49ers at Green Bay
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Signs indicate Rattay will get another start
Signs indicate Rattay will get another start
By Daniel Brown, Mercury News
There was no announcement Tuesday, but there were plenty of hints. And all of them pointed toward Tim Rattay serving as the 49ers quarterback Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
Coach Dennis Erickson stressed that Jeff Garcia needs to be fully healthy before he returns to the job. Then he noted that Garcia is running at 65 to 70 percent of his usual mobility and questioned how much the quarterback would be able to practice this week.
"Without his mobility, he's not as effective," Erickson said. "Tim is playing well. There is no reason to rush Jeff back."
This is no light decision, because the game at Lambeau Field is pivotal to the 49ers' playoff chances. The Packers, like the 49ers, are 5-5 and in contention for a wild-card spot in the NFC.
The 49ers are 0-4 on the road this season and have lost five consecutive games in Green Bay including the postseason.
Rattay has proved he can win at home, guiding the 49ers to two lopsided victories since taking over for Garcia, who suffered a sprained left ankle Oct. 26 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Rattay sizzled against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 30-14 victory Monday, looking as sharp as he had in a 30-10 victory over the St. Louis Rams two weeks earlier.
In his two starts, Rattay is 40 of 56 for 490 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Though not as fleet as Garcia, he has endured only one sack because he reads blitzes well and has a quick release.
Erickson raved, for example, over a second-and-eight play in the third quarter against Pittsburgh, when a linebacker sprung free and had a clear shot at the quarterback.
"Tim saw it, knew it and got rid of it," he said. "On his fifth step back, the ball was gone."
The pass went to tight end Jed Weaver for a 5-yard gain.
Such poise suggests to coaches that Rattay could handle the challenge of playing in one of the NFL's most daunting venues. The 49ers are 3-9 all-time at Lambeau Field.
"He hasn't had to deal with the noise and other stuff," Erickson said of Rattay, "but he's dealt with everything we've given him so far."
After a day off, practice resumes today. Erickson has said all along that Garcia will remain the starter when the ankle is better, but he is unsure whether the three-time Pro Bowl selection will be able to participate in drills. The coach said the ankle remains swollen.
Receiver Cedrick Wilson said the 49ers will be fine regardless of who is behind center, noting that Rattay has had some help.
"Tim has played extremely well," he said, "just like the offensive line has played extremely well. If you look at the defensive line and the special teams, they've been playing well, too. It all comes down to us playing as a complete unit."
Rattay's arrival coincided with the revival of the offensive line. With mainstay Derrick Deese healthy again at left tackle, the 49ers are running the ball efficiently and doing a better job of protecting the pocket. As Rattay said after the Steelers game: "I don't think we were close to having a sack tonight."
Shaky protection was part of the reason Garcia has struggled with injuries for most of the season.
It looks increasingly likely that Garcia will have another week to heal.
"You have to look at what somebody can do at 60 percent vs. someone who is 100 percent," Erickson said.
Signs indicate Rattay will get another start
By Daniel Brown, Mercury News
There was no announcement Tuesday, but there were plenty of hints. And all of them pointed toward Tim Rattay serving as the 49ers quarterback Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
Coach Dennis Erickson stressed that Jeff Garcia needs to be fully healthy before he returns to the job. Then he noted that Garcia is running at 65 to 70 percent of his usual mobility and questioned how much the quarterback would be able to practice this week.
"Without his mobility, he's not as effective," Erickson said. "Tim is playing well. There is no reason to rush Jeff back."
This is no light decision, because the game at Lambeau Field is pivotal to the 49ers' playoff chances. The Packers, like the 49ers, are 5-5 and in contention for a wild-card spot in the NFC.
The 49ers are 0-4 on the road this season and have lost five consecutive games in Green Bay including the postseason.
Rattay has proved he can win at home, guiding the 49ers to two lopsided victories since taking over for Garcia, who suffered a sprained left ankle Oct. 26 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Rattay sizzled against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 30-14 victory Monday, looking as sharp as he had in a 30-10 victory over the St. Louis Rams two weeks earlier.
