weeks of the season. However, against Pittsburgh, the 49ers came out throwing on their first drive, allowing Smittay to hit Delanie "D-Love" Walker, Darrell Jackson, and Vernon Davis with some well-timed passes. The final numbers on the day were 19 runs and 35 passes for the 49ers offense. Granted, the Niners were playing from behind most of the day, but allowing Smith to throw the ball more (and also with the plays Hostler was calling) was a big step forward in building up the confidence of the entire offensive unit. The main problem now isn't the plays Hostler is calling (besides the way he uses Gore), but getting the offensive line to run the plays well. Hostler gets a moderately-sized thumbs-up for his performance in Pittsburgh, but I hope his improvement continues. [On a side note, I want to ask again if Hostler just doesn't like to pull the guards on the runs with Gore. That means shifting Larry Allen to the outside after the snap to help Gore get around the edge. It worked like a charm last year, but maybe Hostler knows something I don't. All I know is that the 49ers' running game doesn't look very creative. I definitely miss Norv Turner in that respect.] And with that, I'm outta here. I'll be back Saturday with another Hit List to prepare you guys for Sunday's game against Seattle. You can learn more about my general feelings regarding the Seahawks right here. To close, here is who I liked and didn't like Sunday against the Steelers: Manny Lawson wants you to sign his knee brace: Nate Clements, Patrick Willis, Hannibal Navies (it's clear he's no Manny Lawson though), Mark Roman, Vernon Davis, Alex Smith, Andy Lee, Joe Nedney and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky (he's so refreshing after suffering through the tepid Billy Davis era). Trent Dilfer wants to have a word with you: Larry Allen, Derek Smith (without Lawson, we're stuck with him for the rest of the season), Tully Banta-Cain (who must REALLY using like the spin move in Madden 2008), Brandon Williams (he'll be cut in 2008, guaranteed) and, sadly enough, Ashley Lelie. [EDIT: Wow... I called that one. 49ers wide receiver/punt returner Brandon Williams was waived today. Former Saint Michael Lewis was signed by the Niners and will probably replace B-Will this weekend on special teams. I hereby endorse the move. Good job Nolan.]
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Kneejerk Knotes: Elephant in the room
Maybe it wasn't all Jim Hostler's fault after all.
The 49ers' offense finally "opened up" like everyone was hoping for in Sunday's 37-16 loss to the Steelers. Hostler's play-calling was creative and mostly pretty good, Vernon Davis was a major factor until getting hurt, and Alex Smith looked like a real NFL quarterback in as hostile an environment as you can find in the NFL.
So where did things go wrong for the 49ers? The same place they went wrong against Arizona and St. Louis — on the ground. Aside from one big run in St. Louis, Frank Gore has looked nothing like he did while leading the NFC in rushing a year ago. Has he lost a step? Doubtful. The problem for the 49ers has really been the offensive line's inability to create holes for Gore, who gained just 39 yards on 14 carries in Pittsburgh. Is it at all possible that Kwame Harris' absence is hurting the running game? It hurts to even say such a thing, but Harris has always been regarded as a good run blocker. I don't think Joe Staley has necessarily been bad, but maybe the 49ers really did lose a little in exchanging Kwame's run blocking for an upright quarterback (which Staley has mostly provided). Or maybe Larry Allen is finally beginning to lose a step in his old age. I don't know where the problem is, but there's clearly a problem. I think the play-calling has been over-criticized, while the lack of a run game has been given a free pass as a reason for the 49ers' struggles. It's easier to get creative in play-calling when you have a potent ground game, and it's easier to be a great quarterback when teams have to stack the box to stop the run. The 49ers' running game is no longer scary, and that will have to change before this offense really gets untracked. THAT SAID, IT'S hard not to be encouraged with the way the 49ers played on Sunday. The offense came out with one of their best opening drives in recent memory despite the aforementioned hostile environment. And without one aberration on special teams — when the 49ers' usually outstanding kick coverage team gave up a TD to Allen Rossum — San Francisco would have been down just 10-9 going into the fourth quarter. The way the offense moved the ball, they should have had more points. But they settled for one field goal after another and never regained the lead they grasped on that first drive and lost on Rossum's return. The defense kept the Steelers in check until the very end, when they finally wore down under the weight of an increasing deficit and the Steelers' strong offensive line. But make no mistake. Despite what turned into a lopsided final score, this was not the Chiefs game or the Bears game or even the Chargers game of last season. This team was not completely outclassed and did not fold under the pressure of a noisy crowd and a long road trip. They were competitive and legitimately had a chance to win the game. They're obviously not quite on the same level as the Steelers, one of the top teams in the dominant AFC, but they're not so far off. I LIKED WHAT I saw from Alex Smith in the waning moments. As soon as he threw his first interception of the season to Bryant McFadden, the game was over. But he hustled and brought McFadden down with a physical tackle (albeit a yard into the end zone). He then came back and put together a nice drive that included a gutsy 25-yard run that more than doubled Gore's best effort of the day and culminated with his first touchdown pass of the season to Taylor Jacobs. WITHOUT DISSECTING FILM like my esteemed colleague, Chris, it's hard to make an accurate assessment of any one player. But it sure looks like Derek Smith is a liability on defense. I've seen him miss critical tackles and be a step slow on some big pass plays, and with the improved level of talent on the field, these mistakes have become glaring. I don't know for sure that Brandon Moore would do a better job, but I think the time might be coming to give him the chance. As for the bigger linebacker concern of the day, it appeared as though Hannibal Navies did a decent job in place of Manny Lawson. He did get beat around the edge by Willie Parker (a play Lawson's speed probably would have negated) but he also sacked Ben Roethlisberger and forced a fumble early on, giving the 49ers great field position (which sadly turned into yet another field goal). VERNON DAVIS HAD his best game of the season, catching four passes for 56 yards and having a big third-down conversion overruled in an odd call, but he left the game with a left knee sprain. Let's hope this minor injury doesn't turn out to be like the supposedly "minor" one Manny Lawson suffered in practice last week.