The NFL announced the regular-season schedule today. Here's a quickie look at the 49ers' scheule for the coming season.
2009 49ers regular-season schedule
Sunday, Sept. 13, At
The last time the 49ers played the Cardinals here, they had a last-minute communication meltdown that prevented Mike Singletary from recording his first victory. Maybe new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye can fare better if the game comes down to a few critical late-game decisions.
Sunday, Sept. 20, SEAHAWKS at Candlestick, 1:05 p.m. (Fox)
Former 49ers defensive coordinator Jim Mora opened his head-coaching career with the Falcons at
Sunday, Sept. 27, At
The Vikings are solid quarterback play away from being a serious contender in the NFC. The last time the Vikings played the 49ers, Patrick Willis and Co. held Adrian Peterson to just 3 yards on 14 carries. Hard to believe, isn't it?
Sunday, Oct. 4, RAMS at Candlestick, 1:15 p.m. (Fox)
New Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo inherits one of the worst rosters in the NFL. He made his mark as Giants defensive coordinator, making the identity of this team dramatically different than what's it's been for more than a decade.
Sunday, Oct. 11, FALCONS at Candlestick, 1:05 p.m. (Fox)
Sunday, Oct. 18, BYE WEEK
Sunday, Oct. 25, At
The last time the 49ers visited
Sunday, Nov. 1, At
It's back-to-back 10 a.m. starts for the 49ers. As I recall, the last time the 49ers visited the Colts (a 40-21 SF victory), it produced one of the great postgame moments ever: Jim Mora's "Playoffs?" sound bite. All I'm wishing for is a safe walk to the downtown dome.
Sunday, Nov. 8, TITANS at Candlestick, 1:15 p.m. (CBS)
New Niners receiver Brandon Jones, who was never a No. 1 in
Thursday, Nov. 12, BEARS at Candlestick, 5:20 p.m. (NFL Network)
Sunday, Nov. 22, At
If there's one road trip to make in the NFL, this is the one. The 49ers haven't played at Lambeau Field since 2003. The organization will get its first regular-season look at Aaron Rodgers. Will Alex Smith be starting for the road team?
Sunday, Nov. 29, JAGUARS at Candlestick, 1:05 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, Dec. 6, At
The 49ers return to the site of Alex Smith's greatest NFL moment - his inspiring fourth-quarter performance in a 24-14 upset over the division-winning Seahawks late in the 2006 season.
Monday, Dec. 14, CARDINALS at Candlestick, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
The defending NFC champion Cardinals - man, that was weird to type - come to town. There's no way the 49ers will be sending a private jet for Kurt Warner to make this trip to the Bay Area. This is the third time in three years the 49ers have played the Cardinals on Monday Night Football
Sunday, Dec. 20, At
The 49ers and Eagles finished in the same spot in their respective divisions, creating this NFC West vs. NFC East matchup. I'm already looking forward to my traditional run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, just like Rocky Balboa.
Sunday, Dec. 27, LIONS at Candlestick, 1:05 p.m. (Fox)
Sunday, Jan. 3, At
Niners receiver Isaac Bruce decided to return to fulfill the second and final year of his contract with the 49ers. He did a nice job with the 49ers last season and won the Len Eshmont Award. But in
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Coach Mike Singletary
"This is a good schedule with tough opponents. When I look at our schedule, I am excited that our fans get a chance to see how we stack up against our division rivals within the first five weeks of the season. I'm also thankful that our players will have an understanding of the kind of team we have heading into the week six bye. We are all excited about being able to play in front of national audiences on primetime television twice in 2009. Between now and the start of the regular season, we have a lot of hard work to put in and that's what we are concentrating on now."
General manager Scot McCloughan
"Every year when the schedule is released it's an exciting time for our players, coaches, the organization as a whole, and our fans. From a competitive standpoint, we get to see early on how we measure up in our division. With our bye coming when it does our players will be able to rest their bodies at a critical time. Having two primetime games on national television provides us the opportunity to showcase the 'Mike Singletary' brand of 49ers football that we plan to play."
* * *
Here is the 49ers' exhibition schedule (all games televised locally on CBS-5):
Friday, Aug. 14, vs.
Saturday, Aug. 22, vs.
Saturday, Aug. 29, at
Friday, Sept. 4, at
* * *
I submitted a suggestion to Commissioner Goddell about a potential division realignment. The 49ers and Rams would move to the NFC North, with the Vikings and Packers moving to the NFC West. Also, the Browns would move to the NFC North while the Packers would go to the AFC North. This would make the NFC North:
49ers
Lions
Rams
Browns
The 49ers would have a real good shot at making the playoffs if the Commish takes my suggestion. Needless to say, he has not responded to me. What do you think Matt?
