Niner News Thread
- Thread starter Chree
- Start date
49ers LT Joe Staley (knee), who is close to returning, may not get his starting job back from Barry Sims.
Staley has been out since Nov. 1. He's the Niners' best offensive lineman, but offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye hinted that continuity is more important than getting Staley back in there. Look for Staley to sit out this week but gradually work his way back into his old job.
Isaac Bruce (ankle) is listed as "doubtful" for Monday's game against the 49ers.
Bruce is more like a player/coach at this point. Even if he was healthy, it's unlikely he'd be active. Jason Hill and Brandon Jones will continue to share No. 3 WR duties.
Staley has been out since Nov. 1. He's the Niners' best offensive lineman, but offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye hinted that continuity is more important than getting Staley back in there. Look for Staley to sit out this week but gradually work his way back into his old job.
Isaac Bruce (ankle) is listed as "doubtful" for Monday's game against the 49ers.
Bruce is more like a player/coach at this point. Even if he was healthy, it's unlikely he'd be active. Jason Hill and Brandon Jones will continue to share No. 3 WR duties.
Sage words: Young's take on Smith
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/15/SPTT1B485R.DTL
Because it takes one to know one, who better to offer an assessment of the current 49ers quarterback than a former 49ers quarterback? Thus, Steve Young took a few minutes out of his ESPN prep time Monday afternoon to talk about the job Alex Smith is doing in his second go-round as the starter.
"He's loosened up," Young said, wearing a suit and tie while standing on the same field on which he used to play for the 49ers (1987-1999). "He's gone through that (adversity). I'm sure Alex wishes he had been drafted in the second or third round (instead of first overall).
"How many guys get to come around again? Not many. He seems to be more relaxed, more confident. I'm happy for him. I didn't know he'd get to this place (as a starter) again."
Though Smith has had his best results playing out of shotgun formation in a modified spread offense, Young said he needs to get his hands back under center, especially with running back Frank Gore miscast in a single-back set.
"He needs to finish strong with this feeling, or better, and have six months where the team says 'redo. We need to get you under center and figure out what offense we're going to be.' You can't play in the shotgun with Frank Gore. Those two need to get married, and you can't do that in the spread."
However, Young was reminded that a "shotgun wedding" is always possible.
"I think they've got to get him under center, and there's no reason they can't."
The boss is heard from: Team President Jed York said both coach Mike Singletary and general manager Scot McCloughan will return to the club next season. When asked if he thinks Smith has proved himself as the starting quarterback, York said, "He has to prove it to Mike."
York also said, "I think (Smith is) making progress. You need a quarterback to win. He's playing well. The quarterback drives it, but you have to have the pieces around it. You're starting to see the pieces around him, whether it's 85 (Vernon Davis) or 15 (Michael Crabtree), which is great."
Tally ho: York said he is open to the 49ers playing a regular-season game in London in 2010. He said a decision will be made during Super Bowl week.
"I would certainly think we're a candidate, just being in an older stadium," York said. "We haven't been contacted and it isn't something we're seeking."
High five: The 49ers tied a franchise record by forcing five turnovers in the first half. Free safety Dashon Goldson and nickel cornerback Tarell Brown had interceptions. Cornerback Dre' Bly, safety Mark Roman and defensive end Justin Smith all recovered fumbles.
The last time the 49ers forced five turnovers in a first half was Sept. 14, 1997, against the Saints.
Good call: When Singletary decided to insert outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks into the lineup on third down as a pass-rusher, at the expense of Manny Lawson, he knew what he was doing.
Brooks, a four-year veteran, responded with a career-high three sacks, with two of them resulting in strip-fumbles by quarterback Kurt Warner.
"I think out of everyone playing tonight, I'm most proud of him," Singletary said. "We're very fortunate to have him. He's had to work really hard at being a pass-rusher. We saw he had the ability."
