Tag: Frank Gore (Page 7 of 8)

Hasselbeck suffers injury as 49ers beat Seahawks

It’s always nice when the football gods can add a little insult to injury.

Such was the case on Sunday when the Seahawks fell to the now 2-0 49ers 23-10 in San Francisco. Seattle signal caller Matt Hasselbeck was knocked out of the game after taking a blow to the back from linebacker Patrick Willis while trying to scramble into the end zone at the end of the first half. The team is calling it a rib injury, although there has to be major concern that Hasselbeck took the hit in the back after he virtually missed the entire 2008 season due to back problems.

The insult to Hasselbeck’s injury came when Seneca Wallace entered the game and couldn’t generate any second half points. He did throw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Julius Jones after Hasselbeck left the field, but that’s about where Wallace’s contributions to Seattle stopped as he often settled for check down and underneath passes.

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Michael Vick a 49er? Don’t hold your breath.

With the 49ers set to interview former Falcons’ head coach Dan Reeves and former Atlanta offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, internet speculation revved up the possibility of San Fran reaching out to suspended quarterback Michael Vick once he gets out of federal prison.

But Matt Maiocco’s of the Press Democrat.com mocks the idea in his latest blog entry:

Michael VickPut all that together and it seems obvious to me that the 49ers have decided to acquire Vick when/if he is able to resume his career after serving his sentence, as well as any suspension Roger Goodell might impose.

But that is not all I’ve learned in recent days:

–The 49ers’ plan to go after Vick was actually Plan B. The first idea was to acquire Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss, and build a dome to replace Candlestick.

This would’ve been the plan if Scott Linehan had just said yes to the 49ers’ offer to become offensive coordinator. Linehan was coordinator of a top-4 ranked Vikings offense for three consecutive seasons with Culpepper and Moss as his main weapons under the roof of the Metrodome. But when Linehan declined the 49ers’ offer, the 49ers had no other choice but to rip apart that plan and begin their planning to get Vick.

–The 49ers will do whatever’s necessary to select Ole Miss offensive lineman Michael Oher in the draft.

Oher’s first year in college was 2005. That is the same season that Micheal Spurlock concluded his Ole Miss career. The 49ers signed Spurlock to a contract this week. Hel-LOOOO! I mean, can you even conceive a scenario in which the 49ers would sign Spurlock if it wasn’t already a done deal that they’d soon be getting Oher? All you have to do is connect the dots on this one. Oh, yeah, and Patrick Willis is already on the team. This one is just way too easy.

–The 49ers plan to lure Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana out of retirement.

Coach Mike Singletary hired Tom Rathman to join his staff as running backs coach. Singletary is being just a little too obvious about his intentions. Obviously, the best way to get Montana out of retirement is to hire a former teammate to the staff. You read it here first.

Singletary has not announced Shaun Hill will be the starter in 2009 for one very good reason. How can Hill be the starter with Montana on the team?

Even though Maiocco has every right to mock the notion, the idea isn’t that far fetched. After all, Reeves did draft Vick in 2001 and the thought of Dan and Singletary teaming up to straighten Mikey out isn’t that bad of an idea.

But if you remember correctly, Reeves and Vick didn’t necessarily end on the best of terms. They had a great working relationship up until midseason of 2003 when Reeves questioned whether or not Vick was being overly cautious with the fractured fibula he suffered in a preseason game that year. Reeves, presumably worried about losing his job, wanted Vick to play a hell of a lot sooner than Week 13, which was the first time Mike returned to the field after suffering the injury. But Vick kept proclaiming he wouldn’t be 100% if he had come back any sooner than that, so why force it? Reeves was eventually fired a week and a half later and we all know what happened to Vick.

Not that the two couldn’t put that little squabble behind them (if they haven’t already) to work together again, but that’s just another thing to keep in mind if you want to buy the Vick-to-San Francisco rumors that have been circulating. Personally, I don’t think Singletary would take a shot on Vick. He wants players that will be dedicated on the field – not to their twisted hobbies off it.

Dan Reeves returning to NFL as offensive coordinator for 49ers?

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network is reporting that the 49ers will interview former Broncos and Falcons head coach Dan Reeves to possibly become their offensive coordinator. Schefter notes that Reeves could be hired as soon as this weekend.

Dan ReevesReversing the league-wide trend of relying on coaching youth, the San Francisco 49ers are bringing in former Broncos, Giants and Falcons head coach Dan Reeves on Friday afternoon to interview for their vacant offensive coordinator job, league sources said.

Reeves last coached in the NFL with Atlanta in 2003 and since has tried on numerous occassions to return to the league. Now he has what might be his best chance.

49ers coach Mike Singletary is looking for a veteran presence to run his offense, someone who relies on running the football, and after Scott Linehan turned down the job, thoughts turned to Reeves. Singletary has had a difficult time finding someone he trusts enough to call the 49ers’ plays, and the feeling is that he would be able to trust Reeves.

Reeves, who turned 65 on Monday, is scheduled to arrive in San Francisco today and could become the team’s offensive coordinator this weekend. Word began to leak out Thursday night that Reeves was flying to San Francisco, and there were questions as to whether it was for an executive job, a consultant job or the offensive coordinator job.

But every indication now is that it’s for the offensive coordinator job. The 49ers could get the type of coach they want, and Reeves could be back in the game.

