....this game will be interesting.....

we get to face a really good QB....

..i like our chances.......i have total faith in the defense....

This will be a tough game against the Falcons without Gore. It should be a good game though still as long as we don't get behind early.

I admit it took me time and discussions via email to look at the whole picture when it comes to MS. Since I decided to follow MS "straight ahead" and not looking back I continually am surprised by this man!
I see and hear a very intelligent, but simple man! He was part of winning and he sees THAT kind of winning as a way to success. Now I love Bill Walsh! But who's to say MS isn't the contiuation of what Walsh did best, WIN!!!
He answers questions given to him short and simple! No BS! I think at times that many of the writers and us are taken aback by his type of answers. And why are we taken aback!? Because it's a well know fact that simple, down to earth people like MS give answers in ways that make us stand back! There's nothing to ponder over. There's nothing to do but listen to the answer and realize that's it! No BS! It's him! And it has his signature all over it! And he has a way of planting it in our minds and then it grows on its own! And it grows and grows!
That's what has happened to this team. For the most part the team is much the same as it was last year. Except for the growth of MS's simple, straight forward mystique that's growing in the minds of these same guys! And what i've seen, win or lose, this team is growing and growing every week!!
So when we try to figure out what's going on this year, we can see it on the field of play! And what we see is short, intelligent and simple! And it's winning!

Hi Matt, Ulbirch is a tough dude he must've been rocked to miss a game. I think the Falcons are a bit like the Dolphins, they both performed above expectations last year and are not catching anyone by surprise this year. Coffee will find more space this week. Does anyone know the agents percentage in deals?

The 49ers offense will do just fine in this game and they turn Coffee loose and let him play his game. So far this year, the Falcons' rushing DEF hasn't been very good.

Falcons give up 4.7 yards a carry but have 86 times this year I wonder why teams haven't run on them more

Teams also complete 62% passes against the Falcons not that we pass much but its goo news for us

Matt are you shocked that the 49ers are top 10 in Points Per Game and Top 2 in Points Allowed per game?

Matt,

Here we go again with Baas still having an ankle issue. Is it the same one he injured in preseason? The way he's played that would explain some of the problems he's had if it's still bothering him. Surely Wragge's atleast as good as an injured Baas?

Atl's D hasnt been good in general so far this year. I dont see any reason why we cant establish the run against this team and then open up the field with the passing game.

Yes this is a good offense but i really dont find it scary against our D. i feel very confident. we are 4th against the run and i think we shld be able to handle Ryan.

i would say losing this game at home would actually be disappointing!

9ers 24 Falcons 13!!!

Hopefully everyone will be healthy after bye week.

Uh....any word on the forgotten man Brandon Jones??? Remember him?? Proven NFL player, deep threat, and our paid free agent????? Sure would be nice to see him one of these weeks.

I agree, his speed can really stretch the field.

This could be an opportunity for Ahmad Brooks to show what he's got. Looked good in a brief glimpse last Sunday.

For some reason I have a lot of confidence in our defense going into this week. If the Vikes and Cards (Farva & Warner) had a hard time moving the ball on us, I dont think the Falcons have enough weapons. We are very good against the run so our front seven can easily handle that, which pretty much leaves Gonzo. I'm not trying to disrespect Gonzo, but we have fast and physical players.

I think you guys better get use to it. Our defense is for real, for real!

Do you think the Falcons will be looking for that same TD pass from Hill to Davis? Will Raye be ready with a variation to keep them off balance?

Scotty just said that Crabs has had a 9ers playbook all along.

Matt,I am pretty sure you reported that he did NOT have a playbook,as a matter of fact I think you may have reported that no player was allowed to ever bring their playbooks home from training camp.You better have a talk with Scotty,because he just said he didn't know where those "rumors" got started !!!!!!
WOW, maybe Crabs will be ready a bit sooner than we thought since he knows the playbook ,at least on paper.

Back to Crabtree for a moment...

"This was quite a saga, with a final face-to-face meeting spurred by a chance meeting between 49ers president and owner Jed York and MC Hammer at a social function. Only in the NFL...."

Matt, this is from Andrew Brandt's post on the details of the Crabtree contract. Do you know anything about this "chance meeting" with your pal Hammer and how things transpired from there?

Thanks again for your stellar work!

