Singletary sees plenty of beauty in victory
The 49ers managed just 203 yards of total offense and gained just 21 yards on 25 rushes. But that doesn't matter to coach Mike Singletary.
"I could care less if it was an ugly game, but it was beautiful for us," Singletary said. "I don't care about all that stuff, the stats and all that."
* * *
The 49ers' defense was outstanding against the Cardinals' powerful offense. Patrick Willis and Nate Clements recorded interceptions. The club got a very strong pass rush throughout the game with Justin Smith, Parys Haralson and Ray McDonald recording sacks.
"It all goes hand in hand," Haralson said. "When the defense is covering it up like they did today, it gives us time to get to the quarterback."
Larry Fitzgerald, one of the game's best receivers, had little success against Nate Clements again. He had some catches when Clements was not on him. Fitzgerald had six receptions for 71 yards, including a 25-yard grab in the closing seconds (he was tackled in bounds) to set up the final play of the game. Smith recorded the sack to end the game.
Said Fitzgerald: "Those guys played well. They all did a really good job on their coverages. Next time we play them, we have to do a better job."
* * *
Willis was credited with a game-high 13 tackles, while Haralson had four QB hurries and two tackles for loss. Smith had two QB hurries.
* * *
It was a rough game for Frank Gore, who had just 30 yards on 22 carries. But he also had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the same game for the first time in his career.
"That's our style. Coach Singletary wants physical, hard-nosed football," Gore said. "That's what we have to do. They had a great game plan for our offense, but we got the 'W.' It was tough out there. It was tough on the ground. They came in thinking they were going to stop the run, and they did a great job."
Quarterback Shaun Hill completed 18 of 31 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. He said he never got frustrated when offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye stuck with the run game. In fact, he said that emphasis on the run might have been the reason the 49ers were able to put together their 15-play, 80-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
"That was one of the reasons we were able to put that drive together." Hill said.
In fact, the 49ers attempted only two run plays on that drive, as Hill completed 9 of his 13 attempts.
* * *
Vernon Davis caught five passes for 40 yards, while Isaac Bruce had 74 yards receiving on four catches.
* * *
The winning score came when center Eric Heitmann made the perfect line call against the Cardinals' blitz.
"Up the middle and off the right side were where the blitzes were coming," Heitmann said. "And we wanted to make sure everything was protected off the backside of the quarterback. And that way, if he does get pressure, it's just in his face and he can get rid of the ball. That's the situation we were in, and they blitzed and Frank was open."
Gore scored on a 3-yard pass from Hill on a third-down play.
* * *
The 49ers appeared to make it through the game with no injury concerns. Cornerback Marcus Hudson had a chest contusion and had X-rays in the first half, but he returned to the game. Guard Chilo Rachal appeared on the preliminary injury report with a neck injury, but he remained in the game.
* * *
It wasn't pretty but they won!!! Beat the NFC Champs in their own house!!! (I'm not sure how??)
For those of you who wondered where the pass rush was, we saw one today.
Not pretty but some statistics are nice and critical:
1. Turnovers +1
2. Arizona 3rd down success pct. 28%
3. Arizona 4th down success pct. 0%
4. Warner's rating 67 vs Hill's rating 89
Of course, many things can be improved (OLine I agree), but this was a nice win.
Hey Top_Cat, now my at least 8-8 prediction is not that crazy is it?
We have to believe... Singletary will do the adjustments I am sure, this team will keep getting better as the season goes... but much easier to get better when you win!
I don't blame Sing for being happy about any kind of a win in AZ. And the D was exceptional. But for an offense that is supposed to feature a bell-cow running game, we looked pretty pathetic most of the game--
And perhaps most significantly, totally failed to run the clock at the end of the game when we had a clear opportunity to do so.
Too early in the season to draw conclusions, but Sing will sooner or later have to deal with the fact that three-hand-offs-and-out is not possession football.
Good to see Mike Nolan did well in his debut too.
good game defense wise.
the offense did play pretty ugly but that drive was pretty damn good. now if we play like that everytime and walk with a touch down like we did. we just might have a shot at the playoffs.
im all for stickin with the run. but we have to mix it up. if runnin up the gut hasnt worked the last 4 times you tried it runnin the ball some where else. do a toss or a sweep. something. samething for the draw. also if we are behind or even tied. lets not go 3 and out with 3 running plays.
God bless the ninerS Feel good win. twas scary though
Good start Niners. That's not an easy place to win and they also happen to be the NFC champions who we just knocked around. Can't wait to face the SeaChickens next week!
"The Drive" was outstanding. However, we could use a little more creativity in our offensive play calling. Way too many times, Gore was banging his head into a brick wall. When you see 8, 9 guys in the box, can't you dial up something more imaginative than just rushing into the middle of all that mass??
The defense came up big today, can't ask for a whole lot more. But if the offense had put up a few more points - even another FG in the first half, and anything better than 3-and-out FIVE times in the second half, I think our D could have been even more awesome.
Oh, BTW - so long, Craptree. Thanks for nothing. Oh, yeah - so long Nolan, as well.
Eerily similar to Jim Hostler's opener v. AZ in 2007. Like then, good defense and 4th qtr. play of QB saved Raye.
