Tag: San Francisco 49ers (Page 27 of 34)

      Memo to Rams – think QB next April

      November 16, 2008 /

      Rams-49ersIt’s incredibly way too early to be thinking about the 2009 NFL Draft but if I were general manager of the St. Louis Rams, I’d definitely be thinking about making my first pick a quarterback next April.

      The effort that Marc Bulger turned in during the first half of the Rams’ 35-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers was absolutely abysmal. Bulger’s final numbers weren’t that bad – 34 of 53 for 295 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs – but most of that came in the second half when the Niners were already up 35-3 and were on cruise control.

      Jim Haslett doesn’t have much of a choice but to go with Bulger as his starter because Trent Green is even worse (if that’s even possible). But St. Louis has to do something at quarterback next year because Bulger clearly isn’t a quality starter anymore. Against the 49ers on Sunday, he repeatedly threw into double and triple coverage throughout the first half and worse yet, he didn’t even look like he was trying to read the defense. He also lost a fumble on a bad exchange with the center, which San Fran promptly turned into a touchdown. Bulger’s overall effort was absolutely pitiful.

      And speaking of Haslett, how does he expect to land another head coaching job with how bad the Rams have played the past three weeks? The front office for St. Louis should feel fortunate that Roger Goodell reminded them of the Rooney Rule when they tried to offer Haslett a full time job following the team’s win against the Redskins in his first game as interim head coach.

      The Lions might be winless, but I’d bet the house that they could beat the Rams right now. At least Detroit gives a little effort.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 11 Primer

      November 16, 2008 /

      John HarbaughSunday’s Best: Ravens (6-3) at Giants (8-1), 1:00 PM ET
      Who would have thought this game would be the best matchup of the week with the Chargers playing the Steelers and Cowboys taking on the Redskins in the same weekend. The job first-year head coach John Harbaugh and his staff has done with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco has been amazing and the rest of the Baltimore players have really bought into the new regime’s system. They’ll get their biggest challenge this season on Sunday, however, as no team outside of the Titans is playing better than the Giants right now. There are a couple of great matchups within this game, but none bigger than New York’s power running game vs. the stingy Baltimore run defense. One advantage the Giants have is that this will be the Ravens’ fifth road game in six weeks and they might start to wear down. Flacco will face a ton of pressure from a quick Giants’ front seven, but getting Willis McGahee, Ray Rice and Le’Ron McClain going will help neutralize what New York does best defensively. This will be the most physical matchup of the weekend.

      Upset Watch: Rams (2-7) at 49ers (2-7), 4:05 PM ET
      Everyone is scrambling to be the first to predict the Jaguars to upset the Titans this weekend, but people have been waiting for Tennessee to fall for weeks and still they remain unbeaten. It’s hardly a huge upset to predict one 2-7 team will beat another, but after their strong showing on Monday night, football pundits might assume this game will be an easy victory for the Niners. While there’s nothing to like about the Rams following their abysmal performance last week against the Jets, this is a better team than what they’ve shown and San Fran is a bit dysfunctional right now after their debacle on Monday Night Football. Jim Haslett is still fighting for a head coaching job (as is Mike Singletary) and there’s no doubt he’ll have his team more prepared than they were last week in New York. Of course, a win for the Rams would mean that Marc Bulger has to get his head out of his ass and someone has to find Torry Holt. But as usual with my “Upset Watch”, I won’t predict an outright win for St. Louis, but I say they at least cover the 5.5-point spread.

      Tony RomIntriguing Matchup: Cowboys (5-4) at Redskins (6-3), 8:15 PM ET
      Tony Romo will be back in action this week, but will he need a game or two to shake off the rust? Unfortunately for him, Dallas can’t afford to lose any more ground in a stacked NFC East. The Redskins are also fighting to keep pace in the division and will look to avenge their ugly loss to the Steelers on Monday Night Football two weeks ago. They’ll have to do it without Clinton Portis, however, as he currently is sidelined with a MCL injury. Jason Campbell has been solid this season, but he’ll need to make plays without Portis in the backfield. If the Cowboys are going to walk away with a win, they’ll do so because of a strong defensive effort – not the play of Romo.

      Other Notable Games:
      Titans (9-0) at Jaguars (4-5), 4:15 PM ET
      As previously noted, everyone is waiting for the Titans to slip and this very well could be the weekend they do. But they don’t seem like the team that gets ahead of themselves and every one of their wins has been a dogfight. The Jaguars rebounded with an impressive win over the Lions last week, but let’s not forget that they lost to the Bengals and Browns in two games prior to that.

      Bears (5-4) at Packers (4-5), 1:00 PM ET
      This is a must win for both teams because the Vikings are right back in the division hunt again. If the Packers lose, they might be able to kiss the playoffs goodbye. Kyle Orton is expected to play for the Bears.

      Vikings (5-4) at Bucs (6-3), 1:00 PM ET
      We’ll find out a lot about Minnesota this Sunday and whether or not they’ve returned from the grave. A win over a solid Tampa team would go a long way in proving they’ve rebounded from earlier seasons struggles.

      Broncos (5-4) at Falcons (6-3), 1:00 PM ET
      The legend of Matt Ryan continues this week in the Georgia Dome. Ryan is 4-0 at home this year and will have plenty of opportunities to make big plays against a horrible Denver defense. But Jay Cutler as lit opposing defenses up this year and there could be a wild finish to this game in the making.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      10 Best and Worst NFL Coaches

      November 13, 2008 /

      Jason Whitlock of FOX Sports.com ranked the 10 current best and worst NFL head coaches. His list for top 10 worst had some intriguing names.