9er1 | October 7, 2009 7:47 PM | Reply Uh....any word on the forgotten man Brandon Jones??? Remember him?? Proven NFL player, deep threat, and our paid free agent????? Sure would be nice to see him one of these weeks.
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9er1: Jones was one of the big stories in TC ! He was well on his way to becoming a force for the offense.Then he was injured and he had to sit and get stale for many weeks.
He has been worked back into practice and was available last week . He is about at the stage where he will get significant playing time very soon !
If he is back up to speed,he should help VD to be even more open in the middle ,since the DB's will need to watch out deep.

SpinMD : It was at the dinner for Eddie D the day before the game where he was inducted into the Niners hall of fame. I think Jed and Scott both said hello to Hammer and the conversation led to Hammer saying something about knowing Deion and Crabs. That peaked the interest of the niners but and they talked a bit about that subject at the function. But whatever that led to if anything,we know that the Niners did make the first move but Parker and Crabs called the Niners. But Hammer does know several Niners and id friends with Crabs and probably was hanging out with Crabs while Crabs was living in the South Bay,where Hammer lives. So maybe Crabs told Hammer to send a message to the Niners that he wanted to sign? Who knows.

I of course meant to say the Niners did NOT make the first move,sorry about the typo. We know that Scotty said today that Parker called him.The one crawling on his hands and knees is usually the one that makes the begging call,lol.

Good observations, Terry. Singletary is winning with basically Nolan's team, with the third round pick of his first year's draft playing as a backup.

Initially I wondered how long his motivational approach to coaching would last. I underestimated his strategic vision, coaching ability, determination to succeed, ability to learn quickly on the job (something Nolan could not do), and his meticulous preparation for the HC job over the last few years.

As the assistant HC, Singletary has seen a demoralized team playing below its potential in an environment that was indifferent to losing. He figured out a strategy (part of which is his 5-point goals starting with ball security) that would put the Niners back on winning track in the shortest possible time with the current personnel. Hence his focus on the defense which has improved by the week, and on using his two key offensive weapons, Gore and Davis.

The focus on the running game has protected his QB from the sub-par pass protection of the O-line. The focus on execution means repeating plays in practice until they get it just right (a change from the Nolan era where they would often move from play to play even when the practice was ragged). The focus on conditioning in training "Camp Singletary" will pay off in the play-offs in January.

It's good that the players not just respect him, but fear him.. He means what he says. An ostensibly throwaway sentence like " "And everybody who's not going in this direction will be left behind." should be taken seriously by the players....and the coaching staff. I think his statement that he will be sitting down with the O line coach this week may be a pointer that coaching at that position needs improvement. The man does not waste words.

Singletary is like Walsh in that he wants to win.

I feeeeeeeel good.

Hi Matt, Do you think Crabtree was dissed by Parker not showing up for his press conference?

Sing has total command of his team.

Make no mistake, Crabtree was fully involved with what was going on. There are some under lying things here Sing and York and Crab will need to iron out. It is part of the game.

It made no sense for Crab to hold out. Everyone knew that. He was being advised wrongly by a few. Who knows, cousin, Deion, Parker, media (Mel Kyper). Everyone blew his head up. It was a high risk high reward gamble. I think he will need more than catching a TD pass and 75 yards a game to make people forget. We basically don't need Chris Chambers production. We need/expect Reggie Wayne.

Des Howard, Roy Williams, even Keshaun numbers aren't going to cut it. For Crabtree to regain credit with the team and fans he needs to either break out like Deshaun Jackson for explosive plays here and there or put up consistent numbers like Harrison.

You wanted to be the MJ of football (true quote) well you have 5-6 years to prove it. This year is a wash, however I'd like to see a few big plays like Deshaun Jackson had last year when he came on.

I saw Matt Ryan light up the Raiders last year In fact it was the game the Dirty Birds went after DeAngelo Hall so much that at half time he went to the Falcons locker room to fight them Needless to say he was stopped.. Hall was cut soon there after anyway Ryan is a stud.. Michael Turner is SCARY... Good luck...