Raye came out of halftime like he hoped to run out the clock out.
First the good: Great win; excellent defense; pass rush was the best it's been in years; terrific final drive on offense followed by two great stops on D.
But there were still problems. My guy, Baas, was simply terrible almost all game -- and he needs to pick up his speed. Heitmann, on the other hand was terrific, as was Staley. But the bulls could open no holes -- except for the sweet TD run by Gore.
Rossum was absolutely terrible; only good thing is he didn't fumble. But he doesn't run up the field, he's now way slow, and he can never break a tackle. I'd like to see the rookie (SPurlock) get a crack at returns, and if it works that frees up a space on the 53.
VD played well -- especially on the Drive -- but he still can't break a tackle, and if you get him low he just falls down. Can't someone help him on this?
Love the LBs -- especially Willis and Spikes, but the line play -- especially Haralson and then Smith at the end (where he's always still strong) -- was a big step up for us.
Next week should be fun -- and my guess is both teams will score more because Hasselbeck really has had us for lunch too often.
Biggest stat in a stat-less game? No "real" TOs (bad call on the Hill play -- the arm was moving forward).
How'd you like Sing's game management, Matt?
Now to the Game,
Shaun Hill is now 8-3 as a starter and ANYONE who thinks he isn't the guy is not thinking clearly. THE BIGGEST HILL STAT, ZERO INTERCEPTIONS. I always feel very comfortable with him running the offense and he is very calm. He also is beginning to get the reputation as a guy who comes through in the CLUTCH with BIG DRIVES when the game is on the line.
Frank Gore only had 30 yards, but it was on 22 carries and it was VERY EFFECTIVE because it ate up CLOCK, and he got in the endzone twice. Great game from Gore and great job by Jimmy Raye staying committed to controlling the clock and not panicking. Would like to see Coffee on at least 2 series a game.
Vernon Davis was GREAT. I too noticed the ATTITUDE CHANGE Chicago49er. No CELEBRATING 1st Down Receptions, taking a BIG HIT and getting right up earning 15 yards on the flag for his team. I'm starting to LOVE this guy. HUGE on the last TD drive and showed pretty good hands today.
DEFENSE WAS GREAT! I've been dogging Nate Clements but he showed up today HUGE as did Spencer. The Pass Rush was STRONG and Patrick Willis is the best LB in football today.
Nedney and Lee were their usual selves.
Finally, SINGLETARY WAS GREAT, credit Jed York for picking this guy out of the bunch. It may have been luck to pick him, but however you look at the move it might be the one that saved the 49ers!
THIS TEAM IS THE BEST IN THE NFC WEST! No doubt in my mind they have the BEST TALENT of any team in the division and I fully expect at least 10-6 and an NFC WEST TITLE. GREAT JOB, Get Excited, the 49ers are going to MATTER AGAIN!
How'd you like Sing's game management, Matt?
...Defense looks great......
...but then again they always look good in the first 3 games of the season......
..bottomline this is a QB driven league .......and our QB is below average
....I expect a big game from Gore next game....
....lets be honest - this game shouldn't even have been close
....manusky is da man
Our quarterback is 803 in the regular season. If he's below average, what does that make the guys he beat out for the job?
Hill does the job. It ain't pretty and it ain't poetry, but I'll take the Ws and the confidence he apparently inspires in the huddle.
I'm down for a 9-7 season. Nice start to the season. Good to beat the conference champs on the road.
(bottomline this is a QB driven league .......and our QB is below average)
And yet, still way better than Alex Smith.
QBR for Hill today: 89.
Let us know if Alex ever breaks 80 for a three game stretch.
Tracking our 2010 first rounder from the Panthers:
-- Delhomme benched after his fifth turnover. Panthers look horrific on both sides of the ball.
-- Next two games are away in Atlanta and Dallas. Can you say 0 - 3 heading into their fourth week bye.
-- In a very tough division. They'll mail it in halfway through the season and start checking out their youngsters.
-- I hate the fact that we got nothing from rounds 1 & 2 in this past draft, but this pick from the Panthers could be a good one.
To be fair you should credit Nolan who persuaded Singletary to come to the Niners to take the assistant head coach job. No brainer for Jed to make Sing interim hc.
Relative to Nolan's early wins,this was a beautiful win.I see promise in this win,whereas the others were almost a portent of doom.Go Niners.
Grump!!!! Good to hear from you. Hope you're doin' well. I completely agree. The Niners need a qb. Shaun Hill is NOT the answer. Can't wait for the Nate Davis era to begin!
JV,
Oh, puh-lease. Gore's running was effective because it ate up the clock?!?!! It's hard to eat up the clock when you're three and out five times out of six, like in the second half.
Hopefully Raye's smart enough to see what all of us could see today.
A huge win on the road against the NFC champ. You have to be really happy with that however it works. The defense looked great! Better pass rush than I expected. Looks like the offensive line, play calling and the running game are a work in progress. Maybe we should call more passing plays until the running game develops a little further. Vernon Davis was a key receiver today and it made a huge difference.
Alex would've had about 5 more dirtballs and about 4 INTs in this game. Not to mention about 7 sacks since he holds on to the ball way too long. Hill isn't perfect, but they sure made the right call making him the starter, without question. Next we gotta hope they make Davis the #2 as he should be.
