didn't see that one coming... but it makes sense

Matt,

Back to your last article about Hill & giving him more opportunity to put more on his shoulders I couldn't agree more. I've said all along when the season started that the 49ers coaching staff would need to give Hill more leeway if the 49ers are going to maximize their chances of winning as many game as possible this year. The only concern that I had with that concept was could Hill bring his play to that next level? Well from what I saw last Sunday in the most hostile environment in my opinion he's ever played in he past with flying colors ESPECIALLY when it counted which was the 4th qtr. I believe the Viking game gave Hill the confidence that he could play very well anywhere & get the job done. Now it's up to the coaching staff specifically Raye & Sing to show their confidence in him & let him WIN games when they need him too.

Matt, How much longer until you unleash a longer podcast? The Question Lady is fine but with your hops I am looking for something a little more substantial.
What do you say?

Good post -giving S Hill a fuller spectrum to create with can only make our offense more challenging to defend.I love our toughness but even the toughest of boxers needs to know how to counter punch and fake. Coach Raye has the plays, Shaun is capable of executing- let's go!

Glad to see you back in town. How's that Percy Harvin pick looking to you now?

HA!

Well it's working pretty good for the Vikings but that's the point isn't it? The 49er offense is NOT the Viking offense & it's obvious to me that Harvin benefits by having Favre as a QB & having the West Coast offense. Razor, no sense in dwelling on Harvin now is there? Both teams are looking like pretty good teams & I'm thankful that the 49ers have started out strong in the early going. That's all that matters to me.

hey matt what is going to happen alex smith this offseason? is he going to be traded?

Traded? Are you being serious? To whom? Who would want Alex Smith? And why would they give anything in return?

Also if Niners indeed can trade Alx Smith for a six pack of something, can they trade obsessive AS fans as well?

Apparently the 49ers think he is worth it as Smith will make $4 million a season in 2009 and 2010.

No doubt Hill is playing the best, but in the NFL half of the QBs don't play a full 16 games. Odds are we will see Smith play at some time.

Matt -curious the 49ers don't seem interested in elevating Sheets from the practice squad this week.If Coffee goes down(he's been banged already)we have M Robinson next up, then who? Personally, Robinson seems like a likely Fullback replacement or potential tight end but RB-meh! Is it that Sheets is perceived as not ready for the spotlight or perhaps doesn't fit the power running scheme etc.?

I agree with you about MRob as a RB. He is just a bit better than Rossum as a CB. They need to really need get a RB, esp if they want to run 60% of the time.

I don't know, maybe because Sheets always played against 3rd stringers is the main reason he looked good. Is there that much of a drop off? Because Robinson has never been impressive as a running back. But maybe this off right tackle/left tackle scheme is one where Robinson is best?
From a fans perspective Sheets looked good. Would love to know the real inside story on Sheets/Robinson.

Matt... what's up with David Baas? Is he gonna get re-signed?

If it comes down to M-rob we are screwed. Jones better be active this week.

Sounds like Singletary is willing to do just that. You can hear about it here 33 seconds into the video.

i really like what the 9ers and Sing are putting together here in 2009 and was fully aware there would be some growing pains this season. we have a rookie coach and a brush the dust off him O-cord. i hope no one expected this to be a flawless season. but this is another one of those bullheaded head scratchers to me. are we so in love with "power running" that we arent going to give an impressive kid a look (against the rams of all teams) and use Mike Rob cuz sheets is a speed back?.... Coach you ever hear of "change of pace?" who do we dump? dump spurlock, he is USELESS!! i can only assume they feel Robinson being a bigger guy fits better into a power running scheme. Im pretty sure the G-men are power running and used a little scat back named bardshaw right now that tears ppl up. unfortunatly i think this is another case of Sing/Raye being stubborn, and i just hope we dont pay for it. Cuz if coffee goes down, Hill is going to have to go off. Im one of what maybe a few ppl that think he can do it. prob is the COACHES dont. so we would be seeing a whole lotta mike robinson. he maybe a great role player but i dont wanna depend on that sunday afternoon. This game already has me extremely nervous. it has let down written all over it!

and im not bashin them im just saying i knew there would be growing pains this season but lets hope we dont drop one to the potentially winless Rams at home cuz of it.

PS: let Hill throw that ball... all the guy does is win games!!

They already throw the ball 54% of the time, according to Matt in his last report, and you want them to throw the ball more? I think protecting Hill from himself is definitely a good thing. 1) We all know his deep ball is a lame duck, every time he lofts it up there, it has a very high potential for the DB to get closure on the point of reception, and is very catchable for both players, ie. the int from walker tripping. 2) if hill starts racking up those ints, that will put alot of strain on him psychologically, I mean who wants him to turn into a JTO?

