Niners coach Mike Singletary said today he has yet to make a final decision whether Michael Crabtree will be in the starting lineup for the 49ers on Sunday against the Houston Texans.
"He's certainly going to play a lot, and that's the bottom line," Singletary said.
"We're not in a position to name the starter yet. Look at Bruce, Josh and Crabtree. We look at all those guys as starters - possible starters," Singletary said. "I think the most important thing for us is to get him out there as soon as we can, as much as we can and see what he can and cannot do."
As for how many snaps of action Crabtree will see in his NFL debut, Singletary said, "He is going to be the one who controls that. If he's having a good game, he's in rhythm, he's running the right routes, he's blocking, he's doing all the things that we see him doing out here, I think chances are he will play more."
Is there a message that Singletary is sending to the locker room that a player can skip all of training camp and the first four games of the regular season and still be inserted into the starting lineup?
Singletary said there is a message, all right.
"The most important message is that we want to win," Singletary said.
"I could be stubborn. I could be a knucklehead and say, 'You know what, he wasn't here, Josh is going to start or this guy is going to start and that's the way it's going to be.' You know what? I think I want to be fair to the team. The team comes first, and the team wants to win. And we're going to all that we can to get the best 11 players on the field at all times to give us a chance to win."
* * *
Singletary said Crabtree has received a fair share of ribbing since reporting to the team. He was coaxed to sing Happy Birthday to Singletary last week. "Doing the things that normal rookies do," Singletary said.
And how is Crabtree's singing?
"Awful," Singletary said.
"He was doing all types of things and after a while I just said, 'You know what? Just relax and let the kid focus on what he's doing,'" Singletary said. "But not one time did he complain. Not one time did he show any body language of 'I'm above this.' He's been a team guy since he's been here."
* * *
Josh Morgan might see a huge reduction in the 49ers' typical two-WR sets, but he might end up playing more than Crabtree. Morgan will be used in three-WR sets, and he'll also be the one receiver who remains in the game when 49ers go with two-back, two-TE sets.
* * *
Shaun Hill said it's doable for a receiver to come in and learn the offense with one game plan at a time. After all, Crabtree only has to learn the plays that are part of the packages in which he'll play in Sunday's game.
* * *
All this talk about Crabtree's sudden elevation into a starting role has left Brandon Jones more than a bit perplexed. Jones is the 49ers' second-highest paid receiver. He signed a five-year $16.5 million contract with $5.4 million guaranteed in free agency.
"I thought I was going to have a big role in February and March when I signed here," Jones said. "I thought I'd have a role. . . . Things happened, I ended up injured."
Jones has no catches after coming back from missing almost all of training camp with a broken shoulder blade. He was inactive for the first three games of the season, and saw limited action the past two games.
What has he been told about what he can do to get more playing time?
Jones: "Um (laughs), I don't know. I really haven't been told anything about getting more playing time, besides helping out on special teams to get on the field, and things like that."
Are you the kind of guy who seeks answers or do you sit back and let them use you how they want to use you?
Jones: "Both. Of course, you're not going to get the answers you want. I seek answers. My job is to play football, play receiver. If I were the coach, I'd be playing."
* * *
Running back Frank Gore said he is feeling fine and was heading out to practice with a taped right ankle. It's uncertain whether Gore will pick up his usual workload after missing the past two games with right ankle problems.
"All I know is I'm looking at him right now, and he's doing pretty good," Singletary said.
Safety Michael Lewis is also doing "fine," according to Singletary, after sustaining his third concussion since mid-August. But Singletary said he does not know if Lewis will play Sunday against the Texans.
"He's doing fine," Singletary said. "He seems to be doing great. At the same time, when you're talking concussion, we're going to make sure we're in touch with the doctors and trainers and make sure we're all on the same page and we're doing what's best for that individual."
* * *
The 49ers signed RB Keon Lattimore to the practice squad to fill the spot vacated when the Dolphins signed Kory Sheets to their 53-man roster. Lattimore has spent the past two training camps with the Cowboys. He rushed nine times for 45 yards for the Cowboys in the '08 exhibition season, and the had 86 yards on 26 attempts this past preseason. Lattimore is a younger brother of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.