Well the 49ers start off with bang buster & fly out to Arizona.
HA! Good one.
Another year, another Monday Night game against the Cardinals.
Hope the Niners play in Tampa next year so I can rock the Niner gear in Raymond James Stadium :)
The Forty Niners have a good chance to sweep every team in the division and go 6-0 in the NFC West. The cardinals aren't too tough of a team and we almost beat them with J.T. O'Turnover one time and we barely lost the second time due to Martz's inability to get a play called on time. The rams can be beaten twice. It needs no explaining. The seahawks were a very bad team last year even with Holmgren. That team is on a roller coaster only going downward (for now). Imagine Jim Mora Jr. (after a failed attempt at coaching in Atlanta) coming in and trying to establish himself as the new guy. Not many of the players will buy into what he's selling the way the Forty Niner players bought into coach Singletary. Not only has he not proven himself as a coach in Seattle (Singletary has proven himself enough to have the interim tag removed), but he (and his players) must start the season without knowing around how many games they can win in 2009 (Singletary, meanwhile, has his eyes on the division crown and has a good idea of what he's got to work with and what his team is and can be capable of doing). All I can say is: 2008 was the last time our season ended in December. 2009 is the time for a new beginning and a new era of dominant Forty Niner football.
Dominant seems a little ambitious. I am more than willing to settle for fisical football for now.
WOW!
Easy there SSC24. I mean you're predicting all these wins in the division in April? Based on what again?
8-8 or 9-7. Unfortunately all NFC West Teams will be better as the division finally improves.
Nice! Two primetime games and both of them are at home! I'm looking forward to the Chicago game. Let's see what angle The NFL Network is going to take with this one. Singletary Coaching against the team he played for his entire career, would be the obvious one. I would like for it to be game where we get our revenge for the crazy tampering charges they laid on us last year! Your thoughts fellas?
Yes nothing would make me feel better than to get back at the Bears & put a beating on the little cry baby Cutler. Poetic Justice!
As long as there aren't anymore way-ward field goal attempts that get returned for touchdowns, I'm good.
Ha! Oh yeah. I forgot about that Stampede! Can you blame me for not wanting to remember? LOL. The Cardinals game on Monday Night will also be another revenge game for what Warner did to us this offseason! I can't wait!
Warner shuold catch pain and furry in great abundance anyway just for being a St. Louis Lamb AND an AZ Fraudinal.
Sorry, I meant fury not furry.
MM - You chose the Cutler angle on the Bears game over Mike Sing coaching against the team he was a hall of famer for? I hear ya, but this should be a pretty special game for Singletary.
The Niners have a chance to get off to a good start but November will tell the tale - the Colts (on the road), Titans and Bears all within 12 days followed by a late November trip to Green Bay. We'll know what they are made of by Thanksgiving and if we have something additional to be thankful for.
"Having two primetime games on national television provides us the opportunity to showcase the 'Mike Singletary' brand of 49ers football that we plan to play."
Love the quote from McCloughan. It's a tough schedule, but at least we'll get to see what we're made of.
McCloughan's quote about showcasing the "Mike Singlltary brand of 49ers football that we plan to play" just undid all that misdirection they have been trying to create with inviting out Stafford, Sanchez and Freeman, the Mike Singletary brand does not draft a qb at #10.
Matt,
I was actually at that game in Houston where Steve Young was knocked out early in the game. The worst part of that play was there had been a pre-snap penalty and the head official wasn't loud enough with his whistle. Young let up a little but the LB crushed him with a helmet to hemlet hit at full speed . No penalty on the play.
If you cover the Houston game this year, I'll give you some great local restaurants. You can also stop by our tailgate. It's a pretty good time.
I came to a 7-9 record when I went down the list. I hope Sing's head doesn't explode on TV if thats the case.
Micheal (correct spelling) Barrow with the hit on Young. I still remember him rocking back and forth on the team bench after being taken out of the game.
Yes, please pass along some restaurant recommendations. And I've been known to stop by a tailgate or two on the road. Get in touch when we get closer to the date. Thanks. --Matt M.
My two cents: Getting the Colts on the road, then the Titans at home Sunday, then 4 days later playing the Bears on Thursday Night is a tough stretch (3 games in 11 days). But Chicago has 4 days rest as well and the road game. At least we then get 10 days until the at Green Bay Game which is like a mini late season bye week. We only play one team coming off their Bye week and that is Atlanta and we get them at home. Those first 5 games will dictate how this season goes with all of our division rivals early. I'm getting fired up!!!
Drew said...
McCloughan's quote about showcasing the "Mike Singlltary brand of 49ers football that we plan to play" just undid all that misdirection they have been trying to create with inviting out Stafford, Sanchez and Freeman, the Mike Singletary brand does not draft a qb at #10.