This season's 49er offense isn't pretty, and it definitely needs to carry it's own weight, and considering how our OL isn't solidified, (RT is still a bit suspect, the Guards are collapsing too much), they have not been executing. In Addition, we're sending VD out instead of at home to block, so the pocket has become so much... smaller, which is not conducive to hill staying in as much as he has. One play comes to mind about how important Vernon staying back to block is. hill took a 5 step drop for a pass and someone came off the edge free, got picked up by coffee, but HURDLED him and just demolished hill. but on a different play, vernon stayed back to block for a run and he stuffed jared allen one of the premier DEs. He just stood him up and never let him go. So until the OL fixes that small pocket, passing even more seems like a dangerous proposition.

But I totally agree with you on dropping spurlock, dude is wasting a roster spot, did you notice on that harvin kick return he was the first one to miss the tackle, and since he took such a horrible angle, harvin got the outside and took it to the house. I know it's a little unfair to pick on him since j hill isn't even active, but seriously, if you are only on the field for special teams now you better tackle the guy or barring that, help to seal the guy in. We had the vikings on lockdown up to that point. So frustrating!

> They already throw the ball 54% of the time, according to Matt in his last report, and you want them to throw the ball more?

I'd like them to throw more on 1st and 2nd down, and less on 3rd down.

Eugene Parker is running around telling people some team is willing to give Crabtree a four year 40 million dollar deal.

Let's hope it's the NYJ and there's a tampering charge attached to it.

We all heard Deion state it as fact, Parker has been conspicuously quiet.

Who/where are you hearing this from?

Rams LB Vorbora got nailed with a 4 game suspension too - Performance Enhancing Product violation

I read in a few stories here's a link to NBC Sports coverage of it.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/09/29/all-silent-between-crabtree-niners/

Just for the record, Matt, David started to break out during 2007. He was, in receptions, the #9 TE in the NFL. Despite that, here, and most 49er-centric places, Davis was labeled a bust. Not because he was a bust, but because most fans seem to be on toddler-time when it comes to the development of players. Which is not to say that even with this surge in stats, he doesn't need to continue to develop. He's made great progress, but he is still not elite.

So, while he has nice stats and has made some "obvious" strides. My point is that this should not come as a surprise, though the it is to the congenital haters, it just points out that when he had an OC that threw him the ball and used him like a TE instead of trying to force him to be the next coming of Az-Hakim, he could perform.

Even now, with this inept offense, he's tied for 10th in TE receptions. Which is quite a feat considering how often Hill misses him when he's primary receiver...

Ray McDonald is a beast.....really impressed by him..he should be extended asap....

I'm glad I'm not the only one, I've been trying to understand what Spurlock does that Arnaz Battle can't do even better. Battle is a solid, reliable 3rd down receiver. If Raye insists on calling "Taser" plays, Battle or Michael Robinson should be just as capable-it seems like a waste of a spot on this team. I think Jason Hill is a better pure WR and we all know what Dominique Zielger is capable of-that's another guy I'd hate to see this team cut.

Randy,

Thanks for tid-bit & it sounds encouraging about what Sing said in that video but it still comes down to Raye calling the plays on crucial downs late in the game. Let's hope Raye gets more confident with Hill as he gets more comfortable with the offense & what he can do.

What is the deal with Jason Hill? He is not the radar, Why?

Hi Matt, The uncertain status of the Collective Bargaining talks between NFL management and the Players Association will make it difficult to sign top players. Jerry Jones could go deep pockets and make the Cowboys the NFL version of the Yankees. As far as Crabtree goes I'm thinking agent (or is he double agent?) Parker must have somebody's signature in a safe deposit box guaranteeing
lots of bling bling. I'm certain he would not do this on a handshake. Or maybe he has an insight into this labor mess that will see money being thrown around without a cap in place the next few years.

By the way NFL.com still has the 49ers #10 in their Power Rankings despite the loss to the Vikings. That tells me that the powers that be put alot of stock in the 49ers despite losing. That can't be said about ESPN's Power Rankings which have the 49ers at #15.

Matt,

I think the Question Lady must make regular appearances on the blog and should appear with you on First Take.

Just make sure there's no illegal child labor.

Hi Matt - should Niner fans continue to hold out any hope for a Crabtree deal, or would you say it won't happen at this point? For what it's worth, I'm a Niner fan who wants the Crabtree deal to happen.

Question: should Niner fans continue to hold out any hope for a Crabtree deal, or would you say it won't happen at this point?

My response: My advice to you is take the Mike Singletary approach. Don't worry about it. If it happens, it happens. It still might take a while. But -- as I've written before -- I just don't see how Crabtree benefits from not signing the deal the 49ers have on the table. The only way, I suppose, is if there really has been some blatant tampering with guarantees from another team (or teams) that they'd be willing to pay him more. And I can't see that happening. Players at the top of the first round are overpaid as it is. Crabtree would be overpaid at $16 million guaranteed -- because of the system. I can't believe there's a team willing to overpay him even more. --Matt M.