Wow. There’s no doubt that Reeves was a great coach (he coached in four Super Bowls), but his play calling in Atlanta was as vanilla as they came. I used to joke around with my college roommate that Reeves’ offensive game plan was to run the ball up the middle three times and then get the punt team out there. Everything is predicated on running the ball and play action fakes, which is great, but imagination and in-game adjustments were never Reeves’ strong suits. And at 65 years old, I doubt he’ll change his ways. (He struggled as a GM, too, so it’ll be interesting to see how much input he has on draft day if he is hired.)

Still, he deserves a chance and he’s well respected around the league. And in terms of fantasy, Frank Gore’s value just went up sky high because there’s no doubt Reeves loves to pound the rock.

Fantasy Football Podcast: Week 16

Listen in as Anthony and I discuss Brandon Jacobs’ and Marion Barber’s status, Tarvaris Jackson’s chances against the Falcons, and the RB situation in New Orleans.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

NFL Week 15 Primer

Tony RomoSunday’s Best: Giants (11-2) at Cowboys (8-5), 8:15 PM ET NBC
We’re getting down to crunch time in the NFL and there’s nothing better than an NFC East battle with playoff implications. If the regular season ended today, the Cowboys would be in as the sixth seed. But the regular season doesn’t end today and Dallas has one of the toughest final stretches of any team with playoff aspirations. After playing host to the Giants on Sunday night, they’re home against the Ravens next week and then travel to Philadelphia in the season finale. That’s a brutal three-game stretch for any team, nevertheless one that is dealing with injuries (see Marion Barber) and internal bickering (see Cowboys’ wideouts vs. Tony Romo). The Giants, meanwhile, are sitting pretty for the top seed in the NFC, but they’ll have to earn it after losing to the Eagles at home last Sunday. Suddenly the Carolina Panthers are just one game behind the Giants in the quest for capturing home field advantage throughout the postseason and the two teams play each other next week in Jersey. Can the Cowboys bounce back from their collapse last Sunday in Pittsburgh? Will the Giants lose two in a row for the first time all season? Like several matchups on the Week 15 schedule, this game is must-see.

Upset Watch: 49ers (5-8) at Dolphins (8-5), 1:00 PM ET, FOX
Let me state for the record that I think the Dolphins have been one of the best storylines in the NFL this season. That said – they’re due for a letdown. Just when the public is ready to hop on a team’s bandwagon and ride its coattails the rest of the season, they hit a pothole and send everyone flying off. Miami is a better team than San Francisco and they should win Sunday in convincing fashion. But San Fran is a dangerous team right now because they have nothing to play for and have fiery Mike Singletary leading the way – the same fiery Mike Singletary that is trying to prove he deserves a head-coaching job. The Niners have been more competitive since Singletary took over and quarterback Shaun Hill has been a pleasant surprise. You might think I’m crazy (and I am) for predicting a 49er upset considering Frank Gore is expected to miss the game, but DeShaun Foster is no slouch and is likely craving the opportunity to carry the full load. Just when you think you’ve got the NFL figured out, it throws you a punch to the gut. Do we have another punch coming this Sunday in Miami?

Jon GrudenIntriguing Matchup: Buccaneers (9-4) at Falcons (8-5), 1:00 PM ET, FOX
Call this “Sunday’s Best II.” With the Bucs’ loss to the Panthers in Carolina on Monday night, the NFC South is now 0-10 this season when playing on the road against other NFC South opponents. And considering Jeff Garcia has missed significant practice time this week due to a calf injury, things don’t bode well for Tampa. However, Monte Kiffin’s defense has always given the Falcons trouble. Both of these teams are coming off of divisional losses and both need a win to stay in the NFC playoff picture (especially Atlanta), so we can probably expect one hell of a fight. Look for Tampa to take away Michael Turner and the Falcons’ running game and force rookie Matt Ryan to beat them through the air. They had this same approach in their Week 2 victory and Ryan failed miserably, although it’s safe to say he’s a completely different player nowadays and he showed once again last week in New Orleans that he can make every throw in the NFL. Will the Bucs get back on track this week or will the legend of Matt Ryan continue to grow?

Other Notable Games:

Steelers (10-3) at Ravens (9-4), 4:15 PM ET CBS
Call this game “Sunday’s Best III” or “Sunday’s Best 1A.” Whatever you call it, it’s going to be one of the best games of week. Pittsburgh remains one game ahead of Baltimore in the AFC North and currently has the head to head advantage after beating the Ravens earlier in the year. No team is playing better defensively right now than Pittsburgh, but the Ravens have suddenly hit their offensive stride in recent weeks and still boasts one of the best defenses in the league. This game might wind up being a 6-3 final.

Vikings (8-5) at Cardinals (8-5), 4:05 PM ET FOX
The Cardinals may have locked up the NFC West crown last week, but they still have plenty to play for as they try to improve their playoff seeding. And with the Bears’ victory over the Saints on Thursday night, the Vikings must win to stay one game ahead of Chicago in the NFC North. Can backup Tarvaris Jackson lead Minnesota to victory?

Broncos (8-5) at Panthers (10-3), 4:15 PM ET, CBS
With their win over Tampa on Monday night, many purists are talking about Carolina possibly being the No. 1 seed in the NFC come playoff time. But they’ll get a challenge this Sunday from a Denver team trying to clinch the AFC West crown.

Bills (6-7) at Jets (8-5), 1:00 PM ET, CBS
After losing two straight, the Jets now find themselves in a three-way tie with the Dolphins and Patriots for first place in the AFC East. Can they get back on track or will the Bills play spoiler?

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