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      Alex Smith gets second life in San Francisco

      October 25, 2009 /

      The 49ers didn’t get a win in Houston on Sunday, but they may have found their new quarterback in a familiar face.

      It appears that the stagnant play of Shaun Hill is finally over, as former first overall pick Alex Smith started the second half of the Niners’ 24-21 loss to the Texans in Week 7. Hill was just 6-of-11 passing for 45 yards in the first half and a very Shaun Hill-like 6.1 YPA. Smith came in and immediately sparked San Fran’s offense, marching them down the field and capping the drive off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis. Smith then found Davis twice in the fourth quarter, including on a 23-yard score that cut the Texans’ lead down to 24-21 with less four minutes remaining.

      The 49ers want to be a team that dominates opponents on the ground, which is fine. But with Hill, they couldn’t move the ball vertically through the air and teams like the Falcons and Texans took advantage of that the past three weeks. At some point, Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye had to realize that their offensive approach wasn’t going to work as long as Hill was under center.

      Smith might not have won the starting job in preseason, but he took it today. Will he be the key to getting the Niners to the playoffs? Maybe not, but at least he can complete passes further than 6.1 yards. It’s also nice to see that he developed a great connection with Davis, another one of San Fran’s former top 10 picks.

      For the Texans, this was a nice win because they haven’t been very consistent this season. They’ve now won back-to-back games for the first time this year and their defense is starting to play better. Matt Schaub (20 for 30, 264 yards, 2 TDs) was excellent once again and tight end Owen Daniels (7 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD) was damn near unstoppable today.

      If Houston can continue to play well defensively, the Texans will make a playoff push in the second half.

      NFL

      Galaxy clinch Western Conference title, Beckham breathes sigh of relief

      October 25, 2009 /

      Beckham

      After tying for the worst record in MLS last year, the Los Angeles Galaxy has clinched its first Western Conference title since 2002. Star halfback David Beckham took plenty of heat at the start of the season as both the press and teammate Landon Donovan questioned his dedication. Outmatching that negativity, the team is now headed to the playoffs. In their victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, the crowd showed the Brit their appreciation.

      The Galaxy’s David Beckham, who received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was replaced by Jovan Kirovski just four minutes from end of regulation time, said Saturday’s game was all about gathering momentum for the playoffs.

      The game might have been anticlimactic in the sense the Galaxy knew they had a playoff berth clinched three weeks ago, but Beckham said there was no shortage of effort against the Earthquakes.

      The Galaxy now prepare for their first postseason appearance since 2005 but won’t know who they will play until after Sunday’s Houston-Chivas USA game. If their Home Depot Center co-tenants win, the Galaxy will play Houston in the first round. If the teams finish in a tie or the Dynamo win, the Galaxy will play Chivas in a showdown area soccer fans have been hoping for.

      The Galaxy will have home-field advantage throughout the postseason. This is Beckham’s third year in the MLS. In 2007, he signed a 5-year contract worth $250 million after leaving Real Madrid. Things haven’t quite panned out the way MLS expected. The league’s popularity hasn’t grown tremendously and the Galaxy hasn’t won a championship.

      Nevertheless, the team has looked solid all season. I’m sure MLS is praying the Galaxy and the Columbus Crew meet in the finals.

      Soccer

      Gators back at No. 1 in AP Poll

      October 25, 2009 /

      After a one-week hiatus, Florida is back in the top spot in the AP Poll, while Alabama was dropped to No. 2 again.
      No. 3 Texas got seven first-place votes after its 41-7 victory at Missouri.

      The last time two teams flip-flopped in the top two spots of the AP Top 25 from one week to the next was 1992, when Miami and Washington did it.

      Like Texas, No. 4 Southern California, No. 5 Cincinnati, No. 6 Boise State and No. 7 Iowa held their places in the latest media rankings.

      TCU jumped two spots to No. 8 after a 38-7 victory at Mountain West Conference rival BYU. LSU stayed at No. 9 and Oregon moved up two spots to No. 10.

      The Ducks host USC on Saturday in a game with huge Pac-10 championship implications.

      Florida began the season as an overwhelming No. 1 in the AP poll. Alabama started five and steadily gained on the Gators before finally jumping past them last week, when Florida needed a field goal in the waning seconds to beat Arkansas at home.

      This is hardly surprising. The AP was looking for a reason to get the Gators back into the top spot and when ‘Bama almost lost yesterday at home to Tennessee, they got one. Florida didn’t earn many style points in Mississippi State, but the game wasn’t really in doubt like the Tide’s win against the Vols was at the end.

      Either way, I think most objective college football fans would agree that neither Florida nor Alabama was very impressive yesterday.

      College Football

      Fantasy Football Q&A Question of the Week: Week 7

      October 25, 2009 /

      Every week, I’m picking one question from our Fantasy Football Q&A and posting it on Sunday morning. This week’s question comes from Indy, who is trying to decide amongst a couple of trades:

      “I’ve been offered two trades: Steve Jackson for Rashard Mendenhall + Miles Austin or Brandon Jacobs for Kevin Smith + Miles Austin. my starting WRs are Fitzgerald, Colston, & Jennings (with Austin and Garcon on the bench.) my RBs are P. Thomas, Mendenhall, Smith, and Maroney. which one looks better to you? or do i just stand pat?”

      My answer: I’d do the first deal for Jackson. Mendenhall is nice, but Jackson is having a top 10 or top 12 season and is an upgrade. I would NOT trade for Jacobs right now. I wouldn’t trade Smith for Jacobs straight up much less give up Austin in the deal as well.

      It’s a little risky to trade Mendenhall away, because he could go on to have a great season, but Steven Jackson is a proven, every-week fantasy RB. He hasn’t scored a TD yet, but that won’t last with some nice matchups coming up. He’s on pace for 1789 total yards and is still having a top 10 or 12 season in PPR leagues. The downside is that the Rams are going to struggle to score on a weekly basis, but they have moved the ball a little better the last couple of weeks, so they should be able to give Jackson a few scoring opportunities in the near future. Since Indy is set at WR with Fitz, Colston and Jennings, Austin is expendable, so he might as well use him to upgrade at RB.

      Fantasy Football

      NFL Week 7 ROY Power Rankings

      October 25, 2009 /

      A tougher award to measure, as no one has really stepped up to be among the NFL’s stat leaders. Well, unless you consider LB James Laurinaitis from Ohio State.

      1. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—45 tackles to date and had another interception against the Jaguars last Sunday. This kid is playing lights out and you have to believe he’s been invited to Steve Spagnuolo’s house for Thanksgiving.

      2. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—He didn’t do much against the Chargers, but he didn’t really have to with the Eddie Royal kick return show.

      3. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—It was in garbage time mostly, but Nicks racked up 114 yards and a TD against the Saints, fitting in like a veteran on a team that desperately needed receiver help going into 2009.

      4. Michael Oher, Baltimore Ravens—It’s hard to measure O-linemen, but after a nice job against Antwan Odom, Oher got into a pissing match with Jared Allen last Sunday. He gets props just for that.

      5. Ryan Succop, Kansas City Chiefs—Even if he hasn’t had many chances, Succop has only missed one field goal, that from beyond 50.

      Honorable mention: Matthew Stafford, Lions

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, NFL

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