Seahawks at 49ers (09-20-09)
- Thread starter savage
- Start date
I would be worried if we didn't have Manny Lawson. He'll likely be on Carlson a lot of the time and he's among the best cover LBs in the league (which is not why we drafted him, but that's another story). They've also said Dashon Goldson will cover Carlson a lot. I'm not saying they will shut him down, but I think they can minimize the damage.
Manny is already up there. Peterson's best coverage game was when he shut down Tony Gonzalez, but other than that, Manny has shown he's as good as Peterson was. He's great in coverage, unfortunately we need him to do a lot more than just cover TEs and RBs, he needs to generate a pass rush. He has failed miserably in that category.
Yeah, but I also saw an immobile Warner too. Not taking anything away from the Niners because they played very good defense, but Hasselbeck has mobility and they run a different offense. Hasselbeck gets rid of the ball quicker than Warner, sometimes Warner holds the ball too long allowing the rush to get to him.
Your DB's did a good job of keeping Fitzgerald and Bolding in check but Seattle's receivers are faster. We'll see, should be a good game.
Your DB's did a good job of keeping Fitzgerald and Bolding in check but Seattle's receivers are faster. We'll see, should be a good game.
So what could possibly be better for the Seattle Seahawks than shutting out a division rival 28-0 in the opening game of the NFL season?
How about beating another division foe in Week 2. A better divisional foe. This time on the road. No matter what the final score.
The Seahawks won't be worried about style points Sunday when they face the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park (1:05 p.m. on Fox).
This one is all about surviving the challenges that come with winning on the road against an emerging challenger in the NFC West and taking quick command in the division.
"It's rare that your second game of the season is a big game," said Seahawks wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. "But one of us is going to be 2-0 and 2-0 in the division. So this is a big game."
It's all about validating what happened last week, in the mind of coach Jim Mora, following up success with more success and turning the Week 1 effort into a trend instead of just a quick blip on the NFL rollercoaster.
Mora's squad appeared to set a new tone with last week's dominating defensive effort against the St. Louis Rams.
They played with a different heat and aggression, riding the Qwest Field wave and wide-eyed enthusiasm of rookie linebacker Aaron Curry to an impressive victory and the only shutout in the NFL on Week 1.
But there remain lingering questions about how good -- or bad -- the Rams might be and life is harder on the road, where the Seahawks have just twice in their last 10 games. So Mora and his mates now must prove they can bring the same fire to a 49ers' team that beat defending NFC champion Arizona 20-16 last week.
The Seahawks no longer are a team built in the image of offensive-oriented Mike Holmgren. These Seahawks are more interested in hitting opponents in the mouth, in the spirit of Mora and energetic assistant coaches Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn.
In the 49ers, they'll meet a similarly-minded group that gritted out a big win last week despite totaling only 203 yards of offense against Arizona.
"I think it'll be a slugfest, a tough, gut-grinder kind of game," Mora said. "That's the type of team they are and I think that's the type of team we are. It's a division game and it's important to both of us, even though it's early in the season.
"If you like hard-hitting, down-and-dirty football, this will be a good game to watch."
The Seahawks expect a face full of Frank Gore as the Niners look to re-establish a ground game that managed just 21 yards on 25 carries last week.
Gore had 30 yards in 22 tries against Arizona, with San Francisco leaning more heavily on quarterback Shaun Hill (18 of 31 for 209 yards and one TD).
But the former University of Miami back has had some big days against the Seahawks. He rushed for 212 and 144 yards in a pair of San Francisco wins in 2006.
Seattle has held Gore to 76.5 yards per game in the four meetings since, but the Seahawks know what they're up against.
"We've had some success against him, but he's had some success against us, too," said middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu. "We haven't forgotten that."
Mora said it wasn't hard getting his team refocused this week after the opening-day victory.
"All we had to do was put on a couple snaps of Frank Gore running the football and (Vernon) Davis catching the football and their defense attacking the way they attacked and it gets you focused very, very quickly," he said.
The 49ers were 2-5 last season when Mike Singletary replaced Mike Nolan as head coach. They've gone 6-4 since and appear to be regaining respectability that has been missing since 2002, the last winning season by a once-proud franchise that has a 32-64 record in the ensuing six years.
"His whole mentality has been just creating our identity so when people say the 49ers, they don't say, 'Well, what kind of football team are they?'" said linebacker Patrick Willis. "He wants the other team to know what our identity is, and it's hard-nosed football, disciplined, smart, relentless and all of the above. That's what he talked about and that's the approach we've taken."
If that sounds familiar, it's because that would be the same hard-edged mold being forged by the new Seahawks regime. It's why Mora watched tape of the 49ers' victory over Arizona and saw a thing of beauty where others weren't so impressed.