Block that kick: Defensive end Ray McDonald, who has an affinity for blocking kicks, got his hand on Neil Rackers' extra-point attempt in the fourth quarter. It was the first time a 49er blocked an extra-point kick since Junior Bryant did it against Detroit on Dec. 14, 1998.
Briefly: The 49ers decided to make tackle Joe Staley inactive for the game rather than rush him back to the lineup. Staley, coming off two sprained ligaments in his right knee, practiced last week. ... The 49ers had only two players on their post-game injury report. Crabtree sustained a hip contusion but returned to the game. Running back Michael Robinson left with a stinger.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/15/SPTT1B485R.DTL#ixzz0ZmNeOZLG
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/15/SPTT1B485R.DTL
Because it takes one to know one, who better to offer an assessment of the current 49ers quarterback than a former 49ers quarterback? Thus, Steve Young took a few minutes out of his ESPN prep time Monday afternoon to talk about the job Alex Smith is doing in his second go-round as the starter.
"He's loosened up," Young said, wearing a suit and tie while standing on the same field on which he used to play for the 49ers (1987-1999). "He's gone through that (adversity). I'm sure Alex wishes he had been drafted in the second or third round (instead of first overall).
"How many guys get to come around again? Not many. He seems to be more relaxed, more confident. I'm happy for him. I didn't know he'd get to this place (as a starter) again."
Though Smith has had his best results playing out of shotgun formation in a modified spread offense, Young said he needs to get his hands back under center, especially with running back Frank Gore miscast in a single-back set.
"He needs to finish strong with this feeling, or better, and have six months where the team says 'redo. We need to get you under center and figure out what offense we're going to be.' You can't play in the shotgun with Frank Gore. Those two need to get married, and you can't do that in the spread."
However, Young was reminded that a "shotgun wedding" is always possible.
"I think they've got to get him under center, and there's no reason they can't."
The boss is heard from: Team President Jed York said both coach Mike Singletary and general manager Scot McCloughan will return to the club next season. When asked if he thinks Smith has proved himself as the starting quarterback, York said, "He has to prove it to Mike."
York also said, "I think (Smith is) making progress. You need a quarterback to win. He's playing well. The quarterback drives it, but you have to have the pieces around it. You're starting to see the pieces around him, whether it's 85 (Vernon Davis) or 15 (Michael Crabtree), which is great."
Tally ho: York said he is open to the 49ers playing a regular-season game in London in 2010. He said a decision will be made during Super Bowl week.
"I would certainly think we're a candidate, just being in an older stadium," York said. "We haven't been contacted and it isn't something we're seeking."
High five: The 49ers tied a franchise record by forcing five turnovers in the first half. Free safety Dashon Goldson and nickel cornerback Tarell Brown had interceptions. Cornerback Dre' Bly, safety Mark Roman and defensive end Justin Smith all recovered fumbles.
The last time the 49ers forced five turnovers in a first half was Sept. 14, 1997, against the Saints.
Good call: When Singletary decided to insert outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks into the lineup on third down as a pass-rusher, at the expense of Manny Lawson, he knew what he was doing.
Brooks, a four-year veteran, responded with a career-high three sacks, with two of them resulting in strip-fumbles by quarterback Kurt Warner.
"I think out of everyone playing tonight, I'm most proud of him," Singletary said. "We're very fortunate to have him. He's had to work really hard at being a pass-rusher. We saw he had the ability."
Block that kick: Defensive end Ray McDonald, who has an affinity for blocking kicks, got his hand on Neil Rackers' extra-point attempt in the fourth quarter. It was the first time a 49er blocked an extra-point kick since Junior Bryant did it against Detroit on Dec. 14, 1998.
Briefly: The 49ers decided to make tackle Joe Staley inactive for the game rather than rush him back to the lineup. Staley, coming off two sprained ligaments in his right knee, practiced last week. ... The 49ers had only two players on their post-game injury report. Crabtree sustained a hip contusion but returned to the game. Running back Michael Robinson left with a stinger.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/15/SPTT1B485R.DTL#ixzz0ZmNeOZLG
i really don't think 49ers are going to be in the playoffs anymore I'll be happy with ending the seasoning 500. or 9/7 but the next game on Sunday is going to be a hard one. with that being said here is the playoff's scenarios.
