Paging Mike Martz

Please pick up the white courtesy phone.

At the risk of starting a firestorm, what about siging Adam "pacman" Jones as a Clements replacement. I certianly understand the downside, but it was PIANFULLY apparent to me that we need a dynamic return man as we don't seem to have an offense that can either:

A) sustain LONG drives and punch it in at the end

or

B) Get yards in big chunks to set up short fields

Jones would allow for some short fields with his dynamic punt return abaility, and I think Sing is a coach that can keep him in check.

Thoughts???

I cant wait to here Jimmys excuse for that pathetic game plan.

I think I like the Pac Man Jones idea actually.

I hate to keep beating this drum, but as long as our offense is the blatantly obvious reason we are losing games, I say we never should have hired Jimmy Raye and we need someone else to run our offense. Our defense is giving us soooo many opportunities and we did nothing with them in the 2nd half.

The problem is not lack of talent on offense. We have a quarterback with a great arm who is performing well. We have decent, if not very good receivers especially if you count VD (we need more o-line talent.) The coaching has to take the hit. ZERO points in 2nd half = our offense sucks = we lose AGAIN = fire Jimmy Raye.

This is the reason that they wouldn't allow Clemments to return punts before Brown was healthy,they didn't want to risk injury.Now that they have Brown back healthy they let Nate return punts... and there you go,probably out for the year.

Injuries are starting to mount up .

Great day by the Defense - a solid game plan executed well. Special teams played well today too. Offensive line had a good day of pass protection finally. Smith was good, Gore was good - hummmm...what was missing? Oh, I know - a good Ofensive Game Plan!

We are getting next to nothing out of first down and as a result are facing a lot of 'third and seven' or more situations. We also seem to be throwing the ball East & West, rather than downfield. The Offense needs to find a way to stay on the field...Coach? Unfortunately you know what they say about teaching old dogs new tricks...

A very respectable outing that should have been a "W" with a better O game plan.

Hi Matt, The Rossum move affected three positions, kickoff and punt return and db (Clements injury).

The coaches didn't "finish" either.

It seemed like Singletary was happy that his team was hanging in there with the Colts, and didn't go for the jugular. The Colts did (with the HB pass and going for it on 4th and inches at the game's end), and that was the difference.

Very frustrating loss. The players played well enough to win. The coaching preventing that from happening.

Andrew i was just thinkin the same thing. And "Virus" i totally agree with you. But this is Singletarys style, Thats why he hired Jimmy Raye.All in all it falls on Singletary

The over arching theme this year.

Jimmy Raye

Morgan has made too many rookie mistakes for a second-year starter. It was such a stupid penalty. Like Peyton needs a handicap.

Defense played amazing. Never seen Peyton so stifled. That was awesome. P.Willis is a joy to watch. I wish they weren't on the field so often. They'd be even better with a decent offense.

O-Line was much improved, even without Staley. They shut down the best set of DEs in the game.

We gotta get Frank the ball in space more. Crabtree too. Quick screens. Why don't we take a shot down the field!? We haven't tried Crabtree deep yet. WHY!?

Great moral victory, but those ain't worth squat. We show a lot of heart, and we're in every game, but we don't close well at all.

Alex has to eliminate the delay of game penalties. One of those on 3rd down will kill a drive, especially when on the road.

Today the 9ers played well against one of the NFL elite teams, and were only a dropped pass/blown coverage/injured LT away from winning.

Although McLoughan and Singletary would vociferously deny it, the 9ers are in a rebuilding year. And they are successfully rebuilding, IMO. The defense is so much more together than last year, and the offense has an excellent core of 'skill' players. But they need one more good draft to get to the playoffs.

Another stat to take some of the air out of the hate Jimmy Raye crowd.
Raye had his offense run on 8 1st downs today BUT had them pass on 17 !!!
Raye is a passing fool !!! lol.
He has passed more in every game this year. You might complain about what pass plays Raye calls but please stop sounding silly by complaining that Raye runs too much ,because he does not !
I also am not sure he calls the proper plays at the proper times. Time will tell us more,since every newly installed offense needs time to jell. But one thing I do KNOW,is that Raye calls enough passes to make Bill walsh happy . Maybe not the right pass plays,but more than enough passes.

I have been patient with Coach Raye this season and I do understand it takes time for team to truly understand the offense, but please coach the play calling totally lacks imagination. What dont you throw a few wrinkles in this offense beside the wild cat offense!!! Loosing nate will hurt us, when we play against AZ. I know many fans are not happy with his performance but Nate always has played great aganist AZ and the big recievers!

Absolutely idiotic to have your $80 million man returning punts. I don't know if that's how Clements was hurt, but even if not, it is simply insane to have your big money guy raking such risks.

Another time, I saw Brandon Jones returning either a K.O. or a punt. Why??

What the hell was the rationale in letting Rossum go??

The players gave it their all. There are some very good, high character players on this team. But the 49ers still need more /better players at too many spots. That falls on McCloughan, who built this team. As far as the coaching is concerned, the defensive staff is doing very well, but the offensive philosophy and play calling is all wrong. Singletary (a great motivator) thought he could make these players fit his system, unlike most good coaches who design the attack around getting the best out of the players they have (remember Bill Walsh?). So now, in mid-season, we have a Head Coach gradually changing/learning to adapt to his personnel, and an OC who was the only one who would take the job working under Singletary's original dictates.
It will take a miracle for this management and coaching team to get this franchise back to the Superbowl. Jed needs to forget about the past few years, hire some new, better, top football people to clean house and start over with the good players we have before they leave or sour. Reminds me of the Warriors. And that ain't good.

I was REALLY surprised how much he had smith throwing the ball today, and to be honest I think smith did pretty well, a few that were overthrown, but overall, it was more the receivers NOT making the catches. the INT I give a pass to, deflections are always tricky things, it wasn't like he threw it into traffic. but ultimately the game was again decided by untimely turn overs. crabtree my good lad, please to hold onto the ball? the two turnovers led to minimum 6 p swing, which could have ultimately decided the game in our favor.

I saw a stat they put up on the screen Bruce thrown to 6 times caught 3, sorry but, if you're only catching 50% of the balls thrown your way... That's beyond frustrating, I don't know how you can continue to play him that many snaps, with that kind of efficiency.

Pardon the repost from the previous article but;

So what's your point? The plays he calls on 1st and 2nd downs are ineffective and leave them in 3rd and long.

Go listen to Adam Meyer's (sports handicapper) podcast on the KNBR website last week. He too says they are way to predictable on offense, especially trying to run up the middle as much as they do. If professional handicappers and most of us fans can see that, what do you think the opposing DCs see when they watch films of the Niner "O"? Nothing like giving the other team a big advantage right off the bat!!!!!!

I'm a bit confused... We benched Clements because he was a "match-up" liability.

Yet Reggie Wayne caught more balls today than he has in any game all season. And we didn't keep him out of the endzone.

The more I watch this team, the more I realize the fish rots from Singletary's head. He picked the inept Hill. He makes some damn strange personnel decisions, one of which (cutting Rossum while keeping Spurlock) has cost us a game.

Sure, he's a MOTIVATOR. But he's seemingly incapable of selecting and coaching-up the most talented players. We're seven games in... We shouldn't be playing musical chairs in the secondary, at QB, and on the line. These decisions should have been made RIGHT from the end of pre-season. And when players screwed up, an in-game benching for a series (like happened to him as a rookie) might be the smart call.

But this Mickey-Mouse crap? I'm sorry, but when it comes to coaching, Singletary seems to have gotten rather lucky with last year's puff-schedule at the end of the year and parlayed that into a job for which he is, game-after-game, appearing less-and-less competent to hold.

Should have won by 2 TD's! Any decent OC and even HC would have taken advantage of ALL the weapons we have and won walking away! Yea! I now say HC! MS has got to forget the 1980's offense he wants and realize it's 2009! I'm beginning to get disgusted with this HC and OC!
The Colts were flat or at least being out played by our defense that left it all on the field! They played the WHOLE game on high speed! And how many times do this HC and OC put them back on the field with 3 and out on offense!? I'm sick of seeing MS clapping his hands on the sideline when the offense goes 3 and out and comes to the bench! He ought to run up to the OC box and clap his hands over Rayes ears!
There's NO EXCUSE! The team has the QB that can throw the ball down the field! This team has really good receivers! This team has a very good running back! This team even had an OL that played well enough to win!
This whole package above is ready to explode like dynamite! But the team has NO ONE on the offensive coaching staff to light the fuse! It's disgusting and embarrassing! At least the teams of the past few years didn't have the talent! This one has the talent and it's being wasted by the HC and OC!
I've about had it with MS and his supposed OC Raye! No wonder Raye was out of football! He's stuck in the 1980's with MS!

A few random thoughts:

1) Why is Spurlock on this team?

2) Sheets with his speed sure would be a nice kick return guy.

3) Three broken shoulders in one season? Drink some milk guys. Never seen this in 25+ years of watching football.

4) The play calling is terrible. Just bad enough to tease you into hope....It seems as if the pass routes rarely go over the middle. The one time Smith was able to let it loose was in the 2 minute and he looked good.

5) On the Smith note, he looked pretty good buts lets let the league get some tape on him before we make final judgement.

6) More on Smith...why no boots, rolls or other moving pocket stuff? I do remember this was the stuff the kid was good at early on.

7) Where did the toss go? Or the old 18 bob sweep? Did we forget how to stretch a defense?

8) Is it me or does Bruce just look slow? Paging Jason Hill.

