Tag: San Francisco 49ers (Page 11 of 34)

      Frank Gore helps 49ers win first game

      October 17, 2010 /
      SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 20: Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers is introduced against the New Orleans Saints during an NFL game at Candlestick Park on September 20, 2010 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

      It’s been a long six weeks for Mike Singletary’s 49ers, but they finally earned their first victory on the year.

      Frank Gore shredded the Raiders for 149 yards on 25 carries to lead San Fran to a 17-9 victory. He didn’t have a catch or a touchdown, but his 64-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter helped the Niners ice the game.

      Alex Smith only completed 16 of his 33 pass attempts for 196 yards, but he threw two touchdowns and more importantly, didn’t turn the ball over. He got Michael Crabtree (4 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD) and Vernon Davis (4 catches, 35 yards, 1 TD) somewhat involved, which is one of the many things San Francisco fans have been calling for over the past month.

      On the other side, Jason Campbell was filthy bad. He completed just 8-of-21 passes for 83 yards and was intercepted twice. You would have thought that San Francisco was playing with 20 guys on defense with how poorly Campbell performed. He was atrocious and should get acquainted with the bench for when Bruce Gradkowski (shoulder) comes back.

      This wasn’t a pretty win for the Niners, but it didn’t have to be. They have a long road ahead of them to get back into the race in the NFC West, but maybe this victory will give them confidence.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 5 MVP, COY and ROY power rankings

      October 17, 2010 /

      You think it’s hard to predict the games and standings from week to week? Try picking MVP candidates. There are five or six different candidates emerging every week. We’ll do this as one post again today and start separating them out next week. And I’m sure by this time Tuesday everything will be turned upside down again. Enjoy the games today everyone!

      MVP Power Rankings

      1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—He didn’t play last week and yet the Eagles still won, but barely, on the road in San Fran. Against a team that still hasn’t won a game yet. And hence my case is made again. And when Kolb and the Eagles lose at home to the Falcons today, fans in Philly will be chanting Vick’s name, which will have made my case again.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Will the fate of Smith and Singletary be sealed soon?

      October 12, 2010 /
      San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary (R) talks on the sidelines with quarterback Alex Smith during their NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in San Francisco, California October 10, 2010. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      It’s usually not advantageous to put too much on one game. After all, if the 49ers lose to the Raiders on Sunday, it’s not like they’ll be eliminated from the playoffs.

      But lose to the Raiders and Mike Singletary and Alex Smith could be stuck in the unemployment line together sooner rather than later.

      Team president Jed York gave Singletary the dreaded vote of confidence last Sunday before the Niners went out and lost their fifth game in a row (a 27-24 barn-burner to the Eagles). Singletary then turned around on Monday and said that he was sticking with Smith, despite the quarterback’s 6:10 touchdown-to-turnover ratio.

      Something has to give. Some people still believe that the 49ers can turn things around because of the division they’re in. But as Bill Parcells once said: You are what your record says you are. And the Niners’ record says they’re playing like gorilla feces right now.

      Smith has shown signs that he can command the offense (most notably on the final drive against the Saints and the opening drives in losses to the Falcons and Eagles the past two weeks), which is why Singletary has decided to stick with him. But he can’t continue to turn the ball over and hope to retain his job. He’s fortunate that David Carr is behind him, or else Singletary may have made a change by now.

      San Francisco fans are clamoring for Carr to get a start, but as the faithful in Houston, Carolina and New York can attest, he’s not the answer. Just because he was a former No. 1 overall pick doesn’t mean he can play the game (just look at Smith) and while I understand that fans would rather see a 67-year-old Jeff Garcia take the snaps than Smith, Carr is a back up on his fourth team for a reason.

      It’s now or never for this team. Lose to Oakland to fall to 0-6 on the year and consider all hope lost. Beat the Raiders behind a consistent Smith and then maybe this team can start talking about a comeback.

      External Sports, NFL

      Is it time for the 49ers to bench Alex Smith?

      October 4, 2010 /
      San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks Troy Smith (L), David Carr (C) and Alex Smith carry pink towels to promote the breast cancer awareness campaign during pre-game warmups before their NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Atlanta, Georgia, October 3, 2010. REUTERS/David Tulis (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL HEALTH)

      49er fans once again have had about all they can take when it comes to the play of Alex Smith.

