Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 698 of 1503)

      49ers will learn from loss to Vikings

      September 28, 2009 /

      The 49ers’ loss in Minnesota on Sunday is the kind of defeat that can deflate a team. But with Mike Singletary in charge, I don’t foresee that happening.

      San Francisco flat out blew a win yesterday. Had the Niners not been in a base defense when Greg Lewis got past coverage and Brett Favre found him in the back of the end zone with only seconds remaining, the 49ers would still be undefeated. (And with another win against the Rams coming in Week 4.)

      While addressing the media following the loss, Singletary said: “There’s nothing to look at the floor for. We’re gonna get better. We will see them again in the playoffs.”

      Singletary isn’t going to allow a good Niners team to dwell on this loss, especially when San Fran clearly has enough talent on its roster to make the playoffs. While losing running back Frank Gore to an injured ankle will hurt, the Niners did a nice job building depth this offseason when they drafted Glen Coffee.

      The Niners had several positives come out of their game yesterday, including quarterback Shaun Hill proving that he can make plays in the passing game. The defense is already good enough to hang with most opponents on Sundays and in Singletary, San Fran has a head coach that has instilled hard work and focus into his team.

      Ironically, the Niners are probably the class of a weak NFC West considering the Seahawks and Cardinals look vulnerable and the Rams are, well, the Rams. The division is there for the taking and something tells me that San Fran’s loss in Minnesota will only motivate them.

      NFL

      NFL Morning After Reactions: Rams, Jets, Redskins & more

      September 28, 2009 /

      Here’s a look at what local NFL beat writers and columnists have to say following their teams’ performance on Sunday.

      – Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes that the Vikings got their first glimpse of Brett Favre’s legend in Minnesota’s last-second win over San Francisco.

      – After 19 straight losses, Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press says that there’s finally relief for the lowly Lions.

      – After getting a taste of action in a win over the Chiefs on Sunday, Ashley Fox of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that Michael Vick is fine with his role with the Eagles, for now.

      – Steve Serby of the New York Post says that Jets’ rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez uses his head to make history.

      – Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe notes that the 2-1 Patriots are still a work in progress despite their 26-10 win over the Falcons at Foxboro.

      – David Climer of the Tennessean says that the 0-3 Titans buried their playoff hopes with a loss to the Jets on Sunday.

      – Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post writes that the Redskins’ focused disappeared long ago.

      – Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ably points out that the brutal Rams are now the new Lions.

      – David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes that Johnny Knox and the Bears’ wideouts are making quarterback Jay Cutler look good.

      – Will Leitch of the New York Magazine says that the contract extension Eli Manning signed in the offseason might be a bargain with how well he’s playing so far this season.

      NFL

      Zorn to keep his job for now

      September 28, 2009 /

      According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter via his Twitter page, Redskins head coach Jim Zorn’s job is safe for now. Schefter says that Zorn calls the plays, works well with Jason Campbell and would be too much to replace in the middle of the season.

      Zorn’s ability to win in the NFL was already questioned last year after the Skins lost six of their last eight games. But a 1-2 start this season with an ugly home win over the Rams in Week 2 and an embarrassing loss to the Lions on Sunday has put his job on life support.

      There’s really no excuse for Washington to be 1-2 when two of the three opponents on their schedule to start the season were the Rams and the Lions. Ironically, the only game in which they looked halfway decent was against the undefeated Giants in Week 1.

      The Skins host the 0-3 Bucs in Week 4, travel to Carolina to play the Panthers in Week 5 and then host the Chiefs in Week 6. Those are three winnable games for Washington and if they aren’t at least competitive, one would imagine that Daniel Snyder wouldn’t hesitate to make a midseason move by firing Zorn.

      But as Schefter reports, the problem is that Snyder would not only be replacing a head coach, but an offensive play caller as well. Chances are that even if he wanted to replace Zorn, he doesn’t have all the pieces to pull off a move like that right now.

      This next three weeks are going to be crucial for Zorn and it’ll be interesting to see if he can save his job.

      NFL

      Manning, Colts dismantle sloppy Cardinals

      September 28, 2009 /

      When it all boils down to it, football is a pretty easy game. Run the ball effectively, play good defense and don’t turn the ball over.

      The Cardinals did none of those things on Sunday night and the Colts cruised to a 31-10 win in Arizona. The Cards rushed for only 24 yards, were shredded by Peyton Manning (24 of 35 for 379 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT) and turned the ball over three times (twice in the red zone).

      Conversely, the Colts rushed for 126 yards (granted, Indy’s passing game set up the run), were relentless generating pressure on Kurt Warner and only turned the ball over once (which didn’t hurt them, because ‘Zona gave the ball right back on their ensuing drive).

      You can’t turn the ball over three times and expect to beat a team like the Colts. Arizona hand fed Manning scoring opportunities the entire night and couldn’t catch up. Once the Cards fell behind, their running game was stripped and the front four of the Colts pinned their ears back and harassed Warner. Arizona’s O-line was terrorized by Dwight Freeney and company, which totaled four sacks and 10 QB hits.

      Indy looks like an unstoppable force. The offense is still as potent as ever, but the Colts’ defense looks faster, more aggressive and bigger up front. What’s amazing is that Indy’s defense has looked this good despite not having safety Bob Sanders.

      The Colts just might be the team to beat again in the AFC.

      NFL

      How much longer until T.O. tries to ruin Trent Edwards’ life?

      September 27, 2009 /

      Zero receptions, 0 yards, 0 touchdowns. That was the stat line for Terrell Owens in the Bills’ 27-7 loss to the Saints on Sunday.

      For the season, T.O. has five catches for 98 yards and one touchdown, which are rather pedestrian numbers for one of the best receivers in the league.

      Don’t think for a second that Owens is going to let this fly. He figured that when he signed with the Bills this offseason, that he would be the center of their offense. But so far, he isn’t even quarterback Trent Edwards’ fourth option in the passing game.

      When asked about Edwards’ decision-making following the loss, T.O. said: “I don’t want to answer that, because whatever I say you guys are going to turn it into however you want to say it.”

      Don’t worry T.O., because we can still read between the lines. You’re pissed off and don’t like the play calling. You don’t think Edwards is making wise decisions and you want to have a bigger role in the offense.

      Eventually, Owens will say all of this himself. If Tony Romo couldn’t keep him happy, then Edwards sure as hell won’t. I don’t blame the Bills for taking a shot on him in the offseason (what did they have to lose?), but they’re about to see the real T.O. emerge soon if he continues to be a ghost in their offense.

      As for the Saints, it was nice to see Pierre Thomas rush for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. As long as he’s healthy, he needs to be a part of their offense, especially on a day where Drew Brees (16 of 29, 172 yards, 0 TDs) looked human.

      Hopefully Sean Payton won’t shelve Thomas once Mike Bell is healthy again.

      NFL

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