Hurtinhead, take a pain killer! Since the pain in your head has fogged you up! This is no Raiders team and please do not even compare. (its an insult to the niner fans)

Secondly, We will take your good luck offer, since it is always nice to have some luck on your side. Niners are more than capable of stopping the scary running back Turner and containing Mr. Matt Ryan. This is going to be a great challange and coach Sing is going to have the niners ready for who ever they are going to play. GO NINERS

Yes, he does have command of the team. But equally as important, he commands respect from his team. It is quite apparent that this is so. This is an intangible element that I think goes a long way in making the team, a team, and playing very, very focused football.

There still will be some bumps in the road, because there are very good teams out there. Singletary sure has me full on board moving forward.. I don't want to be left behind.

This should be an exciting game. They don't call that guy "Matty Ice" for nothing. Michael Turner, Tony G, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Jerious Norwood .... lots of weapons. This will be a big challenge for the defense. I hope the Niners get the o-line back on track, John Abraham is a beast too.
The 49ers are building quite an arsenal too, Brandon Jones could end up being a big weapon. All of a sudden, this team is pretty deep at WR. I can't wait for Gore to come back, at least he's on track to return after the bye.

Hurtinhead.... just to remind you. Do you remember a guy named Adrian Peterson, well check his stats for WEEK 3 (he did JACK SH**). Well I just have a message for Mr. Turner, ask him to run right down the middle on Sunday, Mr. Willis will be waiting for him. We´ll see who´s scares who.

AP was held in check but the Niners still lost. Why? Cause the Vikes have more than just AP, just like the Falcons have more than Turner. However, the Falcons certainly aren't as good as the Vikings.

Matt
Great work the last few day. Did Crabtree return punts or kickoffs in college? Do you think he may be used that way here?

Oh this game will be tough for the Niners. That is for sure. In no way should we be talking about playoffs or division until at least we get through October. Sing is doing the right thing be keeping the team level headed. The fans can say what they want and have their heart broken but the 9ers need to focus.

At the quarter point of season:
- Niners 3-1 (difficult loss to Vikes)
- Special teams return note impressive
- The defense is doing more then holding their own
- Still need more of a pass rush
- Offense is like 28th
- Minus two long runs, our rushing offense is NOT GOOD. Face it!
- 0-11 on third downs against Vikes, piss poor
- Coaching, the best thing going next to D.
- Offensive play calling suspect but should progress through season
- WR not involved in offense too much, good blocking though
- OL terrible
- QB limited and not aloud to test defenses, only one int though (not his fault)
- TE, it is about time!!! This guy should have at least 5 receptions a game (PERIOD)
- RB, jury is still out! Believe it, I've only seen one good game.
- LBs playing great
- DBs playing surprisingly well. Hope FS stays healthy
- DL getting great push and stopping run. Disrupting QBs. Still need 'more power scotty'

Atlanta had an extra week to scheme our team. DON'T SLEEP on them. They want to come out and say they are the dominate second teir team and will compete to play Vikes or Giants in conf champ.

I still think the 9ers are an 8-8 team. Our playbook is limited and the more tape we provide opponents down into the season the more they will have our number. It is going to be a grinding. dirty, sloppy season if we can't get the offense on track.

If we convincingly beat Atlanta this week and come out of the bye injury free I can see the 8-8 being a 10-6 season. But right now we are on par.

Shawnrhod,

I agree with most of your analysis. Maybe I have been bathing in the cool aid, but I see them being over .500. They have very winnable games against JAC, SEA, DET, and STL and I also believe the home games against ATL, CHI, TEN, and ARI, HOU are all winnable.

I realize that is saying a lot -- as in 12 wins. I don't think they will win all those. But they may take 6 out of those 9, and they may steal 1 out of the other three (IND, GB, PHI). Lots of "ifs" still. But I believe the defense is the real deal. And if they can avoid major injuries then I think the defense will keep them in games.

That being the case though, they'll only really go as far as the offense allows them to. The offense will be called on to score more points -- at some point, in some game -- and if it doesn't keep improving, then it will be a struggle and the D may over tire.

The one intangible that I really like, is that Singletary is demanding "winning" from everyone -- and I believe that includes the coaches (Raye). If something is not working, and it leads to losing, I do not expect for a moment for Singletary will just hit his head on the wall. That guy wants to win. Period.

This weekend though -- it really is a big game, IMO. We are learning about our team. And they are learning about themselves.

correction: the HOU game is on the road...