Playoff scenarios: Straightest path is through the division
I need a Tylenol. I just looked at the 49ers' various playoff scenarios, and it's a maze of conditionals, possibilities and dead ends. The straightest path to the postseason is to win the division outright. As it stands now, the Cardinals (8-5) have a two-game lead on the 49ers (6-7) with three games to play. The 49ers need Arizona to lose at least two of its remaining games. If the Cardinals win just one game, the 49ers need to sweep their final three. If the Cardinals lose all their remaining games, the 49ers just need to win two. If the two teams finish with the same record, say 9-7, the 49ers win the division because they beat the Cardinals twice in head-to-head competition. (See: tie-breaker rules below).
The problem is that Cardinals have two easy games. Here's their remaining schedule:
Dec. 20 @ Detroit
Dec. 27 vs. St. Louis
Jan. 3 vs. Green Bay
The Wildcard scenario is far more complicated because it involves five other teams. The 49ers can't catch one of them, Green Bay, because the Packers (9-4) already have won nine games and own the tie breaker by virtue of their win over the 49ers. The 49ers also lost to Atlanta (6-7), which means that they must finish at least one game better than the Falcons.
The second tiebreaker is division games conference record. As it stands now, the 49ers have a 5-4 conference record, the Giants (7-6) have a 5-4 conference record and the Cowboys (8-5) have a 6-3 conference record. Dallas, however, has some tough NFC games remaining including the next one in New Orleans. Philadelphia (9-4) has an 8-2 conference record, but if the 49ers and Eagles finished at 9-7, the 49ers would win the tiebreaker because of their head-to-head win.
Here are the 49ers' playoff competitors remaining schedules:
Falcons (6-7) @ NYJ, vs. BUFF, @TB
Giants (7-6) @ Wash, vs. CAR, @MIN
Dallas (8-5) @ NO, @ Wash, vs. PHI
Philadelphia (9-4) vs. SF, vs. DEN, @DAL
Tiebreaker rules for Wildcard
1. 1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. 2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. 3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. 4. Strength of victory.
5. 5. Strength of schedule.
6. 6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
7. 7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. 8. Best net points in conference games.
9. 9. Best net points in all games.
10. 10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. 11. Coin toss.
-- Matt Barrows
Playoff scenarios: Straightest path is through the division
I need a Tylenol. I just looked at the 49ers' various playoff scenarios, and it's a maze of conditionals, possibilities and dead ends. The straightest path to the postseason is to win the division outright. As it stands now, the Cardinals (8-5) have a two-game lead on the 49ers (6-7) with three games to play. The 49ers need Arizona to lose at least two of its remaining games. If the Cardinals win just one game, the 49ers need to sweep their final three. If the Cardinals lose all their remaining games, the 49ers just need to win two. If the two teams finish with the same record, say 9-7, the 49ers win the division because they beat the Cardinals twice in head-to-head competition. (See: tie-breaker rules below).
The problem is that Cardinals have two easy games. Here's their remaining schedule:
Dec. 20 @ Detroit
Dec. 27 vs. St. Louis
Jan. 3 vs. Green Bay
The Wildcard scenario is far more complicated because it involves five other teams. The 49ers can't catch one of them, Green Bay, because the Packers (9-4) already have won nine games and own the tie breaker by virtue of their win over the 49ers. The 49ers also lost to Atlanta (6-7), which means that they must finish at least one game better than the Falcons.
The second tiebreaker is division games conference record. As it stands now, the 49ers have a 5-4 conference record, the Giants (7-6) have a 5-4 conference record and the Cowboys (8-5) have a 6-3 conference record. Dallas, however, has some tough NFC games remaining including the next one in New Orleans. Philadelphia (9-4) has an 8-2 conference record, but if the 49ers and Eagles finished at 9-7, the 49ers would win the tiebreaker because of their head-to-head win.