* * *
Everyone was freaking out about Crabs starting... Looks like Morgan didn't really lose much playing time according to Sing and will probably see the most snaps at WR on the team...
Relax everyone
for a 3-2 team about to go 3-4...this coach talks to much....
"The most important message is that we want to win,"
i guess the message wasn't loud enough before 45-10 beat down by the falcons
this guy is scared about losing his job already
Don't get me wrong i like the guy, but this teams needs a head coach that can teach x and o's especially on offense - we don't need gladiators cuz they never last
i still think the main reason G.Siefert was able to win with the niners was because of the knowledge pounded into the team by B.Walsh...
the offense lacks fundamentals - and a rookie is gonna save us?
instead of B.Jones who was on a running team that ended up with the best regular season record last yr...
You have to use your talent instead of forcing the talent to be used.....football 101
I would be ecstatic if (after not making the playoffs or squeeking in at 9-7) they replaced Singletary with Shanahan and brought back the West Coast Offense. Is there anyone here who would be disappointed, even if you think the hillclimbing and pants-pulling could ultimately inspire a team (with no real coaching) to a superbowl?
49ER NATION DEMANDS THE WEST COAST OFFENSE!
49er nation is not nearly as laid back as local SF 49er fans. Our love for the team is predicated on style of play as well as winning (not that we're ever going anywhere with Raye).
WE'RE LUCKY. LUCKY LUCKY SOBS THAT SHANAHAN IS AVAILABLE. GET HIM. Enough with Singletary. No more wait and see. Give me the guy who has the rings and believes in WEST COAST OFFENSE.
I am a fan of Shaun Hill and how he gets the job done. But I had a vision last night before I went to bed that Alex Smith was going to get another chance this season and maybe even soon (in the middle of the Colts game depending how they are doing).
Although I believe in consistency at QB I know we are going to see more 3WR sets now and the arm that is going to be throwing them needs to be able to hit the deep routes and be able to stretch the field. I know Hill has made long throws, but I don't think it's a secret that's not his game.
Now if Hill just dominates in Houston this probably won't happen, but if he doesn't play well I am sure there will be talk about switching QB's. I know he hasn't been getting that much time in the pocket, but he has made some bad throws and is completing less than 60 percent of his attempts, which is not good for someone that throws high percentage passes.
Now during the preseason the throws Smith were making were not pretty, but I am sure he is maturing in this offense as well. Also, he probably earned some points throwing to Crabtree. The weird part is I believe he only threw one day and a coach who played QB in college threw another day.... I guess my premonition will be tested.
I hope Hill dominates in Houston and proves my vision wrong. Go NINERS!
What the "F" are you talking about?!? Dude... we're 3 - 2 and lead the NFC West. Everyone wants to throw Sing under the bus already after one bad loss eh? If you were a Titans fan you would have jumped off the bridge already you coward.
When we Whoop Houston on Sunday and Crabs has a decent game I'll bet you'll have a different outlook since fans like you change your stance every DAMN week.
You ARE NOT Niner Nation dude... you are a fickle coward that calls for change when faced with a big challenge.
Shanahan was once a coach just like Singletary... BELIEVE THAT!!!
Matt,
What has Brandon Jones's work ethic been like post injury? It seems like it took a long time for the team to consider him in playing shape after the injury. I am honestly more surprised by his lack of playing time than Hill's lack of PT. He was our big free agent signing, and we was a training camp star.
"You have to use your talent instead of forcing the talent to be used.....football 101"
Wait...what?
it means you have to use the established guy on the team (b.Jones) instead of reaching trying to make something out of a thing (crabtree) you not 100% sure about
Note- We have talented WR's already, why rush the least experience of the WR's unto the field.....
So what if he fumbles?.....when was the last time he got hit hard?.....
this is a set up for who do we blame?
