The 49ers' two-minute offense against the Houston Texans was a little rough. OK, it was more than just a little rough.
Backup quarterback Alex Smith had not run a two-minute drill in practice since as far back as the third exhibition game. Those reps go to the starting QB. And Michael Crabtree was learning on the fly when the 49ers were in a situation in which they had one last chance to send the game into overtime - or perhaps win it.
First, let's go to the audio. Here's Michael Crabtree's session with reporters from today:
* * *
During the Crabtree segment, he talks about . . .
--The comfort level still isn't all there in his second week. This game plan for the 49ers' game against the Colts is different than the game last week against the Texans. He is learning a lot of new stuff this week. But he believes once he gets through this second game, things will become a lot easier.
--During the two-minute drill, he said everybody was trying to help him. "Anything I ask, they're going to give me answers."
--He downplayed the whole "chemistry" with Alex Smith angle, but he said, "I'm not saying it's different from Shaun (Hill), but I've worked more with Alex."
--Can the 49ers become more of a passing team now? Crabtree said the 49ers' offense can be anything it wants to be. "We got the full package," he said. "We just got to put it all together."
--From his first game, he said his performance was "all right." He said e felt like he could've done better."
* * *
Offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye said the offense will not change any with Alex Smith replacing Shaun Hill in the starting lineup. But - you have to hang with me here - the play-calling might change to reflect more of what Smith does better.
Raye said Smith is more comfortable "throwing to all areas of the field - horizontal and vertical." He cautioned that not too much should be read into Smith's performance in the second half against the Texans, though, because of the score and the fact the Texans had prepared solely for Hill.
He said it is possible that the 49ers could use more multi-receiver sets with Smith, but he also pointed out that the team opened in that spread formation with Hill at QB against the Texans. He said a lot of that will depend on the opponent.
--It's not enough for Raye that he does not have a situation with a lack of stability at QB. He wants to see the entire offense stick together for a period of time.
"Seems like to me it's been a different back, a different wide receiver, a different quarterback, and different tackle," Raye said. "There's been a different something all the time. I think continuity is very important to playing offensive football. Familiarity and continuity is something we're striving to get."
--And that really showed during the two-minute drill with Smith and Crabtree not being as sharp as they needed to be.
"It was a problem on Sunday," Raye said. He alluded to Smith not running a two-minute drill in a while, and Crabtree not know the alignments and calls. He said that will require a lot of work this week.
"It was a problem last week because people there had not physically, even though hadn't heard the words, hadn't been in that situation before," Raye said.
--One of the issues was a delay penalty the 49ers took when they were faced with a fourth-and-5 from the SF 43. With the play clock running down, Smith noticed the 49ers' sideline trying to get a timeout. He assumed a timeout had been called, so he started walking to the sideline. But Smith did not turn around and get the attention of referee Mike Carey.
Because of the penalty - the 49ers had one timeout remaining - the 49ers had a fourth-and-10, and Smith had to get the ball down the field. The final pass was intercepted.
* * *
Dude - i thought yu were sick..........
...Any talk about a plan against the crowd noise in a game - in the dome?
The Colts' new stadium has next to no crowd noise. It's pretty poorly designed on that front.
Matt is it safe to say Balmer is a huge disappointment this season and beginning to look like a bust? He isn't challenging for a starting spot and it's his second year..
Jimmy didn't come out and say it but I think he's hinting towards a way more heavy passing attack. I'm the biggest optimist in the world but I swear to god... if we come out and run straight into the wall one more time I'm going to personally go to 49ers HQ and confront this man.
Use what we have... Smith, VD, Crabtree and Gore!!!
Yeah! And you all know what's happens when you mess with Benny blanco from the Bronx. Hell I'll drive him there with the getaway car.
Awesome!!!
But if Sing comes after us I'm blaming it all on you!!!
I afraid Balmer will soon join the 49ers inductees to the Hall of Shame:
1) Jim Druckenmiller
2) Reggie Mcgrew
3) Rashaun Woods
4) Kenwant Balmer
Good stuff MM, thanks.