9) Oh yeah, did I mention the play selection seemed weak?

other notes on the game:

Defense did an amazing job against manning, mixing up the looks is key to beating the colts offense. they held him to NO TD, Stopped the 2pt conversion, nothing but fg, sacks, they did everything you could ask for except picks. they just got a bit gassed at the end.

is it me or does nedney's kicks look shorter and shorter... Might want to save a draft spot for a place kicker.

And on those sacks to smith... snyder needs to step his game up a little more, he looked like he was getting pushed back or got beat on the outside by matthis.

Sims was the surprise of the game, he did a pretty good job, and to be honest he outplayed freeney all game, it was a real sight.

I saw a stat they put up on the screen Bruce thrown to 6 times caught 3, sorry but, if you're only catching 50% of the balls thrown your way... That's beyond frustrating, I don't know how you can continue to play him that many snaps, with that kind of efficiency.

Fifty-percent! That was a good day! The first six games this season he averaged 43%. When they signed Crabtree, it should have been Bruce who hit the highway. He's been mailing it in all season, routinely not making the difficult, sometimes sacrificial, catches he used to make.

We should have Crabtree and Morgan (65% on the season) out there. But, no, like most other failure-coaches he so doesn't want to lose, he's not willing to put up with the chance of a mistake so he puts the "reliable" (but washed up veterans) out there.

Kind of like Nolan with Derek Smith. I appreciated the under-rated Smith, when he first came here he really solidified our line-backing corps, but his last couple of years were train-wrecks.

As a fact that may only interest me: Crabtree was at 83% his first game in the NFL. That was actually pretty good. About 65% than the receiver drafted ahead of him... lol

The only thing that needs "finishing" is MS and Raye along with their 1980's offense!
What a copout to use the word "finish" that I'm sure came from MS! This team could of "finished" the game up by 2 TD's if these two outdated coaches knew anything about offense!!
Disgusting!!!

That was a really brilliant move have a $60 million dollar CB returning punts-

And I understand how the staff feels about Bruce- but he's dropping passes...

And Carolina just clobbered Arizona... How am I supposed to feel about that? Happy or sad?

In pro football the "motivation" comes from the cheerleaders on the sideline! You can only "motivate" so long! Especially when you know you got the guys to win and you got an OC and a HC that don't have a clue that you have those guys!
Anybody want to go to an 80's party?? Meet Mike and Jimmy after the game!
Sorry if I sound disgusted! But I am!!!

Raye's game plan is not the issue, it is our ability to run on a consistent basis.

32 passes vs. 17 runs.

13 runs. 10 for

Raye has brought Vernon Davis into the gameplan. Crabtree is fitting in well.

There are a lot more positives than negatives.

From Don Banks at SI:

I do believe ex-Ravens head coach Brian Billick was rather prophetic in the story I did on Alex Smith late in the week. From what I saw of the 49ers-Colts game, it didn't look like San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye put Smith in the spread-offense type of setting that he prospered in last week at Houston, and in college at Utah. Instead, it seemed as if the 49ers went fairly conventional, refusing to spread the field. And just as Billick predicted, the 49ers might well have lost because of it in a game they once led 14-6..

Agreed. Although he was a bit predictable at times, the problem was with the line not opening holes for Gore. He had no lanes... not much an OC can do with that. I was surprised at the lack of PA, however.

9ers got beat by a Addai's gimmick play. Raye's been good for Smith and the 9ers. I'd question some of his calls at certain points in the game, not necessarily the number of passes versus runs. Why not try to get both Coffee and Gore in the backfield to mix things up. Gore has been around long enough to play the FB on a few plays to create mismatch with LB's. Creativity seems to be lacking a bit. But there are more positives than negatives for sure.

Did any one notice Bruce on two balls thrown to him, one high (would have been a tough catch but not impossible) and one behind him (would have been a tough catch but not impossible) all he did was wave at the ball. Not my idea of selling out for the team (or finishing for that matter).

Time for Bruce to take a seat. He sure uses his body when making catches.

We need to start attacking the defense!
(the packers have aweak o-line and they do)

A. Smith played great when he was in the shotgun but just ok when he was under center. They need to put him back there more. The last drive in the 2nd qtr he was in the shotgun and was able to see the defense and the receivers.

Even with the TD pass to Wayne, the defense played well enough to win. I think crappy playcalling, especially in the 2nd half, killed us. Alex could have won the game with one touchdown in the 2nd half, and if the plays had worked to his strengths, he would have.

Somebody ought to tell Morgan you cannot go to the ground in a celebration. That's the rule and I can't believe as a professional he doesn't know the rule. As soon as he kneel on one knee the flag is automatic. That rule was in place last year also.

As far as the game goes we played really well on the road against an undefeated team with a future Hall of Fame QB.

We lost, but enough of a QB controversy. Alex Smith is our QB, Crabtree will get nothing but better. We are not there yet, but we are moving in the right direction.

The O Line gave up 4 sacks and despite playing better that is way too many. We now have 22 in 7 games.

As far as criticism of Coach Raye one must realize he understands just how limited he is by our O-Line. That determines how he calls the plays

This season is over. Raye is THE worst o-cord I have ever seen. Him and sing and that idiot mcclueless need to go. They are the hiring tree of idiots. Nothing has changed with this team. Clements needs to go. Smith still isn't consistant with the limited pass plays he has. Gore is highly overrated. It's sad when Barry fricken simms is the player of the game. I am sick of the same routine every year. Start hot, hit the wall, injury bug, new qb, bad play calling, team mails it in for about 8 games, end the season hot beating a bunch of nobodys. High hopes next year. I'm sick of it. Jed better get holmgren in here, because the idiots in charge right now aren't gonna get this team nowhere! You all can argue all you want, but I know damn well what I have seen the last couple of years and this season is NO differant.

Umm, I think it's more like a 1940s offense. A Bill Walsh 1980s offense would have won the game.

Sing and Raye are dumb and dumber, and every loss points it out even more. Clements as a PR? That's not just lousy coaching, that's insane, as insane as when the NY Giants wrecked Jason Sehorn's career on one play, making him a punt returner in preseason.

I realize it's too late to salvage the season, we're again looking at no better than 6-10, but I hope Jed wises up, gets hold of Shanahan or Holmgren and backs up whatever truckload of money is necessary to get one of them here. If he doesn't, I think they're looking at eight blackouts next year, and I don't think a lot of people beyond the league will care. No one is going to want to see the product Sing and Raye put on the field. In addition to being bad, it's boring and predictable.

The total number of passes vs runs does not matter. Its when you call pass vs run. The idea is to keep the other team guessing by passing on running downs and vice versa.

Here are Raye's first down play-calls for the second half

3rd Qtr (9:27) (Run formation) 21-F.Gore up the middle to SF 24 for 2 yards
3rd Qtr (7:32) (Run formation) 21-F.Gore up the middle to SF 33 for -1 yards
3rd Qtr(5:28) (Run formation) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short left to 88-I.Bruce
Series ends on Punt.

3rd Qtr(4:45) (Run formation) 21-F.Gore left tackle to SF 23 for 3 yards
Series ends on Punt.
After this series Indy took a 18-14 lead.

4th Qtr (14:47) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short left to 88-I.Bruce.
4th Qtr (14:18) 11-A.Smith pass deep right to 88-I.Bruce pushed ob at IND 48 for 20 yards
4th Qtr (13:54) 21-F.Gore up the middle to IND 41 for 7 yards
4th Qtr (12:37) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short left to 29-G.Coffee
Series Ends
4th Qtr(8:36) 21-F.Gore up the middle to SF 6 for no gain. Dewfensive penalty, No play.
4th Qtr (8:17) 11-A.Smith pass short right to 21-F.Gore to SF 18 for 7 yards
4th Qtr (7:42) 11-A.Smith sacked at SF 18 for 0 yards
4th Qtr (6:24) (Run formation) 11-A.Smith pass incomplete short right to 15-M.Crabtree.

Series ends on a punt. Indy keeps the ball for the final 5:45. Ballgame.

AS long as the Niners had the lead in the second half, Raye called for 3 runs on first downs as opposed to 1 pass. After Indy took the lead (when everybody in the stadium knew the Niners would be passing) Raye passed on 6 first downs and ran on two. So it is certainly true to say that Raye passed on 8 first downs and ran on 5 first downs in the second half. Wow, Raye defenders can claim, who says he is conservative, look at how many first downs he passed on. However, when you break down each first down play, you realize in an instant that Raye's play-calling is highly predictable.

I forgot who said it, but the line about Lies, damn Lies and Statistics comes to mind when I read the posts defending Raye by pointing out the total number of runs vs passes.

When I saw the 49ers run the ball on 2nd and 20, I almost spit my beer out.

The sad truth is that we can't just let our Defense win games for us, because all it takes is one good play from the opposing team or one touchdown to get the upper hand on us. This philosophy of "run the ball, play solid defense, and play catch-up when the other team is ahead" is just not working for us.

Just because you're beating the other team by two to three points doesn't mean you should just run the ball, play conservatively, and thus put the pressure on your defense to take care of business. Jimmy Raye is a moron for having that approach.

They really need to spread the offense out and let Alex Smith throw the ball. That touchdown drive was the best our offense has looked all season. They have the tools, now they just need to right strategy and play calling.

That being said, I give the 49ers a B- today.

'Creativity seems to be lacking a bit. But there are more positives than negatives for sure'.

The first part is true, the second not so. When Raye gets aggressive he seems to call decent plays, the rest of the time(the 3 and outfense") it's just a waste of time and effort.
On the post game show on KNBR, Damon Bruce actually made a good observation: finishing the game is not as big a problem as starting the game, refering to the offense. They burn too many plays early on with the conservative playcalling. They don't get anything going until they're forced to and they finally open up the offense. The run it up the middle offense IS NOT THERE YET, so try a different game plan JR! After 7 games it's still not working JR, get a clue!!!!!!