I would love to see Shanahan as OC under Singletary. Of course, you will never see that because Shanahan would never do it. I would say Singletary wouldn't do it either(because he wants to run) but after changing his mind in a big way on Crabtree, who knows? Lots of people want a passing offense- the rules are stacked if favor of passing. Remember though, that running/defensive teams have won the Super Bowl. Right now most of us will be happy if the Niners can win their division.
Did Brandon Jones say he thought he would havve a big role back in February and March? Correct me if I am wrong, but how would he know anything about his role in February? Were the 49ers tampering and talking to Jones before the official opening of free agency in March?
Chaos still reigns in the Niner's receiving corps after 4+ years of Jerry Sullivan as the receivers coach. What does he do for a living anyway?????????
Where does his rep as a good receivers come from??? Anybody know?
Because he was an unrestricted free agent then.
I was excited on draft day that Crabs fell to 10...
After he held out all of TC I was pissed...
After he held out through 4 weeks of the season I gave up and I doubted he would be a good pro ever (mostly due to concern about attitude + JaMarcus type holdout)...
Now I am excited to see what he can do (looks like the coaching staff is very impressed so I will take that as a good sign), however I am still hesitant to jump on the bandwagon and want to see him produce before I cheer for the guy...
He is getting his chance right away, whether you like this or not, I hope he proves all the doubters wrong this weekend (myself included)
or knew he was told he was about to become one by the team.
crabs will be fine for a rookie, very smart move by sing to field him right away. Football 102, never listen to idiots who know nothing about football 101
Question for MM: Does it seem to you that the receivers(especially Josh Morgan) have been unable to get open? That seems to be what Singletary is saying with this move. I haven't seen Hill miss many open receivers(like Alex Smith did) but I haven't been to a game this year and you don't get to see the secondary very often on TV.
MM is great, but this website is plagued by naysayers.
The West Coast Offense was great, but it's old news in the NFL. In fact, it's over 20 years old now. That offensive philosophy has been outmoded for some time because OLBs are so much faster nowadays, and are better at covering RBs out of the backfield.
Take a look around the league: we're innovating once again. The spread offense is the standard in the contemporary NFL (see Brees, Brady, Rothlisberger, etc.). Yet we run the ball more than anyone else. Why? (1) We lack the players to effectively run the spread offense, and (2) Singeltary and Raye believe the ancillary benefits of being run focused (ball control, keeps the defense off the field, limits turnovers, sets up big pass plays, wears down opponents) outweigh the benefits of being a mediocre or worse passing-focused team. I agree. Coach Singletary and Coach Raye should be applauded for establishing a system that allows this group of players to maximize their potential as a team.
All that said, I don't think this style will be effective over the long term because it wears down our O-Linemen and RBs too quickly. Frank was quick to get dinged up, and Coffee has left several games in the interim. In order to take this philosophy all the way, we need dominating, mean O-Linemen and more depth.
Shanahan did such a great job in Denver that he was replaced by a 32yo rookie head coach, that has the same team Shanahan had (minus Cutler) and are two wins from matching his win total after only 6 weeks. Get Real buddy, Shanahan rode the coat tails of Elway to two superbowl wins. He's a fraud.
RIGHT ON THE MONEY!!!
Very true! Don't get me wrong because I love Sing, but I think the best coach on the market is Holmgren. He built two different teams into power houses and took them both to the superbowl. Shanahan doesn't come close to Holmgren as a coach!
Pierre99 and Paraag - THANK YOU. Might I had that Mike Shannahan had not won a playoff game in Denver since Elway retired in 1998? 10 years of mediocre teams and you guys want him to be our coach? He was fired in Denver... You just do not fire a good head coach. Then McDanials takes his team that sucked last year and goes 6-0 with them? Puuulease. Mike Shnnahan is totally overrated and has been since John Elway retired 10 years ago.
There is so much time left in the season that I really hope people don't lose sight that we may make the playoffs. The 49ers will not get rid of Raye at the end of the year becausse they have an opportunity to keep an OC for more than a year....
I wouldn't be opposed to Shanahan being the 9er OC, however I doubt he would want that. I am sure he is very depressed right now. Wasn't he arrested for being drunk in public right after he got fired?