In his two starts, Rattay is 40 of 56 for 490 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Though not as fleet as Garcia, he has endured only one sack because he reads blitzes well and has a quick release.
Erickson raved, for example, over a second-and-eight play in the third quarter against Pittsburgh, when a linebacker sprung free and had a clear shot at the quarterback.
"Tim saw it, knew it and got rid of it," he said. "On his fifth step back, the ball was gone."
The pass went to tight end Jed Weaver for a 5-yard gain.
Such poise suggests to coaches that Rattay could handle the challenge of playing in one of the NFL's most daunting venues. The 49ers are 3-9 all-time at Lambeau Field.
"He hasn't had to deal with the noise and other stuff," Erickson said of Rattay, "but he's dealt with everything we've given him so far."
After a day off, practice resumes today. Erickson has said all along that Garcia will remain the starter when the ankle is better, but he is unsure whether the three-time Pro Bowl selection will be able to participate in drills. The coach said the ankle remains swollen.
Receiver Cedrick Wilson said the 49ers will be fine regardless of who is behind center, noting that Rattay has had some help.
"Tim has played extremely well," he said, "just like the offensive line has played extremely well. If you look at the defensive line and the special teams, they've been playing well, too. It all comes down to us playing as a complete unit."
Rattay's arrival coincided with the revival of the offensive line. With mainstay Derrick Deese healthy again at left tackle, the 49ers are running the ball efficiently and doing a better job of protecting the pocket. As Rattay said after the Steelers game: "I don't think we were close to having a sack tonight."
Shaky protection was part of the reason Garcia has struggled with injuries for most of the season.
It looks increasingly likely that Garcia will have another week to heal.
"You have to look at what somebody can do at 60 percent vs. someone who is 100 percent," Erickson said.
packers are gonna fucking humilate the fourty whiners, comin off a big minnesota win, that was the turning point for there season, rattay is even a bigger faggot than garcia, the whiners have no chance, darren sharper will son terrel owens, kgb is make rattay his bitch, nick barnett will give barlow brain damage, gilbert brown will eat the whole whiners sideline... betta recognise
The Packers are weak. They have no big play players on offense except for Alman Green and he is a fumbler. Brett Farve has a bad thumb. How you expect him to throw accurate passes against a strong 49er secondary. Most likely Farve will throw pics and fumble the ball. And don't forget the 49ers has the 2nd best run defense in the league.
Packers no match for 49ers, Rattay
Packers no match for 49ers, Rattay
By Skip Bayless, Mercury News
The first real test for Tim Rattay and the reborn 49ers won't come for another week. The Ravens have the NFL's hottest defense and the kind of punishing runner, 240-pound Jamal Lewis, who gives the undersized 49ers headaches. That game is in Baltimore.
This Sunday, the 49ers play the easiest of their four road games in five weeks. This is the one they should win. Say cheese.
"Say what?" you sputter. "This is Green Bay at Lambeau Field."
No, it's what you remember of the Packers at what used to be Lambeau. While remodeling the place, they inadvertently tore down the Lombardi Mystique. Last January the Packers lost their first playoff game ever at the House that Vince Built. This season they've lost three of five on their frozen tundra, which has been no more threatening than frozen yogurt.
Brett Favre's underpublicized fade has made him pro football's most overhyped player. He hasn't thrown for more than 300 yards in more than a year. He has been under 200 yards six times this season. Yet since Oct. 19, he has played with a cracked right thumb while throwing to three ordinary receivers who, combined, have only two more catches than St. Louis' Torry Holt.
Favre is no longer capable of being a one-man gang. That's partly because that Gang Green defense might as well have gangrene, falling to 25th overall and 27th against the pass. With Sunday's temperature predicted to fall no further than the mid-40s, Rattay should look more like the Great Brett Favre than Favre will.
The 49ers are clearly the better of these two 5-5 teams. I still say Jeff Garcia, when reasonably healthy, is clearly the better of the first two 49ers quarterbacks. But I fully acknowledge that this team has caught fire around Rattay.
