Niners interim head coach Mike Singletary answered questions about the state of the team and its 35-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
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Here's my game story, "Owens, Cowboys trounce 49ers."
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Here are some of the excerpts of Singletary's Monday press briefing:
--Singletary said the Cowboys have been putting together talent for a while and owner Jerry Jones knows the types of players he wants on his football team. Singletary said Jones has the "infrastructure" in place to take on some players with baggage.
He said the 49ers have just moved past the process of getting rid of the players they don't want with the team. Singletary said the 49ers' margin for error "is so small." Singletary said he knows exactly the kind of player he wants on his football team. He wants guys who want to win, and he's not averse, under the right circumstances, to taking on a player or two with a "bad attitude" or is "moody."
--He said he feels as if the team is playing with 100-percent effort. Now, the goal is to play 100-percent "smart."
--Singletary is definitely not speaking like the only coach on the staff whose contract expires at the end of the season. Singletary said he approaches this job as if he's going to be here a long, long time.
--Singletary disagreed with the assessment that the game was "lopsided."
"When I put this film on . . . I don't think there's any other team this year -- maybe the last couple years -- that played Dallas more physically, more sound, than we did yesterday. We also did some things in that game that were absolutely unacceptable, whether it be quarterback play, whether it be defensive-back play . . . but did we go into that game with the right mindset? Oh, yeah. I think you can Dallas that. They can tell you better than I can. Once again, our margin for error is small, and we could not overcome that."
--On the subject I kept harping on yesterday during my game blog, Singletary said they want to get Manny Lawson on the field more. It started when the team tried to ease Lawson back slowly this season after he returned from a torn ACL last season. They wanted him to get the confidence and strength back in his knee.
"Now, he's getting right back to where he was," Singletary said.
Should be on the field more?
"We're trying to get him on the field more," Singletary said. "And we will get him on the field more. . . . It's not like Manny has been doing great all year and all of a sudden, why isn't he playing? We want to win, too."
Singletary said he sees Lawson's confidence growing. He said the past three weeks, Lawson has really been playing well.
--The 49ers' pass rush did the defensive backs no favor. But Singletary said when you face a mobile quarterback, there has to be more discipline on the back end to hang with receivers down the field longer.
--On the Nate Clements-Terrell Owens matchup, Singletary said double-covering Owens the entire game was "not warranted."
"Even the pass he caught over Nate Clements' head, there should've been help over there," Singletary said. "It wasn't just Nate. You have a post safety who needs to get over there and help, and he should've been sacked in the backfield for a loss. No, it's not just Nate. But it's primarily Nate because he's supposed to be on top of that thing."
He added, "There are a number of teams that put a DB down there and get his hands on him (Owens), and he can't get off the jam. So if that's the situation, why would I double-team the guy every time when you put one guy down there and put your hands on him and stop him every time?"
Singletary said the Cowboys started moving Owens inside where he can get off the ball clean.
--On the one play that went for some big yards down the right sideline with Mark Roman in converage, Singletary said Owens was supposed to get jammed at the line of scrimmage. However, on that play Donald Strickland barely got a hand on Owens and did nothing to slow him down.
--When the 49ers had first-and-goals at the 4-yard line on two separate occasions in the first quarter. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz called pass-run-pass in both instances. When asked if Singletary today was questioning that play-calling, he said it was questioning it yesterday.
"It's just one of those situations where I think the playcalling, if Mike Martz had to do it ever again . . . he'd do it differently," Singletary said. "Dallas did some things up front that they had not done, and we were prepared for something different than what we've seen on film. They attacked more from the inside and the blitzed more in the red zone than they normally have.
Martz told Singletary that if he had to do it over again, he would've made some different calls.
--On the offensive line play in the run game . . . "They (Cowboys) did a good job. They fired off the ball. They attacked our offensive line. I think Frank Gore, there were some cuts he'd like to take back. After a while, you're not sure with a team blitzing as much as they were blitzing, sometimes you try to do more than you should. It's one of those things where their pressure created some issues. We kind of got back on our heels a little bit and didn't take advantage of some things that were there."
--On the play of right guard Chilo Rachal: "He did not play well," Singletary said. "He played like a rookie, OK? He did not play well."
Will he start this week?
"He will start this week, and he will play better."