Better than Paraag talked about how the spread offense is the current offense of the NFL, that west coast offense is old news and that the niners don't have the players to play that offense....But didn't Alex Smith play that in Utah and Crabtree play that type of offense at Texas Tech? Do we really not have the personnel to play a spread type offense?
Why are people giving up on Singletary and Raye already? We have a winning record and have missed our best player for the last two weeks (Gore). let's see what happens Sunday.
When our DC makes comments like this on KNBR you need to get #15 on the field ASAP:
Greg Manusky was just interviewed on KNBR and they asked him how many plays it took to realize Patrick Willis was special. This is how he responded:
"About two plays, seriously. As Coach Singletary said yesterday, it was just like what happened with Crabtree this past week. When you see him on the field you just see something special, you can just tell he is better than everyone else... You can tell both those guys are on a different level than the other guys."
There is so much time left in the season that I really hope people don't lose sight that we may make the playoffs. The 49ers will not get rid of Raye at the end of the year becausse they have an opportunity to keep an OC for more than a year....
I wouldn't be opposed to Shanahan being the 9er OC, however I doubt he would want that. I am sure he is very depressed right now. Wasn't he arrested for being drunk in public right after he got fired?
Better than Paraag talked about how the spread offense is the current offense of the NFL, that west coast offense is old news and that the niners don't have the players to play that offense....But didn't Alex Smith play that in Utah and Crabtree play that type of offense at Texas Tech? Do we really not have the personnel to play a spread type offense?
Why are people giving up on Singletary and Raye already? We have a winning record and have missed our best player for the last two weeks (Gore). let's see what happens Sunday.
you know, i want to say i know more about football than the people that are actually running it. we've played 5 games, we're 3-2, and a lot of you think that after one bad defeat, you want total change everything all-around! we lost 45-10. one of the worst defeat ever, and THE worst defeat at home. some say get rid of s. hill, some say clement has to go, blame this, blame that. c'mon people! singletary has done a great job for what he have. we have a winning record right now! we have a great chance against houston. the falcon's game? it was a FLUKE! every team in this league is going to have one. it's the law of average. there's going to come a time when no one is in sync, especially the ones that really play bad, and it goes the opposite (raiders/eagles for example) way. remember how we played the vikings? that's the niners that we have! not the one that lost to the falcons. the only consistent trouble that we have on the team, win or lose, is the OL. that has to be fix. and yes, i think jimmy raye's as OC is worst than hostler. but still, i have confident that the niners will do well. we'll see how they come out of the bye-week. GO KICK SOME ASS NINERS!!
Let's face it, a 3-2 team that has never really played a full game on both sides of the ball. The defense played well for 4 games - the offense has not played well for a full game. They have OL, WR, QB, and 3rd down conversion issues. Seems like the Niners are playing not to lose instead of trying to win. Many are saying well the Niners are 3-2, give them and the coaches a break. Well that would be true if they were showing improvement with the offense by being able to have multiple sustained drives and picking up double digit 1st downs on 3rd down conversions. It's difficult to believe this team is a playoff team given the issues/concerns with the offense. I still see 8-8, but it will be a struggle. They are not ready for the playoffs because they do not execute consistently enough on offense. Winning ugly means you are not improving. Name a top team in the last 10 years that has the Niner stats on offense that made the playoffs #1 and did well in the playoffs #2. Frustrating!
I agree 49erthor. 1 bad game and the sky is falling. We have those on here that have a gripe or issue or disdain for a person or persons on the team and they want to spew their rhetoric. So this big loss has provided them a soapbox in order to further their agendas.
I do want to add though that the only criticism I have had after the Atlanta game is the same one I have had since week 1 and that is the poor play of the O-Line. My complaints did not originate after the Atlanta game. I was saying this since the beginning.
Wow! Now that's what I like to hear. If Crabtree turns out to be as good as Bam Bam(our future HOFer barring injury), we'll be on to something.