This Crabtree dude is pretty darn good with the media. I'm especially diggin' what he said about the offense, "We can be anything we want to be..."
Right on MC.
This kid is impressing me with his interviewing skills.
Poorly designed?
Peyton does more talking and audibling at the line than any QB in the league. I know it is there home field, but I imagine reducing crowd noise helps the Colts offense more than it helps the opposition.
Comment: This Crabtree dude is pretty darn good with the media.
My response: Yes, not bad at all. Today was his best day. This was the first time when he looked and sounded relaxed. --Matt M.
But you forgot the all time #1 49er hall of shamer. J. J. Stokes.
Maybe. The guy is in his 2nd year, is only 23. He certainly can't seem to play his way onto the field. But from reading MM's blog over the summer, he apparently does not dog it. Dude may not have it, but he is working hard at it. If he still can't crack the lineup, by the end of this year, then he may be dust.
I just hope they make sure he's dust before offing him. I would hate to see him tearing it up for someone else.
Rick, is really too early to label Balmer a bust! Give him some more time and if he does not step up by next season then maybe! Keep the faith my friend
That's what I'm talkin bout. This is my kinda party. Lol
Comment: But from reading MM's blog over the summer, he apparently does not dog it. Dude may not have it, but he is working hard at it.
My response: Yes, those are my feelings, exactly. --Matt M.
You forgot Alex smith. Ha ha just kidding guys simmer down. Thaught I'd Bring up the heated debate of late. Lol
Matt, do you think it's time to demote Isaac Bruce? Yes, Isaac has had an incredible 16 year career with 4 pro bowls, over 90 TD's, and a super bowl ring but here are my top 5 reasons that Bruce should be on the bench.
5. He's not hungry (already got a ring)
4. He's way too passive (no fire, no emotion)
3. He takes a dive before every hit!
2. Josh Morgan gives us a better chance to win!
1. He hasn't lost a step, he's lost 2 steps!!!
Bruce has been a class act for 16 years but we can't worry about hurting his feelings when we're 3-4 and probably going 3-5! ....Now I'm done!
To early to write him off yet, but I agree Kentwan Balmer has yet to show up. More of a concern - Parys Haralson seems to have disappeared.
Bruce has always dived before getting hit.
Sorry, ment we are 3-3 probably going 3-4. My bad
Every undefeated team has its first loss in this league...This will be Indy's week, they will take the Niners too lightly(due to offensive/defensive injuries, OL problems, New QB) and the Niners will make them pay, the players have been inspired once again and believe once again...With Nolan the "sparks" came to late, Sing makes his choices/changes quick and with authority!(Like last year w/ S. Hill-they went on a roll) Mark my words this game will be a majoring turing point in the season, but it will be a win, maybe luck, maybe ugly, but it will be a win!
Man, I don't see how that could happen, but just hope you are right!
I don't think Haralson has disappeared, he played well this year but hasn't been mentioned much because other have been making the plays. That is a good thing, I would rather have others make plays as well because then other players are being thought about as well and not just parys.
crab15: has MM has pointed out, Morgan got more snaps in the Houston game than Bruce.
So in effect, Bruce kind of already has been demoted.
Harylson has been a disappointment so far. we paid that guy big dollars to get to the QB. 1 sack so far. and he's not great in coverage. So his job is to get pressure... Now that we are a 3-4 defense full time, he was supposed to be our main source of pressure.
He's got to do better.
I agree. Got that strong hunch that this game has upset written all over it. So much so I bet on this game. I think the niners shock the world Sunday morning. Go niners.
Did you know?
When Alex Smith has a 95-plus passer rating, the 49ers are 5-0. ...
Let's just hope that continues on Sunday...
I expect Crabtree is still waiting for an apology from the meedjer for all that diva trash talk.
How about it Matt? Want to be first up?
If we don't get pressure on the QB this week we are dead in the water.
Don't worry about Jimmy and opening up the offense. He is going to be forced too.