Holy smoke. I get pummeled for not thinking Gore is the next coming of Walter Payton and guys are calling for Nate Davis?? Give me a break. Hill was the only real bright spot on the O for crying out loud. Give Hill some credit. He showed a lot today. The play calls were not great and the line was shoddy, but he found a way. I don't care how we do it and I hope you guys are right and Gore can rip off a bunch of yards but however it happens we have to start sustaining drives or the D is going to be worn out by the break. For those commenting on VD and his attitude you are spot on. If he can keep looking like he has been there that is a great sign.
Great to win against Arizona-next week is another tuff game, perhaps another heart pounder? We kick the stuffing outta' them and people will start to ask"who are these guys?".
They can win with Hill, up to a point. 9-7 or even 10-6 and one and out in the playoffs.
Nate needs to be nurtured carefully, but by next year or 2011, we may have our franchise QB.
you guys miss the bigger win here. we went into the defending nfc shamps house, made them play our game, and won it.
no media at all gave them a chance. all the "experts" said fitzgerald and bolden were gonna rip us apart. warner was gonna have a huge day. none of that happened.
coach sing told us this is how we would win. he told us we could win. it doesnt really matter if you guys are sold on the team winning, the TEAM is sold on the TEAM winning. we won alot more today then a divsion road game. we won our belief.
Have not Read your posts, getting ready toboard the planeback, just gotta say I had a great time surrounded by 9er fans. What a blast!
Elated. The defense was awesome, and Shaun Hill played his best when it mattered most, as usual. The pass rush was fantastic. Just about every unit on defense played well. Justin Smith is a football god. He and Manny worked well together on stunts. Haralson was great too. I actually thought our biggest mistake was to get away from the run in the 3rd quarter. But Gore made plays, and Shaun Hill proved that he is a winner, as he keeps doing time and again. Coach Singletary has put together the best looking 49ers team in many years! A great win. Rock on fellow 49ers faithful!
First of all congratulations to all on a great win. But Arizona out schemed us on the offensive side. To counter the very aggressive defense I was hoping to see quick passes or screens come out of our O. It didn't happen until that drive. They kepy on blitzing on runs as well as passes. Our starting O line made Arizona's defense looks like Steelers or Ravens D.
But because of the adjustments in the 4th quarter drive we were able to win.
For the last few years we all would get very excited about their early wins only to be devasted by middle of the season. But lets enjoy this win.
The point is if Gore is going to get 22 carries a game the 49ers are more than likely going to win that game no matter how many yards he has. Arizona was GOING TO STOP Gore NO MATTER WHAT! They did it the whole game but Jimmy Raye kept giving him the ball to keep them honest and it paid off BIG with the pass to Bruce and the last TD drive with the short passing game. I think we all agree if Gore gets 22 carries a game, more than likely he will produce a 90+ yard game and the 49ers are going to WIN A LOT! Didn't like Gore's Fumble in close again and definitely would like to see Coffee. BUT THE 49ers WON. This kind of offense along with that defense is how this team can win games. They won't blow teams out, but they won't be blown out either. The defense is going to "wear out" when you win Time of Possession, which the 49ers did today.
For the Defense to make Warner throw that many times to Hightower was fantastic. You can't play that Arizona offense any better than the 49ers did today. They have the most explosive weapons in football at receiver and QB and the 49ers would not let them strike deep and often like they did all last postseason. I'm interested to see how other defenses do against Arizona in the coming weeks.
Where was the Taser formation??? No Wildcat formation this opening week... how disappointing.
I agree with the early wins theory but this seems a little different. This was a good team on the road and I think the 49ers have better players now and I KNOW they have a better QB and Coach. I expect them to beat Seattle at home next week and then the game at Minnesota will be VERY INTERESTING. The 49ers haven't won in that Dome since 1992 I believe and I'm tired of walking out of there with a loss and listening to that. Worst fans in football!
What happened to getting pounded 34-6...you speak nonsense and know even less than you speak...To the game, it was ugly but it is still a good win. They grinded out a nice victory against a physical D and some elite recievers. Looking forward to next week because as my man spitblood predicted I would say..It will be better next week!!
Is it me, or we had only 44% running plays? Matt am I reading this right? So in all logic, if the game wasn't that tight, we would have run alot more running plays. I really hope, we get to see more of Coffee, not because of Frank's performance. Just because he is going to be done by week 12.
Besides that, great win. I wouldn't reserve the team's hotel for the Super Bowl. There is alot to be done. But our defense really played a lot better. Let's hope our power running game wakes up next week.
35 pass plays
25 running plays (including 6 to attempt to run out the clock at the end of the game)
Good job by you owning it spitblood, here is too a good season and possibly making a run at the playoffs while the Panthers help our chances of picking up another impact player next year
You think the 49ers have QB issues, would you rather be the Panthers??
I noted that Jimmy Johnson picked the 9ers in the pregame show.
Also noted Parys crediting his secondary. It all goes hand-in-hand; coverage allows for sacks & hits and pressure allows for picks. Stuffing the run on 1st & 2nd allows us to sell out with rush on 3rd. Way to go D!