As for Raye, I haven't given up on the guy. Right now though, he's like Alex Smith. Lots of potential, but I haven't seen anything to make me think he's going to be really good. We've all heard the expression "throwing the receiver open". Well, good OC's or playcallers do this all the time. They call a play and it completely fools the defense. I've seen Walsh, Holmgren, Shanahan(when he wasn't drunk of course), and Turner do it over the years for the Niners.
Here's hoping Raye does it this week against Houston.
Name 1 team???..... Baltimore Ravens....
They won the Superbowl and got their by practically kicking field goals in most of their games because they were never scoring offfensive td's. One game stover kicked 5 fieldgoals for a 15 to 6 win.
Stover, their kicker was the offense that regular season.
Now here you go and try to confuse people with facts and common sense. The Niners can be better than 8-8 but only if there's improvement on the offensive side of the ball. Hopefully, Crabtree will give them the playmaker receiver they're hoping he is. I still see too much confusion on offense so far to hope he'll turn things around, hope I'm wrong though.
correction I mean altimore won 15 - 10 on fieldgoals alone that year in one game...
that has the same team Shanahan had
Actually, no. You can correct me if I am wrong, but the other night on MNF, they mentioned that the Defense has something like 7 or 8 new starters, IIRC.
The big turnaround for Denver is on Defense. It still falls on Shanahan's shoulders though. He never seemed to get good defenses. Just offenses.
Why are people giving up on Singletary and Raye already? We have a winning record and have missed our best player for the last two weeks (Gore). let's see what happens Sunday.
Amen.
Ravens were 14th overall offense in 2000...Niners are currently 28th in passing and 29th in overall offense. No, unfortunately, not the same. Not even close!
My biggest concern on the offensive side of the ball right now is not Hill, Crabtree, or Gore. It's the offensive line. With the way the OL played against Atlants, Crabtree won't be 5 yards downfield before Hill's running for his life. Putting Smith (or Davis) behind center isn't going to change the outcome if the OL's not secured. Alex didn't look too pretty when he was running for his life a few years ago. Once we get the QB some time and the RB some holes it will all come together. At this point it just feels like they're rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic when it comes to the OL. Help!
The falcons are a legit team. The niners appear good enough to beat the teams they should beat, and maybe some ones they arent supposed to beat. I think we saw how much we missed having Gore in the offense and am excited to see Crabtree. I think he will help open the run game by being a legit receiving threat. Looking forward to Sunday very much.
THe real fixing needs to be done with Raye's predictable play calling and the O line. I am just hoping Crabtree was worth not selecting a guard or tackle in the draft.
Smith to Crabtree is in the near future! Get Hill out or rotate Smith in slowly, Smith should've played last game so Hill could think and Smith gets live action, its just good coaching, Steve Young got pulled before and it never effected him negatively, J. Campbell was pulled and still remains the starter...Its a tough job and Hill's not always going to be on, but when its 45-10 get him OUT! JT O'Sullivan was quick to be pulled and Hill almost in the St. Louis game last year, so why not this year? Don't remember hearing Sing say Hill had that look in his eyes, that fire or whatever!!!! OUR COACH NEEDS COACHING, ESPECIALLY GAME MANAGEMENT!!! Maybe he should consult with Hill, apparently he knows how to "manage" a game...well we want to win not manage!
14th over all in scoring numb nut. If you want to go by the scoring then that team in 2000 avg score per game was 20.8
We are averaging 22.4/game and would be ranked 9th for that same season. Want to compare apples to apples?
Oh and if your referring to overall offense as in "game stats" that's based on yds per game and as you can see yds per game doesnt always translate to scoring more since the 2000 ravens were avg of 20.8 and with 40 yds more a game then we are averaging yet we have 2 points more a game than them.
We are only 1 loss different than the ravens were in 2000 and that farve throw could be looked at as the reason we are not sitting at 4-1 like they were through 5 games.
Dave,
That's what I've been saying all along that unless the O-line improves blaming Raye or S. Hill is pointless! Although S. Hill has a noodle arm he still gives the 49ers the best chance to win but he needs time to set his feet so he can throw completions down the field. But everybody else here who wants to "change this & change that" or clueless!