Eric Heitman said the run game really works when the D-line starts to get tired. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to realize that 3 and outs don't tire out the D-line very much.

They've lost 3 games by 10 points because of underachieving on offense BOTTOMLINE!!!!!

Ninermd, wow my friend cool down! I understand how you feel! it sucks to hope every year and be let down. I have been a fan since i was little boy and I am sick of watching my beloved team lose every season for the past six years, however lets not throw the kitchen sink! We do not want to be like raiders and have a new system every year. Also, keep in mind that this is still a new offense for everyone and Alex just started to take a leadership role. I do not suggest we should just sit around and make the same mistake with Nolan. However, this team has talent and we are just missing a few players to go to the next level. On offense, coach ray must adapt to the strength of Alex Smith and the surrounding cast. Keep the faith, we are still in the mix of things since Az got killed by panthers!

You too? Who wouldn't run the ball up the middle on 2nd and 20 when you're lucky to get more than 3 yds most of the time. Mind boggling isn't it?

Also, your statement on spreading the offense out, might that not just give Gore more room to run too? You're making way too much sense.

Oh, my kudos to Barry Sims today, pretty good day in a very difficult situation!!!

Why is Spurlock on the roster if he's not a backup punt returner, they've got enough backup receivers?

GilroyAl, you and I agree on 99%, but to quote Damon Bruce who is the KING of negative, is disappointing. The positives I allude to above is Alex Smith looking like a QB again. Clearly, he feels comfortable with Raye and the "digit based" offense that Norv Turner implemented back in 2006. To me, that is huge! We have a QB. Now we need to play to his strengths. Roll outs, shotgun, no huddle, 3/4 WO sets, Gore/Coffee both in backfield, etc. Let's get creative. It's been only 1 week since Alex has practiced with the 1st team offense, so I still see a lot of upside from him coming. Some of those passes today looked very impressive when he had time to throw. So now they need to turn this offense into an attack offense and not a "not to lose" offense.

Not one time have I heard Sing call out his boy about terrible play calling this year. So know the finger goes to Sing. He is a great raa raa guy, but he is in way over his head. He is not head coaching material. Him and Raye have been outcoached in almost every second half this year. Its time for a big named GM and Head coach. And Holmgren fits both. Going into next season I dont want McClueless picking in our draft again. I would keep Sing on as a D-line coach or something if he is willing to stay, but as the brains for the team I cant see it. Next year is a golden opportunity to land a big name. If Jed wants this Organization to succeed he better cut some strings starting with the GM. This team is only 1 game out, but with Raye running the show with no questioning of his calls and the injurys stacking up. This team has no shot at making the playoffs now.

I agree Hoferfan, hopefully Alex can build rapport with the offense and JR can open up the play book. It is too late to play not to loose we must play to win now.

Also, although i was very impress with Alex, he still needs to improve his accuracy with the recievers on short passes. Also, they have to implement several run and short passes in the blitz situations

"After 7 games it's still not working JR, get a clue!!!!!!"

Are you kidding?! Jimmy Raye became an offensive coordinator for the first time in 1983, nearly a quarter of a century ago. You think this old dog is up to learning new tricks? Get real.

After a career's worth of mediocrity and unimaginative playcalling, Raye's days as an OC were finished, and for the past three years, he had been the running backs coach with the Jets.

It took a naive head coach like Singletary with a Neanderthal offensive philosophy for Raye to surface again. It is Singletary that needs to get a clue, and the clue is to start looking for a real offensive coordinator.

I was going to chime in but Sac Mike said it all for me !!!!!!

ninermd, why so upset? Did you really expect this team to make the playoffs this year after all of the turmoil last year? This team was lacking continuity. Singletary has proved to make the calls necessary to help the team win. We were 3-1 with a very limited offense - any of those games could have been losses. Now Crabtree is on the team starting without a TC, Smith is playing QB looking better than he was since 2006. Key thing with this team now is continuity. Earlier this year when the 9ers were winning, I wasn't a Singletary fan because I thought he was stubborn and hard headed, but clearly he will make the changes necessary to improve. I like Holmgren, but bringing him in will slow 9ers progress and create another re-start. Cool your jets, we are on the right track.

but to quote Damon Bruce who is the KING of negative, is disappointing.

That's why I said he "actually" made a good observation. He also said that Raye hasn't been an OC on any team for more than 3 years, and that's pretty telling.

We do pretty much agree on on the "O". I think the difference in Smith is that he had time to sit and learn in the last 2 years. I like the upside! Everybody seems to want to forget this kid hadn't played in a game in 2 years. He's looked pretty good considering. I think the new QB coach has helped big time too.

Hoferfan67, can I have some of the kool aid you're drinking? Or the bud you're smoking? I haven't been that high in a LONG time.

You are dreaming. Alex is not the answer. If Alex feels comfortable in THIS offense and blossoms in THIS offense then he is worse than I thought. Yes he did good in the drive before halftime, but this idiot Raye wont budge from his beloved vanilla flavored scheme. A qb has to be able to drop back and be accurate. Alex isnt and will probably never be. He made some typical Smith throws today. And a couple of good ones. But the jury is out and fifty fifty doesnt cut it anymore. Its easy to call good good and crap crap. And our O-Line D-line, QB's, Coaches, GM, O-Cord, and special teams (return game) are crap. The coaching decisions on this team are flat out embarasing. 1st hiring decisions. Joke! Offensive play calling decisions. Joke! Player cuts decisions. Joke! (look at our great kick return game).

GilroyAl,

"We do pretty much agree on on the "O". I think the difference in Smith is that he had time to sit and learn in the last 2 years. I like the upside! Everybody seems to want to forget this kid hadn't played in a game in 2 years. He's looked pretty good considering. I think the new QB coach has helped big time too."

Good observation you made above!

Too bad some of these posters on the blog only get personal and offer little to no analysis for their opinion. Typical, they need attention.

Damon Bruce is certainly not the "king of negative" when it comes to Singletary. On the contrary, Bruce routinely gushes and fawns over Singletary like a love struck teenager.

Even today, though he was tough on Raye, not once did he criticize the man responsible for hiring Raye as the OC.

Hofer. If you cant see that Sings raa raa method is over well then I have to drink what your drinking. Did I expect the Niners to make the playoffs this year? Hell yes I did. And they fooled me again. Holmgren coming in next year will turn this team around waaaaay faster than if we kept what we have now. I was on the "I WANT WINNERS" bandwagon. But whats real is real. I love my team. And I keep it real when they are crap. Real coaching makes adjustments in the football game. Not make a game plan and stick with it the whole game when its not working. Look at todays game for example. Manning was not his normal self today. We all seen it. In the second half you didnt see him throwing down the field like he was in the first half. Why? Because the niners defense was playing it perfectly and because the couple of chances he did have he missed badly. So what do the colts do? Came out and nickled and dimed us to death in the second half. And why were they able to? Because the niners stuck with the vanilla offense the whole second half which kept the Colts close. They knew damn well the niners were playing NOT to give up the big play. So they threw short on crossing routes, wr screens, rb fb out in the flats. What did we do offensivley? RUN UP THE MIDDLE, RUN UP THE MIDDLE, PASS ON 3RD. Wow what creativity. I dont know about you Homeboy, but I cant be a proud fan of that kind of idiotic play and play calling. Sing chose this guy, and is either to proud or to stupid to call this bum out. Either way Its unacceptable!

Raye hasnt adapted yet. He isnt going to. And if it takes another year of new coaches and a household proven head coach. Then hell yes I would do it. There are a couple of big names out there next year. That doesnt happen to often. Let me ask you. Are you willing to let that pass us by without trying to get one in here? Lets rewind. Our last two coaches. Were they offensive minded coaches? Nope. Where have the fortyniners struggled of late? Offense. If you Smith fans have any hope for Smith to ever be an elite qb in this league. You all better pray for Holmgren. About the playoffs if and thats a big if we make the playoffs it will be at what 7-9 OR 8-8? And a Cardinals collapse. If that happened thats not the positive turnaround I was waiting for. Get in because of a sub-par division. And then get rolled in the first game. Im sorry yall, but Im way tired of this brand of football. If I didnt have this passion then I wouldnt care.

I guess I'm feeling better about this teams progress. We scared the h_ll out of the Vikings a few weeks back, arguably one of the best teams the league(see Greenbay game). We scared the H_ll out of Payton today probably the best in the game... and come on most of us thought Manning would hang about 35 on us. The offensive line hung together for really the first time this year against a pretty solid Colts defense. Alex for his "first" start in 2 years played very well. Our hold out wide receiver is showing signs of real impact. And people are calling for Mike Martz? please tell me your kidding...Heck lets bring back Nolan while we're at it.
Hey this is a team obviously going in the right direction. Unlike what we've been watching the last 6 years. I don't think Ray is the best OC around but come on he's not working with the Steelers O-line he's got to work with what he has. If the niners draft a couple of stud O lineman next year and a stud pass rusher. Ray suddenly becomes a genius. So let's cut him some slack and be thankful the team played a h_ll of a game against a team that would have absolutely embarrassed them in the Nolan era.

You know. I am frustrated too. but I am also cautiously optimistic. This is the first full game all our playmakers were on the field, and we almost beat the best team in the league. In fact, we SHOULD have beat them.

With Arizona wetting the bed today, Why not still think playoffs? Alex Smith has been working with the first team for 1 week. Let's give the coaches a chance to realize that he's ready and can handle it. We have some winnable games coming up.

