Davis, whom coach Mike Singletary last week called the best-blocking tight end he's ever seen, did not want to catch a pass, necessarily. He wanted to be responsible for blocking Dolphins mouthy and sack-craving linebacker Joey Porter.
"It was frustrating,"
With Davis standing on the sideline - rather than assigned to block Porter - the NFL sacks leader added one more to his ledger on a fourth-down play from the Dolphins' 21-yard line with one minute remaining in the game.
Porter beat right tackle Barry Sims, playing in place of injured Adam Snyder, for a sack that assures the 49ers (5-9) of their sixth consecutive losing season. Porter leads the NFL with 17.5 sacks.
Davis and Porter, two of the team's top self-promoters, began their battle 45 minutes before the game when Porter ventured over to the 49ers' side of the field during warmups.
"I don't know if you guys caught it or not, but we were out there trying to warm up and he (Porter) is on our side trying to start something," 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill said. "What do you do if you're
"You're really getting disrespected at the time and, obviously, I thought that
"We might have been the key matchup, but the offensive line did a good job on him, as well,"
On the fourth-down play, Sims said he got a late start against Porter. Sims said he hoped Hill would get rid of the ball quickly. However, the 49ers needed a full 10 yards to keep the game alive.
"He got a good jump off the ball, and I was a little behind the count because of the crowd noise," Sims said. "I wish I could have that one back. He just got my edge, and I wasn't able to recover."
* * *
Running back DeShaun Foster, who entered the game with 78 yards rushing on 37 carries, gained 76 yards on 18 rushing attempts.
Foster, a seven-year NFL veteran, was pressed into his first start with the 49ers after Frank Gore was ruled out of action with a left ankle sprain.
"On the first carry, I felt like I could've gotten a bit more yards, but after that I was OK," said Foster, who signed a one-year contract with the 49ers in the offseason after spending his first six NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
Foster did not carry the ball in the fourth quarter. Niners offensive coordinator Mike Martz dialed up 22 consecutive pass plays as the 49ers were trying to collect a come-from-behind victory.
"I think we were doing what we had to do to win," 49ers coach Mike Singletary said. "I mean, obviously, I'd run the ball every down if I could. But that wasn't going to happen today, particularly when you're behind.
"I just think it was one of those situations where what we ran, well, that's what we needed to do. I was trying to go with whatever worked."
* * *
Dolphins third-string tight end Joey Haynos, a rookie, provided a 14-3 lead in the second quarter when his first NFL reception was a 19-yard touchdown pass from Chad Pennington. Haynos was left all alone in the end zone, as the 49ers experienced a communications breakdown.
"What happened is, you have one group calling one defense, and another group calling something else," Singletary said. "We were trying to get everybody on the same page."
Said cornerback Walt Harris, "The call did not get relayed to everybody. That was just a communication breakdown."
* * *
Safety Mark Roman's inability to break up a deep pass to tight end David Martin staked the Dolphins to a seven-point lead on
"He lost the ball," Singletary said of Roman. "That's it. It's unfortunate. He got turned around, and the guy made a play."
* * *
Running back Thomas Clayton and linebacker Ahmad Brooks were in uniform for the first time, but neither got into the game.
* * *
Injury report: Right tackle Adam Snyder left the game in the midway through the first quarter with an ankle sprain. He did not return, and his status for next week's game at
* * *
On the final drive, the 49ers got the ball to the Dolphins' 21-yard line with 80 seconds remaining in the game.
Although the 49ers had plenty of time, Hill was instructed to spike the ball - costing the team a crucial down - to stop the clock with 1:18 remaining.
"We were trying to stop the clock so we could regroup and kind of figure out what we wanted to do with those next three downs," Singletary said.
Because of faulty communications between the sideline and Hill, the formations of the plays called did not get relayed exactly as Martz had hoped.
"Sometimes when the crowd gets loud like that, it gets amplified through your helmet, as well," Hill said. "All you get is bits and pieces, and you put it together. I guess I put two plays in to the wrong side. It was the right play, just to the wrong side."
* * *
Here are my quickie grades:
QB
C-plus
It wasn't great and it wasn't horrible. Hill did not make any glaring mistakes, but he also did not make the plays in the red zone that the 49ers needed to win this one. He threw for 233 yards with no touchdowns and no picks.
RB
A-minus
DeShaun Foster rushed for 76 yards and caught five passes for 25 yards. Michael Robinson also added 33 yards receiving. However, the backs took a backseat in the fourth quarter.