Want to compare apples to apples?
Since you're comparing offenses let's not forget the Ravens D that year was a Dominating defense, yes with a capital D. While the Niner D is getting a whole lot better, as much as we'd like them to be at that level, they've still got a long way to go(still need a couple stud pass rushers). No way would the Ravens go to the SB with this Niner offense right now.
The Niners "O",as a group, is their achilles heel right now. Their play is the key as to whether the Niners make the playoffs this year.
Ok a typo - the Ravens were 16th in overall offense (total yards). I like it how you get personal when you get uncovered for your lack of football knowledge. If you want to believe the Niners are a playoff team with this current offense then you sir are the "numb nut". Drink the koolaid!
GilroyAl, don't disagree with Brekkon and the other "positive" posters here on the blog. They all believe we are a playoff team and that we've had only "1 bad game". I don't know what offense they have been watching. We could easily be 2-3 but let's see how this plays out.
Mike,
Very encouraging news about Crabtree. Let's hope he can pay dividends starting this Sunday against the Texans.
I'm fired up to see how the team responds to the butt kicking they received and the bye week with Gore & Crabtree in the mix. Maybe a few new wrinkles in the offense. Another GPS game. Looking at the next 5 games the only one where we look over matched is Indy but the rest we should be in the game. Texas, Tennessee, Chicago, & GB all have issues like we do. We could go 3-2 or even 4-1 putting us in good position to win the division with the Rams SeaTurds and Lions still on the schedule. Hey if the Raiders can beat the Eagles anything is possible. Stayin' Positive, Go Niners
Yes we need some positive mojo going again for sure.
We've had more than one bad game offensively, only 9 offensive TDs in 5 games. What did the offense do against the hapless Rams, 2 TDs? If you're supposed to be a ball control offense, you can't lead the league in 3 and outs either. You can't keep the D on the field against good teams because they'll wear down.
The talk is the Niners should win their division, but so what if you can't beat any good clubs outside it. Right now, the only difference between the 09 Niners with Raye versus the 07 Niners with Hostler is this years team has the luxury of a better D. That should mean more wins against mediocre teams, not the good ones. I'm hoping the O-line will finally come together and end up being decent.
One of the big question marks Matt had in evaluating this team at the beginning of the season: Raye's play calling. The only real positive I've seen is he has utilized VD a lot better than the previous OCs
Ok, so now you want to bring up the defense. That of course is not what you said before. To quote, you stated: "Name a top team in the last 10 years that has the Niner stats on offense that made the playoffs #1 and did well in the playoffs #2."
I named that team and now you want to put in stipulations and try to bring in comparing defenses to make it seem you were not called on your facts! You were saying that no team with an offense like ours has ever gone to the playoffs and done well there. You are flat out wrong.
Heck I think we have problems with the offense too but I think we have more ability there than you want to believe.
Does that mean I think we will go and win the SB. I hope, but it is far from likely. You are the one drinking the kool aid buddy. The doom and gloom crowds kool aid.
You have since said, "I don't know what offense they have been watching. We could easily be 2-3 but let's see how this plays out."
Well I am not sure what games you have been watching but this team was 1 play away from being 4-1 but lets see how this plays out.
It was that same offense you criticize that brought us back in two games from being down, ARI and MIN and only because Farve put a drive of his own together and threw up a hope and a prayer did we lose the latter of those games.
Bill Walsh's first year record as Head Coach-2-14:Mike Shanahan"s first shot with the L A Raiders a twenty game stint of 8-12 before being fired:M Holmgren was better- a whopping 9-7( there's some football 101 for you Mr would-be 49er fan).Couple Better than Paraags astute delineation of modern trends in football and BennyBlanco's righteous indignation at those calling for a change in Head Coach and you'll me aghast at such hair trigger reactivity.Man up fans, and get behind your team.A critical eye is fine, but those of you spewing armchair one-upmanship and venom at our Coach at this stage in his development can hardly be called faithful!
Anyone who wants Sing fired is someone who never wanted him hired.I don't want a passing game but I do want to see an unpredictable pass element replace the dogma of passing when necessary.This is the best quick-fix to take pressure off the o-line.