Here are the 49ers' playoff competitors remaining schedules:
Falcons (6-7) @ NYJ, vs. BUFF, @TB
Giants (7-6) @ Wash, vs. CAR, @MIN
Dallas (8-5) @ NO, @ Wash, vs. PHI
Philadelphia (9-4) vs. SF, vs. DEN, @DAL
Tiebreaker rules for Wildcard
1. 1. Head-to-head, if applicable.
2. 2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
3. 3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
4. 4. Strength of victory.
5. 5. Strength of schedule.
6. 6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
7. 7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. 8. Best net points in conference games.
9. 9. Best net points in all games.
10. 10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. 11. Coin toss.
-- Matt Barrows
dont get ur hopes up. i knew after the seahawk game that the season was over. i pretty much knew once we switched to alex that the season was over.
jimmy raye sucks, and alex sucks.
the problem wasnt shaun hill, it was jimmy raye.
look at the 4th quarter qb ratings
alex smith 4th qtr = 77.6
shaun hill 4th qtr = 113.5
now look at the 4th quarter when its within a 7 point game
alex smith 4th qtr within 7 = 36.9
shaun hill 4th qtr within 7 = 135.6
shaun hill wins games
alex smith loses games
the only thing left to be hopeful for is nate davis getting some action in a game
jimmy raye sucks, and alex sucks.
the problem wasnt shaun hill, it was jimmy raye.
look at the 4th quarter qb ratings
alex smith 4th qtr = 77.6
shaun hill 4th qtr = 113.5
now look at the 4th quarter when its within a 7 point game
alex smith 4th qtr within 7 = 36.9
shaun hill 4th qtr within 7 = 135.6
shaun hill wins games
alex smith loses games
the only thing left to be hopeful for is nate davis getting some action in a game
Gore takes home NFC honor
Running back Frank Gore was named the NFC offensive player of the week for the fourth time in his career after rushing for 167 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' 24-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals last night.
"It was good to see," coach Mike Singletary said. "Jimmy Raye and I have been taking about it, making sure we that combination of getting him the ball and making sure we have the right personnel to do that. And I thought Jimmy did a nice job of accomplishing that."
* * *
The 49ers were off today. They won't practice Wednesday because of the short week but they'll meet as the game plan is installed for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Singletary wants to make sure the 49ers heal up and are rested for the game.
Michael Robinson has a shoulder stinger, and his availability might be iffy. Left tackle Barry Sims is scheduled for an MRI examination today after reporting pain in his knee. Joe Staley remains day to day as he looks to return from a knee injury sustained Nov. 1. Receiver Michael Crabtree has a hip contusion, but he's expected to be OK.
* * *
The 49ers have been looking for pass rushers since the days of Charles Haley. Might they have found a nice combination with young players Parys Haralson, Ahmad Brooks and Manny Lawson?
"We'd like to think so," Singletary said. "We can never have enough of them, but it was nice to see that combination just coming off the ball, and those guys continue to apply pressure and have the offensive tackles try to adjust to Ahmad's speed and Parys' strength and Manny's speed. It was a constant mix, so that was really good to see. Ahmad really makes a difference when you begin to think of him as a pass rusher."
During the offseason, Brooks might work more as an outside linebacker in base situations, and there is a chance he could challenge for a starting job. Right now, the way the 49ers are using those three players seems to be effective.
* * *
Quarterback Alex Smith "did a nice job," Singletary said. Singletary said Darnell Dockett made a nice play to intercept a Smith pass at the line of scrimmage. The second interception was a miscommunication, as Delanie Walker read the safety one way and Smith read it the other, Singletary said. There appeared to be gray area about which player erred.