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Here is all you need to know about the intelligence of our defensive coordinater, Greg McSucksky. He pulls Manny Lawson out on 3rd down, yet Isaac Sopaoga, a total bust at nose tackle, moves to a DE to rush the passer in our 4-3 defensive alignment. What a joke!
Dcsham: i agree thats just terrible, i feel our second biggest problem on D (which prolly leads to our first biggest probelm: no pass rush!) is that we are too much in between. what is Sopaoga NT, DE? you have to be either 4-3 or 3-4 this both garbage is killing us, cuz then it becomes how do you draft, how do you play, where do guys play, who do u sign in FA? next yr we have to just pick one or the other and try to build off that....
also matt: i have seen this a few times im missin something... what is a GPS game?
I'm also tired of the organization having to make apologies for the stupidity of Martz. How often does this have to happen? Unfortunately, Singletary has inherited the mess left to him by Nolan and the Yorks. Anybody with half a brain could see that Nolan should have been fired after last season. So here we are, 11 games in, paying the price for another dumbass do-nothing move from last year. What the hell could Nolan have said to convince the Yorks to keep him on for another year?? I didn't get it at the time, and I don't get it now.
I'm not adverse to bringing Singletary back next year...not yet, anyway. But I damn sure want some new assistant coaches and two new coordinators. This crap has to end.
Back off Manusky – he's playing with the hand that he's been dealt. Obviously Lawson is not at 100%. Obviously we don't have the talent level like the Chagas when Manusky was linebackers coach.
Niners need another anema in the draft – start by drafting that DT pig out of Alabama next year. Show Soaps the door. And maybe Lawson's confidence in his abilities will return next year too.
Matt, I agree with Singletary in the game not being that lopsided. I've watched the Niners for a lot of years and I didn't come away from the game thinking Dallas just rolled over them. They need to quit the turnovers and shooting themselves in the foot. I agree with a Takeo Spikes comment about them just needing more confidence that they can win. They're also a little snakebit( the interference noncall and the Dallas punt where Rossum got hurt)with momentum changers. This offense is still very young and inexperienced. The defense needs a major upgrade at nose tackle, replace Haralson with Lawson and then PUT CLEMENTS AT FREE SAFETY(potentially another Ronnie Lott) and let one of the kids play corner. They just need a couple more really good players at key positions to be a very competitve team even with Hill at QB.
I hope that the New Year brings Mike Singletary back as HC. I hope San Diego fires Tuner and we hire him and Smith signs for a lesser contract. I also hope that we hire Dick Lebeau as our NEW DC from the Steelers. Please Please
Norv Turner will not return to the 49ers. If he loses his job in San Diego, he will return to Dallas as OC under Jason Garrett when Wade Phillips gets fired at the end of this year.
Dick Lebeau? Come on...he's 70 years old and he works for the Rooneys. Not a snowball's chance that he leaves Pittsburgh to work for the Yorks.
Singletary's honesty is refreshing, but he really needs to filter what he says. As if Owens didn't already get up for games against us, now he's got the Singletary "you jam him at the line and he gets nothing, so why do we need a double" routine to motivate him.
Matt,
I was just listening to you on KNBR. You said that Singletary says that they are trying to find ways to get Manny Lawson more playing time. Next time, ask him, why not just leave him in and let play him - their doing that with Rachel, unless they're hiding something from us fans
"It's just one of those situations where I think the playcalling, if Mike Martz had to do it ever again . . . he'd do it differently," Singletary said. "Dallas did some things up front that they had not done, and we were prepared for something different than what we've seen on film. They attacked more from the inside and the blitzed more in the red zone than they normally have."
I interpret this to say, "we got outcoached." I like Singletary but he is losing my support. I have never liked Martz and he's validating my opinion.
Why not play Lawson, Brooks, et al. By playing Rachal they've signaled that it's audition time. Play the bubble guys and see what they can do. It's not about the playing the best players it's about seeing what to do in the offseason.
Matt, it's got to be refreshing interview a HC that speaks the truth when you ask him a question. To us fans, it's evident he get it. Like Parcells, Dungy, Gruden, etc., he sounds like he knows what he's talking about...unlike a certain someone we would all like to forget. He hit the nail on the head when he talked about our safety (Roman) helping Clements on the bomb. If he had a better choice (i.e. a healthy Goldson), I have no doubt that he would replace him. Also, Strickland (an old favorite of whatshisname) needs to go. Singletary is seeing the obvious in his one month as HC and making the changes necessary for us to be successful in the future. Even the FOX comentators (their #1 team) agree, Singletary is the HC we need. He will get the OC & DC we need at the end of the season. The man has a plan!