The OL better be ready for pressure against 'hawks.
We better bring our 12th Man next week too.
We will never have the crabs...we will do just fine with our wideouts. Crabs is an after thought...
Most impressive pass rush I have seen in a very very long time from the Niners....
Our right O Tackle had a long day.
I also noticed none of our line men were tackling the Cardinals Rushers like the Cardinal O line were tackling our Rushers. Warner got off a few passes because his lineman were making shoe string tackles on the 49er pass rushers.
All 'n All, the team was very poised and stoic.
Whew...what a win! I'm still savoring this victory...especially since it happened on my birthday! Happy birthday to me - courtesy of the 49ers' formidable defense and Shaun Hill's clutch performance!
While the fact that the 49ers wasted a 1st round pick this year sickens me to the pit of my stomach, I'm finding solace with every interception Jake Delhomme throws. As I recall the 49ers own their 1st pick in the upcoming draft! Here's to more 49er victories and Panther losses!
Happy Birthday Dawggy.
Could you have another one next week please?
Great, great win. Go Niners!!!!!!
An ugly WIN, but a leg up in the Division.
Kudos to the D and let's get the O in sync.
Good to see Carolina struggling too, they can't lose enough games can they?
My 2nd favorite Team? Anybody playing the Panthers!
And winning of course!
Coach was the difference. He is something special. A win on the road is always sweet.
My only reservation about this game is that if the refs would not have ruled Hill's fumble an incomplete pass would we be celebrating a victory today? Because other wise the Cardinals have 6 points the other way. We got VERY LUCKY that the refs blew that call-- no pun intended. Also Gore's fumble would have been DEVASTATING if Norris would not have covered it. We were lucky but I will take it none the less.
Is not the fumble by Hill that was blown dead the same situation with Ed Hockalee last year with the Broncos and Chargers? I don't understand why refs dont just let the play continue and then review it afterwords. Other wise when the whistle is blown the play is dead and it cost the Cardinals a T.D. I'm very glad we got the break but at same time it kind of sours the win knowing that the Cards were robbed of points that they easily should of had.
Wasn't sure if Sings would have actually gotten the players to play tougher, but he has. I'm so excited for the rest of season! We will lose a few games but I think we have a chance at a winning season now.
Very impressed with the pass rush. I know Manusky was holding back in the preseason, but wow!
I agree with a former poster who said we need a deep DL. The style we will be playing, our DL will get banged up. Happy that Mcdonald may finally be carrying over into the regular season after showing flashes in preseasons..he will help our depth
A bit concerned about Raye and his playcalling. If he's really smart and has a long term plan, he may be saving many plays for later. He may have a entire sheet of outside runs waiting for later this season.
49ers had about 15 passes through 3q, then Hill had 13 passes on that drive alone (vs 2 runs). We stuck with the run as long as the score was close then went for the jugular, with the defense forgetting how to defense passes after so many runs. We'll definitely need more outside runs and wrinkles later on, but I like how it was kept simple for game 1. Just hope more variety develops from Raye and he's not as simple as many posters think.
Finally, Willis awesome as always. Was wondering about one play.. Wells' 15 yard run midway thru 3q. Willis was on an island, DBs nowhere to be seen, huge hole in OL, with coming pulling guard and FB. Willis totally blew up #74 brought him to his knees... usually pulling OLs blow up people but Willis has such great leverage.
However, Willis seemed to have little interest in tacking Wells, causing the 15 yd gain. Shouldnt Willis have tried to slip the blockers especially with no support around him? (To see the play, go to 0:59 at http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8129a1a9/NFL-GameDay-49ers-vs-Cardinals-highlights .)
Without the two picks and great field position (blown by the offense settling for FGs) we'd have lost. You can't count on good QBs, like Warner, to do that very often.
And without it, we were ineffective on offense pretty much the entire game. And if this is what we're going to get, and I don't see any reason to believe otherwise, I can't see where this offense can win us games.
So, I'm happy with the win, but it is what it is... A win against the Superbowl loser that was a highly dysfunctional team during the pre-season. Dysfunctional enough that both Warner and Boldin were calling out their team-mates for mailing it in.
I missed the whole 1st half (No DirectTV reception, computer problems..yes it blowed bigtime).
CONGRATULATIONS Coach Sing, staff, & to the players. Great W ON THE ROAD vs a division rival!!!!
Interesting insight BTW by Kawakami on the locker room atmosphere after the game.
LINK: http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/
NINERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved the Win and loved the fact that Shaun Hills stats were exactly as I predicted. Just wish the D had come through with a INT for a TD like I predicted too ;) then my score wouldve come true too.
D looked great. Offense was not that great. The cards had the solution for our run first and we took to long to adjust.
It appeared as if we came out expecting to RUN 30 minutes off the clock in the first few drives of the 2nd half and THIS IS WHAT CONCERNS ME.
I saw ghosts of past years where we went 3 and out so many times that our Defense began to crack from being out there too long.
The only time we struggled against their Off was when our Off had several 3 and outs and put our D in a bad situation.
No break for our D will spell trouble. Lets fix that.
With that said I am happy with the win and how the D stepped up and won this for us.