WR
B-plus
How 'bout Isaac Bruce? The man was clutch with four successful third-down receptions. Bruce finished with seven catches for 71 yards. However, his illegal formation penalty contributed to a stalled drive.
OL
B
Holes were there in the run game, and the line generally did a good job in pass protection. Right tackle Barry Sims had some problems, including the sack he yielded on fourth down to end the team's hopes.
DL
B-plus
Aubrayo Franklin stuffed a short-yardage situation and also recorded a sack. The Dolphins averaged 4.5 yards per carry, but some of that fell on the guys on the outside breaking containment.
LB
B-minus
There were some miscommunications on this level, most notably on the Dolphins' second touchdown of the game. Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes combined for just seven sacks.
DB
C-minus
Really, it came down to just two bad plays. Safety Mark Roman lost track of a deep pass to tight end David Martin, who snatched the pass and took it 61 yards for a first-quarter touchdown. A blown coverage led to the Dolphins' other touchdown.
ST
C-minus
Dominique Zeigler's inexperience showed on punt returns, as he made one fair catch at the 4-yard line. Punter Andy Lee netted just 30 yards on five punts. However, Joe Nedney made all three field-goal attempts.
Coaching/overall
C
The 49ers went on the road against a leader in the AFC East, and could've, should've pulled it out. The defense faltered early, and the offense could not cash in with touchdowns. They let a golden opportunity slip away for a third-straight victory.
* * *
All I can keep thinking about is Roman getting 0wned all day. He even knocks the ball out of Clements' hands on the dropped INT. I hope Goldson gets some playing time there in the last two games.
Overall though, I'm excited about Coach Singletary and this team next year. AZ is proving what a fraud they are. The division is there for the taking. '09 can't come soon enough!
Clearly, RT and safety must be addressed in the offseason.
They just don't get much out of the safeties and Sims as the back up RT is unacceptable.
About Right Tackle, Adam Snyder the starter got injured, so back up Barry Simms got game time, which is why RT was pretty weak this game.
The game was close and except for Roman messing up big time on two huge plays, the defense held their own for the most part. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised on the dolphins last drive when the niners were able to get a stop far enough that miami missed the FG. Although the niners last drive didn't end in a win like in arizona, the defense kept the offense in the game, very intense physical game.
On another note, VD did an awesome job keeping his cool with porter and shutting him down all game too. And I was surprised to read that VD wasn't out there on porter, I don't think that was smart move with back up RT out there.
Even though the niners didn't win, it was a fun game to watch, and leaves me optimistic about the future of the franchise.
I missed the game, but how does the offense get C+, A-, B+ and B grades when they only scored 9.
Do they deserve better grades than the defense which only allowed 14?
Roman at Free Safety is obviously just a straightforward lack of talent at that position period. Unless your Tony Gonzalez, Gates, or Shockey a Free Safety should be able to make the play on an intermediate or long pass with one on one coverage 99% of the time vs a TE. At this time there's not enough speed, quickness, hops, & ball skills in the position.
Coach Sing covered for him in your press conference, good. The next move is to replace him ASAP by the next game to enforce his policy of accountability. The players have to be getting sick of seeing him blow plays in practically every after game film session. Willis had to be shaking his head after the 2nd blown TD where he was late trying to cover his tail. I know Coach Sing's handcuffed....who do you put in & who do you give the radio to? 1st - Goldson anywhere near healthy? There's GOT TO BE a better option than Roman, ANYBODY. Keith Lewis, Hudson, or even Strickland for these last 2 games. Time to rotate in RSmith to get him some PT. 2nd - give it back to Willis or to MLewis.
About that 2nd TD Matt, I hope you're able to break that down if you do anymore after game play by play analysis. (I won't get my DVD copy 'till Thurs) What I saw was Roman broke too soon to cover the outside receiver & ignored the deep runner on a fly route coming right at him.
I have to say, I don't blame Sims at all for giving up that sack to essential end the game. We have "coaches" who are paid to recognize the teams strenghts and weaknesses and call plays accordingly. Who in the hell would ever leave Sims, a third stringer reject, alone on an island with all world LB, leading the league in sacks Joey Porter. Mike Martz, thats who. Poor Play calling in the red zone and Mark Roman lost this game for the niners.
Naz4949- The offense did play well in many ways. The average starting point was about the 10 yard line. They held the ball for 38 minutes, no fumbles at all, no interceptions, I think only two penalties and no sacks from Porter (until the final play). Matt's grade for special teams is too generous. They lost the field position battle through poor returns and penalties.
