The 49ers, apparently, were under the mistaken belief they'd get 12 seconds back on the clock after the replay challenge. That guess, according to Mike Martz, came from the 49ers' staff in the coaches' booth.
NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira addressed the issue of the clock just moments ago on the NFL Network. Here's what he said:
"You knew it was going to be reviewed. We had to take a look at that to see if he was actually touched down before he actually got into the end zone. Now, the difficult part of a review and stopping the play here is that you have to see if
"So the replay assistant (David Coleman) did a great job of waiting until the last second, which is actually :04 when he buzzed Tony Corrente to take a look at the play.
"When he did, the one thing Tony saw clearly was, yes, he (Gore) was touched and he was, in fact, down and it was at the two-and-a-half yard line. What we did at that point is that we wanted to make sure that the quarterback, Shaun Hill, clearly knew the clock was going to start on Tony's signal. At that point, we followed our normal procedures. . . . You actually see him (Corrente) running back in toward the formation to get to Shaun Hill to tell him and make sure he understood that the clock was going to start on his signal. We hold the umpire over the ball until everybody's set. Then we move him away and let the ball be snapped. That's our normal procedures, and I wouldn't want to do anything different."
"No, it's not," Periera said. "My normal procedure on any replay is to make the announcement for everybody to hear and then get back and get the play set up and make sure the teams on the field know the status of the clock. I can't have different procedures for different situations. As long as we follow the normal things we do on replays, we're fine."
It's amazing how his officials never make any mistakes.
Waiting to see if SF could get a play off? Good Lord! There is waaay more subjectivity in the NFL review system than I realized. ...It is a crying shame that the other 59 minutes of this game have been swallowed by the last minute. That was the best Niner game since they played at Denver to close the 2006 season. We saw so much promise from Hill, Zig, and Rachal. The last drive to the 1 was a courageous echo of the Dynasty days. All of it is obscured by the last minute... Matt, after that gut wrenching loss, I'm saying that Sunday's game against the Rams is a GPS game for Singletary. If they duplicate the effort they had in AZ, that's a very good sign for his future. If they come out flat like against the Seahawks, he's in trouble.
dmatt, seriously! i still remember the v.davis catch at pittsburg last year. its not a catch until he makes a football moves. they're still perfect as an official outta be. YA RIGHT! please admit some mistake at some point Periera.
I'm the first to say that the officials, although performing very poorly, did not lose the game for the 49ers. Martz calling a running play instead of a pass with 20 seconds left had a lot more to do with it. Nevertheless, even if Periera really thinks the referees did a good job, he could at least say something like "the referees followed proper procedure but based on this situation we may reevaluate that procedure to make sure each team gets all the information in a timely manner."
Mike perreira is an absolute goof. NFL officials always do the right thing and make the right call. In his eyes. I hate watching the NFL network when he is on. Let me put it in perspective for all 49er fans. Take care of the ball in the 4th quarter we win the game. Simple as that. Though the defense gave up a lot of yards, the 9 points off of turnovers was the reason we lost. Not martz, or officials. I liked how he played but Shaun Hill lost this game for us in the fourth quarter. He put the staff and the defense in a tough position. I'm sorry, he is the one to blame.
Matt, Pereira is an absolute joke, a total waste. There were 15 seconds left when Gore was downed which was plenty of time to set up and spike the ball. That would give the Niners at least time for one more play under the 40 second play clock - plenty of time to know where the ball was, call the play and run it. Instead the officials let the clock run down to 4 seconds, did their review then started the clock at the refs signal not allowing the Niners anywhere near the full 40 seconds they should have to understand the result of review and make any adjustments they needed to. Bottom line was the officials penalized the Niners time wise to make their own review. I thought the purpose of the review was to just get the call right and not penalize either team. The NFL officiating is and has been POOR for years with no improvement in sight.
In my mind, the whole situation starts when Jason Hill lands on the one yard line. That changes everything, because now we aren't fighting against heavy odds anymore. Now we have the odds in our favor. After all, even mediocre teams can score a touchdown from the 1 yard line in 3 plays over 50% of the time. So, the big mistake, to me, was Martz screwing up the spike to stop the clock. That was a genuine, no doubt about it, glaring error. It made everything afterwards a frantic hurry. Then it was people doing what made sense to them, at the time. And, Martz admits that was his error. I'm not down on Martz about it. I'm excited by how well the offense played overall. Jason Hill looked great. Did anyone get a good idea of how Rachel played? I couldn't tell.
Bottom line...counting on the officials to win a game for you is a sure path to losing. This game was lost with turnovers in the fourth quarter and a complete breakdown of communication from the 49er coaching staff in the last 50 seconds of the game. Both Singletary and Martz are responsible for this, although Singletary is inheriting the sideline confusion that Mike Nolan instilled into the organization. Singletary has a big job cleaning up the mess that was left for him. Fair or not, he has a short time to fix it and secure his job for next year.
I know this isn't the popular opinion but I don't have a problem with how the last minute of the game was officiated. I thought the overall officiating was poor but that did not lose the game for the 9ers. Blaming the officials is a losing attitude. It's an excuse and a copout. I say field a team that dominates the opponent to the point that officiating never comes into play.
