Pitiful. The defense has completely collapsed. This reminds me of the some of the blowout losses of the past few seasons. Completely disgusted.
This is what you eventually get with a team that has zero margin for error. A couple of turnovers and . . . boom! . . . Mike Nolan football all over again.
This is also why that Vikings loss was so devastating. The 49ers really needed that win. After today, in all likelihood, they will be only 1/2 game up on the Cardinals. I'll pick the Cardinals next week against Seattle. The next time the 49ers play a game, they're going to be tied for first place. You can make fun of the Cardinals all you want, they went to the Super Bowl last season and proved that they can beat good teams and go on a run. The 49ers have proved fucking nothing. They are no longer favored to win the division, or make the playoffs.
Now they have a wicked schedule coming out, in which they could easily lose quite a lot of games over the next two months. This team is back to square one as far as I'm concerned.
The way this whole Crabtree thing was handled just renews my faith in the direction this organization is going 100 times over. They stuck to their guns, waited it out, and in the end got pretty much what they wanted: the best WR in last year's draft, and at a price that was fair for where he was picked.
Scot and Paraag look like they are the real deals. They know what it is they're doing and they do it soooo freaking well. Obviously it would have been nicer if it had gotten done sooner, but I really feel good about the way this was handled. It doesn't give me that "oh my god we totally screwed that up" feeling I've gotten so many times before from watching Brian Sabean operate.
And for everyone that thinks Crabtree is a "diva", from everything he's said in interviews it doesn't even appear that he's on VD's level, let alone TO. I'm pretty sure Sing will be able to handle the guy. I can't wait for the Texans game.
Yeah, Matt's been dropping hints on twitter and his blog that the deal will probably be done today. Sure, it's exciting, but anyone who thought he was sitting out the whole year is a moron. Maybe he'll get in on one or two plays against Atlanta, but this will be a BIG help for those killer games right after the bye. Nice timing, Micheal, now go catch TDs for us.
Anyways, not much else to say on that matter so: due to Denver's recent OK performances against sub-standard competition, some people are already speculating that the performance of Mike Nolan's defense could be setting him up for another head coaching gig next year.
Now, I know that nobody reading this is stupid enough to think that Nolan would be a good coach. But, I recently stumbled upon a video clip that sums up exactly WHY Nolan will never ever be a good head coach in the National Football League (/schlereth). Enjoy:
Of particular note: notice the way Davis treats Nolan, and, more importantly, Nolan's reaction. He stands there with his hands on his hips after repeatedly saying "get back here" as Davis walks away, completely ignoring him.
Wow. I wonder why Davis was such a diva before this year? If I could get away with acting like that, I probably would too. After I saw this, what Singletary did in the seattle blowout last year gained infinitely more respect for me. Just imagine what that meant to the other guys on the team to finally see the head coach step up and take charge like that. Small wonder the team looks so much better now with a guy like Singletary leading them.
And thus we reach the point: being a head coach in football isn't about knowledge of offense or defense. It isn't even all THAT much about game management, though they do have some responsibility in that area.
It's about surrounding yourself with the right people, and, most importantly, being able to manage your team effectively. If I'm playing for Nolan and I see Davis acting that way without repercussions, that would seriously fuck with the chemistry on my team. And if the team has resentment for the head coach, there's no way they're going to be successful.
So go ahead, rest of the league. Get suckered in by Denver's defensive turnaround. The rest of us will smile and nod knowingly at your future inevitable demise.
Did you enjoy that bullshit taunting penalty as much as I did? Because I sure enjoyed the eerily similar Shawntae Spencer penalty last week in the Metrodome. What a fucking joke call. We can just call it the Favre courtesy call. It'll be our thing. Just kidding: I hate you, Packer fan.
Was that first quarter (or even first half) pretty? Nope, not at all. But once again, they pulled an anti-Nolan: they capitalized on the other team's mistakes and bounced back from a poor start to put the other team away.
This defense is amazing. Sure, the rams are terrible, but oh my lord, they are a swarming group of animals out there. Once again Jackson was shut down, and they scored TWO touchdowns! What in the world? Also, this was the first 49ers shutout since 2001. Think about that. Wow.