"I don't think any football game is ugly," said Mora. "I liked the way they played. They played good defense and they ground it out and when they had to come up with a play to win it, they came up with a play to win it.
"It was good football to me. I'm not a run-and-shoot guy, I'm a defensive guy. So I kind of liked it."
Both teams will try to force feed their running games, though the Seahawks have capable passing weapons as well with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and his developing relationship with tight end John Carlson and wide receivers Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson.
Hasselbeck warmed up impressively after a bad start last week, his 279 yards ranking fourth among NFC quarterbacks. He praised the Niners' defense for its improving play under Singletary, but isn't convinced this will be some defensive duel.
"You never know," Hasselbeck said. "Everybody said it was supposed to be a low-scoring game when we went into Baltimore a couple years ago and it turned into (44-41 in 2003).
"But defensively, that's one of the things they do well. They keep people out of the end zone, keep stuff in front of them and make plays. I just think you never know what a game is going to be like and I don't really care, either.
"If we win 3-0, that would be fine with me."
How about beating another division foe in Week 2. A better divisional foe. This time on the road. No matter what the final score.
The Seahawks won't be worried about style points Sunday when they face the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park (1:05 p.m. on Fox).
This one is all about surviving the challenges that come with winning on the road against an emerging challenger in the NFC West and taking quick command in the division.
"It's rare that your second game of the season is a big game," said Seahawks wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. "But one of us is going to be 2-0 and 2-0 in the division. So this is a big game."
It's all about validating what happened last week, in the mind of coach Jim Mora, following up success with more success and turning the Week 1 effort into a trend instead of just a quick blip on the NFL rollercoaster.
Mora's squad appeared to set a new tone with last week's dominating defensive effort against the St. Louis Rams.
They played with a different heat and aggression, riding the Qwest Field wave and wide-eyed enthusiasm of rookie linebacker Aaron Curry to an impressive victory and the only shutout in the NFL on Week 1.
But there remain lingering questions about how good -- or bad -- the Rams might be and life is harder on the road, where the Seahawks have just twice in their last 10 games. So Mora and his mates now must prove they can bring the same fire to a 49ers' team that beat defending NFC champion Arizona 20-16 last week.
The Seahawks no longer are a team built in the image of offensive-oriented Mike Holmgren. These Seahawks are more interested in hitting opponents in the mouth, in the spirit of Mora and energetic assistant coaches Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn.
In the 49ers, they'll meet a similarly-minded group that gritted out a big win last week despite totaling only 203 yards of offense against Arizona.
"I think it'll be a slugfest, a tough, gut-grinder kind of game," Mora said. "That's the type of team they are and I think that's the type of team we are. It's a division game and it's important to both of us, even though it's early in the season.
"If you like hard-hitting, down-and-dirty football, this will be a good game to watch."
The Seahawks expect a face full of Frank Gore as the Niners look to re-establish a ground game that managed just 21 yards on 25 carries last week.
Gore had 30 yards in 22 tries against Arizona, with San Francisco leaning more heavily on quarterback Shaun Hill (18 of 31 for 209 yards and one TD).
But the former University of Miami back has had some big days against the Seahawks. He rushed for 212 and 144 yards in a pair of San Francisco wins in 2006.
Seattle has held Gore to 76.5 yards per game in the four meetings since, but the Seahawks know what they're up against.
"We've had some success against him, but he's had some success against us, too," said middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu. "We haven't forgotten that."
Mora said it wasn't hard getting his team refocused this week after the opening-day victory.
"All we had to do was put on a couple snaps of Frank Gore running the football and (Vernon) Davis catching the football and their defense attacking the way they attacked and it gets you focused very, very quickly," he said.
The 49ers were 2-5 last season when Mike Singletary replaced Mike Nolan as head coach. They've gone 6-4 since and appear to be regaining respectability that has been missing since 2002, the last winning season by a once-proud franchise that has a 32-64 record in the ensuing six years.
"His whole mentality has been just creating our identity so when people say the 49ers, they don't say, 'Well, what kind of football team are they?'" said linebacker Patrick Willis. "He wants the other team to know what our identity is, and it's hard-nosed football, disciplined, smart, relentless and all of the above. That's what he talked about and that's the approach we've taken."
If that sounds familiar, it's because that would be the same hard-edged mold being forged by the new Seahawks regime. It's why Mora watched tape of the 49ers' victory over Arizona and saw a thing of beauty where others weren't so impressed.
"I don't think any football game is ugly," said Mora. "I liked the way they played. They played good defense and they ground it out and when they had to come up with a play to win it, they came up with a play to win it.
"It was good football to me. I'm not a run-and-shoot guy, I'm a defensive guy. So I kind of liked it."