Willis on that 15 yd run after making his hit was turned away from the play from the impact. He spun all the way around and by then Beanie was past him already. It wasn't that he got spun out of the play by the FB, its that the force of the hit he made caused him to turn in the opposite direction. (Watch it again)
Moses, not every game is a blowout. You can say "if not for... we would have lost" in a majority of victories by any team.
Heck the Steelers could say "if not for" about winning the Superbowl.
> Moses, not every game is a blowout. You can say "if not for... we would have lost" in a majority of victories by any team.
True.
However, there is a difference between "they played good but we played better" and "they beat themselves; we could not loose even if we wanted to".
Looking at penalties and turnovers the Cardinals beat themselves.
Great win, but very disappointing effort by the O-Line, as well as Norris. We were clueless on how to pickup the run blitz.
Does anybody think its time to put in Wragge for Bass and Pashos for Snyder? Not that Rachal played any better, but we can't change the entire O line.
All said and done, a road win is nothing to sneeze at. Congrats team.
That's purely subjective. Yes there were penalties. But turnovers not being the result of our pressure or things we did. You act as if Warner looked for a Forty Niner and threw straight to him.
That's asinine. Our Defense caused them to look bad. The false starts they had were a result of us getting penetration and their players trying to get a jump on the rush. The TO's were a result of great play by the DL getting to the QB and getting pressure on him and hitting him as he threw.
You could say our Offense didn't do a whole lot to help us win the game, but you take away from our outstanding defensive game if you say they gave us the game.
Hi Matt,
We are very much inetrested in your take on Raye's play calling. I know this is one game, but I saw the shades of Martz and Hostler. As pointed out by previous posters, there seem like way too many 3 and outs. Is it Arizona defense or is it our O?
You don't need Matt to confirm that Raye's play calling in the 3rd quarter almost cost them the game. You don't want 3 three and outs because you tire out the defense by keeping them on the field especially with poor field position. Jimmy Raye: you need to get atleast a couple first downs once in awhile to keep the pressure on the other team. Don't play that turtle(pull your head inside the shell) offense until you've got a big lead with a couple minutes left in the game.
...cant blame raye....our QB sucks.....if only we had a QB that can throw the ball down the field consistently.....
....i do have to say - i am very happy we won this game....losing to the cards would have been devastating to our season....
...but then again our defense always plays well in the first coupkle of games...
Karma,
Excellent point! The victory was huge but to me the confidence that they have now is even BIGGER. I think this game how ugly of a win it was set's the tone for the rest of the season. Did anybody notice I think late in the 3rd Qtr. when Sing called in his defensive unit to give them a pep talk after the Cards had kicked the field goal to take the lead? Talk about feeling the pulse of the team at that point was a key element in them winning. Then when the D stopped the Cards on the 2nd to last drive he went to the bench & pat all his defensive players on the head. Now that's COACHING! But as some of you had stated this is just the 1st game & there's much work to be done especially on the O-line. Great start though.
....i felt disgusted ...watching S.Hill over and over throw passes a college QB will never throw.....
...he threw two or three passes on the ground right in front of the WR...
he had the longest throw of his career to bruce - that was about the longest pass we will see in the game......
...morgan was fustrated at Hill all game.....
...notice the o-line didnt even help hill up the ground....
....a couple of 3rd and short made me wanna puke.....
.....I believe A.Smith was about to get in the game if he had messed up again....
i saw him with his helmet on getting ready...
no way we win a game if the defense plays badly...
Can anybody explain to me what went on with the "12 men on the field?" From my view I did not even see anyone running off the field. This was completely ridiculous and cost us a challenge.
Niners get NO respect- so far this year the "non tampering with Crabgreed" and now these BS calls.... just saying
I've reached a point in my life where sophomoric humor shouldn't entertain me but I can't help myself. I get a good chuckle out of your screen name.
12 men on the field:
Back judge counted wrong, that's all. Guess 3 kick returners confused him.
I completely agree that the 9ers get no respect from the league. The 12 men on the field call was just plain ridiculous but if you look at the bigger picture the Cards get even less respect. They are the defending NFC champs playing their opener at 3PM with a rookie ref and the least experienced crew in the league. The AFC Champs are in primetime along with a few other AFC teams that didn't even make the playoffs last year. The Cards and the NFC get absolutely zero respect from the league. Until the NFC starts producing some winners, that's how it's going to be.
oneniner, you are one stubborn SOB and I agree the A. Smith has the physical tools to get the job done but Hill has that moxy and that 15 play drive just shows why he was named the starter...if Hill goes down I think we will be fine with Alex coming in but if Alex was the starter in this game..we would have lost. He would have gotten rattled by the constant pressure and thrown a pick eventually. Hill may not be a Pro Bowler or even have Pro Bowl talent but he definitely has the confidence of his teammates and O-line especially..you really think just cuz they don't help the man up they don't support him??..Staley and Hill look to be pretty close friends..come on man
A win is a win is a win. Defense looked better than I expected and offense looked worse than I expected. They have some glaring issues to correct with the o-line and qb play. Let's see what improvements they make for the next game.
oneniner, I see you are starting your Hill rhetoric early and I suppose it will go through the season. This is fine, we need to have another view on this blog for intelligent debate. With all of that said, this was the first game and a lot of people were rusty today on offense (thank god our defense kept us in the game). As I’ve said in the past and others…specifically to you… Hill is what he is. He comes through more often then not in the clutch. He makes decent passes and can manage the game. Now do I have the up most confidence Hill can bring us back from a huge deficit, consistently. NO! In fact, it is important the offense controls the ball with the run and clever offensive packages.