Good points about Morgan getting more snaps than Bruce Ronnie Lott but I'm not satisfied until Morgan's in for the first series. We need to get an early lead, it's hard to come from behind against Peyton Manning. Also, it's crucial we get TD's in the redzone and not settle for FG's or were done. Gore is fresh so I expect a big game from him. The Colts are due for some mistakes! We can win this game!
Amen, I am with you, after all every team can be beat. this defense can play really well if they commuicate and have a decent time of position. GO 49ers, please shock the world and bring hope to the faithful.
Jimmy better come out throwing the football. The Colts are gonna game plan for stopping Gore. We need some early scores and early stops and then wear them OUT with Gore gashing. Give me this win San Francisco! I need, I need!
Bruce taking a dive is what keeps him playing all 16 games. How do you think Peyton never gets hurt? Cause he never scrambles and he throws the ball away before taking a sack.
It's called prolonging your career.
the Colts are going to be hot off the corner. they always are. theres a way to defeat the Colts, and hopefully the Niners gameplan accordingly.
Hammer them with the run, after you make them respect the pass. we can beat the Colts, it seems unlikely yes, but it can be done. The team just has to believe and go out and execute.
Amen,Razor.
S1lenz: Your comparing a WR to a QB? WR's are not paid to try not to get hurt and take dives so they can play all 16 games. They should (in most cases) fight for every extra yard to help their team WIN. Hines Ward has been playing 10 years, ask him if he should take a dive. How about J. Rice, M. Irvin, Cris Carter, Biletnikoff etc. these guys were not taking dives at the end of their long careers like Isaac Bruce does! Why do you think the NFL implemented the QB slide rule! Quarterbacks play the most exposed position in a dangerous game. The very nature of their job requires them to not protect themselves and leave their bodies exposed to vicious shots on almost every passing play. They deserve a little extra protection, because they deal with the most risk. You better re-evaluate that comparison. Now I'm done.
Third down conversions via lack of predictability in play calling and utilization of all our offensive weapons. Open the mother up and surprise em.The defense will need help against this potent offense and I believe it IS possible.Go niners Goliath can topple!
Given their recievers have been banged up a bit they're gong to need to keep the TE from getting a lot of 3rd down passes for a first down. They won't be able to sack Manning, but if they pressure him to keep him from going 15+ yards on passes then they can force him to dunk and dink. Hopefully shut down the run so they're one-dimensional.
This keeps them from scoring quickly, and if we can chew up some clock and keep the overall score down then we have a shot. If the Colts score quickly or get up too quickly we're in trouble.
Let's hope for a close games, I'll be too tired from the Halloween party to deal with suffering another 21-0 half time score.
How great would it be if Smith leads the 49ers on a last minute drive for victory.... then maybe we would get some believers in the playoff hunt
How about if crabby go's off like Austin in Dallas. I for 1 am interested in what our young recievers can do. With Alex having more zipp on the ball. I want to see some nice hands and YAC. I just hope Alex has fixed his accuracy prob. And i want to see the o-line be solid for once. I know what the D is capable of. I want to see a solid offensive performance. Balanced and free flowing.
Alex needs to start strong to get a confidence boost and build on that feeling from last weeks game. I just hope they give Staley some help with Freeney. Tom Brady says Freeney is the most intimidating player in the league for a qb...
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091030/SPORTS03/910300346/1058/SPORTS03/Colts+defensive+end+Dwight+Freeney+is+the+game+s+most+intimidating+player
Matt, Tony Dungy thinks Tebow will be a great NFL QB and he'd pick him in the top ten if he was still coaching. This seems a bit at odds with your opinion of "Get real. No way." Is this Dungy's way of dissuading all teams from considering him in a GM role? Or should we put another crow in the oven for your spring time feast?
The prospect of Feeney against us this week is scary. Tom Brady recently on a Boston radio called him the most intimidating defensive player in the NFL.
"Dwight Freeney," New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady replied. "Every play with him is a game-changing play.