Please, let's atleast be honest about this offense, it's only been good enough to not lose those 3 wins. Let me repeat the fact that you cannot consider yourself a decent offense when you lead the league in 3 and outs.
In the Viking game, the Niners would have already been behind in the final 2 min if it weren't for the blocked field TD return by Clements, so don't give the O too much credit when you say the Niners could be 4-1 now. All the Niner's "O" needed to do to WIN that game was get ONE 1st down at the end and it wouldn't have been left up to Roman's pass coverage to save the game!!!
I should have said it wouldn't have been left up to Roman's pass coverage( ugh!!!) to try and save the game!!!
"Lattimore is a younger brother of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis."
That's news to me; hope his genetics are as positive for him--if he can be 1/4 as good a fb player as Ray Lewis!
Referring to Greg Manusky's comments on KNBR (I couldn't find them when I scanned back above), but what he said about Michael, if it's really true, that's encouraging. I HOPE HE'S RIGHT! I'll hold my breath and keep my fingers crossed on Sunday.
But I still want to see Brandon Jones get some opportunity as well as Josh and Jason in the offensive contest. We have many talented WR's who just need opportunities!
Niner MOM
"let's atleast be honest about this offense, it's only been good enough to not lose those 3 wins"
I dont completely agree since it was the offense that drove down to take the lead after losing it in the second qtr in the ARI game. In the MIN game we had lost the lead and the offense drove down to take it again only to have it taken in the last seconds.
The 3 and outs ARE definitely a serious problem. (if not the core problem) I personally believe that problem lies with the O-line. Most of our 3 and outs have come because the line failed to protect and either allowed sacks or stops for losses. Thus putting our offense in 3rd and long (3rd & 8+yds) The MIN game was a prime example of that. Many call for Hills head for the 3 and outs but if you look at the MIN game we had so many 3rd and longs and hill was still 75% completion percentage on 3rd downs in that game. several were just shy of the first down and a lot were 3rd and over 10 yds.
But I have faith we can improve. Its only our 6th game and we just suffered our first serious beating. Lets support our team and see if they cant improve first.
Also even if you are correct. For now, I will happily take an offense that is just good enough to not lose. Because just last year we had an offense that was just good enough to hand the game to the opponent on a silver platter in the first half of the season. that shows improvement and we havent seen improvement in SF for many years.
Manusky said that Crabtree is like P Willis in that he is MUCH better than every on else on the field He flew around and made plays.. Sing and Manusky both think Crabshake will be special..
The OL better bring an A game because Williams and Okoye are 2 awesoem ball plaers especially Williams..
Plus with NO shut down corner watch for Andre Johnson to burn the DB's like toast..
If they play anything but an all out 100% grade out for all 53 the Texans will light them up..
Mike Shanahan's next stop as a head coach will be with the San Diego Chargers next season.
Also, unlike the Mike Nowin era where he drafted players to be ready to play in 2-3 years, McC and Coach Sing are drafting Players that can make an immediate impact and play.
I didn't appreciate the hold out by the CashTree, but I'm liking getting their #1 out there. Go Niners!!
Just as an fyi... Okoye is playing terribly. I believe he is being benched this week in favor of an undrafted player. He simply hasn't lived up to expectations. Good thing he is still very young.
Personally, I like "Chucky" he matches Coach Sings intensity, but more offensive-minded (creativity) with a flavor for smash mouth football too. Go Niners!!
My point is that Raye's "O" seems to want to play dormant until forced to act. They then seem capable of getting first downs and even scoring when forced into it but that's because Raye opens up the playbook and gets more aggressive. Since the reg season is only 16 games, you can't wait 4-5 games to make changes if you're offensive philosophy is sputtering( running up the middle most of the time).
Thanks Houston.. Okoye is struggling but still that DL is NOT too bad.. Gore's yardage totals are slanted due to that Rams game. If the OL can bring an A game they an do well BUT if the OL brings anything less than a 100% grae out they will be in for a LONG day..