To DCSHAM the BOTTOM LINE for any true fan, win or lose, is the only thing you want from the officials is for them to have absolutely no effect on the outcome of the game other than making the correct calls. It's hard enough to win in the NFL without them blowing calls. Let the players and coaches determine who wins the game. My hat's off to offical Ed Hoculi for having the cahones to admit he screwed up and apologizing for it. I know that didn't help San Diego but doing that probably gave Mike (we never screw things up)Pereira heartburn for several weeks.
On the last play, did anybody else notice that Robinon's helmet was ripped off his head? There should of been a face mask penalty on the play. Matt, what do you think?
I really thought that Mike Perreira would take the company line. He is never going to go against the referees. On the reply in the first half with Jason Hill's catch. The only thing that the 49er's challenged was if Hill got both feet in bounds not if he droped the ball.
Matt..I'm a little late & just read your grades for the team. You gave the LB's a C & commented that Willis couldn't keep up with Breaston.
Since when was it the MLB's (or Mike if we were in a 3-4) responsibility to cover a WR down the field on a go route??!
C'mon how 'bout giving Willis a break here?
On the contrary he should get extra credit for covering the behinds of our sorry safeties who are constantly MIA.....sheesh
Sorry my last comment was off topic.
Oneniner: Let me know when you're awake as I have a message for you...
Nothing off topic about our Safety play Mike, I'd also add the gimme TD Nate gave Fitz too?
He's standing 3yds deep in the endzone and expected to stop the slant?
We've got some major issues going on with pass coverage schemes, so who gets the blame there? Manusky?
I am always here...whtz ur message?
I have been a diehard 49er (and football) fan since 1954. I am no longer a footbal fan. The game has been destroyed by rule changes and instant replay. Games that went at a good pace now drag on and are boring (there is actually less than 20 minutes of actual football played on any day!) Football's popularity now derives from gamblers, fantasy team players and diehards (like me) who cannot just give up on their own favorite team. I was in Orlando, FL in a sports bar watching our 9ers when a young man nearby gave out a loud cheer when Frank Gore made a good run. "Are you a 9ers fan", I asked. "Nah", he said, "Gore's on my fantasy team". The game has been ruined, IMHO, and the way the 9ers keep playing, I don't know if they can keep me watching much longer.
I didn't catch that Mark. But I do see our corners backed off 10 yards+ off the receivers in regular pass coverage. Of course it's on Manusky. He still plays it way too safe. I might understand that with Walt but let Clements play his game & at least mix it up once & a while. In this bend don't break it's not like they're successful stopping the big play...they still LET IT HAPPEN so get in there & get aggressive once & while. Same with TBrown, although Breaston is a tough cover with that speed & I get giving him space to prevent the homerun. Bust your man at the line, misdirect his route, throw his timing off, frustrate him...just give him something different to think about instead of being passive the whole game. A lot of it is safety play though. Roman is horrible & MLewis is inconsistent & lately has been behind a step.
When we're in zone coverage Harris, Roman, & Lewis are not good enough. They're always behind a step or two. We get picked apart in zone.
What you said about Clements...there's no reason to not be in your mans face at the goal line. Backing off with a cushion you're just giving away the slant for an easy 6. Yeah it's the DC's job to catch that & let his player know to make the adjustment.
Singletary's doing a nice job mixing in & adjusting the personnel to see who's best where. Time to start seeing what we have in these other guys. I'd like to see Reggie Smith get some plays at SS for MLewis (how long is his contract?) MLewis is lacking in pass coverage..this could send a message & light a fire under him. I don't think Smith's got the speed for CB but he's experienced playing a lot of Strong Safety. I'm hoping he's just as physical as MLewis when we bring him up for run support but is an upgrade making more plays vs the pass. Smith's scouting report is he's got good instincts on pass routes.
I'd like to see TBrown rotate in for Harris to take a look & drop Walt to nickel. Harris has done a great job for us the past couple years but now he's DONE. And Goldson for Roman. You might want a 1 Vet & 1 Rook at a time at Safety. (ie. Roman & RSmith, Goldson & MLewis).
Here's a good link on Reggie Smith:
http://49ersnews.com/profile-reggie-smith-rd-3-75th/
Part of Reggie Smith's profile:
In 39 games at Oklahoma, Smith started 36 times, with 20 of those starts coming at strong safety, 14 at field cornerback and two at boundary cornerback. He recorded 166 tackles (117 solos) with an eight-yard sack and 12.5 stops for losses of 36 yards. He recovered three fumbles, returning two for a total of 69 yards and a touchdown. He deflected 22 passes and intercepted eight others for 156 yards in returns (19.5-yard average) and a score.
I suppose you could experiment him at FS as well & try Goldson at SS. Goldson's also physical & might be able to handle SS. I'd rather see a legit SPEED playmaking guy at FS but we just don't have one.
ANYONE will be an upgrade to Roman. 8 INT's & 22 PASSES DEFLECTED for RSmith?? What is it..Roman hasn't had an INT in 3 YEARS. How often do we ever see him deflect a pass?? C'mon Roman has to see the bench ASAP & we need to find a home for Reggie.
If Gore was tackled with 15 seconds remaining - shouldn't the coach to QB audio link have remained on for the next 15 seconds (i.e. the rest of the regulation game clock)?
Fascinating stuff. Singletary needs to take full responsibility as HC for the end of game failures. He has not. That being said, this thing has been beaten to death. Unfortunately, the lousy W/L record does not allow room for errors like this. Glad it is a short week and hopefully this can be used somehow to improve HC, OC and booth communication and support a great effort by the players. Glad it is a short week. Time to move on now.