I know we aren't going to win the Superbowl. And I have never been a Jimmy Raye supporter. But now that they've seen what Alex can do with the pressure of starting a game and handling it, maybe just maybe they open things up a bit. And the defensive game plan was great. Look at it from the Coaches point... You do what you think the team can handle. I hope they look at he film and say "Hey... We can spread this out and let Alex work from the gun more... it's what he does well and the line plays better."

I'm gonna give them till the Chicago game before I throw in the Towel. I love V.D. and Crabs and Gore. I am starting to believe in Alex... If they put him in a spot to thrive.

Still shouldn't have had Nate returning punts. Bonehead move.

tough loss.....i believe......no need to panic

Do you still believe in Alex??

He was mediocre today, in the 2nd half he overthrew atleast 3 or 4 passes ala the old Alex

I do think that this team could very easily be 6-1 though... other than the beatdown delivered by ATL, all the losses have been tough losses in close games

The 49ers were competitive today against a team that was supposed to beat us convincingly. Loosing this game is bitter sweet. Greg Manusky and the defense did their homework and should be proud of their performance. Smith is starting to look like a starter to me. Is Smith the long term answer? Who knows, I guess it all depends on next years draft. There are going to be a few good QB'S out there. Maybe we end up with one of them. I hope we draft a monster pass rusher or make some drafts to help our O-line.

Top Cat - Raye CALLED no huddle for Alex??? He CALLED it???

uh....it was a no-brainer....It's almost as if the no-huddle offense is the standard thing to run in the NFL with a minute left in the half!! What a surprise!

Yeah, he "CALLED" it....but I want to see him running it during non-standard times, to get the D on their heels and tire the pass rush, as well as help get Alex in a good tempo and get the O clicking.

God forbid Raye do anything out of he norm!!!

Hey, it took the Colts a TRICK PLAY to score a TD on us, but hey....THEY DID IT and they SCORED! They added the wrinkle they needed and it worked!

Raye just sits back in predictability and plays into the defense! Opposing defenses thank us with the final score!

We may need a new OC again this offseason......

I remember people saying that we should put Crabtree on punt return a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, the real problem we have right now stems from the inexperience we have in the front office. McClueless was not ready for the job when it was handed to him. He is a scout, not a GM!!!

A real GM would never have our O- Line decimated like this. We never had an O- Line to start the season. We had all the cap space and never tried to sign a veteran healthy offensive tackle. We don't put any speed on our roster at all. None on offense or defense. We put band-aids on a few areas that have now fallen off.

Any team that has Barry Sims on its roster on the O-Line can't have a good O-Line.( He did play pretty well today) Isaac Bruce will not be a starting wide receiver next week. He leads the team in drops and he's not going to risk getting hurt for the team right now.

Nate returning punts is absurd! Every blue moon when we need a big play maybe, but the entire game?????? How about Brandon Jones fielding a punt at the 3 yard line?

It all falls on a front office who did a horrible job preparing an NFL team for a season. We need an experienced GENERAL MANAGER! PERIOD!!!

Let me get this straight; we go into the home field of one of the best teams in the league, limit one of the best QB's to no TD's, lose our best OLman, and have a chance at the end to win a game NO ONE outside this band of merry bloggers thought we'd win.

So the collected brain trust here has decided that everyone up and down the managment line should be fired, even though all week the big issue is we don't have an OL to do what we want to do.

Whatever. They lost a game they should have lost. They're not an elite team, so they lose to an elite team. What a shock. I thought the game was far better than I expected, and entertaining. And folks, this is entertainment.

While this loss hurts, I'm still optimistic about the 49ers making the playoffs. If not for a miracle in Minnesota this team would be 4-3. Not trying to make excuses here, but the 49ers lost to a team that has not lost at home in 16 straight games - and they almost broke that streak today! In the last 2 games, Alex Smith has shown poise and has shown his ability to throw some absolute lasers. The 49ers have seven very winnable games at home against Tennessee, Chicago, Jacskonville, Arizona, and Detroit and two road games at Seattle and St Louis. If Raye can grab his cajones and turn Alex loose, this team could very well end up 10-6 and in the playoffs. Have faith and just watch - Singletary will guide this team to the postseason!

Bummer about Nate and a bummer that we lost a close one again. Problem is that when you have stupid penalties, turnovers and your offensive line can't block worth a lick, you're gonna have a hard time winning against a very good team like the Colts.

I know some like to criticize Raye, but if our offensive line could get their protection issues solved, you'd see a lot less dump offs and a lot more down the field passing. Hill did the same thing and people wanted to blame his arm. Well Alex has to do the same thing because he's not getting the protection he needs and it was the same with Hill. Pretty simple really.

Overall, a lot of positives (especially the D!), but we have some serious work to do with this offensive line, mainly the guards...

Sure you don't want to blame the poor running game and playcalling on him too. It's also probably his decision to play Bruce instead of Jones as well. Maybe they could just tie both hands behind his back to make it a little more difficult for him to make plays.

You can't keep putting Smith, Hill or any QB in 3rd and long constantly and expect them to be good unless you're totally clueless.

Question: if you activate B Jones for the game and you don't really intend to play him at wide receiver why not start him returning punts since he has good speed????

Another positive -- the Tards lost as well! The division race is far from over.

The Niners performed better than expected. Lets face it no other team has beat the Colts this year. I expected a blow-out.

The defense played very well. Lots of different fronts.

I think our new passing offense will eventually open up the run. But Raye IS TOO PREDICTABLE and almost always runs on first down. I know it, you know it, so I'm pretty sure every defensive coordinator is going to play the odds and play the run on first down. Oh, and you can be sure it will be up the middle.

Here is another observation.... As soon as we go up on a team we stop attacking. He's complacent with a lead and tries not to lose the game rather than win it. That “try not to make a mistake play calling” usually goes only for a first down or two and put’s our defense back on the field to play the majority of the game. It’s a wonder that they held Manning to what they did.

Sorry Gents.,

But I am sick and tired of "fans" saying:

Fire the OC
Fire the HC
Fire the GM

Howabout we keep our traps closed for one night and reflect on the bright spots:

Progressing/Improving starting QB
Banged up OL but they did well considering)
Great group of WRs (not including Bruce)
Young WRs and a young QB that will be around for a while
We are still a young team top to bottom
Give this team, your team a chance to jell together, gain some continuity and than you will see them start winning some games.
I for one am not ready to throw in the towel like other "fans".
Don't lose the faith, faithfuls.

GO NINERS!!!

I'm not sure that's a positive... the only game I wanted the Tards to win all year (It costs us around 5 spots on that Carolina pick)... and with this offense we will not win it all anyways

53Niner,

why don't you go make some comments on the "sellout" blog. I am sure you know where it is as it seems that is what you have done.
Or maybe we should call you Isaac Bruce as you are now mailing it in when things look tuff!!!

you know with slotting draft pay still not approved in the cba, it might be good NOT to get such high draft picks. There is alot of talent all through the first round, it might be a good idea to retain BOTH 1st round picks. instead of trying to make them into more picks, the niners are only a few roster spots away from being a perennial playoff team.

ninermd; Would'nt miss you one bit if you jumped off the wagon!
It's always dissapointing when you lose a game you should have won. This loss reminds me a lot of the loss against the Vikings, which was one play away from winning. Hey, we went head-to-head with a team that could possibly be in the Superbowl and it took a trick play to beat us. I still believe that even with Rayes conservative play-calling we could finish at 8-8 and possibly make the playoffs. Unless Arizona runs the table the rest of the way we can still win this thing!

Gents, we have a very talented QB. This A. Smith kid can play. The only thing holding this kid back is the OC and HC.
Why on earth would you want to play smash mouth with the weapons the niners have? A.Smith is good!! Damn Good. The kid is very good. Let's spread it out a little and play to our QB's strengths and he will shine.

According to Purdy of the Merc. A. Smith called all of the plays during the 2 minute drill that resulted in the second TD. If that's the case, then Raye definitely needs to allow Smith to do so more often. I was giving Raye credit for opening it up before the half but i guess not. Either Raye or Singletary needs to be slapped for the pure vanilla extract, ultra conservative, predictable offense. I'm sick of the Nowin play no to lose mentality. We had the Colts where we wanted and loss by a trick play. As stated on here, maybe Norv will come back as our OC if the Bolts don't make the playoffs.

Oh and the run up the gut on first downs brings up nightmares about a certain ex "OC" by the name of Hostler.

ninermd; Would'nt miss you one bit if you jumped off the wagon!
It's always dissapointing when you lose a game you should have won. This loss reminds me a lot of the loss against the Vikings, which was one play away from winning. Hey, we went head-to-head with a team that could possibly be in the Superbowl and it took a trick play to beat us. I still believe that even with Rayes conservative play-calling we could finish at 8-8 and possibly make the playoffs. Unless Arizona runs the table the rest of the way we can still win this thing!$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ ALRIGHT!!! We can be called the San fransico almost 49ers. It was our coach that came out and said we were going to be special! Jump ship? Your a clown! This is not the raider organization. I am tired of hearing their famous line" wait till next year"! You tell me genius. What's holding this team back? I mean the way you sound we are world beaters. So who's to blame? You want to? My fanhood? Let me ? Your eyes and what your seeing. I can tell you it ain't winning football. No fan wants to say their team sucks. But sometimes you have to call it like you see it. Almost this almost that. Coulda shoulda woulda. That's the excuse for this season? Pathetic! You go ahead and be optimistic. I'll go ahead and be real. See y'all at theBears game I'm still going to. Bandwagon fan out! Lmao.

Seven years of non playoff poor football will brainwash you a bit. I guess. Woooo wait till next year guys. Woohoo! There am I a real fan now?

How come the 49ers got penalized for excessive celebration on the Davis TD when guys like Shawn Merriman and others do scripted routines?