Both teams will try to force feed their running games, though the Seahawks have capable passing weapons as well with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and his developing relationship with tight end John Carlson and wide receivers Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson.
Hasselbeck warmed up impressively after a bad start last week, his 279 yards ranking fourth among NFC quarterbacks. He praised the Niners' defense for its improving play under Singletary, but isn't convinced this will be some defensive duel.
"You never know," Hasselbeck said. "Everybody said it was supposed to be a low-scoring game when we went into Baltimore a couple years ago and it turned into (44-41 in 2003).
"But defensively, that's one of the things they do well. They keep people out of the end zone, keep stuff in front of them and make plays. I just think you never know what a game is going to be like and I don't really care, either.
"If we win 3-0, that would be fine with me."
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Vernon Davis(notes) remembers it all too well, the San Francisco 49ers’ game with Seattle last October at Candlestick Park. Mike Singletary’s crazy coaching debut.
“That’s the game I went to the locker room, huh?” Davis said with a grin. “I’m sure they’re going to do something to try to get me fired up and try to get me to go back to the locker room, but it ain’t happening. … They will not get to me. There’s not anything they can do to get me fired up. I’m going to go out and just be me and just play, play football.”
Yes, Singletary made quite a statement that fall day against the Seahawks, entertaining on so many fronts. He pulled down his pants in the locker room at halftime to make a point, benched struggling quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan(notes) in favor of Shaun Hill(notes), and sent Davis to the showers early for what he deemed inappropriate behavior following a personal foul penalty.
Singletary was practically destined to lose that one, too, after the Niners fired Mike Nolan six days before the game instead of waiting until their bye the following week.
Seattle left with a 34-14 victory. Singletary called out his team afterward, saying “I want winners.”
“That is a game that I would totally like to forget,” Singletary said. “What I did at halftime, what I did with Vernon Davis, what I did after the game, all the other stuff. It was my first game, I learned a lot. I am very thankful that it happened, everything, because I had to grow up a lot that day.”
The coach and his 49ers have come a long way since as they head into Sunday’s home game with the Seahawks. Players have bought into Singletary’s system. Davis has become a captain, and even he wouldn’t have thought it possible.
“That game is still fresh in my mind,” Niners linebacker Takeo Spikes(notes) said. “We didn’t play as a whole the way we needed to. We look forward to this game because we left out of that stadium at Candlestick with a bad taste in our mouth.”
The stakes are high when the teams meet this time, even if it is only Week 2. The winner will be in first place in the NFC West.
Jim Mora’s Seahawks are coming off an impressive 28-0 shutout of St. Louis, while San Francisco won 20-16 at Arizona in its opener. Yet both coaches found plenty of faults in their performances.
The 49ers managed only 21 yards rushing, a franchise low in a victory—and not a good sign for a team that wants to be defined by a power-run offense. Frank Gore’s(notes) line: 30 yards on 22 carries.
“Not many teams are going to be able to hold us to 21 yards rushing, that’s for sure,” said Hill, who threw on 13 of the 15 plays during a decisive fourth-quarter scoring drive against the Cardinals.
Singletary said his offensive line must do all the basic things better so San Francisco can produce more effectively on the ground.
Can the Seahawks game plan, based on what worked for Arizona, hold Gore and Co. in check? It’s not quite that easy.
“Frank Gore’s an outstanding running back,” Mora said. “He’s a guy who can make big plays. That’s where we spend the majority of our focus. … They (Cardinals) did a nice job of attacking and penetrating. Our guys understand the challenge. They’ve played Frank Gore many times.”
And Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck(notes) is no secret to the Niners, either. Seattle put up 446 yards of total offense last week, with Hasselbeck completing 25 of 36 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, but also throwing two interceptions.
Hasselbeck, whose Seahawks are coming off their worst season in 16 years at 4-12, missed last year’s game in San Francisco because of back problems.
After that loss, Singletary let his team have it.
“I’d rather play with 10 people and just get penalized all the way until we have to do something else rather than play with 11 when I know that right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team,” Singletary said. “It is more about them than it is about the team. Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can’t do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win.”
Now, “We want winners” is featured on a billboard alongside Singletary’s picture along the freeway not far from team headquarters.
Mora’s been around long enough to know every coach does things he regrets. This is his first season in charge in Seattle after replacing the departed Mike Holmgren.
Mora endured a messy ending when he was fired in Atlanta three years ago. He was a coach in waiting last year with the Seahawks.
“You just kind of chuckle,” Mora said. “Guys that have coached in this league, we’ve all done things that we wish we hadn’t. But it’s a passionate and emotional game. Sometimes you get caught up in it and you’re just trying to make a point. Certainly he did a nice job with that team when he took over.”
Davis didn’t think he deserved the questionable personal foul penalty when he tapped Seattle’s Brian Russell(notes) on the facemask after a third-quarter catch. But Singletary was steamed after Davis feigned indifference at the coach when he was yanked off the field.