--------------------------------------------
The mike Singletary brand of football ,according to his own words,will be about 50-50 pass and run. A QB is just as important to his "brand" of football as it is to any teams brand.
When will you guys stop buying into the missunderstanding that the media seems to have about the Sing offense and start listening to the Man (Sing) himself(and his OC,Raye) ?
All Sing has ever said is that he wants to make the running game of the Niners so much more reliable than it has been that he will be able to run on the opponent at will,whenever it is needed (like in the 4th qtr. of a game the Niners are leading or like when the Niners have a 3rd down and 2 or 3 or a 4th and 1 ,etc etc). He NEVER said he wants to be a run dominated team. Just that he wants his run game to be soooo good that the other team can't stop it,even when they know it is coming.
He has also said several times that he wants his passing game to be just that good .
I guess he was just disappointed in how unreliable the run game was at critical times last year and has set his mind and energy to fixing it. But like he says,he wants the run to pass ratio to be about 50-50. He even talks about running an offense that is more in the Bill Walsh mode this year (leaning a bit more on the run game to set up the pass instead of the pass to set up the run ,as Walsh did).
So get off the media missinformation bandwagon (not MM but most others). There will be no "3 yards and a cloud of dust" offense in SF under Sing. Neither will it be a pass crazy Martz style either,thank God!
Here are my fearless predictions for the season.
#1 Road Arizona Loss
#2 Home Seattle Win
#3 Road Min Loss
#4 Home Rams Win
#5 Home Falcons Loss
#6 Road Hou Loss
#7 Road Indy Loss
#8 Home Titans Loss. First TV Blackout since 1981.
#9 Home Bears Loss. Singletary Goes Full Monty.
#10 Road GB Loss
#11 Road Jaguars Loss. Singletary fires Jimmy Raye
#12 Road Seattle Loss. McCloughan Fired.
#13 Home Arizona Win
#14 Road Phi Loss
#15 Home Lions Win
#16 Road Rams Loss. Singletary Fired.
Season Record 4-12.
Wow. Getting some pretty negative vibes from you Rick. You forgot to put 'selling the team' after Week 14 and 'moving cities' after the season finale. Get behind your team man..we've suffered a lot but enough negativity! I'm counting on Singletary's penchant for not accepting mediocrity to lift this team. I guess i'm cautiously optimistic.
@T_C There's one and only one way to have a team be able to run the ball successfully at any time or stage of the game and that's to build a run first team. And, of course, if it can run the ball whenever it likes, why the heck would it do anything else but run?????
Cards will have a post-Superbowl swoon season. Guaranteed. That means the division will be wide open with the Niners in the driving seat....
...as long as Jimmy Raye can break a career long slump and put up some decent points.
Surprised you had the nerve to post again, Rick, after your last debacle where you went foam mouthing and screaming nto the sunset with your ego splattered against the blog windshield like a stray bug getting squashed by the Singletary express. Took awhile to mend, I guess. Looks like your brain's still the same old dreary mess, though.
TOM_CAT,
It is funny how some fans interpited Sings "Company Line" As if an NFL Team could possibly be a winning successful team by running the ball 60% of the time. You still have to pass the ball to win in the NFL bottom line.
Rick - After which game does Jimmy Rae fall asleep? LOL!
4-12 is a pretty dismal outlook for the 49ers 2009 season. Then you have SSC24 who sees the 49ers as World Beaters so I'm gonna find a medium between these 2 extremes and 9-7 with a possible Playoff shot.
Actually the Dorks selling the team to a group headed by Steve Young and Brent Jones is probably the best thing that can happen. Unfortunately, the socialistic NFL revenue sharing system means that a terrible owner such as York can make lousy football decisions year after year and still make money. Turning the team over to a religious fruitcake who has never even been a coordinator in the league does not strike me as a great football decision. Offhand I cannot think of a single successful head coach who was never previously a head coach or a coordinator at any level college or pro.
As for the negativity, tell me which of my 12 projected losses you can legitimately put in the win column. History of the league tells us that division road games are the hardest to win. I think 3-3 in the division games is realistic. Maybe 4-2. After that we have five tough road games at Indy, Philly, Houston, Green May, and Minnesotta. Recent history does not bode well in terms of us winning any of these games. That leaves five non-division home games Bears, Titans, Lions, Falcons, and Jaguars. Tell me who other than the lions we can realistically beat in this group.
I too, used to be year after year optimist. I thought Erickson was a great choice, I bought into the Nolan BS hook line and sinker. But after six years of horrendous football, I have had enough.
Wow, what a tough schedule. Based on last years play I predict 4-12 as well, but with the new coaching staff there really is no way to accuratley predict how they will do. I don't think playoffs are in their future this season.