The free safety should be a play maker and Roman hasn't been a play maker since he joined the league. He has really become the biggest defensive liability. Maybe Goldson, Smith, or Hudson would be better but we'll have to wait and see. Going into FA and the draft RT,FS have to be big choices during the off season.
Roman plays like that EVERY game. He owned Nolan; the same seems to be true with Singletary. GHe's always slow; he gets beat long at least once a game (which shouldn't happen with a safety); he was really responsible for not switching on the second TD when 27 took the tight end (tho the team blames it on miscommunication). We'll never get anywhere with him in the game.
The DL, once again, got no rush: Pennington always had the time he needed.
We're all still waiting for VD to break his first tackle, and his muff of an easy pass led indirectly to the second TD. (His blocking remains strong, tho, and his run was sweet.)
As for the rest, it was a pretty fun game. I thought Hill played well, and the OL was pretty strong -- but for Sims' last play. Martz called another very good game -- again moving from run to pass, controlling the ball. Fewer penalties; no TOs. Defense was stronger. The LBs are the heart of this team. Harris was creeping up to the line -- which was a great sight; Clements, tho, continues to give ground. Overall, good team D.
BUT, I almost screamed when the Niners burned that down on a QB spike with more than a minute left. A qucik slant had a real chance there. But, no. And, lo and behold, that led to the next three failed plays. And, game over.
We really need to start winning some of these nailbiters. But at least we're no longer toast going into a game against a good team.
Let's see if Singletary improves the defense by removing the weak link like he did with the offense. Roman rarely makes good plays and today three very visible bad plays: the TD pass, knocking down a probable pick by Clements and letting the runner get by him to the outside on Miami's final series. I'd rather watch a youngster get burned while learning than an older player with no upside. At least the young guys will probably make some good plays too.
The usual suspects-The free safety and the right tackle position MUST be addressed this offseason.
you can't blam all of the field position on the special teams. the offense had some pretty terrible stalled starts in the first half. Because the offense was so slow to start, andy lee is punting from inside the end zone, giving miami great field position. Although the special teams wasn't awesome by any means, missing many tackles, they also didn't give up any really huge plays. C minus is just about right grade because you also have to consider they had zeigler doing returns which he has been practicing all of a week.
I do agree though that the offense did an amazing job holding on to the ball, partially due to having such terrible field position. Just need to work on that red zone offense. for the last few weeks, the niners have been doing great marching down the field, but really fail to convert which is pretty frustrating. Next week will be different for sure, but it'd be nice to see 7 when you go 60+ yds down the field to the red zone.
Sims, Roman, Bruce's penalty and the end of the half, and Martz play calling at the end of the game was the difference today. We could have won this game.
I watched this at a bar w/ no sound, but did they explain why Porter didn't get flagged for throwing his helmet off after the sack?
Let's stop kidding ourselves. The 49ers have the WORST ownership in team sports, led by the face of the franchise, LUCKY SPERM JED. Mike Singletary is a class person, but he should not be the 49ers head coach. He is not an Xs and Os guy. The head coach has to be the smartest guy in the room! The 49ers need new ownership, a president/GM, a head coach, an OC with west coast offense roots, and a QB. Fans by nature are delusional, but please, do not think that the current braintrust will bring improved results next year, because that is the definition of insane. Send the Yorks a message, DO NOT renew season tickets. Stop being lemmings!
He did get a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, however it came after the play so miami still had possession ending the game.
I have been precahing this all year... Maybe JUST MAYBE after this game Roman will get pulled and Goldston gets his chance to play. It was bad enugh when he just wasnt doing anything out there. I mean im serious you never even hear the guys named called EVER! we finally do and its cuz he blows the only 2 Tds they scored. This has to stop, Sing as made changes everywhere else, why not here. Im watchin this Pit-Bal game and all i can think is thats just something our D doesnt do and thats make BIG plays, turnovers. we need to find a play maker at saftey, BAD!
PS: Barry Sims still blows! How is Davis not out there on that last play, JESUS!!
only seven sacks for willis and spikes!? horrible!
Unless an obviously much better draft choice is available in the upcoming first round of the draft the 9ers finally must draft a right tackle to compliment Staley at the left side. Then they won't have to use Davis as a blocking tight end, they could use him as a receiving tight end, imagine. It would be like drafting 2 positions at once...... Did everyone notice there were no deep balls thrown. It looks like either Hill or the coaches have little confidence in his arm strength to zip a ball into tight coverage or far down the field. But, they stayed in the game,(thanx in a huge part to the D), they just don't have the moves or maybe the coaching, to get into the end zone......Any sightings of Balmer?