From the moment Cedrick Wilson returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown against the Rams, the 49ers have played as if good things will happen with lucky No. 13 at quarterback. They're again attacking with the radioactivity of a college team during rivalry week. So what I think is irrelevant. The team's most dangerous weapons, Terrell Owens and Kevan Barlow, are responding as if Rattay is a 26-year-old Joe Montana.
The Packers, meanwhile, have won two road games in the past three weeks that were as impressive as they were misleading. They caught Minnesota's defense just as it was beginning to melt like light snow and outscored the Vikings 30-27. They caught Tampa Bay just as it hit dissension-racked bottom and escaped 20-13 despite a career-low 92 passing yards from Favre.
He aggravated his thumb when he banged it on a helmet with 5:59 left in the game. The cracked bone is beneath the thumbnail, so he can no longer get a grip on the ball or the fourth quarter at Lambeau. He has lost velocity and accuracy on top of star receivers. As vulnerable as the 49ers' secondary can be, it shouldn't have much trouble matching up with Robert Ferguson, Donald Driver and Juvan Walker.
Favre also has lost his gunslinger's edge at home. Atlanta's Michael Vick outplayed him in last season's playoff loss and Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper outplayed him in this season's opener. The Packers let Kansas City and Philadelphia off the hook in ways previously unimaginable during the Favre Era in the House of Cheese.
The only reason the Packers haven't fallen from the playoff picture is the load being carried by the running game. They lead the NFL in rushing yards per game (166.5) and per carry (5.4). The new "Favre" is running back Ahman Green, who operates with slashing savvy behind one of the NFL's most skilled and sly lines.
But the Packers, whose line averages only 313 pounds, don't have the massive maulers who can overpower the 49ers. And the 49ers have the speed to contain Green, who at 217 pounds relies a little more on speed than power. Najeh Davenport, who goes 245, could cause problems rumbling behind triple-tight-end lines. But the 49ers should be able to control what Green Bay's offense does best and exploit what its defense does worst.
You get the feeling the 49ers smell NFC West blood. Seattle (7-3) has to play Sunday at Baltimore. St. Louis (7-3) has barely survived the past two weeks because opponents are exploiting a weakness the 49ers exposed. Quarterback Marc Bulger, who is taller and stronger-armed than Rattay, hasn't shown much courage under blitz fire. He won't sacrifice his body to get off a throw, the way Kurt Warner once did. Rough him up and he rattles.
Rattay's nerve and resilience haven't been tested and probably won't be until Baltimore. As long as the 49ers continue protecting him -- and he again protects the ball -- they should leave Lambeau with what General Manager Terry Donahue said will "definitely" be a quarterback controversy.
On his KNBR show Thursday, Donahue said Coach Dennis Erickson will have to "reassess" if Rattay wins a third consecutive start. Donahue said the call would be strictly Erickson's -- and Erickson has repeatedly said the job is Garcia's when his ankle heals. But here's betting Erickson is strongly influenced by Donahue to reassess.
I still say Garcia would give the 49ers a better chance in Baltimore. And in Cincinnati, where the Bengals' coming-of-age momentum and power running game could be too much. And in Philadelphia, where the find-a-way Eagles could be too physically and mentally tough.
But Rattay's 49ers shouldn't have much trouble in what used to be Lambeau.
Packers no match for 49ers, Rattay
By Skip Bayless, Mercury News
The first real test for Tim Rattay and the reborn 49ers won't come for another week. The Ravens have the NFL's hottest defense and the kind of punishing runner, 240-pound Jamal Lewis, who gives the undersized 49ers headaches. That game is in Baltimore.
This Sunday, the 49ers play the easiest of their four road games in five weeks. This is the one they should win. Say cheese.
"Say what?" you sputter. "This is Green Bay at Lambeau Field."
No, it's what you remember of the Packers at what used to be Lambeau. While remodeling the place, they inadvertently tore down the Lombardi Mystique. Last January the Packers lost their first playoff game ever at the House that Vince Built. This season they've lost three of five on their frozen tundra, which has been no more threatening than frozen yogurt.