I'm going to be very interested in how boldin is going to play in a situation he reportedly does not want to be in. I think that's going to be one of the biggest deciding factors with how well we do. The other? Injuries. On our side and on opposing teams. That's what makes contact sports so interesting. This looks to be a pretty good schedule, alot of tough teams on paper, but also some freebies on paper too.
Boo friggin' hoo.
It's a new year guy. The Falcons and Dolphins proved teams can be turned around very quickly. Nolan is gone and we finished 5-4 under Singletary. You calling him a religious fruitcake just shows what an ignorant imbecile you are. He's highly respected by his players and the league.
You said it yourself that you've had enough. Sounds like you need a new team to root for.
In Singletary We Trust.
First off, it is kind of sad that you sit here and post on a 49ers blog forum (supposedly being a fan) claiming that after 6 seasons you've had enough. These are the moments where the real fans are seperated from the fickle ones. The 49ers have given us 2 decades of excellent football and memorable moments and now after a few bad seasons you claim to have had enough??
Sure the front office has made several mistakes..we've had a few bad drafts, some pretty bad coaches, crappy players...whatever! The point is negativity gets you nowhere. You'll probably claim that you're just being realistic. Well i'm pretty sure many Miami, Atlanta, Arizona fans where just as realistic as yourself and look what they did last year. This is a new year and a new year means a new start for everyone. What is a football season if it does not begin with some semblance of hope. Real fans should support Singletary regardless of whether they like him or not, this isn't about Singletary its about the 49ers. He's leading us and i want my team to get back on top. They both have my full support.
I think people forget that after the bye week last season the team went 5-3.
Why people expect us to revert back to the type of records we had during the Nolan days.. I dont know. I guess some of you have just been scarred by the tuff times. I feel for you.
It will change. It will change.
My prediction:
@ Arizona-Close Loss
Seahawks-Close win
@ Minnesota-Very Close Loss(Poss. OT??)
Rams-Big Win
Falcons-Close Win
@ Houston-Close Win
@ Indy-Double Digit Loss
Titans-Close Loss(I think this will be a great game)
Bears-Win(Primetime/Cutler/Sing's old team/tampering...planets align!)
@ G.B.-Painful loss
Jags-Win(Narrow & low scoring)
@ Seattle-Loss
Cards-Healthy win(few mistakes, Gore runs wild)
@ Philly-Loss
Lions-Win(Blowout)
@ Rams-close win
9-7, 4-2 in the div.-Playoffs? You kiddin' me....
This is how I see it. I see a first round playoff loss, but one of the 2 QB's will be established as the for sure starter from this season on.
Amen to that! I'm going down with the ship! I'm a fan win or lose.
Just an aside, since we've been looking at picking OL again this year. What about the guys already on the roster? de la puente and Wallace? Any word on their development?
So, if Singletary had spent even one season as a D-coordinator at a D-I school, you'd be more likely to cut him some slack?
John Harbaugh, who led the Ravens to the playoffs last year, was neither an offensive nor defensive coordinator at either the college or pro level. Sure, he was the SPECIAL TEAMS coordinator, but what does that have to do with calling plays or installing defenses? It helps when you have Cam Cameron (IMO, the man the Niners SHOULD have hired as OC instead of Martz).
FYI, Art Shell had never been a head coach or coordinator before he was named as Raiders coach in '89 - he wasn't wildly successful, but he did take the Raiders to three postseasons and their only AFC title game between the Flores and Gruden years.
And let's not forget that while lack of a HC/coordinator title may be a detriment, the presence of those titles isn't a guarantee of enduring success. Just ask coordinators like Cameron, Romeo Crennel or Scott Linehan...or college coaches like Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier or Bobby Petrino.
Rick,
You do have some valid points about disecting the schedule but I'll ask you this, based on what happened to the Falcons in 2007 & then going into the 2008 season with a rookie QB no less how many wins would you have perdicted the Falcons were going to win?
Lions
@ Bucs
Chiefs
@ Panthers
@ Packers
Bears
@ Eagles
@ Raiders
Saints
Broncos
Panthers
@ Chargers
@ Saints
Bucs
@ Vikings
Rams
My point is that nobody gave the Falcons a shot of doing anything last year but look what happen to them. That's what makes sports so compelling, evey year is going to be different & you simply can't rely on what happened the past season in sports because it means nothing. As Chris Berman would say "And that's why they play the Game"
I'm a little more optimistic...
@Arizona, Loss but VERY CLOSE, if the 49ers win this game look out!