This is exactly what most of our games will look like this year.
I believe an 8-8 season is attainable and will be viewed as a success. Sing and the scrappy 9ers lead by Hill will provide those 2-3 extra wins to bring us to 8-8.
Also, you put the ouch in douchebag b/c it pains me to read your irrational one-sided comments. Your line of thinking is no different than Crabtree in that you care less about the team and only want to advance your personal agenda. I truly think you are opposed to seeing S. Hill give us a winning season, you want him to tank so Alex can get in. I just hate irrational people who refuse to give in to something that makes sense for no good reason whatsoever. I have been reading your posts on here for 3 months and while I agree that Alex can be the future and we will need a franchise QB soon...I will not throw Hill under the bus for no good reason...If it makes you sick to watch then by all means change the channel
...ok ..ok ..ok...
i will temper it down a lil....i am glad we won....
....HILL IS COOL - for now.
Yes a win is a win. This was a huge win. As I’ve stated an 8-8 season is a success, as long as we improve on items of need throughout year. This will help with draft and FA acq.
Critical Improvements for 2009, we've all heard it before:
1. Pass Rush/D line – This seems to be the biggest concern... and... WOW, I was really surprised to see so much pressure. If we continue to get pressure like that, I would take this item off the list by mid-season. God damn, way to go guys.
2. Offensive line – Not impressive on Sunday. This should be a concern for the coaches. Seattle’s scheme for next week, 8-9 men in the box.
3. QB – The QB got it done when needed. But this must improve week to week for us. Jury will be out all season with this one. But who cares b/c we will draft a guy next year. Just keep us in the game. NO MISTAKES. Boy, Sanchez looked good for the Jetz.
4. Secondary Play – Got two picks held one of the more prolific passing attacks in check. Would like some analysis on the play by the safeties. Nice hit at the end by Roman. He should play with fire. I'd be pissed too. But we need play makers Roman and maybe hanging around the box in nickel/Dime situations is where you should be.
5. Coaching/Intangibles – Play calling a bit suspect. We should give the QB a little more opportunity to make a play. As for the intangibles, the team came together. No out burst by V. Davis or other drama on the sidelines. The team synergy should continue to grow throughout the season. This is sooooooo important for us. Especially leaving the Crabass behind.
I guess WR would be something to look at too but I think what we have will suffice this year and is not critical. All-in-all good win, enjoy it today during film. Tomorrow start ALL over. One game at a time. GREAT JOB SING!
Top Props go to Singletary, Manusky, Willis, Clements, Spencer, Swift, and Haralson. The defense was the reason we won.
For the Cards Warner continued his medicore play from preseason, Levi Brown shows why he is a major disappointment for a #5 overall. Can you imagine how Warner would have been behind our O Line? Thank goodness we didn't sign him.
Hill was again just good enough to win, but he looked bad on a number of throws. Morgan showed some brilliant flashes. Bruce is no longer the top receiver he was but showed the old form a couple of times. The O Line play was poor and Gore was missing mainly because he had no place to run.
Our kicking game was great.
Now sign Crabtree.
Hey Matt:
what do you think of the "recovered fumble" on the 49ers last drive, which Gore fumbled, and Norris recovered. it would have been game over at that point, don't you think?
...what now?...do we now go into games requiring us to score 4 tds - knowing we cant win....
How bout that officiating crew...a bit shakey.
I'd like to see more of Coffee. Even if the line is sucking. He needs some game experience. Get him in on third down. Perhaps a screen or two.
Also some good catches by Morgan and Davis. They should keep developing nicely.
Did I miss something. I thought the 12 man ruling was reviewed and overturned. It didn't cost us anything did it? Other than a challenge that we didn't need later anyway.
The play I loved seeing is when on 3rd and 4 VD caught a 19 yd reception. Yes it was VD. You may just not have noticed because he got up looked for a official to toss the ball to and then hustled back to the huddle. No mocking, no in your face taunting, no over celebration, he just did his job and went back to work.
Singletary has done a good job with that guy.
Singletary gathering his defense around for a timeout on the field gave me a good feeling. I knew whatever he was going to tell them would settle them down and get them to dig in. I loved it.
Oneniner: I would love to see just one post where you talk about all the things you liked about the game. Where in the post everything you said was positive. Where the word "but" was not used. Where no side comment during any sentence was precluded or concluded with a justifier.
ie "Hill threw a pretty good throw to Bruce for being such a weak QB."
I don't think you have it in you.
There are some people who "The glass is half full"
There are some "The glass is half empty"
Then there is you who says "I wanted it with ice damnit!!"
I agree about the officiating. Disconcerting Signals? 15 yard penalty? Really? You can break a man's femur legally, but you can't yell "Red 7, Red 7" on the other side of the ball?