Brett Favre's underpublicized fade has made him pro football's most overhyped player. He hasn't thrown for more than 300 yards in more than a year. He has been under 200 yards six times this season. Yet since Oct. 19, he has played with a cracked right thumb while throwing to three ordinary receivers who, combined, have only two more catches than St. Louis' Torry Holt.
Favre is no longer capable of being a one-man gang. That's partly because that Gang Green defense might as well have gangrene, falling to 25th overall and 27th against the pass. With Sunday's temperature predicted to fall no further than the mid-40s, Rattay should look more like the Great Brett Favre than Favre will.
The 49ers are clearly the better of these two 5-5 teams. I still say Jeff Garcia, when reasonably healthy, is clearly the better of the first two 49ers quarterbacks. But I fully acknowledge that this team has caught fire around Rattay.
From the moment Cedrick Wilson returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown against the Rams, the 49ers have played as if good things will happen with lucky No. 13 at quarterback. They're again attacking with the radioactivity of a college team during rivalry week. So what I think is irrelevant. The team's most dangerous weapons, Terrell Owens and Kevan Barlow, are responding as if Rattay is a 26-year-old Joe Montana.
The Packers, meanwhile, have won two road games in the past three weeks that were as impressive as they were misleading. They caught Minnesota's defense just as it was beginning to melt like light snow and outscored the Vikings 30-27. They caught Tampa Bay just as it hit dissension-racked bottom and escaped 20-13 despite a career-low 92 passing yards from Favre.
He aggravated his thumb when he banged it on a helmet with 5:59 left in the game. The cracked bone is beneath the thumbnail, so he can no longer get a grip on the ball or the fourth quarter at Lambeau. He has lost velocity and accuracy on top of star receivers. As vulnerable as the 49ers' secondary can be, it shouldn't have much trouble matching up with Robert Ferguson, Donald Driver and Juvan Walker.
Favre also has lost his gunslinger's edge at home. Atlanta's Michael Vick outplayed him in last season's playoff loss and Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper outplayed him in this season's opener. The Packers let Kansas City and Philadelphia off the hook in ways previously unimaginable during the Favre Era in the House of Cheese.
The only reason the Packers haven't fallen from the playoff picture is the load being carried by the running game. They lead the NFL in rushing yards per game (166.5) and per carry (5.4). The new "Favre" is running back Ahman Green, who operates with slashing savvy behind one of the NFL's most skilled and sly lines.
But the Packers, whose line averages only 313 pounds, don't have the massive maulers who can overpower the 49ers. And the 49ers have the speed to contain Green, who at 217 pounds relies a little more on speed than power. Najeh Davenport, who goes 245, could cause problems rumbling behind triple-tight-end lines. But the 49ers should be able to control what Green Bay's offense does best and exploit what its defense does worst.
You get the feeling the 49ers smell NFC West blood. Seattle (7-3) has to play Sunday at Baltimore. St. Louis (7-3) has barely survived the past two weeks because opponents are exploiting a weakness the 49ers exposed. Quarterback Marc Bulger, who is taller and stronger-armed than Rattay, hasn't shown much courage under blitz fire. He won't sacrifice his body to get off a throw, the way Kurt Warner once did. Rough him up and he rattles.
Rattay's nerve and resilience haven't been tested and probably won't be until Baltimore. As long as the 49ers continue protecting him -- and he again protects the ball -- they should leave Lambeau with what General Manager Terry Donahue said will "definitely" be a quarterback controversy.
On his KNBR show Thursday, Donahue said Coach Dennis Erickson will have to "reassess" if Rattay wins a third consecutive start. Donahue said the call would be strictly Erickson's -- and Erickson has repeatedly said the job is Garcia's when his ankle heals. But here's betting Erickson is strongly influenced by Donahue to reassess.
I still say Garcia would give the 49ers a better chance in Baltimore. And in Cincinnati, where the Bengals' coming-of-age momentum and power running game could be too much. And in Philadelphia, where the find-a-way Eagles could be too physically and mentally tough.
But Rattay's 49ers shouldn't have much trouble in what used to be Lambeau.