The offense still worries me, but not as much as it might worry some others. When Raye opens the tap a little bit, the offense shows it does have enough talent to make some plays. I'm not real sure why he doesn't open it up more often, but whatever.
Here's to hoping Frank's ankle heals REAL quick, because while he may be a decent backup, coffee is NOT a long-term solution as a starter. Dude looked pretty brutal on some of those runs.
All in all this was just a plain ol fun day. Wasn't it nice to be on the other side of this kind of game for once?
Also, if you want to be pissed off, just think about the fact that we could easily be 4-0 right now with a 2.5 game lead in the division while being 3-0 in said division. Oh well.
Wow, this guy looks like Tom Brady. I made a post last year hoping we got Crabtree, and damn- let's use that Panthers pick to get this kid. He looks special.
Earlier today I asked 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye on whether he believes in using four-receiver sets. The 49ers have not put four wideouts on the field at the same time this season. And they use three receivers sparingly.
"It would stress us tremendously to have double open edges and four wide receivers and no threat to run the ball and put that kind of pass-rush burden on our offensive line and on the quarterback," Raye said. "I think we would be entering into foreign territory at a point where we don't need to.
I'm sorry guys, I thought we were rooting for an NFL team here, apparently we've been rooting for an offensive coordinator who is scared to run anything more than a pop-warner offense.
Are you kidding me with this? "it would stress us tremendously" to have a 4 WR set, something every goddamned team in the NFL can manage without the entire world collapsing in on the stadium in which they are running said formation.
This theory of "OMG! BUT THERE'S NO RUNNING BACK ON THE FIELD OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG WHAT WILL WE DOOOO?????" is so retarded I can't even believe it came out of the lips of another human being. So he doesn't think it's possible to operate an offense without a "threat of running the ball", but it's fine to run an offense with absolutely no threat of a pass? Yup, makes perfect sense.
"Now if it's for some cosmetic purpose, to make somebody feel better, we could go spread out everybody and throw it all over the lot, but that's not what we do. We have the ability to do that if for some reason -- injury or a situation dictated that -- we have that package."
Good to know, Jimmy. Good to know that we could do it, but we're bloody well not going to try anything new! Because the offense has sure been humming on all cylinders when you run out 1 WR sets and slam the RB right into a pile.
And, of course, he's got a lot to go on, since when Shaun Hill was in an offense with a lot of 3 and 4 WR sets last year he threw for -3920 yards, no TDs and 35 interceptions. He was also sacked a league-record 334508473 times and eventually just started falling into the fetal position every time he dropped back, as you can see in this file footage from a year ago:
Please, Jimmy Raye, do not fuck this up. I want to see one of my teams in the playoffs for the first time since 2002. For the love of god, the division is yours for the taking. You have the personnel, you lost your star RB, USE THE GODDAMNED PERSONNEL TO THEIR FULLEST, YOU MORON.
To my mind there have been 3 team-defining moments in this young season for the 49ers:
1. Down 16-13 on the road, getting completely dominated on offense all day, they take over on their own 20 yard line to start the 4th quarter in Arizona. They proceed to go 80 yards in 7 1/2 minutes, their defense holds, and they win the game. A game that was over for me in the 3rd quarter. Mike Nolan's teams didn't do that.
2. Down 20-17 on the road, showing their resolve and hanging tough in the game after losing their best player, they get the ball once again at their own 20 with 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter. They once again go 80 yards and get the ball in the end zone, not settling for a game-tying field goal. Then the game inexplicably was ended 12 seconds early and they're now 3-0. Mike Nolan's teams didn't do that.
3. Coming home after a horrific ending, they now face one of the worst teams in the league. Trap game? I'm not sure. With Mike Nolan's teams maybe. However, I can't help but get a little nagging feeling in the back of my head that even though this game should be an automatic W, it may not be that simple.
Yeah, it's the Rams. It's Kyle freaking Boller at QB. It's a team with zero (and I mean ZERO) impact players at ANY position. And yet, I worry.