The lambeau leap by multiple players isn't excessive? Flying chest bumps??
That penalty gave the GELDINGS and extra fifteen on the kick which lead to 3 points??

NFL refs are so INCONSISTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think you wanted to reply to AES, not me.

The problem with your thinking is that you're not always in a position to just go get the guys you want. The best determine where they want to go. Why did we get Raye? Lot's of reasons; some didn't want to come to a team with a losing record and little known talent. So we don't just decide who we want and go get them. You have to build up the value of the organization.

I think they're doing that now, but you have to have talent. Then you can leverage that. But if you're winning the coaches and management look good so its a moot point eh?

Jesus, some of you on here just need to relax. Take some Midol or something.

I'm not in the mood to talk about today's loss. All I will say is that if Coach Sing and Coach Raye pull their heads out of their asses and learn how to call plays, this team has a great chance of making the playoffs. That, however, is a big IF. And they better get it figured out before it's too late.

I just don't understand how they fail to make the necessary adjustments. How difficult is it to realize what works and what doesn't? The long TD drive, they ran a shotgun formation and drove straight down the field and into the endzone WITH EASE. Basically the same successful offense we saw in the 2nd half vs. Houston. Now look at the 3-and-out drives. I-formation, two short runs up the middle leading to a 3rd and long. I fail to comprehend how they aren't noticing a trend here.

Also, if we could establish an ignore feature for TOP_CAT and ninermd, I'm pretty sure 97% of the commenters here would be thrilled.

DAMON BRUCE??

He made a good point?

He couldn't make a good point with a file.

He's a freenkin CUBS fan so if anyone in the Bay Area knows about loosing it would be Damon..

But i bow to his extensive coaching background..

My bad your right. We do have some talent. Enough right now to lure in a big name coach I believe. Holmgren wants to be here. That's my opinion of course, but one I believe strongly in. Time will tell. If anyone knows this team outside the org. He would. Look guys. Raye isn't going to Change his playcalling period. I've seen the same posts on here week after week. If raye would do this and that. He hasn't. We had a chance to win today and because of his playcalling we didn't plane and simple. The o-line played pretty well today. We got hosed by our own guy in the booth. It's happened all year with this guy. He really must think we have the 90s Dallas o-line with emitt. I would like for once to hear coach sing call him out. Or raye taking the blame.

Hey ninermd, read the blogs more carefully next time. I can't let smokindoggies take a hit when I was the one who wrote you off. Call me an optimist but perhaps it has to do with the fact that our team talent level is much better then last years team. VD is having a pro-bowl season so far, M.Crabtree has improved our receiving corps in only two games, and OBTW A.Smith is forcing the offense to change its scheme. Also, if my team sucks, I will be the first to admit it. But other than 6 ugly quarters against the Falcans and the Texans, this team shows me the potential to make the playoffs. And if we do make the playoffs, I will be the person cheering in the bright RED and GOLD clown suit.

Jimmy Raye is a poor excuse for an OC. His poor play calling has cost the team at LEAST 3 games. There is just no spontaneity or originality to Raye's play calling. He is as predictable as a metronome. He is run, run, 3rd and long incomplete, punt. Until the Niners get someone who can call plays that deceive the defense and keep them on their heels, the Niners are doomed. There must be someone on the coaching staff that can do a better job of play calling than Raye!

Our Defense turned in a Heroic effort today keeping Manning from throwing even ONE TD pass! They beat us on a bunch of field goals and one trick play! Our offense played decent in the first half, but it looked like they made halftime adjustments to make sure that we would lose. Was Raye trying to kill clock at the beginning of the 3rd qtr?? WHY was he calling run plays when the running game was not working, and the shotgun was getting us yardage and succeeding? Raye just doesnt have the ability to call plays at the NFL level! The Offense BETRAYED the defense in this game. Manusky should punch Raye in the face after that pathetic offensive effort in the 2nd half. Our defense played their azzes off and Raye just did his run, run, incomplete, punt routine over and over again for the loss. The defense was playing great, but you can't expect them to play the whole second half and win the game too! The offense needed to do it's part. Pick up first downs and score points. Raye had no such plan. Raye is to blame for the Niner's tanking in the second half. Just like he tanked in other games, playing not to lose in stead of trying to win. The offensive players must be fed up with Raye and his terrible play calling! I know that the fans are sick of seeing the same crap over and over. If throwing from the shotgun was working, how about trying it a few times in the second half? How about running out of that formation to change things up? How about attempting a pass on first or second down every now and again to keep the defense guessing. If I can tell watching on tv what play the Niners are going to run, you can bet the Defense from the other team can too! When does Singletary make a move to pass the play calling duties to one of the younger coaches that will be more aggressive and unpredictable? How many games does Raye have to lose for Singletary makes a move and changes the situation? My 9 year old son could tell what the plays were when they lined up in the second half!! Come ON!!! Lets get someone who can call plays that my 9 year old SON can't easily figure out!!

Other than the offensive effort in the second half, the Niner's played good enough to win this game. The Niners defense was stellar! They played their guts out, only to have the offense betray them. Alex Smith looked pretty good. The interception was a high pass that got tipped up. That will happen sometimes. But overall he moved the team along good in the first half. Gore had his big run, and made a few other runs to keep the defense honest. Special teams were ok... I wish the Niners would have gone for it and played balls out on offense in the second half. Really tried to win the game, not just play it safe an play not to lose. More often than not, if you play not to lose, you usually lose...

Funny your little rant you just went on said the same thing Ive been saying. So include your name in there to. Way to come in and steal other peoples thunder and then put it down after saying the same thing. Lol. I'm not even going to get into it with ya bra.

Listen here "bra", I understand what you're saying and agree with many points you are making. But calling out other fans when you're the one who is throwing in the towel? We're not even halfway through the season, and you're already claiming we're done for and talking about the offseason. Sounds like YOU'RE the one saying "next year" not anyone else. Yes Holmgren would be nice, but I think you need a reality check. Unless we lose every game the rest of the season, Sing won't be fired, so get over it. I want to win as bad as anyone and whether or not you like Sing, we're stuck with him, bottom line. If you're frustrated I don't blame you, but try and have a more positive outlook. Every post you and TOP_CAT make, you guys just say the same thing over and over and over. OK brotato, we get it.

I knew there'd be a lot of "fire Raye/Singletary" after this one. We should have won this game...that makes three of the four losses very preventable. My solution isn't to bring Holmgren in...not that he'd be a bad fit, but those clamoring for a viable offense should look instead to Shanahan. Both guys are Walsh disciples, but Shanahan's the guy who could turn these close losses into wins. The defense is already near top ten...and that's without a top pass rusher. It's the offense that needs fixing...who better than Shanahan to do that. Look at his track record...great OL's, great RB production, imaginative offenses. Consider where we'd be in the standings right now if he was our head coach...

Isn't it about you guys manned up and admit you were wrong in supporting Jed & Scott's delusional standoff with Crabtree.

Image where we would be today if Crabtree had been signed for training camp. And all it needed was for young Jed to put his ego in his pocket and count wins over dollars.

Makes me sick even thinking about it.

Why Raye is a crap OC part 2:

http://www.mercurynews.com/49ers/ci_13692052?source=rss

Smith is a better play caller than Raye.

By the way, I'm getting really pissed reading every friggin' week that the Niners helmet radios stop working in the last 2 mins of every half. Isn't it about time that waste of a good suit Jed got on the phone to Goodall?

So everyone on here should all have the same opinion? Thats what it sounds like to me. Whats the point of an opinion? If they are all the same. Some of you guys take opinions so personal. We are all niner fans. This blog is always split. Thats the beauty of differant outlooks. If Raider or other teams fans were on here talking mess wouldnt that be cause for an uproar? Thats why I stay off of Yahoo. Holmgren has a great shot at fitting in here. Whether its GM or something else. But you cant argue that we have a bottom of the league offense, a losing record, a coaching staff that doesnt and wont make adjustments. A sliding defense. Yes we have talent,but the coaches are a part of the team also. Thats the problem I have with this team. We are 1 game better than last year with far more talent. Thats an improvment, but not good enough for me. With this talent and a good coaching staff that knows the xs and os of football. This team can be special. I thought thats what they were going to be this year. But all signs point to another disapointing year. You guys can sugar coat it all you want, but it is what it is. A real fan doesnt mean you have to always be positive and loveblind. Other teams like Philly, Pitt, NY, Dallas,and Green bay. their fans would be off the hook if their coaching staff coached like ours. Heads would roll. You cant say those arent real fans. I get to 3-4 games a year. The tix arent cheap. So if Im going to pay the coin they better put some winners on the field.

In my opinion the problem with our offense is this.

We do not play against our opponent we play against the score.

If we are in the lead we dont attack like we do when we are behind. That my friends is a formula for Failure with an F.

Until we can start showing that when we have a lead we are going to build on that lead, we wont have the success that wins Super Bowls.

We are the Hare in the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. When we get ahead we take a nap and then wake up to find we are behind again and don't have enough time to win.

Colts played a trap game and won. I'm sure they were looking past to the Houston game.. Winning ugly: the sign of a good team

Again, and every week until I'm proved wrong,...

"WE ARE NOT A RUNNING TEAM"

*sigh*

Listen whether we are built to run or pass it remains to be seen.

But I can tell you this... you wouldn't play A-Rod in the outfield when he is clearly an infielder. Our best chance to win is pass to set up the run.

I would say we are aligned with pre-season projections. We stole a game or two with the will to win and lost a game or two by not finishing due to MANY reasons. One I'm highlighting here, run run run is not getting it done.