On the bright side, the 49ers converted 8 of 16 third-down chances. One of those was a kneeldown at the end of the game. Smith completed 6 of 11 passes on third downs, resulting in four first downs. He also drew the Cardinals offside for a first down in the first quarter.
* * *
The 49ers continue to struggle on punt returns. Arnaz Battle handled three punts and gained 9 yards on returns. He was also officially charged with a muffed punt in the fourth quarter when he tried to field a bouncing ball.
I asked Mike Singletary about the problems on punts. The 49ers have committed turnovers on punt returns that led to short-field touchdowns for the opposition in losses to the Texans (24-21) and the Seahawks (20-17).
Singletary said they will continue to work on it. Here's our exchange:
Q: Are the pieces there?
Singletary: "Are the pieces there? I certainly hope so. Hopefully, we can just make better decisions. Hopefully, we'll get it done. We just have to figure it out, more and more. We know with one guy, Brandon Jones, you know he's going to catch the ball. Arnaz (Battle) we know he's more experienced at it, and we just have to work through it."
Q: A lot of people wonder, you're still in it, how can you take that chance because these guys have not showed anything, how can you ...
Singletary: "What would you suggest?"
Q: Get a guy who can catch the ball.
Singletary: "We got a guy who can catch the ball."
Q: Who's that?
Singletary: "Brandon Jones."
Q: Then why wasn't he back there yesterday?
Singletary: "Because when you get a punt, the thing that you want to try to do in a game like that - and it's not that Arnaz can't catch the ball. OK, he missed one ball, in the Houston game. That's one ball."
Q: He muffed one yesterday.
Singletary: "The one yesterday, I thought the ball hit the ground first. I thought the ball hit the ground first and then he tried to do something with it. That's different than muffing. Muffing is when it comes out of the air and it hits you and you don't catch it. That's a different thing. That's a bad decision that he made. That's a bad choice, but he didn't muff it."
Q: So you're comfortable with . . .
Singletary: "No, I'm not comfortable with any of that stuff. I am not comfortable with . . . any time a guy is back there to catch the ball, catch the ball. That's your job. Catch the ball. So, please, don't think for one second that I'm comfortable with that. But at the same time, I want to make sure that if that's what we have, we got to make the best decision and give the guy better parameters and say, 'if the ball's coming here and the ball hits the ground, just get away from it.' But hopefully we get that figured out and we go from there."
* * *
Then, John Crumpacker asked Singletary if he regrets releasing Allen Rossum.
"Absolutely not. No," Singletary answered.
The 49ers did not believe Rossum could be relied upon because of appearances on the injury report that became more and more frequent. Sure enough, after he was released, Rossum sustained a hamstring injury the first time he touched the ball with the Cowboys and did not play again for them before he was released.
Running back Frank Gore was named the NFC offensive player of the week for the fourth time in his career after rushing for 167 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' 24-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals last night.
"It was good to see," coach Mike Singletary said. "Jimmy Raye and I have been taking about it, making sure we that combination of getting him the ball and making sure we have the right personnel to do that. And I thought Jimmy did a nice job of accomplishing that."
* * *
The 49ers were off today. They won't practice Wednesday because of the short week but they'll meet as the game plan is installed for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Singletary wants to make sure the 49ers heal up and are rested for the game.
Michael Robinson has a shoulder stinger, and his availability might be iffy. Left tackle Barry Sims is scheduled for an MRI examination today after reporting pain in his knee. Joe Staley remains day to day as he looks to return from a knee injury sustained Nov. 1. Receiver Michael Crabtree has a hip contusion, but he's expected to be OK.
* * *
The 49ers have been looking for pass rushers since the days of Charles Haley. Might they have found a nice combination with young players Parys Haralson, Ahmad Brooks and Manny Lawson?
"We'd like to think so," Singletary said. "We can never have enough of them, but it was nice to see that combination just coming off the ball, and those guys continue to apply pressure and have the offensive tackles try to adjust to Ahmad's speed and Parys' strength and Manny's speed. It was a constant mix, so that was really good to see. Ahmad really makes a difference when you begin to think of him as a pass rusher."