Seattle, HUGE WIN, Seattle will be one of the WORST teams in the NFL
@Minnesota, This will be a LOSS, I will be there and once again have to listen to all the MORONS in the Dome, I HATE this road game, the 49ers always play poorly at Minnesota
St. Louis, HUGE WIN, SEE SEATTLE!
Atlanta, The 49ers are for REAL after this one, Atlanta takes a little step back this season
@Houston, a Loss, just don't have a good feeling about this one
@Indianapolis, WIN, this is the year the wheels fall off the Colts, it sucks to get OLD
Tennessee, WIN, the 49ers matchup VERY WELL against this team, again, another team that will take a step backwards
Chicago, WIN, How ready will the 49ers be for this, I believe the 49ers are UNDEFEATED 2-0 on the NFL Network!
@Green Bay, LOSS, SEE Minnesota!
Jacksonville, WIN, again another team on the decline that the 49ers matchup well against
Arizona, WIN and take control of the NFC WEST!
@Philly, WIN, "Average" McNabb is still there QB, enough said.
Detroit, WIN, BEAT DOWN!
@St. Louis, WIN, Order RESTORED, 49ers finish 11-5, NFC WEST CHAMPIONS, Home Playoff Game
Home Schedule is the EASIEST I've seen the 49ers have in a long time, the Road appears to be tough, but I think it will look much easier by the end of 2009!
Now I'm DONE!
I'm glad that some of you guys see better days to come for the 9ers. I'm having a hard time finding my red and gold glasses. Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye don't exactly inspire optimism on the offensive side of the ball. I'm hoping for a dominant D and a relatively mistake free offense to win games.
Forgot @Seattle in there, WIN, EASY!
Now I'm Done!
Houston,
I think the key to the 49ers success is going to be the O-line plain & simple. Just like the Falcons last year they controlled the line of scrimmage on offense & used their running game to control the clock. That's why if NT Raji is gone by the time the 49ers pick then I think they should get RB Moreno or Wells with the #10 pick then come back in the 2nd & get the BPA on defense then come back in the 3rd round get another OT to solidify the O-line for good.
TOP_CAT - you are correct. I have listened to former Niner players who have repeatedly said that Walsh's offense was not finesse - but really brutally physical, especially in the trenches. Also, they featured excellent execution, rather than complex schemes. Singletary repeatedly says that these are the aspects he wants to emulate, and I suspect that these two aspects are the true core concepts of Walsh's approach. Singletary never said that he wants to emulate the Chicago offense. And why should he? He knows, better than anyone, what a Walsh offense looks like... :)
flip3,
Walsh always used Boxing as a metaphor for football. He used to always say "beat your opponent to the puch" and "explode off the ball like a jab when the ball's snapped" I miss the White Hair Genius!
RB at 10 when you simply need a compliment to Gore? No Way! It has to be OL, speed rusher, or trade down.
Are you guys seriously comparing Singletarys offensive Filosophy to Walsh's? What offensive credentials does Singletary have that helps you form your opinion? Did he say something in a press conference that makes you think he's going to be a great offensive strategist? Did he show some astounding talent evaluation skills that found a great qb in the draft or via trade? I seriously want to know why some of you think Singletary will do anything positive with his offensive Filosophy? Singletary and Raye.... Please help me... This isnt exactly Walsh and Holmgren.
Yes I would like O-line too but you have to consider BPA because the 3 best OT's WILL be gone when the 49ers are up & you dont want to "reach" for the sake of wanting an OT. As for speed rusher no question in my mind that if the 49ers & it would be a BIG mistake if they picked Maybin or Everette Brown those guys would not start much less get alot of playing time. Those 2 would need to be developed & the 49ers don't have time for that. But I agree that trading down would be great.
Glad you guys are so optimistic, but I see is no way the Niners beat the Titans, Jags, Colts. Texans, Bears, or Eagles. Regardless, let's wait to see what happens in the draft.
Matt,
I wanted to know if the 49ers still stay in Appleton when they travel to Green Bay?
Question: I wanted to know if the 49ers still stay in Appleton when they travel to Green Bay?
My response: Every year I've covered the team, it has stayed in Appleton. Don't know what the plan is this year, though. --Matt M.
one good thing is we play back to back away games after our bye week, it also great that we play home then away, then home, then away almost all season.....and i think our division opponents have it bad...the cards have 3 back to back away games .....the seagrls have 3 straight away games......the rams start off with 2 aways games, and also have 2 back to back away games in december - the good for the rams is that they play 12 games at 12noon........i like the schedule...
Matty Matt, what time is that call with Mayock?
Question: what time is that call with Mayock?
My response: 10 a.m. (PT) --Matt M.
You are absolutely right. To compare Singletarys Xs and Os knowledge to Walsh's is insane. GOAT
I do think Singletarys philosophy has been successful and will spur winning. Lot go Defense for a second: I think these guys showed how well and strong they could play when they were not on the field for 40 minutes every game. The D is talented. A couple of players away from a stop-all type Defense.