And I swear there were a bajillion holds they missed, including some that resulted in big plays for the Cards.
Yeah I saw a face mask on one of our guys trying to get to the QB on a big pass to Fitz that wasn't called.
Agreed officiating sucked. They seemed like new guys who didn't know what they were doing. I was looking to see if any were Leslie Nielson to see if had stolen a striped shirt after accidentally knocking out a ref before the game.
Sorry on that link. I posted TK's main blog page. Here's the specific article.
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2009/09/13/singletary-post-game-transcript-beating-arizona-it-was-beautiful-for-us/
No Brekkon, you're right the Niners won the challenge on that so it didn't cost us. But the refs can't count to 11? What the heezy???
Josh, haha, I almost forgot about that "disconcerting signals" call. It is illegal, but I've never heard it called before. J.Smith also got hosed on a defensive holding call. The camera shot was perfect, clearly no holding what so ever. Very puzzling. Maybe it was the heat.
LOL @ the Leslie Nielson ref! That's a good one. And plausible, the way they were calling it out there...
Regarding V. Davis. He had four receptions. That is only OK. I think he should have 6-8 receptions a game. Seriously we need to utilize him on dumps and over the top routes. Also, I know he is a tight end but I'd like to see more YAC. He needs to get a little more shifty and utilize speed in open field. Otherwise, give me Kevin Boss all day. I can draft any freakin TE in the middle rounds to just consistently block and catch a ball to be tackled immediately. Why waste a top ten pick? I'm not knocking him but I think out of all of our players we need to accelerate his production the most.
It might be nice to see him carry the ball. Perhaps a misdirection play. Like a tackle trap. He would line up like an H back off set from line. This could be a hand off or a shuffle pass.
Hey Matt or any of you Faithfuls.
Did you catch the Comments Deion was making on the NFL network??
Rich Eisen Was doing the recap of the game and when it came to the Bruce catches he was like " Completion to Crab oh wait thats Bruce" he said it twice and both times Deion took a shot at us. the first time he was like " no thats not crabtree, He would have got open" and then the second time he was like " nope thats not crabtree, they wont pay him"
How is this guy being able to say all this stuff?? you would think the NFL would check him for some of the comments he has made but yet he continues to do it.
Your thoughts on this??
A few comments...
Based on talent alone AZ should have won the game but those penalties really killed them. They gave it away.
For a team that wants to be identified by its power running game we did not do very well. Where did our offensive line go?
Billy Davis showed that he's a great DC that was probably hampered by Nolan when he was here.
I'm not a fan of Bruce but his route running is like pure silk. It is a beautiful thing to watch. That long pass to Bruce was the highlight of the game for me.
We could have used Kory Sheets yesterday. They were scheming against our inside power running game. A RB like Sheets could have had great gains yesterday.
Great job D!
I caught that on NFL network. I just chalked it up to a biased Deion who was upset the 49ers won.
I know it probably wont happen but, I think it would be great if we somehow managed to go to the SB and win it and then where ever Crabs goes he never gets a ring. That would be priceless.
MM, I have to agree with Nastysteve. I am a Deion fan. Yes he is brash and flashy but for the most part bearable.
However, I am REALLY getting frustrated with Deion/NFL blatantly harming the 9ers efforts to sign their pick, regardless at what ever level (media, behind doors etc). This is getting ridiculous. How is this allowed to continue?
Damn I wish Herm Edwards was Crabtree's adviser. If Iwere a franchise I would not gamble my picks ever again with all these red flags. Especially if you have other areas to fill. This guy is just going to be a problem and isn't the type of player to have on the 9ers. I am very disappointed in Crabtree.
When asked about the team's abysmal 21 total yards rushing for the game, OC Jimmy Raye said "I knew going into the game that we would be 60% run and 40% pass...but now I know that with my play calling we will be 55% minus-yard with "up the middle again" runs, 10% forget about the tight-ends all together, 5% remember to include the wide receivers, 20% hoping what I call will really work, and 10% have no F&%$ing back-up plan if the run isn't there...". Love the reverse to Issac Bruce on 1st and 5 for an 8-yard loss. Someone please show Jimmy the video of Jim Hostlers double reverse to Battles on 2nd and 2 for a 14 yard loss back in '07.
From VICWMN.com More good ones are there but they are all picture ones.
Wow, I didn't catch that. Sanders is an idiot. All this coming from the guy who would have no parts of performing a tackle. He wouldn't last 21 seconds on a Coach Singletary team.
Defense improved after Billy left so no, he was not a "great" DC for the Niners.
Haha, yeah, good point about Sanders. Pretty obvious that he is doing everything he can to try and get Crabtree a contract. I think the best thing the 49ers can do is keep winning. Every win we get shows Crabtree he is of less value to us than he thinks. I say if we go 2-0, it puts a little pressure on him. But I suspect if he hasn't signed by three games, he ain't signing. Good riddance, if that happens.
And this Deion stuff does seem wrong. How can he get away with saying all this tripe?
You are a welcher, you lost the bet, go away!
didn't Singletary say Shaun Hill would not have to be looking over his shoulder if he messed up? That he was the starter and they would stick with him as that unless he gets hurt (or plays like Jake Delhome played).Sorry but Alex would not have made half the plays Shaun did yesterday.He still can't make the simple pass, still holds the ball too long.