During the offseason, Brooks might work more as an outside linebacker in base situations, and there is a chance he could challenge for a starting job. Right now, the way the 49ers are using those three players seems to be effective.
* * *
Quarterback Alex Smith "did a nice job," Singletary said. Singletary said Darnell Dockett made a nice play to intercept a Smith pass at the line of scrimmage. The second interception was a miscommunication, as Delanie Walker read the safety one way and Smith read it the other, Singletary said. There appeared to be gray area about which player erred.
On the bright side, the 49ers converted 8 of 16 third-down chances. One of those was a kneeldown at the end of the game. Smith completed 6 of 11 passes on third downs, resulting in four first downs. He also drew the Cardinals offside for a first down in the first quarter.
* * *
The 49ers continue to struggle on punt returns. Arnaz Battle handled three punts and gained 9 yards on returns. He was also officially charged with a muffed punt in the fourth quarter when he tried to field a bouncing ball.
I asked Mike Singletary about the problems on punts. The 49ers have committed turnovers on punt returns that led to short-field touchdowns for the opposition in losses to the Texans (24-21) and the Seahawks (20-17).
Singletary said they will continue to work on it. Here's our exchange:
Q: Are the pieces there?
Singletary: "Are the pieces there? I certainly hope so. Hopefully, we can just make better decisions. Hopefully, we'll get it done. We just have to figure it out, more and more. We know with one guy, Brandon Jones, you know he's going to catch the ball. Arnaz (Battle) we know he's more experienced at it, and we just have to work through it."
Q: A lot of people wonder, you're still in it, how can you take that chance because these guys have not showed anything, how can you ...
Singletary: "What would you suggest?"
Q: Get a guy who can catch the ball.
Singletary: "We got a guy who can catch the ball."
Q: Who's that?
Singletary: "Brandon Jones."
Q: Then why wasn't he back there yesterday?
Singletary: "Because when you get a punt, the thing that you want to try to do in a game like that - and it's not that Arnaz can't catch the ball. OK, he missed one ball, in the Houston game. That's one ball."
Q: He muffed one yesterday.
Singletary: "The one yesterday, I thought the ball hit the ground first. I thought the ball hit the ground first and then he tried to do something with it. That's different than muffing. Muffing is when it comes out of the air and it hits you and you don't catch it. That's a different thing. That's a bad decision that he made. That's a bad choice, but he didn't muff it."
Q: So you're comfortable with . . .
Singletary: "No, I'm not comfortable with any of that stuff. I am not comfortable with . . . any time a guy is back there to catch the ball, catch the ball. That's your job. Catch the ball. So, please, don't think for one second that I'm comfortable with that. But at the same time, I want to make sure that if that's what we have, we got to make the best decision and give the guy better parameters and say, 'if the ball's coming here and the ball hits the ground, just get away from it.' But hopefully we get that figured out and we go from there."
* * *
Then, John Crumpacker asked Singletary if he regrets releasing Allen Rossum.
"Absolutely not. No," Singletary answered.
The 49ers did not believe Rossum could be relied upon because of appearances on the injury report that became more and more frequent. Sure enough, after he was released, Rossum sustained a hamstring injury the first time he touched the ball with the Cowboys and did not play again for them before he was released.