      Top 10 Worst:

      Andy Reid1. Eagles Andy Reid: Twice this season Reid has taken the game out of the hands of Donovan McNabb and tried to win at crunch time with his running game. Here’s a coach who loves to throw on damn near every down except when the game is on the line. I also blame Reid for the Eagles failing to trade a second-round draft pick for Tony Gonzalez. Other than the one season with Terrell Owens, McNabb has made a living throwing the ball to the James Thrashes of the world. It’s ridiculous. I’m convinced the Eagles don’t want to win it all.

      6. Packers Mike McCarthy: With Brett Favre at the helm, the Packers were one play from the Super Bowl. With Favre run off to New York, the Packers are 4-5 and in jeopardy of missing the playoffs. You have to blame McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson for Favre’s absence. Aaron Rodgers has been pretty damn good. He’s not the problem. Apparently he’s not the answer either. McCarthy wanted to be the big hero for letting Favre go, well now McCarthy and Thompson look like fools.

      7. 49ers Mike Singletary: The end of the “Monday Night Football” contest against the Cardinals is all the evidence you need to understand why I wanted Singletary to pass on the San Francisco job. Singletary has a chance to be a great NFL coach. Unfortunately, he took a head-coaching job before he was ready. Singletary can’t manage the clock. All the whining about the refs spotting the ball wrong or too quickly just points to Singletary’s inexperience and the folly of having Mike Martz as an unsupervised offensive coordinator.

      10. Saints Sean Payton: Someone has to take the blame for New Orleans’ 4-5 record. I don’t have a real problem with Payton. It’s impossible to win in the Big Easy. There are just too many distractions in NO to build a successful football franchise.

      Whether you like Whitlock or not (I can take or leave him), you have to appreciate how he didn’t just rank his top 10 worst head coaches because they were on the hot seat or list the ones that have terrible teams. As much as Singletary deserves a shot to be a head coach, he and Martz screwed the pooch on Monday night and deserve to be called out for it. And while criticizing Reid is nothing new for the media, Whitlock has some balls ranking him as the worst coach in the league, especially considering the Eagles could still viably make the playoffs this season.

      I don’t know if it’s fair of Whitlock to say that Aaron Rodgers isn’t the answer though. Remember, it’s only his first year as a starter and he’s been phenomenal.

      NFL

      Mike Martz explains goal line gaff on Monday night

      November 12, 2008 /

      Here’s what offensive coordinator Mike Martz had to say regarding the disastrous sequence that transpired on the goal line during the closing seconds of the 49ers’ 29-24 loss to the Cardinals on Monday night:

      Mike Martz“It cost us the game,” he said. “We go to the 1 — or the half-yard line — then spike the ball when, all of a sudden, officials tell us they’re going to look at the replay. While they’re looking at it, the ball stays at the 1. So we send in a play. Then, when they make their decision, they move the ball back to the 2½ and tell us they’re going to start the clock on the official’s wind.

      “We couldn’t change the play. We had to go with what we called. If it would’ve been at the 1, we would’ve made it. But they moved it and didn’t give us any time. So what are we going to do? If they would’ve moved it to the 10 we still would’ve had to run the play that was called. We got screwed because of the spot, first and foremost.”

      Okay, so the refs screwed you. That still doesn’t explain why Martz didn’t tell Shaun Hill just to spike the ball so he could get a better play called. There was four seconds remaining on the game clock. Even with the time running at the refs’ winding of the clock, Hill still could have spiked it and had at least two seconds left so that Martz got a better play call in.

      And regardless of that, why run a dive with Michael Robinson? You’re telling me that’s your best play call from the one or two yard line? A boot with the mobile Hill isn’t better than running straight at the Cards’ defense with Michael Robinson? This is why no team wants Martz as a head coach – because he outsmarts himself when the game is on the line.

      NFL

      Not the same old Cardinals?

      November 11, 2008 /

      In the wake of the their 29-24 win over the 49ers on Monday night, Paola Boivin of the Arizona Republic writes that these aren’t the same old Cardinals.

      Arizona CardinalsThe Same Old Cardinals wouldn’t have displayed fourth-quarter poise despite stretches of erratic defensive play. And then just like that, linebacker Karlos Dansby kept the Cardinals alive with an interception that gave his team the ball at the 49ers’ 5-yard line with 5:06 remaining.

      Are you kidding me?

      The Same Old Cardinals wouldn’t have scored two plays later, on a 4-yard pass to Anquan Boldin.
      Don’t dismiss this victory because the 49ers came into the game with a 2-6 record. They have shortcomings, but they also have taken on the personality of their high-energy coach, Mike Singletary. They’re nothing if not gritty. Their quarterback change, from J.T. O’Sullivan to Shaun Hill, too, has served them well.

      I wouldn’t go as far as to dismiss the victory and I get Boivin’s point, but the 49ers essentially handed the Cards a win. Hill’s underhand throw to Adrian Wilson was boneheaded and the decision to rush a handoff at the goal line instead of spiking the ball with four seconds remaining was ridiculous. Hill should have downed the ball and got a better play call in because he had time.

      San Fran gave ‘Zona a win by turning the ball over and mishandling the goal line situation at the end. Yes the Cardinals can score, but I don’t see them getting out of the first round of the playoffs with that defense. Not only that, but they won’t be prepared to face the best of the NFC East or South by beating up on the lousy teams in their division all year.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