MR. MARTZ PLAY CALLING INSIDE THE 10 IS TERRIBLE. THEY SHOULD BE USING V. DAVIS OR "TE" MORE OR EVEN TRY THAT WILD CAT OFFENSE. THAT DIRECT SNAP WORKS...THEY ALWAYS GOT POSITIVE YARDS OUT OF IT! HOW ABOUT BEING MORE CREATIVE AND USE SOME DEF. LINEMEN TO HELP BLOCK FOR GORE ON THOSE GOAL LINE SITUATIONS. THEY NEED TO MIX IT UP MORE! IT'S LIKE THE "D" KNOWS WHAT'S COMING.
THE REF'S DIDN'T HELP US AGAIN! THEY MISS THE PASS INTERFERENCE THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN CALL'ED. IT WOULD'VE BEEN 1ST AND GOAL! IT'S BEEN BAD CALLING THRU OUT THE YEAR...MANY BLOWN CALLS!
DID YOU OR ANYONE CATCH THE COLTS AND CHARGES GAME? DID YOU SEE THAT 4TH AND INCHES PLAY ON THE LAST DRIVE? THE 9ERS GOT ROB AGAIN AS ALWAYS! SIMILAR SITUATION AS THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME AGAINST THE CARDS. THE REF'S STOP THE CLOCK TO REVIEW THE PLAY. WELL, IN THE COLTS/CHARGES GAME...THEY MADE IT CLEAR TO BOTH SIDES ON WHAT HAS HAPPEN. THEY ALSO PUT THE SECONDS BACK ON THE CLOCK AND THE COLTS GOT TO HUDDLE UP TO CALL A PLAY....THEN THEY LINED TO GET READY! WHY WASN'T THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME CALLED THE SAME WAY? THEY SHOULD'VE GOTTEN 10-12 SECONDS WHEN GORE'S KNEE WAS DOWN AND NOT WHEN HILL SPIKED THE BALL. ALSO THEY SHOULD'VE GOTTEN A HUDDLE JUST LIKE THE COLTS DID! SORRY MATT FOR VENTING LIKE THIS...BUT WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHTS OR DO YOU HAVE ANY ANSWER'S?
Singletary is wrong about one thing, the game was very lopsided. I hope he doesn't get sucked into the Nolan mindset "we just need to play better." He is right about Rachal though, leave him in and let him learn. Every rookie has to get out and make his share of rookie mistakes. Every game Mike Martz figures it out afterwards. Sorry, Martz, they outsmarted you. Again.
If you want to understand the priorities for the off-season, just look at three plays from Sunday. 1) Hill to VD down the middle -- poor throw. He hits Vernon in stride there and it's 6. 2) Hill to Gore up the right sideline with Ware in coverage. If he leads Frank just a little bit, it's 6 again. 3) Hill tosses pick in red zone immediately after Lawson's pick / recovery. That's 21 points flushed because we couldn't produce just a little bit of solid quarterbacking. (Plus, don't forget there were two trips inside the 10 that resulted in two FGs. That's another 8 points missed.) Look, I like Hill's moxie, but he's your backup, okay? He's a guy you can put in when your starter is hurt and possibly win a game for you... Beyond that -- forget it. That makes QB Priority #1 in the off-season. (I used to say, "Not even Montana could win with this team." But I'm not so sure Montana making those throws that Hill missed doesn't make that Dallas game a lot different.) Second observation: you cannot give any NFL QB all day to throw and expect to get off the field on third down. Priority #2 for the off-season has to be two D linemen who can get to the QB. Final observation: Walsh drafted Lott, Wright and Williamson in the same year because, after watching film the prior year, he said there were times when "our guys weren't even in the frame." It's not that bad right now, but with Harris' age and Roman's lack of play-making ability, that's Priority #3. (I like the idea of moving Clements to safety ala Lott, by the way.) You upgrade there, combine it with a bit of a pass rush, and you'll start getting the ball back to your offense a little more frequently. There you have it -- my three priorities for the off-season. (BTW, I love the fact that -- unlike Nolan -- Singletary understands this season is over and is auditioning the youngsters to see what holes need most attention in FA and the draft. Kudos, Mike -- nice job for a change.)