Couldn't agree with you more....I admit that Smith had a mediocre day stat-wise but that Colts defense is tough and all things considered I think the only thing missing from his stat line was a W. If we had pulled out the victory with another long Gore run, nobody would be questioning Alex's play. They do need to cut out these delay of game penalties though...no excuse for that week in and week out. This is still the first half of the season and for once I would like to have some continuity on offense...not only personnel-wise but also next year as well coordinator wise. This is a very talented, young team and some consistency with the coaching staff, front office, and philosophy could do this team and its fans some good. Stop being so short-sighted and get off this fire Raye kick. His offense can and will be effective but they need to sort out this offensive line and bench Ike Bruce.

Also when the year began I never thought I would find myself considering our secondary being better off with Nate Clements being hurt. He seems to have lost a step and I am afraid that cashing in that big contract has taken some of his hunger for the game away. He is still great in run support but his pass coverage lately has been very Mark Romanesque. Honestly, I think even Roman has outperformed Nasty Nate. 80 million dollars sure doesn't get what it used to. If he goes on IR, his days in red and gold could be numbered.

Realfan, come on!!! I understand your point about how much more effective crabtree might have been if they had inked a contract in the offseason, however I completely disagree with your outlook! Jed handled the contract situation very professionally and the hold out was not to be blamed only on the niners. Secondly, most experts in the league agreed with the niners and felt crabs agent was being unrealistic with their request. Anyway my friend i am just glad he is producing so far.

Do you still believe in Alex??

Of course I do.....I was very impressed with his quick release.....and i love the fact he his gettin better at those high percentage passes (out to the sidelines)

I also believe in the team......we played a good game.....

you guys need to relax...

we are going to make it to the playoffs.....YES WE ARE

From - Peter King

Defensive Player of the Week

Aubrayo Franklin, NT, San Francisco.

Now, you look at Franklin's stat line -- three tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss -- and you say, "Come now. There had to be 75 guys in the league with better defensive days.'' Franklin's game is classic proof that stats for defensive linemen are 90-percent meaningless. Franklin was a regular in the Colts' backfield, leading San Francisco's stout front that held Indy to 61 rushing yards on 21 carries, a 2.9-yard average. "That's a great defense,'' said Joseph Addai afterward. It was led by a no-name noseman in his seventh year from Tennessee, with a surprisingly swift move, at 317 pounds.

15. San Francisco (3-4). A really impressive loss at Indy. When you lead for 41 minutes against the Colts, and hold Peyton Manning touchdown-less, you've done something. Not enough, but something.

"How come the 49ers got penalized for excessive celebration on the Davis TD when guys like Shawn Merriman and others do scripted routines?"

Because there were atleast 3 of them doing it, what did they expect. Morgan: catch a few more TD passes and get in there on your own, Rachal: please concentrate on your blocking moves not your dance moves.
This is one place we don't want to see teamwork, it'll be a penalty most of the time. To the Michael Jackson wannabes: do it on the sideline not the endzone. Game changer in the scoring dynamics in a close game!!!!
What a STUPID move?

re: Damon Bruce even dumb people can come up with good observations once in a while if you just listen.

Your absolutely right oneniner. We ARE going to make the playoffs. We are improving week after week now.

this is really going to hurt us when we face Fitzgerald and Boldin from Arizona again.

I agree with Terry. Jimmy Raye is stuck in the past. The offensive strategy simply doesn't fit the personnel. The other thing that might get Sing in some trouble is pure and simple bad coaching. 12 men on defense in a critical situation this week and a delay of game in a critical situation last week. There's no 2 ways about it, thats just bad coaching on the entire staff.

Alex played well after such a long layoff. He only had 3 or 4 errant throws. Unfortunately, one of those misfires came on a crucial 3rd down. Barry Sims who is probably my least favorite 9er, played well against a great pass rush.

Shawntae Spencer is having a pro bowl year in my opinion. He is really playing at a very high level. What a great suprise he has been this year. I wonder if he would have even gotten on the field if Walt Harris hadn't been injured.

I'm with Oneniner here - It was a rough loss, but the 49eres now control their own destiny to the Playoffs. AZ has one game up on us be we hold the head to head tie breaker and we get to play them at home. All we have to do now is keep pace with AZ and win our home game against them. Every single game from here on out is “winnable”. Kurt Warner looked 38 yesterday causing 5 turnovers. They were down right awful. Believe it or not gents, but the NFC West is ours to lose.

From the Mercury:
' "Last week, Raye had warned that Smith's three-touchdown performance in Houston had too many 49ers fans "thinking that we've discovered this new mecca or utopia kind of deal." '

Is that code for, "I don't care what Smith's strengths are; I'm going to call this game however I feel like."?

Not sure which is more asinine – Coach Sing having his franchise cornerback return punts and now he's out indefinitely, or when Coach Jim Fassel had his franchise cornerback, Jason Sehorn, return punts and he ripped his knee for a one-year vacation.

History repeats itself.

Franchise - Nate was benched last week!! He was not a starting cornerback for your San Francisco 49ers anymore. Did you notice our secondary had one of its best games yesterday? We kept the previously unstoppable Colts out of the end zone accept for a gimmick play. Would you rather have our $64 million dollar man keeping the bench warm and playing cheer leader or contributing on Special teams and punt returns? Our best cover corner is Spencer, hands down.

First, what a great road trip, Lucas Oil Field is the JEWEL of the NFL. St. Elmos was great and judging by the waiters smile the Baas Family Bill must have been pushing 3 grand. The 49ers played very well similar to the effort in Minnesota. Crabtree is open virtually every play. Alex Smith needs to look down the field more, he had several chances to make the final BIG Play to win the game. Smith played well but can play a lot better and will. His biggest advantage is his mobility, Hill would have been sacked 5+ times yesterday. Arizona left the door open for now with that loss.

I agree with you that Clements can no longer be called a franchise CB since he can't even hold onto his starting job. However, using him as a punt returner underscores the awful move to cut Rossum. Look at what has happened in the kicking game since Rossum was released. The muffed punt in Houston could very well have been the difference between winning & losing that game. Why cut a starting punt returner who has at least been average when you are overloaded at WR and have guys like Spurlock who can't even get on the field. It's obvious the 9ers had no real plan for a returner when they cut Rossum. Now a guy that definitely still had a role on defense may now be out for the year. Cutting Rossum was asinine no matter how you look at it.

Nothing like fan hysteria after a tough loss to make for riotous reading. You people act like children. Great game all around. Defense re-found its identity and swagger. Offense is a work in progress and was up against one of the best pass defenses in the league. Smith to Crabtree is looking very good. We're beginning to form an identity and looking like a complete team, not a ragged mess. Singletary is really molding this team into a winner. Mike in SF#2 is correct, we still control our destiny. AZ loss was huge. Winnable games coming up now to rediscover our winning ways. Go Niners!

Here are the facts: Win Sunday and we are in good shape. That puts us at .500 at the half way point, 8 games into the season. Our first half schedule was very tough. If you told me we could be a 4-4 team coming out of the first half, I would have being taken it. We have winnable games for the rest of the year and a much easier schedule. Our offense has a new QB, new RB (Since week 3), new #1 receiver, new RT, and new LT. That's brutal and almost unheard of in the NFL. Those are the 5 most crucial positions on offense. They will start to gel and start to learn to play together with practice and more games. When they do, we will be a better team. After our Chicago game next Thursday we essentially have a 2nd bye week with 4 days off. Come out of that game 5-4 and watch out for this team down the stretch. Again – lose this weekend at home to Tennessee and all bets are off.

To those of you calling for Bill Walsh Jr, i.e, Mike Holmgren.: are you daft? You want to bring in an authoritarian HC with a completely different system that would set the offense back 2 years while mastering it? Not to mention he would want GM duties... and is a lousy talent evaluator. I got news for you guys.. the true west coast offense doesn't exist anymore! and the best QB we have on the roster for it would be Shaun Hill... Thanks but I'll pass. We are tied to the digit system, like it or not.

Here's a word you all need to look up: CONTINUITY... That was our first game with all our skill personnel starting. It takes good teams a couple of years. We have had 6 quarters.

Also , anyone else ever mention that the Crabtree situation was botched should be banned from the blog out sheer of sheer stupidity.

Now relax, go do whatever it is you all do for a living for the next 4-5 days. and lets see where we are at after the Chicago game. My god... give the Offense more than 6 quarters to play together, before you start calling for mass firings and public stonings FFS. The funny thing is, had we lost 40-10, everyone would be "oh well... we never had a chance in this game... but good effort by the young guys"

Sing's been a head coach for what... 15 games? Think it would be ok to let the man learn a little on the fly? WOW...love to see what you all would have said if you were around for his "magical" 2-14 first year?

"Magical" 2-14 first year was a reference to Bill Walsh in above post

Just in case some of you missed this article.

http://www.stampedeblue.com/2009/11/...ters-more-from

Its funny to me,but it might upset some of you.

Dead Link, Aquafresh

i think some of you are being to hard on master Raye...

i thought sum adjustment were made on offense....i really can't recall much because of the hangover from the crazy halloween night....but i recall seeing sum screen plays we never ran before...

like Mike in SF#2 & Skeebers said "we still control our destiny".....

no need to panic...

this team is not good enough to celebrate. Coach, how about putting it to the player to just walk back to the huddle. After the team actually "wins" a game, then you can celebrate. these premature celebration has got to stop (VD should take some blame for the Morgan flag, Spencer in another game was flagged). Critical plays that could have turned both games around. I don't see Patrick Willis doing anything stupid after each fantastic play. He just does his job and let the film do the celebrating.

After you make a good play, just walk away. don't give the referees any reason to show that they are in charge.

Ronnie, I couldn't have said it better. I am disgusted by all these fair weather "fans"! What is it about continuity that people don't get?