Stats don't tell the whole story:
2009
Cardinals - Win 20-16 (without Breaston, or Boldin @ 100%, Warner looked really rusty) QB Rating 89.3
Seahawks - Win 23-10 (very depleted at the beginning of the season, Matt Hassleback got knocked out early) QB Rating 86.1
Vikings - Loss 24-27 QB Rating 94.6
Rams - Win 35-0 QB Rating 104.9
Falcons - Loss 10-45 QB Rating 45.7
Texans - Loss 21-24 (1st half only, but his performance wasn't very good the past few games, which is why Alex Smith came in) QB Rating 64.6
2008
Seahawks - Loss 13-34 (JT O'Sullivan got benched in the 2nd half and Shaun Hill starts the rest of the season) QB Rating 102.3
Cardinals - Loss 24-29 QB Rating 60.1
Rams - Win 35-16 QB Rating 142.3
Cowboys - Loss 22-35 QB Rating 100.9
Bills - Win 10-3 QB Rating 96.5
Jets - Win 24-14 QB Rating 98.8
Dolphins - Loss 9-14 QB Rating 77.5
Rams - Win 17-16 QB Rating 55.5
Redskins - Win 27-24 QB Rating 91.7
Shaun Hill's best games came against one of the worst teams in the league, the Rams. And stats really can't tell all even with ratings. Do you really think Shaun Hill would have played as well as Alex Smith did against the Colts, Titans, Bears, Packers, Jaguars, Seahawks (2nd time), Cardinals (2nd time)? He can manage games but when the 9ers get outscored early forget about trying to make a comeback. At least Alex Smith can get the ball downfield, and not with a flying duck like Shaun Hill did.
Only when did Raye start to open up the offense Alex Smith was able to try to make a comeback, which is why his 4th qtr within 7-points stat is low as hell.
Alex Smith isn't the answer for the future, but he's actually improved now in the shotgun/spread Raye offense and did well this year IMO.
2009
Cardinals - Win 20-16 (without Breaston, or Boldin @ 100%, Warner looked really rusty) QB Rating 89.3
Seahawks - Win 23-10 (very depleted at the beginning of the season, Matt Hassleback got knocked out early) QB Rating 86.1
Vikings - Loss 24-27 QB Rating 94.6
Rams - Win 35-0 QB Rating 104.9
Falcons - Loss 10-45 QB Rating 45.7
Texans - Loss 21-24 (1st half only, but his performance wasn't very good the past few games, which is why Alex Smith came in) QB Rating 64.6
2008
Seahawks - Loss 13-34 (JT O'Sullivan got benched in the 2nd half and Shaun Hill starts the rest of the season) QB Rating 102.3
Cardinals - Loss 24-29 QB Rating 60.1
Rams - Win 35-16 QB Rating 142.3
Cowboys - Loss 22-35 QB Rating 100.9
Bills - Win 10-3 QB Rating 96.5
Jets - Win 24-14 QB Rating 98.8
Dolphins - Loss 9-14 QB Rating 77.5
Rams - Win 17-16 QB Rating 55.5
Redskins - Win 27-24 QB Rating 91.7
Shaun Hill's best games came against one of the worst teams in the league, the Rams. And stats really can't tell all even with ratings. Do you really think Shaun Hill would have played as well as Alex Smith did against the Colts, Titans, Bears, Packers, Jaguars, Seahawks (2nd time), Cardinals (2nd time)? He can manage games but when the 9ers get outscored early forget about trying to make a comeback. At least Alex Smith can get the ball downfield, and not with a flying duck like Shaun Hill did.
Only when did Raye start to open up the offense Alex Smith was able to try to make a comeback, which is why his 4th qtr within 7-points stat is low as hell.
Alex Smith isn't the answer for the future, but he's actually improved now in the shotgun/spread Raye offense and did well this year IMO.
stats dont tell the entire story but the turnover stat tells a lot
jimmy raye never gave shaun hill much to work with, playcalling was turrible.
every play was retardedly obvious giving them not much chance at converting.
he didnt give gore much to work with and still hasnt but gore has still beasted out a few times. he doesnt use a good variety of runs, everything is nearly the same. its rare to see a toss or pitch or counter.
shaun didnt have crabtree and the offense was brand new again this year so the entire offense didnt know how to play together yet, and it didnt look like raye knew how to use them.
alex did have some decent games but shaun hill could have easily done just as well, probably better by not turning it over so much.
yes shaun hill could have played the colts better than alex's 74 qb rating, our de was great that game.
alex's "best" games came against bad teams (jax, sea), and he's had much better playcalling along with having crabtree.
shaun put us in a position to beat the vikings with a 94.6 qb rating and a 4th quarter drive to give us the lead.
shaun could have done better than alex's 69.3 vs the titans with 3 int's and 2 fumbles.
the 2 bad games shaun hill had, the entire team looked bad. especially the offense.