I just want to say one thing. I thought Vernon Davis was one hundred percent a bust. He has completly proven me wrong. The last three weeks, he has been on point. He still has the occaisional head scratching drop, but if you target him, he is awesome! My faith in V.D. has been completely restored. I hope Ego Martz or whoever the coordinator is next time figures out how to use this guy. That said, I am praying that we don't turn into detroit West. Outlook not so good. No football guys running things. Just a bunch of paper whiz stat guys, who are too busy enjoying the fruits of our labor to give a flying you know what about fans who love to support the Niners. I feel like they are never going to be good again. My only hope is Jed. I hope he can help. So far, no good! Any ways, I'm sorry if this post offends anyone, I'm trying really hard not to be an idiot. I just feel like the Niners are stuck in crapville.
By playing Chilo Rachal to see what he can do. Why not move Clements to safety and audition Terrel Brown and Reggie Smith at conerback. Now is the time to find out what they can do.
Football is obtaining the players and coaching them. There is nothing else. The old line that the cupboard was empty doesn't cut it with me. The Tuna turned around the lowly Dolphins in one year. I like Coach Singletary a lot and want him to be successful. But folks lets not buy sixth straight losing seasons. It has never happen in the entire history of the 49ers. We can't waste another year.
I can see the following roster moves coming down the road.
Nate moves to FS, Reggie Smith to RCB, Dashon to SS.
For now, we are seriously lacking a bonafide press cover CB and speed in the middle of the deep secondary.
We still have glaring needs on both lines and at QB.
We all share opinions here, it's good to debate them, but I think we'd all agree, the most important move needs to occur at the GM level.
We're showing signs, but without above average QB play, we won't get over the top.
I think it's clear Martz may not be the best fit right now, but he is under contract next year.
We've got plenty of problems left to fix.
Hey guys, think about it, there's good news as well as bad news:
The Good News: The way the season has gone, we don't have to worry about anyone trying to sign Martz away from us as a head coach.
The Bad News: The way the season has gone, we don't have to worry about anyone trying to sign Martz away from us as a head coach.
The most surprising aspect of the offense on Sunday was not spreading them out more in the NED Zone.
Martz remains the same stubborn, pedictable guy he always is.
Singletary is not shy about letting him know that he wants a dominant aggressive style of play.
Our OL isn't there yet, but he's telling Chilo it's his job to lose.
The same mentality has to occur on the D-side.
Play Reggie and TBrown, have Nate at FS perhaps?
Scot deserves at least a year on his own to show whether Nolan influenced the current roster makeup, or, if the necessary moves to upgrade the talent can be improved without his interference.
Nolan seemed to prefer YES men, Singletary seems to suggest that a few junk yard dogs wouldn't be so bad.
Singletary is an Alpha Dog, Nolan was a wannabe.
Singletary is a breath of fresh air...trouble is, there's still a stench on our team. Still some work to do in terms of coaches and players. Not insurmountable...but Coach has a lot of work ahead of him. He's up to the task...but just needs the backing of ownership. I like the player changes he's made...I want to see Ahmad Brooks on the field. I want to see Balmer out there and less of Sopoaga and Franklin. I want to see Reggie Smith, Tarrel Brown...and, while we're at it, how 'bout giving Wallace some PT. Heitmann's not the answer at C...am still scratching my head at his contract extension. Put Wragge in there...and let Wallace take some lumps. Leave Rachal at RG...he'll learn, and when he does, I see some Pro Bowls in his future...I think he can be that good. RT will have to be Snyder for the rest of the season...but it has to be a top priority, along with DT during the off-season. We get both lines strong and deep, a lot of the other problems will fade away to a large extent.
Frank, agreed on all points, I'd add FA QB to the mix.
Jonas and Sims gone, Snyder to the backup role, Draft another OT high, maybe another late and I'd consider looking for an upgrade to Baas, or even moving Baas to C, and drafting another OG mid to late.
If NT can be had in FA, that leaves a pick open for a DE high in the Draft too.