“I didn’t know what to say or what to think. He just sent me to the locker room,” said Davis, who still gets baited by opponents about it. “We had to learn each other, me and Singletary, had to get to know each other. We didn’t know how to deal with each other, but now we do. We’ve talked numerous times since we’ve been together. We definitely have each other’s back.”
“That’s the game I went to the locker room, huh?” Davis said with a grin. “I’m sure they’re going to do something to try to get me fired up and try to get me to go back to the locker room, but it ain’t happening. … They will not get to me. There’s not anything they can do to get me fired up. I’m going to go out and just be me and just play, play football.”
Yes, Singletary made quite a statement that fall day against the Seahawks, entertaining on so many fronts. He pulled down his pants in the locker room at halftime to make a point, benched struggling quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan(notes) in favor of Shaun Hill(notes), and sent Davis to the showers early for what he deemed inappropriate behavior following a personal foul penalty.
Singletary was practically destined to lose that one, too, after the Niners fired Mike Nolan six days before the game instead of waiting until their bye the following week.
Seattle left with a 34-14 victory. Singletary called out his team afterward, saying “I want winners.”
“That is a game that I would totally like to forget,” Singletary said. “What I did at halftime, what I did with Vernon Davis, what I did after the game, all the other stuff. It was my first game, I learned a lot. I am very thankful that it happened, everything, because I had to grow up a lot that day.”
The coach and his 49ers have come a long way since as they head into Sunday’s home game with the Seahawks. Players have bought into Singletary’s system. Davis has become a captain, and even he wouldn’t have thought it possible.
“That game is still fresh in my mind,” Niners linebacker Takeo Spikes(notes) said. “We didn’t play as a whole the way we needed to. We look forward to this game because we left out of that stadium at Candlestick with a bad taste in our mouth.”
The stakes are high when the teams meet this time, even if it is only Week 2. The winner will be in first place in the NFC West.
Jim Mora’s Seahawks are coming off an impressive 28-0 shutout of St. Louis, while San Francisco won 20-16 at Arizona in its opener. Yet both coaches found plenty of faults in their performances.
The 49ers managed only 21 yards rushing, a franchise low in a victory—and not a good sign for a team that wants to be defined by a power-run offense. Frank Gore’s(notes) line: 30 yards on 22 carries.
“Not many teams are going to be able to hold us to 21 yards rushing, that’s for sure,” said Hill, who threw on 13 of the 15 plays during a decisive fourth-quarter scoring drive against the Cardinals.
Singletary said his offensive line must do all the basic things better so San Francisco can produce more effectively on the ground.
Can the Seahawks game plan, based on what worked for Arizona, hold Gore and Co. in check? It’s not quite that easy.
“Frank Gore’s an outstanding running back,” Mora said. “He’s a guy who can make big plays. That’s where we spend the majority of our focus. … They (Cardinals) did a nice job of attacking and penetrating. Our guys understand the challenge. They’ve played Frank Gore many times.”
And Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck(notes) is no secret to the Niners, either. Seattle put up 446 yards of total offense last week, with Hasselbeck completing 25 of 36 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns, but also throwing two interceptions.
Hasselbeck, whose Seahawks are coming off their worst season in 16 years at 4-12, missed last year’s game in San Francisco because of back problems.
After that loss, Singletary let his team have it.
“I’d rather play with 10 people and just get penalized all the way until we have to do something else rather than play with 11 when I know that right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team,” Singletary said. “It is more about them than it is about the team. Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can’t do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win.”
Now, “We want winners” is featured on a billboard alongside Singletary’s picture along the freeway not far from team headquarters.
Mora’s been around long enough to know every coach does things he regrets. This is his first season in charge in Seattle after replacing the departed Mike Holmgren.
Mora endured a messy ending when he was fired in Atlanta three years ago. He was a coach in waiting last year with the Seahawks.
“You just kind of chuckle,” Mora said. “Guys that have coached in this league, we’ve all done things that we wish we hadn’t. But it’s a passionate and emotional game. Sometimes you get caught up in it and you’re just trying to make a point. Certainly he did a nice job with that team when he took over.”
Davis didn’t think he deserved the questionable personal foul penalty when he tapped Seattle’s Brian Russell(notes) on the facemask after a third-quarter catch. But Singletary was steamed after Davis feigned indifference at the coach when he was yanked off the field.
“I didn’t know what to say or what to think. He just sent me to the locker room,” said Davis, who still gets baited by opponents about it. “We had to learn each other, me and Singletary, had to get to know each other. We didn’t know how to deal with each other, but now we do. We’ve talked numerous times since we’ve been together. We definitely have each other’s back.”