Just a hint FWFs, the word comes from "continue". I hope you can figure it out from here.

http://www.stampedeblue.com/2009/11/2/1110907/lambasting-the-cheaters-more-from

See if this works..sorry

Sorry,try this

http://www.stampedeblue.com/2009/11/2/1110907/lambasting-the-cheaters-more-from

http://www.stampedeblue.com/2009/11/2/1110907/lambasting-the-cheaters-more-from

http://www.stampedeblue.com/2009/11/2/1110907/lambasting-the-cheaters-more-from

According the NFL rulebook: No player may may go to his knee or to the ground while celebrating. Josh Morgan went to his knee to pretend to take snapshots of Vernon. That's why the flag was thrown.

Stupid rule, but by the letter of the law, it's a penalty and was last year too.

Wow, sorry about the multiple posts but I kept getting errors from the server when trying to post the link.

If one wants to lay blame for a vanilla offense, the buck stops with Sing. Raye has been studying game film for 30 years and probably forgot more about playcalling than the sum total of posters on this thread. He's doing what the HC is telling him to do...run the clock by calling runs, avoid turnovers, keep the game close, play field position. Not that I agree with that philosophy, I'd prefer a more aggressive approach. Spread it out and and keep the D guessing. How about attacking the opposition? The D is doing its job, I've rarely seen Manning with more 3 & outs, in fact many of his throws looked a little "Alex-Like"...off target. Having said that, the team is showing it can play with the top teams and all the remaining games on the schedule are winable. Looking at the schedule at the start of the season you could pretty much forecast losses against ATL, Indy, and Minny so the only thing unexpected was a loss to Texas and the closeness of the defeats except ATL, they just had our number. I'm gonna keep rooting for a playoff spot. We should continue to get better if the injuries don't kill us.

Interesting read, Doc. Not sure if they were cheating, since I didn't watch the game (just followed it on this blog while working on something else), but if injuries were faked, I would think a penalty should be applied as in (non-gridiron) football, treating it as unsportsmanlike conduct, so a warning with a penalty, or ejecting the player from the game after multiple offense, would seem appropriate.

Good posts by oneniner. I knew you could do it! ;-)

Alex and the offense looked really good in the two-minute offense we used to score before half-time. Hopefully Jimmy takes that knowledge and incorporates it into a real spread attack.

Sucks about Nate, but Sing is clearly trying to find the right person for the job. I'm fine with that.

Big wins and big losses are about players. Close games win or lose are much more about coaching. In our two close losses (Minnesota & Indy) I think its clear we were out coached.

Oneniner, I give you a lot of crap but your posts in this thread have been good. Peter King can be a d-bag but he knows his football.

Our offense looked REALLY good in the two-minute offense we used to score at the end of the 1st half. Hopefully Jimmy incorporates that into the regular offense.

Sucks about Nate, but I'm ok with Coach Sing trying to find the right fit for that job. The Houston game showed that its a pretty important one.

Oneniner, I give you a lot of crap but your posts in this thread have been good. Peter King can be a d-bag but he knows his football.

Our offense looked REALLY good in the two-minute offense we used to score at the end of the 1st half. Hopefully Jimmy incorporates that into the regular offense.

Sucks about Nate, but I'm ok with Coach Sing trying to find the right fit for that job. The Houston game showed that its a pretty important one.

And the multiple post bug bites me as well...Sorry, folks.

Now you are preaching about continuity? Where were you last March when Singletary fired Martz for no good reason. How come continuity at the offensive coordinator position was not important back then.

Jimmy Raye has turned out to be exactly what many of us thought he was. Singletary hired him, Singletary has to accept responsibility for his performance.

Yesterday was the second fantastic defensive performance this year which was wasted due to Raye's incompetence. With Martz as OC this team would be 5-2 right now.

AHHH Who were the Craphawks before Holmgren? Who were the Packers before Holmgren? Who was Favre before Holmgren? Who was Hasselback before Holmgren? Who would the Niners be with Holmgren? A coachimg staff that would be far better than what we have now. You say it would take two years to be good. Where we are now with these two so-called good coaches. It doesnt matter if its 7 games into the season. You can tell good coaching right off the bat. You have sing who doesnt have the knowledge to out think other coaches, and an o-coord that is 20 years behind and cant or wont adjust to this offense. Its been all year so far this guy hasnt adjusted. What the hell makes you think he is now? Untill this dude gets some pressure from the front office it aint gonna happen. If you would really keep these two over Holmgren then you really must be use to losing.

I am disappointed that the Panthers won and if that makes me a sellout I don't care... its a long season and that game shouldn't be the reason why the 9ers win or lose the division... If they win the games they are supposed to win the rest of the season... all the home games and the divisional road games... they will make the playoffs no matter what the Cards do

Many people were doubting them making it at 10-6 but you know the teams in the east are gonna beat themselves up and atleast one of the eagles, giants, or cowboys will falter and end up 9-7.

For the Raye defenders, I have a question. Is there any scenario in which you would question Raye? Sure we played really well and almost beat an elite team. Am I supposed to, as a fan, kick back with a smile of satisfaction that we almost beat them when it looks quite clear that the team is being held back by poor coaching, specifically, Raye?

I want improvement from the players AND coaches. It’s been pointed out that Raye’s conservatism is more obvious when we are ahead. There is no aggressiveness. The playing not-to-lose philosophy usually nets…a loss!

It is not the percentage of run/pass, it is the time and situation when the plays are called. Take for example the 2nd half Sunday. After Indy’s first series, in which they settled for a field goal, we had a 14-12 lead. Did anyone out there feel secure with that lead? Did anyone doubt that Indy was going to score again?

Here are the 1st down plays Raye called while we were ahead in the 2nd half:

at SF 22(Run formation) F.Gore up the middle to SF 24 for 2 yards
at SF 34(Run formation) F.Gore up the middle to SF 33 for -1 yards
at SF 44(Run formation) A.Smith pass incomplete short left to I.Bruce
at SF 20(Run formation) F.Gore left tackle to SF 23 for 3 yards
2nd and 7 at SF 23(Run formation) M.Norris left guard to SF 23 for no gain

I included the 2nd down play because when I saw it, I simply could not believe it. Running Norris on 2nd and 7 just off the center was not going to work but 1 in 20, I mean, come on.

After Indy takes the lead, it’s the fourth quarter, and I would expect more passing. Here’s what he ran after they took the lead:

at SF 21A.Smith pass incomplete short left to I.Bruce.
at SF 32A.Smith pass deep right to I.Bruce pushed ob at IND 48 for 20 yards
at IND 48F.Gore up the middle to IND 41 for 7 yards
at IND 33A.Smith pass incomplete short left to G.Coffee
at SF 6F.Gore up the middle to SF 6 for no gain
at SF 11A.Smith pass short right to F.Gore to SF 18 for 7 yards
at SF 18A.Smith sacked at SF 18 for 0 yards
at SF 35(Run formation) A.Smith pass incomplete short right to M.Crabtree.

And where was the shotgun? I am not expecting that they can run it on every play. I am not expecting that we are going to have a full on 24/7 college style spread offense. Of course not. But Smith excels when he can see all of his receivers off the line. The reasons that they might lose games that they **could** have one should not be ignored. How on earth do you improve otherwise?

I sincerely hope that Singletary is not so stubborn that he cannot see that the “we are a running team” mantra is not accurate, practical, and will cost them games, and yes, possibly any travel plans come January.

The coaching has to improve.

I am a fwf huh? Are you guys serious? Listen to some of the excuses on here. We are improving , continuity, almost won? WHAT? You guys are all excited about an almost win? Get real. 3-4 thats our record. Thats a sub-par record thats not a good team. Almost wins dont count. If they did then we better give the Bangels two Super bowl wins, because they almost beat us. Stop with the excuses. You want to hang your hat on the playoffs because of a week schedule? We have won againts crappy teams the past couple of years now. Name a playoff team a big game we have won this year. We havent in since 02. And we are improving? Tell me where the niners are improving? Oh thats right we are barely losing to good teams now. Im a fairweather fan? Sorry I still sport my gear, my garage is still full of niners stuff, my truck still has the niners logo on it, and I will still be at the games this year and watching them on tv with knots in the stomach. I am willing to go down with the ship, apparently some of you are going down on the titanic with buckets. You guys sound like Raider fans. Blind to the fact that your team just isnt good enough. And Oregon. Do you even get to watch any of the games up there? Because I dont know what team your watching. So answer the question "real niner feans" How has this team improved so much? Because in the football world WINS are what counts. Not ALMOST! Maybe some of you guys need to call DR Heiber for an eye check. 7 years of losing football. Now we are at 3-4 and we have improved. LOL KEEP IT REAL YALL

Why doesn't 49ers use the shotgun? Alex Smith seems more comfortable throwing and operating from that position.

Rick, most of the time I agree with you but your read on Martz is off. Singletary did the correct move - Martz was arrogant, started "his" guy JTO, never really had any competition in TC for QB's, Singletary told him to replace JTO with Hill, and lastly, Martz is looking for a HC role.

In terms of Raye, he has been very good for Alex Smith. Smith has improved under Raye, looks better than he was in 2006. Raye uses the "digit system" that Norv Turner used, thus the continuity that Ronnie Lott above posted is right on.

I agree that the play calling at certain times is very conservative. This is probably because Smith has had only 1 week with the 1st team. Let's play this out til end of year and see how they progress. MS would not replace Raye now anyway so let's just see.

In terms of MS, I thought 9ers moved too quickly to hire him. Shanahan was available 2 weeks later. Now that MS has proved to make changes when necessary, I say let's see how he plays out the rest of the year. If the calls on offense at critical times don't get better, then OC may need to be changed to QB Coach Johnson and keep Raye as advisor role. MS and coaches are doing a good job with defensive side, just needs more time with Smith at QB and for OL to get healthy and beef up in draft.