Spikes is coming on, he's weak in pass coverage, but improving. We could use another press CB too, move Nate to FS NOW, let the TBrown/Reggie play the rest of the way, along with Dashon as SS if healthy enough to go.
Clements will NEVER play safety. You don't pay a safety the kind of money Clements is making. You pay cover corners that kind of money. Clements is either the corner or he's off the team. This past game notwithstanding, Clements is the best corner on the team. Whether or not he's worth the money he's making is an entirely different topic.
All you guys who are calling for the young guys to play more, I hope your willing to back off the criticism of the team when they get blown out and look dazed and confused like Alex Smith his rookie season. I'm not opposed to it but you can't have it both ways. Don't expect any wins when your trying to determine which young guys can play and which can't play.
Kudos Houston 9er...
Matt, any injury updates? Speaking of the young guys, how's Morgan doing? Thoughts on Zeigler's Sunday performance?
Houston 9er, Clements is a very good corner and playmaker not a shutdown corner, just like Lott was when he first started. At free safety he could make a lot more plays with his abilities. The corners would have a lot more confidence knowing Nate was there to give them help especially over the top. Roman just can't get it done. That's a big reason the rest of the secondary doesn't look good at times. It's hard to play well when the free safety plays invisible.
It's amusing to read the "suggestions" for improving the team. If any of us were capable of evaluating talent or positioning players, we would be doing so. This is not to deny anyone their opinion but let's leave the coaching to the coaches. In my opinion, the best course is to retain Singletary and have all the other coaches resign so Singletary could bring in coaches of his own ilk. It looked to me that the Dallas game wasn't for lack of effort or even so much skill but more due to mistakes, i.e., not scoring touchdowns from the four and an interception from the eleven. Add those fifteen points and it's a win. Better coaching should lead to fewer mistakes.
You guys have gone from pissed off to delusional. You are either chasing ghosts or have lost your football IQ if you think Nate is EVER moving out of his corner spot anytime soon. He had a bad game - get over it. It happens. This is the same corner that shut down Calvin Johnson, both Arizona boys, and a slew of others this year. He is still one of our 5 best players on this team. Yesterday you bitch all this team does is move players out of their natural positions and now today you want to move one of our best. Nice!!
Can anybody tell me why a coach, any coach, that is losing and REFUSES to make changes? How hard is it for Nolan, or Singletary, to look at our 3 and 8 team and REALIZE the season is lost, changes should be made, players need to be put in there?
Why do you put in Rachal when WRagge should be kept in there? Why do we not pass to Jason Hill more and establish him as WR# 1, and why do we keep passing to I Bruce that moves like a slug? Why are we possibly about to hold another mock QB competition and put in another 'his QB' rather then 'our QB?'
It's ironic a very few 49ers fans, mostly outside this forum, talked about the Rams game as a 'great win, turned the corner', yet I felt unless our D put pressure on the QB and stopped a WR like Owens, we are NOWHERE close to turning the corner. I said per a step we take, we take 5 back. Well, Cowboys was step 1. Bills are step 2, and they put up 54 vs. KC.
Why couldn't the 49ers play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving instead of sucking Seattle playing Boys?
We need of course Singletary and his team to finish out this season to judge. Our problem we have the same judges for the last ten years. My main concern with Singletary isn't his character or his ability to coach linebackers. It is his lack of knowledge of Offensive Play calling and QBs. This is an offensive league made up of a handful of playmaking QBs working with coaches who know that position. Defense is 50% but we just had an defensive coach who showed he couldn't build an offensive and we wasted time we don't have. We can't miss again or it's another 3-4 years of mediocre and losing seasons.
Matt,
You getta get in Scott McCloughan's ear and plant the Matt Cassel seed in his brain! Matt Cassel is the short term answer, NOT Donovan McNabb. Next year's QB class isn't that good but the 2010 class should be deep. They Niners should sign Matt Cassel with the money they'll save when they cut Alex Smith loose and then draft a guy in two years.
Mike in SF#2, the suggestion wasn't made because Nate had a bad game, it's because good defenses have big time playmakers at one of the safety positions. Look around the league. If you watch Clements play you can see he's a true football player with football player instincts not just a good athlete playing football. Also, you don't hit like he does if you don't love to play.