2 of the 3 games we won with alex starting wasnt because of alex. it was defense and gore. but to be fair i'd say alex won the seattle game, so its more like 2 of 4 but those 2 were against the worst teams he's faced jax and seattle.
the o-line was also worse when hill had his chance, add another advantage to alex during his time.
staying with shaun hill prolly woulda gave us a better chance as the offense and raye would have gotten better, especially with crabtree.
in the end, we wont make playoffs. so lets see nate davis.
jimmy raye never gave shaun hill much to work with, playcalling was turrible.
every play was retardedly obvious giving them not much chance at converting.
he didnt give gore much to work with and still hasnt but gore has still beasted out a few times. he doesnt use a good variety of runs, everything is nearly the same. its rare to see a toss or pitch or counter.
shaun didnt have crabtree and the offense was brand new again this year so the entire offense didnt know how to play together yet, and it didnt look like raye knew how to use them.
alex did have some decent games but shaun hill could have easily done just as well, probably better by not turning it over so much.
yes shaun hill could have played the colts better than alex's 74 qb rating, our de was great that game.
alex's "best" games came against bad teams (jax, sea), and he's had much better playcalling along with having crabtree.
shaun put us in a position to beat the vikings with a 94.6 qb rating and a 4th quarter drive to give us the lead.
shaun could have done better than alex's 69.3 vs the titans with 3 int's and 2 fumbles.
the 2 bad games shaun hill had, the entire team looked bad. especially the offense.
2 of the 3 games we won with alex starting wasnt because of alex. it was defense and gore. but to be fair i'd say alex won the seattle game, so its more like 2 of 4 but those 2 were against the worst teams he's faced jax and seattle.
the o-line was also worse when hill had his chance, add another advantage to alex during his time.
staying with shaun hill prolly woulda gave us a better chance as the offense and raye would have gotten better, especially with crabtree.
in the end, we wont make playoffs. so lets see nate davis.
Gore FedEx Ground Nominee for Week 14
After he picked up 167 yards on 25 carries including a 2-yard touchdown run on “Monday Night Football”, Frank Gore was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and was also nominated as one of FedEx’s Ground Players of the Week for Week 14. You can vote for Gore by clicking right here!
http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=players-air-and-ground
After he picked up 167 yards on 25 carries including a 2-yard touchdown run on “Monday Night Football”, Frank Gore was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week and was also nominated as one of FedEx’s Ground Players of the Week for Week 14. You can vote for Gore by clicking right here!
http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=players-air-and-ground
I saw this post on the niners forum. Obviously we must win out or all of this doesn't mean shit. But getting a wild card spot might more realistic than winning the division:
If we win out we will be 9-7
If Dallas loses 2 of their last 3 games they are also 9-7, but we have the tiebreaker(NO, WASH, PHIL are there remaining games)
If Giants lose 1 of their last 3 games they also would be 9-7, but again we have the tiebreaker.(WASH, CAR, MINN are there remaining games)
Lastly we only need Atlanta to lose 1 more game as well....they are beat up right now so that is likely(NY JETS, BUFF, TB are there remaining games)
If we win out we will be 9-7
If Dallas loses 2 of their last 3 games they are also 9-7, but we have the tiebreaker(NO, WASH, PHIL are there remaining games)
If Giants lose 1 of their last 3 games they also would be 9-7, but again we have the tiebreaker.(WASH, CAR, MINN are there remaining games)
Lastly we only need Atlanta to lose 1 more game as well....they are beat up right now so that is likely(NY JETS, BUFF, TB are there remaining games)
