The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » San Francisco 49ers

Jay Cutler + Red Zone = Disaster

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:04:43 +0000

When Chicago acquired Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos this offseason, it was all Bear fans could do from booking their plane tickets to Miami. They figured that since they finally had a franchise quarterback under center and that the offensive line had improved, there’s no way Da Bears wouldn’t challenge for a Super Bowl berth.

Then the games actually started and now they’re starting to realize that there’s a reason why the Broncos never got to the playoffs with Cutler as their quarterback.

Cutler threw a mind-boggling five interceptions in the Bears’ 10-6 loss to the 49ers on Thursday night. Not all of those picks were his fault, as Devin Hester fell down on one pass, the ref got in the way on another and San Francisco safety Mark Roman may have gotten away with interference on yet another.

But that doesn’t excuse Cutler for throwing two horrendous interceptions in the red zone – an area in which he continues to struggle this season – to kill drives. It’s almost like whenever Chicago reaches that spot of the field, Cutler breaks out into a cold sweat and forgets how to play. He’s so deathly afraid of the red zone that Lovie Smith might as well trot kicker Robbie Gould onto the field and take three points because there’s a good chance Cutler is going to throw a pick.

Cutler is a good quarterback with all the physical tools needed to succeed in the NFL. But he’s getting zero help from his running game and Ron Turner’s play calling is questionable at best. (Why the hell didn’t Turner call more screen passes to Matt Forte after the Niners showed repeatedly that they couldn’t defense it?)

That said, Cutler has to be better in the red zone. It’s the area of the field where Tom Brady has made a living and where Peyton Manning drives a stake through the heart of his opponents. I’m not comparing Cutler to Brady or Manning, I’m just stating the obvious: Quarterbacks that win know how to convert in the red zone.

As for the 49ers, their defense played a solid game but Cutler also handed out gifts like he was Jolly Saint Nick on Christmas Eve. The offensive line never gave Alex Smith time to throw either, and without Frank Gore the Bears win this game 6-3.

Either way, both of these teams are brutal. They’re not Lions, Browns, Chiefs, Raiders or Bucs brutal, but they’re about as brutal as two 4-5 teams can be.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Bears won’t fire Lovie Smith

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:59:14 +0000

Following their embarrassing 41-21 loss to the Cardinals at Solider Field last Sunday (which came just three weeks after an embarrassing 45-10 loss to the Bengals in Cincinnati), many Chicago fans were screaming from their rooftops for the Bears to fire head coach Lovie Smith.

But it isn’t going to happen – not this season, not next season.

After taking the Bears to the Super Bowl three years ago, Chicago signed Smith to a contract extension through 2011. It made sense at the top because Smith was one of the lowest paid head coaches in the NFL and if a team has a coach that can get them to the Super Bowl, it’s wise to lock them up long-term.

But three seasons later the Bears appear to be regressing and not progressing. The offseason acquisition of quarterback Jay Cutler was supposed to get this team closer to the Super Bowl, not third place in the overrated NFC North.

Granted, Smith has had to deal with injuries at the linebacker position and while the team has tried to motivate him, Tommie Harris almost looks like a lost cause right now. The newcomers on the offensive line haven’t gelled together either and Matt Forte has suffered because of it.

Still, a couple more blowouts and those screams for Smith’s head will get louder. But the fact of the matter is that those screams will fall on deaf ears because Smith isn’t going anywhere. He’s a cheap option for a cheap organization and he’ll be in Chicago until his contract runs out and the Bears can find another head coach that they can throw pennies at.

It certainly looks like a long shot at the moment, but maybe Smith can still get this thing turned around. Tonight would be a great starting point, as Chicago travels to San Francisco to take on a 49ers team that is reeling just as much as Da Bears are. A victory tonight and the Bears will have a winning record, while a loss might all but seal their fate.

Notice how I said “their” fate and not Smith’s.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

NFL Week 8 MVP Power Rankings

Mike Farley — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:00:22 +0000

The race for MVP rages on at the midway point of the season, and it’s loaded with QBs, for good reason. Brees, Manning and Favre have a combined record of 21-1 and show no signs of slowing down. So we’ll give them their due, for now. Things are going to get mighty interesting, though, in the coming weeks as races get tighter and become closer to being decided, including this race for NFL MVP…..

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Their games are getting tighter, but it’s not like the Saints just beat a bad Falcons team on Monday night. That was a tough divisional match up and the Saints just keep, you know, marching…oh, forget it.

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—No TDs against the Niners, but Manning still had a Week 8 best of 347 yards. Plus, the Colts remain undefeated.

3. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—Okay, forget that one blemish against Pittsburgh. After another strong showing against his former team, Favre has now thrown for 1925 yards with 16 TDs and just 3 picks. And his team is 7-1. Raise your hand if you expected that kind of success.

4. Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings—Three more sacks against the Packers. Jon Gruden talked about Allen having a “motor that never stops,” and that’s pretty spot on. Allen is not just playing like defensive player of the year, he’s making a strong case for MVP.

5. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—Sorry Cedric, but while you were on bye, Favre and Allen terrorized the Packers, and Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew racked up a bunch of yards and TDs. We’ll hold you a spot, but let’s see how you do against the Ravens this week.

Honorable Mention–Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Andre Johnson, Texans, Tom Brady, Patriots; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Chris Johnson, Titans; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Matt Schaub, Texans

NFL Week 7 ROY Power Rankings

Mike Farley — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:00:01 +0000

Remember the name Jairus Byrd, because he just jumped on this list…and don’t rule out Michael Crabtree, who had a very impressive NFL opening game against Houston last weekend.

1. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—Four more solo tackles against the Colts last Sunday, so this kid has done nothing to hurt his standing.

2. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—This safety has been flying under our radar, but he was chosen as the NFL’s defensive rookie of the month for his 15 tackles and (yikes) 5 interceptions in October alone. Wow.

3. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—The bye week should have this young stallion rested and ready to face two daunting defenses in the Ravens and Steelers coming up. Can he handle it? Time will tell.

4. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—Did you see that lucky grab and run for a score Sunday night? Maybe it was more than luck…it was being in the right place at the right time, football instincts that can’t be taught. And along with Byrd, Nicks won NFL offensive rookie honors for October.

5. Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles—This rookie has become a new favorite target of Donovan McNabb, and had 5 more catches Monday night against Washington.

Honorable mention: Matthew Stafford, Lions; Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Michael Oher, Ravens

NFL Week 7 MVP Power Rankings

Mike Farley — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:00:28 +0000

A few changes in the works…we’ve eliminated all New York Giants now from contention until they get their act together again. Well, IF they get their act together again. Drew Brees is an animal, and Cedric Benson and Matt Schaub have also entered the Top 5…..

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Now Brees has a thrilling comeback to add to his 2009 resume, and coming back from down by 21 on the road was enough to vault him into first here over Peyton Manning, who was good but not great in beating the Rams.

2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Can Manning do what Brees did? We’re not sure, and that’s the only reason we have him sitting a notch below the Saints’ QB this week.

3. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—He climbed over Adrian Peterson again, this time stunning his former team with a career high 189 yards. And let’s not forget his former team is the defense-minded Bears.

4. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans—He leads the league in TD passes with 16, and he has the Texans playing out of their minds at the moment. If the team had a few more wins, he’d be ranked even higher here.

5. Jared Allen, Minnesota Vikings—Allen was mostly held in check by the Steelers, but we’ll let that slide. I’d hate to be Aaron Rodgers this weekend.

Honorable Mention–Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Andre Johnson, Texans, Tom Brady, Patriots; Brett Favre, Vikings; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Vernon Davis, 49ers

Crabtree to start for 49ers?

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:58:19 +0000

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat is reporting that there’s a strong possibility that first round pick Michael Crabtree will start this week when he makes his NFL debut against the Texans. He would replace Josh Morgan while Isaac Bruce will remain at flanker.

There’s a good chance that Crabtree won’t have much of an effect on the Niners’ offense for at least a couple of weeks. They’ll remain a run-first team and Morgan will still see plenty of playing time considering he’s San Fran’s best run-blocking receiver.

The question I have regarding Crabtree is what kind of an affect he’ll have on the team’s locker room. Considering he held out for five weeks, he couldn’t have endeared himself to his teammates. And now at the first opportunity, he’s being thrust into the starting lineup.

With that in mind, Mike Singletary wouldn’t make a move like this if he knew he’d lose the locker room. He has the respect of his players and they trust his decisions. If he thinks that starting Crabtree gives his team the best chance to win, his players will follow.

Why not see if the rookie can sink or swim right away?

Falcons expose Shaun Hill, 49ers

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:02:03 +0000

Up until their 45-10 loss to the Falcons in Week 5, Shaun Hill and the 49ers felt pretty good about how they started their 2009 season. Hill wasn’t setting the stat book on fire, but he kept the chains moving by making smart decisions and taking care of the football.

But on Sunday, Atlanta jumped out to a sizable first half lead and forced Hill to beat them through the air. What proceeded was a nasty performance highlighted by off-the-mark throws and inconsistency. He didn’t get much help from the running game, but he never got into a rhythm passing and his limitations as a quarterback were on full display. He struggled mightily with the intermediate and deep passes today.

That said, the Niners won’t be making a switch any time soon. It’s not like Mike Singletary didn’t know that Hill wasn’t Peyton Manning in preseason and Hill still beat out Alex Smith for the starting job. The bottom line is that San Fran will struggle this season when it can’t run the ball and the defense doesn’t step up.

Speaking of the Niners’ defense, Matt Ryan and Roddy White absolutely took them to school today. Ryan threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns on 22 of 32 passing, while White had his best outing of the year with eight receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns. White, who had gotten off to a slow start this season, found holes in San Francisco’s defense and as he often is, Ryan was accurate with his throws.

This was the type of performance that Atlanta had been waiting for on both sides of the ball. They played well in a win over Miami in Week 1, but this was the first time the Falcons really took it to an opponent. Ryan was potent, White was unstoppable, Michael Turner looked like the ’08 version of himself and the defense finally generated a consistent pass rush. The run defense was solid for the first time all year.

Granted, the 49ers didn’t help themselves by turning the ball over at costly times. Down 35-10 and searching for anything to help turn the momentum, Dre’ Bly intercepted Ryan and looked like he might take it the other way for a pick six. But White never gave up on the ball and stripped Bly, who was carrying the ball like a loaf of bread. The Falcons recovered the ball, marched back into scoring range and kicked a field goal to go up 38-10 midway through the third quarter.

This was the first time all season Singletary’s team looked sloppy and the Falcons shredded them. But maybe San Fran will learn from this, reset its expectations and use this outing to stay grounded throughout the rest of the year.