OK, this year is screwed, we all know that. We really won't even know if Singletary is any good because the team sucks, the schedule is brutal the rest of the way, you don't know what the hell Martz is gonna do with the offense... Jed needs to hire a new GM/President type to build a new team and hire a new coach, we all know that. If the new guy likes Singletary, that's fine, but it needs to be his call. What I'm thinking about is next year and who our QB is gonna be. Is there any talk out there by the Bay (I'm in Chicago) about what the hell is going on? I keep hearing the Niners mentioned whenever a free agent to be's name comes up on ESPN. Matt Cassell? He's getting better in NE, but is that just because he has the best coach in the league telling him what to do? Garcia is a free agent. Sign him to play for a year or two and draft a younger guy to learn from one of the most bad ass QBs in the game (still love that guy, if you couldn't tell)? McNabb will be out there. Derek Anderson? Also, watching the Jets pisses me off. 4-12 last year and all of a sudden, with a QB change and another tweak or two, they're one of the better teams in the AFC in ONE YEAR? That would NEVER happen with the Niners. NEVER. Conventional wisdom says if everything is done right, we have to wait 4 or 5 years for a potential playoff team, meanwhile there are all these other teams that turn it around in one season?!?! Jets, Falcons... I hate being a Niner fan more and more.
I know what you are going through. The Falcons recovered? The Jets in contention? Parcells turning a 1 and 15 team in the Dolphins around? The Redskins in contention for 2nd place, still sticking behind the Gmen? The NFC East having more contention then the NFC WEst that sends a team by default to the playoffs while the 3 others play top 10 for the draft?
Makes being a 49er fan tough when fans laugh at you.
Reading through all of this, I was just waiting for someone to oppose the Clements idea. It's a bad one. He's too good at corner. I really didn't even think he had that bad of a game, although without KNOWING his assignment, that's hard to say. On the TO 70 yarder, it LOOKED like he was expecting help over the top, so he wasn't worried about the double move. Many of the other big plays, he wasn't even on the coverage. Moving him back to safety would be a HUGE mistake, IMO.
I will, however, reiterate that they should try Walt Harris back there. Rotate the two young guys as the second / third CBs to see what they have. Walt Harris just seems to have lost some speed and can't hold down the corner spot any more. Throw him back at safety ala Rod Woodson and see how he performs. That, to me, seems like a more logical transition.
As for Hill, I'll give him until the end of the season. He badly underthrew a few balls, but that could just be because he still hasn't had that much work with the receivers. He seems to have plenty of arm strength to get the ball out there... he just may have underestimated the speed of the guys he was throwing to.
My two pennies, as always.
"I interpret this to say, "we got outcoached." I like Singletary but he is losing my support. I have never liked Martz and he's validating my opinion."
They did get outcoached. They had a game plan and failed to deviate from that plan when they saw the Cowboys were running a different defense than they had previously. Again, for Singletary I see this as a learning experience. Again, Martz has no excuse. Your OC... particularly one with the background of Martz... should be able to change things up when they see the defense running something they weren't expecting. Apparently Singletary will have to 'take martz by the hand' throughout the week and ensure that he's got a backup plan in case the defense doesn't do EXACTLY what they were expecting. That's just sad.
Garcia is too old to rely on for more than one year, it would be nice if the Niners can draft a kid and let him develop and not have to throw him to the lions his rookie year like they did with Smith. Matt Cassel can be the QB for a few years, I like Shaun Hill but he's just not good enough.
I agree with both points, Houston 9er, but why on earth would we expect any wins anyway? Except against the Rams. We are 3-8, heading for 4-12, no matter who plays.
I think they could still win a couple more games, but at this point, why? Play the young guys and see who's got heart while going for a high draft pick. Kill the proverbial two birds.
Houston 9er -- you do pay a safety that kind of money if his name is Lott or Troy P. They're game changers. I'm not putting Clements in that class, but he has a lot better chance of earning the $$$ we're paying him from that spot vs. watching guys like T.O continue to run by him. NJ-Marc... My fellow NJ brother -- I would not draft an OT high. No one says Snyder is the long term answer at RT. But he's playing way better than our D line, which cannot get any pass rush. That's killing us on third downs. Here's the question to determined whether to go with an OT or DL after QB: "Could Soap or Balmer get by Snyder if Snyder played for the opponent?" That tells you where you're bigger problem is, and my money would be on Snyder in those match ups.