Hammer lives in Tracy... I live a mile from his house

also he has a reality show... it shows him living in Tracy

Top Cat, yeah thanks...I knew he was hurt and was coming back, just wondering why they didn't play him last week and wondering when they plan on getting him some reps with the #1 offense, since he was, from all reports, our best WR in all the camps up till he got hurt. It will be nice to see him come in here and add some deep threat to the O, as Morgan seems to be that guy right now but as we all have seen the last couple weeks, Morgan can't always be depended on to make the catch. Brandon Jones, however, CAN. I only hope Raye starts using the WRs more with the return of Jones and the eventual coming of Crabnut. Can't wait.

Matt,

Who will be covering Tony Gonzales? I'm thinking Manny....

I think your points are pretty good, barley. Although people seem to be too high on Green Bay. They're coming off a 6-10 season and don't look like a top-tier team this year either.

It's tough to say so early in the season, but the Niners are playing well enough that it doesn't take a tall, cool glass cool-aid to consider them breaking .500. Frankly, I'm not sure how much it matters anyways because at this point it will take a pretty big collapse to lose the NFC West.

just watched soundfx on nfl networks. coach singletary isn't just one dimensional. he calls guys out, but also encourages them. I can understand why the players really like him so much. took takeo out in the blowout to make sure he didn't get injured.

Giovanni: I'm thinking whoever is playing the inside zone + safety on top. michael lewis was making a lot of good stops last week against stephan jackson early on in the game, they might have him do the same, key up on turner, putting willis or spikes in zone.

lawson does such a good job against the rush, setting the edge, that I don't think they are going to have him drop back in coverage much. he gets decent penetration, he's just not shedding the blocks fast enough in pass rush.

I am not that high on GB. But it is a road game, and GB in late November is tough, no matter who you are. The Niners have historically played poorly there, but I gotta say that with Singletary, and this team, I would tend to throw that out the window. Fresh slate, as it were.

Hey Niners -- BEAT ATLANTA!

You know, I think it comes down to our OL. If we can't run. We can't run. Sing and Niner pride might give them another 5-8%, but if you are over matched by 20% the odds don't look good.

With that said, and to your point, I love the fact Sing is like, we need to take a look at the OL. He quasi took the blame for run run run out in Vikes.

As long as we keep improving and are over 500 with the division title(at this point, and play off exit first round).. oh and develop Crabtree... I'll be satisfied with the season. Now those expectations may change as we move through the season, b/c who would of thought div title so early. I'm not saying we have it, as Roosta eluded too, b/c this is only the quarter mark. October is a tuff tuff tuff month for us.

Isn't this exciting, almost unreal!!! GO NINERS!!!

the GB game could be even worse. it could be in december. watching the mnf game, rodgers can fling that ball pretty good. but looking at how the ol got embarassed, give me great hope that the niners are going to lay a hurting on them.

As long as it's not Mark i-got-your-man Roman I'm cool with whoever it is.

How do you figure? We only have a one-game advantage in the loss column over Arizona, and they play us again.

Sandip we have a 1 game AND a half over ARI. We would have to lose this week and they would have to win the next two weeks JUST to be tied and then we would still hold the tie breaker.

Yeah that's why I said "one-game advantage in the loss column."

I also mentioned "they play us again." All other things being equal let's say both teams won out rest of the year and they beat us in San Fran- I think they would hold the tie-breaker in that case considering their one other loss came against an AFC team.

With that said it doesn't matter- my point is that his point making the assumption that it would take a pretty big collapse to lose the NFC West at this point is totally off.

OK, I hear ya. Just sayin' that it may not take a great record to get into the playoffs this year out of the West, just like AZ last year. And right now the Niners are in the driver's seat, having beat AZ on the road. I'm not over-confident, but at this point, I'd expect to take the west; and anything else would be a slide from where they're at now.

By the way.. let me be the first one to congratulate you for being responsible for taking down our TVU feed of KTVU last week. Thanks dude.. I had to run around all day on the interwebz looking for other streams since I temporarily live in Chicago. And of course none of them were as reliable as TVU channel 77763.

Here we go again, WR corps was crappy a week ago and this week is great.

We got a rook & a 2nd year guy that both may end up being good, 1 over the hill HOFer and a couple of #3 receivers. That group has the potential to be good but right now is mostly definitely not one of the teams strengths.