"Every time you throw the ball, (Freeney is) a factor. As a quarterback, you probably have anywhere from a second and a half to sometimes four seconds to make your decision and throw the ball.
"With Freeney, it's probably consistently around two seconds with sometimes being from the time the ball is snapped, a second and a half, you've got to throw that ball. There's no time for decision-making.
"You're making your decision before the ball is snapped based on the coverage." >
Walsh used at times a pulling left guard against Lawrence Taylor in passing situations. I wonder what the Niners have in store?
man i dunno.. people say he sounds really good. i think he sounds like a retard. at least he's smart enough (or just dumb enough) to not really say anything. these athletes get dumber and dumber every year. i don't remember them having such a hard time stringing together three consecutive words in the old days. i wonder if this is just a product of the culture today where schools de-emphasize education for college athletes.
Just a few replies from some of the takes I've read so far.
Haralson is being paid very well to sack the QB. He's been MIA- time to sack the QB Haralson!
Bruce has done very well in longevity in the NFL by doing what he's done for the last 16 years. Who cares if he has to dive to ellude a major hit just so long as he's gotten a 1st down on the pass play to sustain drives. That's all that matters.
By using the spread more often & running the ball out of that formation should give Gore more opportunities for bigger gains. And by having a more effective running game out of that formation Freeney & Mathis can't just pin their ears back & soley rush the QB. They'll need to stay at home more often.
Okay now I'm done!
We forgot another All Time Bust Mr Kwame Harris
No-brainer: SF will run a playaction offense with Alex Smith, possibly permanently.
Question: Tony Dungy thinks Tebow will be a great NFL QB and he'd pick him in the top ten if he was still coaching. This seems a bit at odds with your opinion of "Get real. No way." Is this Dungy's way of dissuading all teams from considering him in a GM role? Or should we put another crow in the oven for your spring time feast?
My response: My colleague just read those quotes to me and said, "Sounds like Tony Dungy disagrees with you." I'll stick to my guns on this one. I think Tim Tebow could be a good NFL player. But I think it would be as an H-back or tight end. He's a power-running QB in college. There's one reason he runs more than he throws. He's a better runner. But he's not quick enough to hit a hole in the NFL, and he's not going to be able to put his head down and get yardage at the next level. He is not an NFL QB. --Matt M.
I'll write an email to Dungy and let him know you called him a flaming idiot. LOL.
Comment: I'll write an email to Dungy and let him know you called him a flaming idiot. LOL.
My response: Don't do that. I don't want Dungy's feelings to get hurt. Seriously, did you expect Tony Dungy to come out and say anything negative about Tim Tebow? Nobody is going to go on record as being skeptical of the kid's chances to have success as a QB in the NFL. That's why I'm here. And, yes, I'm extremely skeptical. I think if there's a team that takes him in the first round, that club will be making a mistake. --Matt M.
MM -- I'm with you. I'm not taking Tebow either. By the way, what appeared to be a fairly rich QB class a year ago seems to have flamed out a bit -- do you agree? Bradford's shoulder has to worry GMs. McCoy, although his completion percentage is still high, has not had a great year. And any hopes Tebow would come back and show better passing skills have not been realized. There are other options -- the kid at Cincy, for example. But what are you hearing, if anything? Thanks.
If Dungy would pick him in the top 10 and thinks he'd be a great NFL QB then I'm down with that. Sorry Matt. Gotta go with the superbowl winning coach over the beat reporter.
I'll go with not picking a guy with no NFL skill set.... Tebow will be garbage... Do you really want another Michael Robinson???? Enough said.
Every time I see Tebow, he's running. I want a QB who can pass. I want to see highlights of touch passes, threaded needles, good reads, and 1st down and TD passes.
I don't like the idea of drafting anyone who has to learn too much about being something different than they have established themselves as being.
Having a SB ring as a coach doesn't equate with success in choosing a QB. See Walsh, Bill & Druckenmiller, Jim.