C'mon guys. You may not like Roman and Clements, but they're two of our best. Be smart. Making changes simply for the sake of making a change is idiotic at best. This isn't fantasy or madden. You don't start Rachel simply because he's a rookie and you think your season is lost. You start him because you think he can play at a similar or better level than the guy above him on the depth chart.
In the words of Herm Edwards, "You play to win the game." That means you start Clements over Reggie Smith. It means you start Roman over Goldson. The 49ers can still go 8-8 this season. If you don't believe that, then you don't belong with the Faithful.
I agree that Clements should move to safety but not yet. I was thinking that when watching the Cowboys game that he's such a hitter that he'll make a nice safety on the back end of his contract with the Niners-he also can return kicks so he has some additional value on special teams.
Houston, Ronnie Lott and Nate have a lot in common. I'm not pinning anything negative on him with my suggestion.
I see the Safety position as a huge weakness and believe the young guys, Dashon and Reggie , are there for that purpose.
I'm no genius, but I can see a ballhawk like Nate with faster guys around him who can press, making this secondary much more formidable.
Yes we'll lose more games with the learning curve, but now's the time to lose. Playoffs are out of the question, Draft position looks pretty comfortable where we are. We've got time to tinker, Singletary is auditioning so, we can certainly enjoy some new ideas since Nolan buried so many young guys along the way.
Gilroy Al sums up my feelings on the subject pretty well. Salary aside, Nate will play for quite sometime under this contract I'd assume, so shuffle some personnel now and see what we have?
Eric Davis suggested that this is extended training camp time now, and I'd agree with that assessment 100%.
Mark Roman stats in his almost 3 full seasons with the Niners; 1 forced fumble, 1 pick and only 15 passes defensed. To be kind, not very impressive for a starting free safety. He's also not very fond of hitting. nuff said.
The heck with this seasons record, it's a bust anyway. Singletary's got the right idea and see if the young guys can play. Make changes NOW!- IN ORDER TO START next year with a better team. It's just like getting rid of Nolan in mid season, why wait if things aren't going to get much better anyway. Doing nothing sure isn't going to improve this team.
Good debate guys.
We're all bumming over the state of the franchise and this is the best place to VENT.
Dozens of questions, missing too many answers right now.
We have holes to fill and a huge question on the horizon for the current coaching staff.
Has not been a comfortable ride for our team for far too long.
Thankfully we have a forum here.
Too many holes to fill in one year.
On draft day, get the best lineman you can get. If Oher is there, NJM, you take him and don't worry about left O-tackle for the next ten years. Load up on defensive lineman the rest of the way. If Oher is gone and we don't like the other top ten pick OTs, only then do you take Cody who has a chance to be special (could be another Michael Carter / Dan Hampton). Either way you make sure you get a real impact player.
Get a left tackle, a couple of DTs, and a Pass rush guy (DE or OLB depends on the system we choose). Get some fast DBs who can cover and run, even if raw, in the last rounds. Try to get another QB for the mix in free agency, along with a decent FS (ROMAN IS NOT ONE OF OUR BEST!!!) and a fullback.
Accept that in 2010, you will be readdressing QB, looking for "The Guy"... and hope we somehow luck into Bradford, McCoy or someone like him. Get the playmaker WR then too, and Gore's understudy, and another CB.
Accept that we have a lot of holes to fill, and will show only incremental progress next year regardless of how we retool. But by 2010, we can start to make some noise. If we aren't in the playoffs in 2011, its the same old koolaid, and time to redeal the cards again. But thats less likely if we settle on a plan, and a good football team builder to implement it as GM.
Now some people are going to say, hey grumpy, we've been in hell for 6 years... I don't want to wait three years for us to turn this around. Tough cheese, boys.
THE LAST SIX YEARS ARE GONE. Wasted, mostly, and unrecoverable. Churchill had a saying during WW2, about the years previous to the war, 1933-1939, when the Brits *could have* built up their air force and been ready for the German onslaught. He called them "The years the locusts ate".
Thats us, 2003-2008. We can't change the mistakes of the past or reset that clock. We have to play the hand we have now. And that means upgrading and filling lots of holes... and that means two to three years to really fix this mess, IF we have someone competent doing the fixing.