Due to inexperience from Head coach and Quarterback, the Niners again showed panic and they managed the clock poorly in the final two minutes when the game on the line. The play selection was also horrible. The season is over, I hope Singletary will play Thomas Clayton and Ahmad Brooks in the last two games. Let's try them out. Send Barry Simms back to the Raiders and Mark Roman back to GreenBay.
These last few wins have blinded our weaknesses & this loss was a blessing in discuise! This loss showed our need for a better free safety & Offensive lineman! Roman was responsible for both TD's & he knocked a for sure interception out of Clements hands. I mean come on dude, Which team are u playing for!
I agree with the blessing in disguise theory. These games are the beginning of training camp2009 and Sing needs all the opportunity he can get to see who shows up and who doesn't, so we can replace the weak links. What I liked about this game is that, unlike last week, we DIDN'T PUT THE BALL ON THE GROUND. Progress can come one thing at a time as long as it keeps coming. Andl look at what has happened to our time of possession since Sing gave Martz some limits. There really is hope for next year-- if we had played like this earlier, we would now be ahead of AZ for the division title.
i wondered who the whinners were going to blame today for the loss. Roman is an easy target. I blame no one, miami has not given up a td in 3 games, we played well. and i see a much improved team on the field, i have no doubt we are going to win the nfc west next yr......i do have one criticsm of Mr. Miaocco - you need to stop jumping the gun on our Qb's....every time you try to elevate our back up qb to starter level, seems like an egg gets dropped on your face. Shaun hill is nothing but OK...he his a reliable backup qb, i like the guy but he his no starter, just like Mr. Miaocco thoughts were wrong about JTO being the next great QB in ninerland, he his also wrong when he thinks Shaun Hill is a starter in this league. Now if we can just get to read some real news about the team instead of Mr. Miaocco "skeptical" QB scouting reports. Thank you!!!!!
There's still plenty of room on the Matt Cassel bandwagon, c'mon board!
The Dolphins had the ball only 22 minutes, there weren't many tackles to go around. Why would you have any faults with the LB's? 2 missed plays away from shutting them down. When Willis/Spikes do have a ton of tackles, that would indicate they were on the field all day long.
Matt, how do they explain the call not be relayed to everyone, on the play where the coverage brokedown? Doesn't Roman receive the calls to his headset? Was he not able not able to relay the coverage? It sure looked like he blew his assignment, there wasn't anybody else anywhere close to covering the middle of the field. Willis seemed to be way on the other side, and Roman decided to triple team the guy running the corner route. I don't buy their explanation, its not like a CB let a receiver go expecting over the top help.
I think you nailed it. Sims, Roman, and the coaching decisions by Martz cost the 9ers the game. Leaving Barry Sims, who is really your 3rd string right tackle, on an island against the league leader in sacks while your best blocking TE is on the sideline is ludicrous. Sims gets paid to do that job so IMHO opinion he should be cut immediately since he obviously can't perform. If any of you recorded the game go back and watch Sims. He literally completely misses his blocking assignment at least 4 times. I suppose Martz will say the misalignment caused the 1 on 1 matchup between Sims and Porter but that doesn't explain why Davis was on the sideline.
This game is another example of why I'm somewhat leary of hiring Singletary as the permanent HC. He may have had a positive influence on Martz initially but Sing is at the mercy of Martz for in game decisions. The end of game debacle against AZ and now the end of this game should tell everyone Martz is a terrible crunch time coach. What additional proof do you need? 22 straight passes againts 6 dbs? I just don't get it.
I agree with all of you that think Roman should be replaced. Let's see, he was responsible for the 2 TD's given up yesterday - he gave up on one, and he went outside to cover a WR who was covered by the CB instead of covering the TE that was wide open inside. His best def coverage yesterday was preventing his own teammate from intercepting a pass - time for another replacement sing.
Coach Sing was talking about one group playing one defense and the other was playing another. That has to fall on Roman since he wears the radio and it's his responsibility to relay the calls. I think coach Sing was just covering for him. On the second TD, Roman made a mistake by leaving the TE wide open up the middle. It was a mistake period. I've been calling for Roman's head all season long and I think it's time for Goldston.
As for Sims, I knew that we were in trouble when Snyder got hurt. That guy is awful to watch he is almost always late in reacting in every game.