      Following yet another rough performance by his starting quarterback in a 16-14 loss to the Falcons on Sunday, 49ers head coach Mike Singletary said that he never thought about pulling Smith during the game. Why would he? Smith killed two potential scoring drives with interceptions, but coaches don’t make it a habit to pull their starting quarterbacks when their team has the lead. And up until the final seven seconds, the Niners had the lead the entire time.

      But while the thought didn’t cross his mind on Sunday, I wonder if Singletary is considering making a quarterback change now. Smith hasn’t been dreadful, but the bottom line is that he isn’t making enough plays in the vertical passing game – or enough plays period. The situation in Atlanta was set up perfectly for him: he had a 14-0 lead, a solid game plan under new offensive coordinator Mike Johnson and a defense that was holding the Falcons to field goals instead of touchdowns. All Smith had to do was keep the chains moving, protect the football and allow the Falcons to kill themselves with dumb mistakes.

      But once again, he failed to do that and now San Fran is 0-4 after many pundits (this one included) projected them to win the NFC West. Given how bad the division is, that goal can still be attained but not if Smith continues to play as poorly as he has.

      The problem is that Singletary has options at quarterback, but they’re not very good. We’ve all witnessed David Carr’s handy work and Nate Davis is still incredibly raw. The wild card is Troy Smith, whom the Niners signed a month ago after the Ravens dumped him. But he’s coming off a brutal preseason and doesn’t have the accuracy or decision-making to be a starter at this juncture. Despite Smith’s play, he still gives the 49ers the best chance of winning at the moment (however long that is) and Singletary may have no choice but to stick with him.

      Then again, why continue to do something if it isn’t working? If Smith can’t produce under Johnson, then Carr, Troy Smith or Davis should get an opportunity. The Niners can’t continue to be derailed by inconsistency at the quarterback position or else this season is about to get longer than it already has been.

      It’s now or never, Alex Smith.

      External Sports, NFL

      Roddy White makes play of the day (if not season) in Falcons’ win over 49ers

      October 3, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 29: Roddy White #84 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates his game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Eric Weems #14 and quarterback Chris Redman #8 at Georgia Dome on November 29, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      The 49ers must feel a massive sense of déjà vu right now.

      In a Week 5 game in San Francisco last year, former 49er cornerback Dre Bly intercepted a Matt Ryan pass and had a clear beat on the end zone.

      The only problem is that he started high stepping around midfield and Falcons’ receiver Roddy White caught up to him and stripped him from behind. One of Atlanta’s offensive lineman was able to recover the loose ball and the Falcons went on to beat the Niners, 45-10.

      Fast-forward to today, where San Fran outplayed the Falcons in Atlanta for three and a half quarters and while nursing a 1-point lead with under two minutes remaining, Nate Clements intercepted Ryan and headed for the end zone.

      A touchdown would have likely sealed the win for the Niners, but White chased Clements down from behind, stripped the ball and one of the Falcons’ offensive lineman (I’m not making this up) recovered it at Atlanta’s 7-yard line. (The lineman’s name who recovered the ball was Harvey Dahl, who never gave up on the play either and made just as big of a play as White did.)

      With just over a minute remaining in the game, Ryan gathered himself and orchestrated an impressive drive to get the Falcons into field goal range at the San Francisco 25-yard line. After Mike Singletary tried icing the kicker (does that ever work?) by calling a timeout, Matt Brant kicked a 43-yard field goal to lift Atlanta to a 16-14 victory.

      The Niners did a lot of things right today and they seemed destined to earn their first victory of the year. Even though they only scored 14 points, new offensive coordinator Mike Johnson put together a sound game plan and if it weren’t for a couple of Alex Smith-drive-killing-interceptions, San Fran may have won easily.

      But the game essentially came down to White’s play late in the fourth quarter. At the risk of sounding like a motivational poster, the Falcons won today because of White’s hustle and determination. And considering he’s made a play like this before, it goes to show you that he’s much more than just a Pro Bowl receiver.

      It was one of the best plays you’ll see all season.

      External Sports, NFL

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