About Deion I have lost all respect for him. For him to say Pay him makes me mad cuz it's not like the Niners r not trying to pay him,they are. Crabtree is just not taking the deal. I still think he will sign in the next month but if he sits the year that's on him. Niners will just use that Carolina pick to get a pass rusher or Taylor Mays and then use their own pick which should be around 15-20 pick in the 1st rd and grab Dez Bryant or that kid from Illinois if their still there.
...of course i luved how the defense played...to stop K.warner the way we did was unbelievable...
...we played better defense than the steelers did in the superbowl againt the cardinals...
....ok i will it at that.
That's ok let Deion keep talking,he's gonna talk Crabtree out of millions of dollars. so if he wants to sit out the year go right ahead..Niners will just use that Carolina pick to get a pass rusher or Taylor mays then use their own pick which will be 15-20 pick in the 1st rd and get Dez Bryant or that kid from Illinois if their still there.
Great win, gutty defensive performance and great last td drive by Hill... a few questions:
1.Keep hearing that our line will be more comfortable with power run style, but aren't we built more for pass protection? Our guys aren't the mauler style (except pashos) so why is this said?
2.Jimmy Raye obviously specializes in the run and was able to put together a steady run attack with no passing threat in KC, any chance there is somewhat of a learning curve with the o-line and some advanced run blocking techniques he's implementing?
3.Good pass rush but Lawson still seems absolutely useless in it. Every AZ-OL highlight seemed to be them manhandling him in some way and he just seems ill-suited for the spot (great at shooting line gaps for fg and punt blocks though as was his college specialty). Wouldn't it have been great to see him adjusted into covering Hightower out of the backfield when we were getting worked there. Seems like a better option than asking Willis to run through wr pick-offs to get to him on the corner as coverage is the one thing Lawson has does well for a LB.
Again, great win and I hope to see Hill play like he did that last drive for more of the game (He was pressured greatly, but he has to do better than those few bounce passes to short targets -even in the face of pressure). Do some more screens to make the extended pressure backfire, they kept pinning back because we didn't do enough to counter it. We've got a lot of growing to do as AZ will be much better next time around if they do as little as erase a few of those wr drops by coming at us with Breaston and a healthier Boldin.
...of course i luved how the defense played...to stop K.warner the way we did was unbelievable...
...we played better defense than the steelers did in the superbowl againt the cardinals...
....ok i will leave it at that.
...of course i luved how the defense played...to stop K.warner the way we did was unbelievable...
...we played better defense than the steelers did in the superbowl againt the cardinals...
....ok i will leave it at that.
1st
Yep I keep saying Lawson is more of a 4-3 LB.
Admittedly, rushing the QB is not is forte. He needs to grow into the position. Problem, we need production now. I would experiment with rotating others into the position more frequently.
Matt, Perhaps this is too much of a conspiracy theory type question but I'm going to ask it anyway. All of these posts about Sanders and Crabtree started me thinking. With the rights to Crabtree, the 9ers have an asset worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $13MM - $25MM dollars. I presume with his work on the NFL network, that Deion Sanders is an employee of the NFL. Is it conceivable, the 9ers could sue the NFL for one of it's employees recommending a player not sign with the team that drafted him based on supposed inside knowledge that other teams are willing to pay more? Goodell himself said it looked like a conflict of interest. If he sits, the 9ers will have lost an asset worth a huge sum of money and an employee of the NFL may have contributed to that loss. It would be interesting to hear what's being said behind closed doors between 9er ownership and the league.
Question: How is this guy being able to say all this stuff?? you would think the NFL would check him for some of the comments he has made but yet he continues to do it. Your thoughts on this??
My response: NFL Network analysts are paid for their opinions and personalities. If everyone on the air was a honk for the NFL, it would not be worth watching. If Deion feels that way, he is fully within his rights to say anything he wants. --Matt M.
MM, with that rational. I could pay off newscasters to say anything about other team players and completely disrupt the system. I just think at some point integrity needs to play a part here. But then again this is the NFL and a business... *sigh*...
MM, also I think I keep seeing your head popping up on the live 12:15 stream. LOL
Thanks Matt.
I just thought with all the hoopla he started with his first comments, The NFl might have told him to chill a little bit on the crabtree thing since he is pretty much in the mix of everything. It does look like a conflict of interest. I mean Deion might be Deion but i don't think we would see the same actions from him had it been some one else who he didn't have ties with.
I completely disagree with your answer on this one. Of course, the NFL will say their analysts must be able to offer opinions based on their expertise. However, the facts of this case have nothing to do with an analyst offering his objective opinion. This particular analyst is a personal advisor to the player. He should recuse himself from all comments. If he doesn't, the NFL should require him to do so. Contract negotiations are not Sanders area of expertise anyway. He's an employee of the NFL who is disrupting contract negotiations between a player and team. It defies logic that anyone would think this is acceptable. I wonder if Sander's is a paid advisor to Crabtree? I know Crabtree worked out at Sanders facility so they may have had some financial arrangement. Does Sanders stand to gain directly or indirectly by advising Crabtree?