And on Offense its sure as hell not going to be Singletary calling the plays. But he is a great coach for the players. Singletary is super in connecting with players, inspiring, communicating. You do not need to be technical to be a great head coach. I'm thinking that a lot of the Niner playbook is going to be the same/similar to last years. All Raye and the O staff want to accomplish/change is to control the trenches more and know they can run when they need to.
Ive been a little worried too about having a none Xs and Os head coach with Raye at OC, but when you think about it we could have our best season here since the 01 02 PLAYOFF years.
JV - Niners stay at the Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton every time they play at GB. Doubt if it would change this year.
A lot of people may be underestimating AZ. Despite the fact they slopped through the season at 9-7, and were in the SB (post SB swoon), it seemed to me that they were an improving team. I think they will be highly motivated to WIN a SB. Plus, with a healthy Warner and Fitzgerald, they very well might play us better than they did last year. Fitzgerald is a manimal. I don't see a drop off. Instead, I think he knows he's a man playing wih the boys and is going to go freaking nuts. Hopefully, not against us...
OK, for the record, my pre-draft season prediction is with wins at Home against AZ, STL, SEA, CHI, JCK, DET and on the road against HOU, STL, GB.
That gives us 9-7, a 4-2 division record and a big maybe for the playoffs.
Hope springs eternal.
The Niners should go 10-6 this year. 3-2 at the bye. They will go 7-1 at home this year, 3-5 on the road. I have the loss at home to Tennessee. There is not a scary team at home that the Niners play. Some avg to good teams (Chi, Atlanta, AZ), just like the 49ers will be. And the Niners should win since they are home. The road wins for the 49ers will be Houston, Seattle, St. Louis. 10-6 wins the division and they make the playoffs. At this point in the year, there doesn't appear to be any team on the sched that looks like the 49ers will be overmatched against. This is definitely within reach this year.
"My point is that nobody gave the Falcons a shot of doing anything last year but look what happen to them."
I'd also add that the Falcons have Thomas Dimitroff who got his chops being director of college scouting for the Patriots for 5 years prior to getting the gig as ATL GM.
If McCloughan feels a denser gravity it's because the weight of this draft and to some (and I emphasize SOME) extent, the future of the team will be placed squarely in his shoulders. He will either swim or sink.
You can only buy into the "it takes years to really judge a draft" line so much. I wouldn't disagree but Matt M even alluded that last year's 1st rounder Balmer may be strictly a back-up.
I've always believed that very good players (drafted in any round) find ways to get on the field or show you glimpses from the very beginning- dispelling the "it takes years" theory. Sing is a good coach who will inspire players to do things they probably didn't think they could but you have to give your coach good pieces to work with.
When things go south finding blame is the easiest thing to do but if we finish less than 8-8 (an it's entirely possible), I'll call it a disappointment and if Jed is as no-nonsense as ahe appears, McC will have a big target on his back.
I feel you on McC. This is make or break for him. And this draft would either have to be spectacular, or the players he has drafted(Manny, V.D., Balmer, Smith, etc...) Will have to shake the underacheiver label this season. He should be in serious desperation mode right now. That said, I do believe the Niners have a chance to make it happen.
Looks like we have the most favorable home stretch of any NFL team over the final 8 games:
The 49ers' final eight games are against opponents with a .340 winning percentage last season, lowest for any team's final eight games.
The 49ers face the Rams and Lions in consecutive weeks to end the regular season, but they also drew the Cardinals and Eagles among their final four opponents.
7 wins. 9 losses. 2nd place in the NFC West. They'll draft out of the 12th spot in 2010. Their needs will be OT, DE, WR and DB.In a 49ers Town Meeting in January McCloughan states that the 49ers will stick to drafting the "best athlete available". In a quick, powerful move Singletary flings his GM 5 rows into the audience.
Later that evening 49er President Jeb York reiterates that Singletary and McCloughan will continue to work together. He also downplays the Raiders proposed move to Santa Clara.
faith71,
I agree that McC HAS to make good picks specifically the first 2 rounds. It's critical on the first 2 picks that he get's it right no doubt about it.
I love it that we get AZ right out of the gate so we can go into their house and punch K Warner in the mouth and kick him in the nuts...why? Because God told us to. Then we come home and Mop the floor with the sorry Sea Chickens and we have instant control of our division. Sota will be tough on the road but winnable and then the Lambs. 4-0 start and bingo...life is looking good. It is do-able so be positive Niner Unfaithfuls.
Where's Razoreater?
Your boy Percy Harvin failed a drug test duo to burning the "hippie lettuce" So much for him being drafted in the 1st round.