Because in my lifetime of following this team, they don't win games like this. This should objectively be a 35-6 trouncing, but yet I worry.
And thus, this is the reason why this game is team-defining moment # 3: a good team wins in a blowout. Good teams drive down the field and get points when they need them, and they destroy teams that are clearly inferior to them.
So, 49ers, who are you? Let's find out, because if they lose this game, and if they crush my hopes as they have so many freaking times before, the depths of my bummed-ness shall know no bounds.
Fuck that game. Fuck it right up the behind until in bleeds, then fuck it deeper and harder.
Now let's move on. Nate did a good job summing it up.
Positives: We hung with a team on the road after losing Gore and Coffee in the first quarter. If Nolan's the coach, there's no way we're even competitive, much less going into the final few minutes with a chance to win. This is not me trying to make this into a moral victory, because that's bullshit. It should have been a win. But all you can do after an abortion like that is look for positives and move on.
Another plus that wasn't mentioned before: Vernon effing Davis is a legitimate NFL player now. 2 red zone TDs- THAT IS WHY HE WAS DRAFTED. On the second one, I called it when they had nobody over the top to help out on him. He is a beast now that he can actually catch the ball. His attitude has changed completely as well, as even after the go-ahead touchdown he didn't act like a 4-year-old. If this game was nothing more than a coming out party for VD, then I'll take it and be happy.
Adrian Peterson was completely and totally shut down. He had one long run that led to their first TD, but after that he did nothing of consequence. This defense is legit.
The playcalling was, once again, disappointing. But I really feel like it's getting better each week. The run game had a little more success than vs AZ (not saying much), and Hill was given more opportunities early in the game. I think it's unfair to judge this as "Hostler 2.0" this early in the season. I honestly believe it's getting better and will continue to do so. Morgan and Davis both showed they're up to the task this week, so perhaps with Gore out 2-3 weeks, Raye will trust them to make some plays against sub-par defenses (stl and atl).
There ARE reasons to be positive after this loss. It was pretty fucking hard to find them when I was surrounded by 60000 screaming assholes dressed like transvestites, but there are reasons. I saw a good football team out there yesterday, and that was without one of the 5 best running backs in the NFL.
Those are the final scores of the Vikings' first two wins this season. When presented with that fact alone, and if one was a total moron, one might ASSume this = the vikings are a good team. No. Not even slightly. Allow me to explain:
1. Those 2 games were against the Browns and Lions. Point 1 over.
2. The Vikings were straight-up DOMINATED for an entire half against the Cleveland Browns. Seriously. They looked they didn't belong on the same field. The same held true in the Lions game- for a quarter and a half the team that didn't win a single game last year made many people's super bowl pick look like a pop warner squad.
Now I know that the final scores look impressive, but here's what happened in both games: the Vikings were outplayed for a half, and then in the second half both the Lions and Browns were unable to sustain drives. In the Browns case, it was general suckyness, and in the Lions' case it was Matthew Stafford forgetting that his team wears blue and not purple.
This led to their respective defenses being tired, which led to Mr. Peterson throwing his ample-sized arms into their faces and taking the game over.
Allow me to remind you what happened last time Mr. Peterson found himself up against a certain linebacker wearing the red and gold:
Sooo, yeah. Obviously, that was 2 years ago. But my point is this: the Vikings are where they are this year thanks to terrible opposing teams handing the game to them in the second half. From what we've seen of the 49ers so far, Singletary is not going to allow this. This defense is legit, and they look very stout against the run. (BTW, I especially like the "WTF!?!?!?!?!?" look peterson has as he's getting up.)
Brett Favre is going to have to throw for them to win- something he hasn't done at ALL this season. If their team is riding Brett Favre, we're leaving Minny with a 3-0 record and I'm taunting everyone I can see on the way out of the stadium.
It's going to come down to Hill vs Favre, and our WRs vs their WRs. In a very similar matchup last year, we won (vs the Jets). That game was played in Candlestick, but I truly believe this game is going to be very close, and I believe it is absolutely winnable. The Vikings are really not that good- contain Peterson, you beat them pretty easily. And we've already contained him in the past.