Yeah, I know... Atlanta, Miami, the Jets, and more p*ssing and moaning. We aren't them.
Atlanta was a good team before Vick went off the deep end. With Ryan, they're back up there. The Jets were good a couple of years ago, before Pennington got hurt, and now they're back with the Gunslinger. Miami had a winning team just a few years ago. Those teams were good enough that a good player at QB could make a huge impact. WE ARE NOT. We are not those teams, we are perennial losers (6 yrs in the red). We are the lousy Niners, barely distinguishable from the Lousy Lions or the lousy Raiders. We need a bit more help than the Jets or Falcons did.
We need a plan, we need a planner, and we need patience. Its 1978 all over again, and even a Walsh is going to need two or three years to drain the reeking swamp that is the San Francisco 49ers.
It's time to end the McCoy and Bradford QB demented and misguided fantasy. Avoid all quarterbacks from the Big 12 like a bad rash. Why you ask? Here's the skinny –
Only one quarterback from Oklahoma has played in the NFL since 1967 – Nate Hybl, 2004 FA for the Jags. Ever heard of him? Troy Aikman doesn't count, since he transferred to UCLA.
Only two quarterbacks from Texas have played in the NFL since 1967 – Rick McIvor and Chris Simms. The latter is still looking for a new spleen.
Bradford is accurate enough that he might just be the exception there.
Matt Stafford, OTOH, is going to make a lot of money from some team next year as he becomes the next Trent Dilfer.
This is a COMPLETELY different big 12. In the past, it's been a power running conference... you can't run, you can't win. Now it's more balanced, even leaning more toward a 5 wide spread. Typically, I'd agree with you, but I'm in Big XII country and have seen the difference in the past couple of years. Don't sell a guy short just because of the school's history. How many QBs have come out of Miami of Ohio? Deleware? Look at the player (and the system), not the name of the school.
niners ownership needs to retain singletary regardless of loose win record.singletary needs an oc to be on the same page with him. there are a lot of players on the team need to go. mike martz got to go now cause his eagle is to be hc of niners and cause he did not get the job, his heart is not in it. why keep him around if he is not the niners future. ted tollner should be promoted to oc and use the west coast playbook where bill walsh left of. ted tollner is not going to be hc cause he has no desires to do so. shaun hill should be the main qb going forward and he needs go receivers and good ol to protect him and gives him a little more time to deliver the ball. mike martz is not going to be around at end of the season eventhough he signs a 2 yrs contracts. let him go now cause niners are not going to playoff anyway. why not build for the future and move forward. nolan and mccloughlan put the rosters together and now singletary just pick up where nolan left. let singletary finds his players on defense and let him find his own offensive cord.we need to bring back the west coast offense and don't let the steelers to be the first to capture 6 lombardi trophy. stick with singletary, give him times and he will turn this team to winner.let martz goes now.
niners ownership needs to retain singletary regardless of loose win record.singletary needs an oc to be on the same page with him. there are a lot of players on the team need to go. mike martz got to go now cause his eagle is to be hc of niners and cause he did not get the job, his heart is not in it. why keep him around if he is not the niners future. ted tollner should be promoted to oc and use the west coast playbook where bill walsh left of. ted tollner is not going to be hc cause he has no desires to do so. shaun hill should be the main qb going forward and he needs go receivers and good ol to protect him and gives him a little more time to deliver the ball. mike martz is not going to be around at end of the season eventhough he signs a 2 yrs contracts. let him go now cause niners are not going to playoff anyway. why not build for the future and move forward. nolan and mccloughlan put the rosters together and now singletary just pick up where nolan left. let singletary finds his players on defense and let him find his own offensive cord.we need to bring back the west coast offense and don't let the steelers to be the first to capture 6 lombardi trophy. stick with singletary, give him times and he will turn this team to winner.let martz goes now.
Franchise, I couln't agree more on your Big 12 qb point but for different reasons. Just because the school hasn't produced great qb's doesn't mean the incumbent can't be a great qb. But.. Like Josh Heupel, BJ Symons, and Chris Simms before them McCoy, Bradford, and Harrell are great college qb's but won't be great in the NFL. Josh Freeman from Kansas State has much more ability than all those guys but plays for a terrible program. Chase Daniels from Missou would also be better but he doesn't have the size you'd want at the NFL level.