Rick, the Raiduhs called. They said you were lost and couldn't find your way back to their blog. Your 4-12 prediction fits them to a "T".
Houston said...
Are you guys seriously comparing Singletarys offensive Filosophy to Walsh's?
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You just are not paying attention man !
Sing is the one who said he wants his offense to be more like the Bill Walsh offense than the ones we have been running for several years now(especially last year under Martz). He actually said that Walsh is one that he went to and asked questions of when he decided that he wanted to become a HC in the NFL.
HE is the one saying that he wants to pass nearly as much as they run.(almost 50-50). HE and Raye are the ones saying that they want to go back to using the TE's as receivers more and the Fullback as a blocker for Gore as well as a receiver out of the backfield.
So YES,Sing actually said he wants his offense to be called more in the Bill Walsh style! Doesn't sound like a completely run oriented offense to me.
But on the other hand Sing has sounded pretty disgusted with how the running game looked last season. He has been focused on fixing the running game ,so that it can be called on when needed and can be relied on to function as well as the passing game.
It's sort of like when a player has a knee injury and his left knee is not functioning as well as his right knee. The player then concentrates his energy and his workouts on fixing the messed up knee . That does not mean the other knee is being neglected at all,it only means that the bad knee needs more attention at this time to bring it up to speed. Same as in Sing's opinion that the running game is not functioning as well as he thiks it should,so he is concentrating on getting it reliable again.
Then we have a good passing AND running game.
Unlike what Realfan seems to think,Sing believes (like all HC's do) that you need to have a reliable run and pass offense. Having one does not mean you can't have both at the same time.
And I don't mind fans being realistic but I don't call people fans when they always hate on the team and it's leaders. And I don't think much of fans who don't pay attention and then gripe about the way the team is being run ,based on their mistaken beliefs about what the team leaders are doing and saying. (like griping that Sing and Raye are going to be a run run run team ,when they have never said that at all. Or like not understanding that Jed is a NEW owner/President and is very very different from his Father. Or not understanding that Scotty is only in his 2nd year as GM and that Nolan was the one to blame for much of what some fans blame Scotty for.etc etc etc ) .
Be realistic but please try to be informed and up to date! And if you just get off on hating the team leadership and calling them childish names,then I have news for you...YOU are NOT a fan of the 49ers at all but ARE a 49ers HATER !!!
Wow, pretty brutal schedule coming off our bye. I can see us splitting the wins in our division (3-6, maybe 4-6) but outside of DET, I am having a hard time seeing us win any of our non-divisional games. I would guess 5-11 the way things look right now, maybe 6-10, I don't think we reach 8-8 but I do hope I am wrong. I don't see us beating MIN, HOU, IND, GBP and PHI on the road and home games against ATL, TEN, CHI, and JAX will be tough not to mention the teams in our division are getting better as well. Tough year to be on the hot seat, the McSing experiment could be a quick one. I think if they can squeak out a 7-9 record it will buy them one more year if not I feel they are toast, which IMO might not be a bad thing, we could use a complete overhaul from top to bottom, kind of like, MIA last year or KCC / NYJ this year. Either way I will give them the benefit of the doubt, the #10 pick will say a lot IMO. I will say if they head into the bye at 2-3 or 1-4 they are in big trouble early on.
My goal for today was to post a comment on this blog. Then have someone retype my words and go into a longwinded nonsensical diatribe about knees. Mission Accomplished! I know I have strange goals but they are my goals.
Putty Tat, who put you in charge of deciding who's a real fan? I wanted an offensive minded coach. I thought the Raye hire was ridiculously bad. I don't see why anyone would be optimistic about the 9er offense. It doesn't mean I'm not a fan. Before you anoint yourself as the all knowing Oz of 9erland, perhaps you should educate yourself and accept other opinions as many fans on this site are passionate and informed about the 9ers. Perhaps even more so than you.
Houston said...
Are you guys seriously comparing Singletarys offensive Filosophy to Walsh's?
-----------------------------------------------
You just are not paying attention man !
Sing is the one who said he wants his offense to be more like the Bill Walsh offense than the ones we have been running for several years now(especially last year under Martz). He actually said that Walsh is one that he went to and asked questions of when he decided that he wanted to become a HC in the NFL.
HE is the one saying that he wants to pass nearly as much as they run.(almost 50-50). HE and Raye are the ones saying that they want to go back to using the TE's as receivers more and the Fullback as a blocker for Gore as well as a receiver out of the backfield.
So YES,Sing actually said he wants his offense to be called more in the Bill Walsh style! Doesn't sound like a completely run oriented offense to me.