THREE SHORTCOMINGS -- Matt, your scorecard doesn't get into two long-term failures and one other weakness. It would be valuable to see your reflections on these.
SIMS -- This was an acquisition that should not have ever happened. Any player released by the sad-sack Raiders is suspect and Sims is one. He failed as a Raider, and he has been a major weakness with the Niners.
MARTZ -- Decisions in the red zone, and at the end of the game, are signs of Martz' prejudices. The knock on Hill is he can't throw deep, but that's never tested--and since Hill is notorious as a poor practice player, it seems imperative that Martz give him a few deep pass plays during games. Martz also should have red zone plays that are more useful that what he called Sunday.
SINGLETARY -- A little more courage, and a little more confidence in the offense, would help. Settling for field goals, rather than trying for first downs, is okay once--but not three times. Those were Singletary decisions and should be criticized.
Your thoughts, Matt?
Q: Matt, how do they explain the call not be relayed to everyone, on the play where the coverage brokedown? Doesn't Roman receive the calls to his headset? Was he not able not able to relay the coverage?
My response: I'm not certain about all the mechanics, but it was pretty obvious in watching the play that not everybody got the play call. I might have mentioned it on my game blog, but as soon as the tight end caught the pass, I saw Banta-Cain and Harris look at each other, as if to say, "What the heck was going on?" It looked as if Harris thought Banta-Cain was supposed to drop into coverage in the middle of the field.
The play call is radioed in to Roman, who makes the call in the huddle. Then, based on what the offense does, the defense makes some "checks" to get into a different coverage. Obviously, not everybody was on the same page on that play. It's my uneducated opinion that Roman did not blow the assignment, but he might have failed in his attempt to get everybody on the same page. --Matt M.
What happened to Mr Crystal Jonas Jenning's is he not on the team anymore? How come he wasn't in there instead of Simms? Sing must not like crystal either....
Q: What happened to Mr Crystal Jonas Jenning's is he not on the team anymore? How come he wasn't in there instead of Simms?
My response: Jennings was placed on injured reserve with his shoulder injury on Nov. 18. --Matt M.
I agree - Willis and Spikes should be combining for at least 10 sacks a game ;-)
One of the issues with the 9ers the past few years is that the db's aren't very good when the ball is in the air. How many times have we seen plays like the one yesterday where Roman had good position on the TE and he simply had no clue the ball was in the air. If Roman can't make plays in the passing game AND he misses a ton of tackles like he did against the Dolphins then he's a liability. I hope Goldson gets a shot but we did see his shortcomings when he played against the Seahawks earlier this year. If Goldson isn't the answer then perhaps Walt Harris can play safety next year. Someone said on here yesterday and I agree, Lets give Harris a shot at safety in the offseason. Don't move Clements. Harris could be a good safety.
Thanks for coming out Roman. Parting gifts are at the door for you on the practice squad.
Let's take a look at safeties in the 09 draft, shall we?
Not much there in round 1, but Moore from Mizzou could be a steal at round 2. A bell ringer and a safety who actually swivels his hips and head to look for the pick.
Franchise - Scroll down on your list. At the very bottom of the page is a guy by the name of Taylor Mayes. He is a BEAST and he will undoubtedly be a top 12 pick in this years draft. We would be set for years to come if we get a shot to draft him. He is a Troy P, Ed Reed, or the late Sean Taylor type talent.
..."The phrase "Hits Like a Linebacker, Runs Like a Cornerback" was made to describe guys like Mays, who checks in at 6-3 and 230 pounds and has reportedly run a 4.3 forty. Granted USC has a fast track and is known for inflating their players times but even if Mays runs a 4.45 it will still be very impressive at that size."
Agreed. Assuming he bolts early for the NFL, he'd be the first safety taken off the board.
Since Taylor Mays is only a junior, he won't be able to play in the Senior Bowl, therefore, we won't draft him....
We also need to start thinking about replacing Michael Lewis eventually... He is still useful near the line of scrimmage, but has been slowing down in coverage. Keith Lewis isn't the answer either.
Dashon Goldson, if he can stay healthy, should be a good fit to take over Michael Lewis' spot.
It was nice seeing the other team's offense on the sideline so much. The ball control has improved tremendously. The stupid penalties aren't occurring over and over and over again like so many times in the past. Still mistakes made, but certainly not painful to watch like last year. Guessing play at the QB position is better than we have seen in how many years? It's unfortunate they didn't get the win because they look like a competitive team again.
Thanks Matt for you answer