Comment: If Dungy would pick him in the top 10 and thinks he'd be a great NFL QB then I'm down with that. Sorry Matt. Gotta go with the superbowl winning coach over the beat reporter.
My response: I don't blame you one bit. But . . . I'd love to see Dungy back in the NFL to see if he really believes it. --Matt M.
From MM - "He is not an NFL QB".....
what is the definition of a NFL QB?
What if Tebow gets drafted by a team installing the wild cat offense...and becomes succesfull in the NFL...
...will that mean the wild cat offense is not a NFL offense, or will your opinion of what a NFL QB change?
Tebow just wins! That is his biggest assest. I understand the doubts about him, but that is the offense Meyer runs. You have to go back to his High School days and see him in a more passing offense system. As a HS Senior he threw for 3300 yards for 31 TDs with 4 interceptions.
Draft him, let him sit for two years using a clipboard and you will have a chance at one great NFL QBs who could be one of the best leaders in NFL history.
Hey Matt (or anybody else with enough knowledge) Riddle me this, Why cant the same guy who returns kickoffs, return punts, Mike Robinson does a great job handling the Kick Returns why cant he handle punt returns to?
I bet Tebow gets drafted in the 1st round. There is going to be some nutty GM who just won't be able to resist.
I have heard too many coaches drool about the possibilities that Tebow would give them. Coaches aren't always the best talent evaluators.
Some GM will get sucked in.
Well, I for one hope that nutty GM is not Scot McC.
"Tebow just wins! That is his biggest assest. "
Wasn't that what a lot of us said about S. Hill?
I dont want a QB that his biggest asset IN COLLEGE is that "he just wins"
College wins are over rated in my opinion.
Pierre, earlier this year I asked a similar question in I was wondering about the different skills req'd for both return assignments. As I recall, KO requires more straight-ahead speed and PR requires the ability to catch under pressure and then react with agility in order to avoid getting clobbered. One guy may have both skill sets, but not necessarily.
Comment: Tebow just wins! That is his biggest assest.
My response: Tee Martin won a national championship that Peyton Manning did not. Major Applewhite, Ken Dorsey, Jason White and Gino Torretta were also big-time winners in college. That made them fantastic college players, but it's no guarantee of success in the pros. --Matt M.
Ahh, Thats makes perfect sence. Thanks! Now we need to find some one who with the ability to catch under pressure and then react with agility in order to avoid getting clobbered.
Like Allen Rossum!! Thoooh!
"Tebow just wins..."
"but that is the offense Meyer runs"
It's hard to tell which of these comments is worse. The "just wins" comment has already been addressed with a long list of qb's who "just won" in college and did nothing in the pro's. Dorsey is especially applicable because he was tagged with that line after losing something like 2 games his entire collegiate career. Teams win championships, not players.
As to the second comment, Meyer is Mr. Spread! He has adjusted his offense dramatically to make the most of a QB who can't pass. Bringing up HS numbers is ridiculous.
Tebow is an amazing college player who does not have anything resembling prototypical nfl qb tools. If he finds a way to succeed at the next level as a qb there will be a lot more jaws dropping and crow eating than just beat reporter Matt Maiocco.
Dungy grundgy, how many kids did Walsh say looked like the next Montana? Its PR and to be taken with a big grain of salt.
Yep, Dallas thought so. Coach is quoted saying that there were other issues with Rossum. It was pretty nice having him there.
Seems to me that N. Davis would be at least as good as any qb coming out of college,and he will have a years experience head start in the NFL and in the Jimmy Raye system over all those newbies.
I was hoping that Nate Clemments would be our kick returner after Rossum was cut but now with Brown hurt,the coaches might be worried that Clemments gets hurt returning punts and Brown is not there to replace him.
Matt... How close is Brown to being fully ready to go ?
Any chance Alex Smith will be Steve Young for Halloween?
Matt...I hope this doesn't happen...but in your opinion, if the 49ers do a belly flop again like they have the last few years, do you see a change at HC or the front office staying with the MS?
Just thought I'd ask since Holmgren is living down the road.