But on the other hand Sing has sounded pretty disgusted with how the running game looked last season. He has been focused on fixing the running game ,so that it can be called on when needed and can be relied on to function as well as the passing game.
It's sort of like when a player has a knee injury and his left knee is not functioning as well as his right knee. The player then concentrates his energy and his workouts on fixing the messed up knee . That does not mean the other knee is being neglected at all,it only means that the bad knee needs more attention at this time to bring it up to speed. Same as in Sing's opinion that the running game is not functioning as well as he thiks it should,so he is concentrating on getting it reliable again.
Then we have a good passing AND running game.
Unlike what Realfan seems to think,Sing believes (like all HC's do) that you need to have a reliable run and pass offense. Having one does not mean you can't have both at the same time.
And I don't mind fans being realistic but I don't call people fans when they always hate on the team and it's leaders. And I don't think much of fans who don't pay attention and then gripe about the way the team is being run ,based on their mistaken beliefs about what the team leaders are doing and saying. (like griping that Sing and Raye are going to be a run run run team ,when they have never said that at all. Or like not understanding that Jed is a NEW owner/President and is very very different from his Father. Or not understanding that Scotty is only in his 2nd year as GM and that Nolan was the one to blame for much of what some fans blame Scotty for.etc etc etc ) .
Be realistic but please try to be informed and up to date! And if you just get off on hating the team leadership and calling them childish names,then I have news for you...YOU are NOT a fan of the 49ers at all but ARE a 49ers HATER !!!
(I rest my case !,lol )
Sorry but "Scotty" does not get a pass for the last 4 years of poor drafting / personnel decisions. He may not have been GM but as VP of Player Personnel he is one of the reasons we drafted the gem that is Alex Smith amongst others.
Come on PHX,you know as well as anyone that we will never know how much Nolan listened to Scott when it came to players. Nolan was THE man and Scott worked for him! We do know that Scott had to practically beg Nolan and even Sing to have Nolan draft Willis. We only know that much because Sing told the story of how badly Scott wanted to draft Willis ,while Sing and Nolan were not on the Willis bandwagon (until Scott really stuck his neck out and begged for the guy).
Anyway,we know that Nolan had Scott's notes and opinions to guide him on the drafts. But we will never know which players that were actually drafted were the ones Scott would have chosen if he had the trigger.(remember ,Nolan had the trigger and he made sure everyone knew he was in total control. Even after Scott was promoted to GM ,Nolan still tried to say he had the trigger at the press conference.
Actually ,though Scott has been GM for around a year now,this is actually the 1st draft that Scott has been GM without Nolan around (still trying to push his weight around ,as if he still had the trigger)pressuring Scott(Nolan's good friend) to select Nolans type of players.
This off season and this draft are the first for Scott without Nolan . So let's give the guy a chance to swim or sink on his own. Get back to me in a couple more years and we can have an intelligent discussion about how Scott is doing.
With all due respect you clearly have no idea what your talking about. You either have not been paying attention or are not sure how an NFL team's front office functions and the responsibilities / decision making that goes with each position. You can't say in one sentence we will never know how much Nolan listened to Scott or anyone else for that matter and then in another sentence put it all on Nolan. You are absolutely mistaken if you think results of our drafts since Scott has been around are all the doing of just Nolan. Here is a link to an article posted right here by our very own MM that descirbes their relationship http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=724220 and another that talks about their 2006 draft together http://www.49erswebzone.com/content/commentary/view.php?id=468 but don't let the facts get in the way :)
PHX: You are pathetic in your hatred of Scott McGloughan. EVERYONE knows that Nolan was the sole boss of the team and sole decider of who was drafted etc.
We all know for a fact that Nolan made all the final decisions. Of course Scott had huge imput ,and I already acknowledged that in my post above. The think you are not understanding is that we will never know just how much affect Scott had on the final decision on any of the players that were drafted during the Nolan era.
There could have been several times that nolan went for HIS type of plkayer over who Scott thought was the best player available. Scott could have been shot down many times or maybe never shot down. All I was saying was we will never know. But we do know where the final responsibility rested during the nolan years and we now know where the final decision rests,with scott.
So,in knowing that Scott is NOW the final authority ,we can fairly judge him either thumbs up oir thumbs down on what he does ,starting with the 2009 draft. (or maybe with the 2008 draft,although nolan was still here and begging Scott to give him all the help he would need to keep his job ,by getting his buddy Nolan HIS type of players etc).
So we all agree now that Scott can be judged somewhat on his job as top scout etc ,before he was THE man. But we also muct agree that we can only judge him fairly on what we KNOW he was and is respnsible for ,and what we KNOW he is responsible for is only what he has done since becoming GM and really only what he has done since becoming GM AND being completely free of Nolan,the dictator.
You were wrong and I was right ! lol !