...damn dude.....i can't even keep up with your rants.....

and you are in maryland?....What if you were actually in san fra......

you know you can always root for the ravens - :)

MM, does Jason HIll have any experience returning kicks/punts? Seems like a waste since he isn't getting much playing time. Also, he has played well on ST in the past.

Niners played a great game, its a shame that they didn't do more to take it into their hands when they had momentum in the 3rd.

Positives:
Niners Defense looked like the great defense that started the year again. Got more pressure on Manning than any other team has had the ability to all season.
Smith did a decent job especially when they opened things up at the end of the half.
Sims did a good job replacing Staley and kept Freeney at bay.
Special teams did a better job than they have been doing in punt and kickoff coverage. Almost had a great turnover on that first punt.

Negatives:
Special teams was awful in the return game. We started a lot of drives inside our own 20 unnecessarily. Starting position potentially played a role in how conservative Raye called the 3rd quarter.
Bruce was weak. I haven't been harsh towards him as I felt it might be better to have his leadership in there rather than turning loose with two young wr, but he totally phoned this game in. Had multiple drops from sheer lack of effort and was even more of a flopper to avoid the hit than usual, big disappointment that helped us get nothing out of a few key downs when we especially needed it.
Raye did open up a bit more with Smith, but the opportunity was there to keep it going and we shut down. Zero imagination in the 3rd quarter with a lead everyone knew wouldn't hold up against the Colts. Colts were able to close out the final 5+ minutes because our defense had been on the field so long due to inept offensive drives... 3 and outs have got to stop! And where was the PA deep pass? Seems like we conservative-d it up enough to set it up and then we never pulled it out?

Peter King calls this a moral victory? Go ask the niner players about moral victorys.Ask if they feel good about moral victorys. And almost wins.

Now that you've digested the fact that 3-4 is not a winning record, Ninermd, move on a bit and try digesting the fact that there are 9 more games left this season. All four of our losses have been to teams who will most likely be in the playoffs this year. In the next 9 games, only the Eagles and AZ qualify as certain playoff hopefuls. And I know that this is a tough concept for your ranting, raving, defeatist nature, but WE are one of those teams who are STILL is the playoff hunt. How many times are you going to throw in the towel this year? Shall we keep track of your whining hopeless rants? Not that we'd want you to O.D. on crow later on, or laughed out of town, but these silly posts of yours certainly tempt a fellow toward retributive desires.

Arizona Cardinals....last year's NFC champion and NFC West champion. Last time I saw, we opened the year with a win. But anyways, I am sick of hearing you fans that go on these rants talking about Iwant Iwant Iwant...Iwant progress Iwant accountability Iwant you to stop whining. Have some patience for once in your pathetic life. It is frustrating to see delay of game penalties and 12 men on the field penalties...but it happens. There is no way you can argue that this team is a terrible team. They have some talent and they have some holes and a lack of depth. The future is bright though and for those of you who want to fire Raye then please understand what another playbook switch does to the whole offense and most of all the QB who has had to learn 6 different systems in 6 years. Changing the O-coordinator is not the answer, but having some patience and allowing players not only to know and learn an offense but to master it is beneficial to everyone. We may or may not make the playoffs this year but really next year is where I saw this team coming together. There is a chance this team can still be special if everything comes together but next year will be our time to shine outright.

Regardless of how they feel about a moral victory, it is encouraging to play an undefeated Colts team that is on top of thier game with one of the greatest QB's of all-time and keep it respectable as a .500 team who is up and coming. Don't forget we took the amazing Favre Vikes to the limit too. We lack depth but we have some talent....the sky is not falling!!!

Given all of Martz's issues, it still did not make sense to start fresh with a new OC for the seventh year in a row. If Singletary was a turely a great leader, he would have been able to harness Martz's good qualities while keeping the "Mad Mike" persona in check. You just don't give up on a proven offensive mind because he is arrogant.

With all due respect, Raye is the worst kind of Corodinator for Smith. Smith does best from a shotgun / spread formation, while Raye prefers a under center passer. Smith would have flourished a lot more in a wide open Martz offense.

I also think you are too harsh on Martz about JTO. Smith was still hurt in TC and Hill had not yet grasped the Martz offense. JTO was the only logical choice at the beginning of the season. Once Singletary replaced JTO with Hill, Martz was still able to generate a better offense the rest of the season than Raye has been able to so fat this year. Singletary would never have got the job it it was not for Martz's creative play calling.

Let me ask you a bottom line question: Do you disagree with me that the Niners would be 5-2 today if Martz had been OC. Please give it some thought and give an honest answer regardless of how you may feel about Martz's arrogant personality.

Hang in there with us ninermd. This isn't the Terry Donahue or Rollin Nolan era. We gave the Colts, a top-shelf NFL team, a game till the bitter end. Every DC in the league will be watching tape of Manusky's clever 3-4 standup scheme. We befuddled Manning for the first time this year, save his stroke of genius playcall of the option throw to Addai.

9er fans should be patient for what? Patient before we criticize the team for bone-headed moves? Fans don't control anything. It's not like we can fire a coach even if we think it's the right thing to do. Jimmy Raye was a terrible hire for OC. That statement can be clearly backed up with statistical facts. He's running an 80's LA Rams or Tampa Bay Bucs offense for the 2009 49ers. Jimmy Raye is not the answer. Mike Martz was not the answer. Jim Hostler was not the answer. How long exactly would you guys like to be patient before you think it's ok to criticize the organization?

Based on the schedule, I still think the 9ers have a good shot at the playoffs. The only way we make the playoffs though, is if our defense can make up for some of our offenses shortcomings.

Rick, thanks for the response/analysis and not the personal rant many on this blog resort to. In terms of your question, my question back to you is what would have happened if we waited on hiring Singletary and we hired Shanahan after he was let go from Denver? Change of scenery for Shanahan could have been re-vitalizing for him and the 9ers. But yes, Martz seems to adjust during game better than Raye right now.

Thing is, we have Singletary and I like the changes he's made and I like what he said at the press conference. He said there is a trust factor with Smith and Raye - now they need to utilize what Smith does best. The change from Hill to Smith is night and day different. If Raye continues to stick to game plan and doesn't adjust to score, etc during the game, QB coach Johnson should take over.

And your proud of a team that has a weak schedule and might make the playoffs? Thats lost to every playoff team so far? Way to aim hi buddy. You dont want to except the truth. Thats fine. But still answer the question. Where has this team improved? Yeah and the four losses are againts playoff teams. Thats my point! What do you get out of moral victorys? Way to root for your team. WOOOHOOO WE ALMOST WON YEAH! Moral victory champions YOUR SAN FRANSICO 49ERS! Cant wait to hear the excuses when we dont make the playoffs with these coaches. Injuries will be your excuse! Ill see you in the moral victory playoffs. Your parents must have been proud of youe 8th place moral victory ribbon that you won as a kid. This is America. You dont want to hear it. Hit the road Jack.

Rick, thanks for the response/analysis and not personal rant that many resort to on this blog. Regarding your question, let me say this, what would have happened if the 9ers waited a few weeks before hiring Singletary and were able to hire Shanahan after he was let go in Denver. What would our record be? But yes, Martz seems to be better adjusting to the score, situations, etc, during the game than Raye.

But I like what Singletary said during the press conference. He said there is a trust factor with Raye and Smith. They want Smith to be given the best chance to succeed. Staley being hurt, playing a good DL, etc, may have kept Raye on the conservative side. They don't want Smith hurt throwing on every down. But like I said, Singletary is making changes and if Raye doesn't get better with game plan and adjustments during game, we may see QB coach Johnson taking over at OC.

Rick, thanks for the response/analysis and not personal rant that many resort to on this blog. Regarding your question, let me say this, what would have happened if the 9ers waited a few weeks before hiring Singletary and were able to hire Shanahan after he was let go in Denver. What would our record be? But yes, Martz seems to be better adjusting to the score, situations, etc, during the game than Raye.

But I like what Singletary said during the press conference. He said there is a trust factor with Raye and Smith. They want Smith to be given the best chance to succeed. Staley being hurt, playing a good DL, etc, may have kept Raye on the conservative side. They don't want Smith hurt throwing on every down. But like I said, Singletary is making changes and if Raye doesn't get better with game plan and adjustments during game, we may see QB coach Johnson taking over at OC.

Rick, thanks for the response/analysis and not a personal rant that many resort to on this blog. Regarding your question, let me say this, what would have happened if the 9ers waited a few weeks before hiring Singletary and were able to hire Shanahan after he was let go in Denver. What would our record be? But yes, Martz seems to be better at adjusting to the score, game situations, etc, during the game than Raye.

But I like what Singletary said during the press conference. He said there is a trust factor with Raye and Smith. They want Smith to be given the best chance to succeed. Staley being hurt, playing a good DL, etc, may have kept Raye on the conservative side. They don't want Smith hurt throwing on every down. But like I said, Singletary is making changes and if Raye doesn't get better with game plan and adjustments during game, we may see QB coach Johnson taking over at OC.

WEAK! Oneniner you dont care about the team. Stick to all you care about ALEX SMITH. And the conversations about him. Your name has a meaning ONENINER meaning Smith. Thats all your in love with. Dont try to attack people to get liked. Nobody cares about you,so quit trying to get in with the in crowd. Your a quote thief. Try coming up with your own knowledge instead of a sportswriters to make yourself look good. Your posts are all about sportswriters opinions, try looking up the players opinions on losing. They arent as happy as you all are about losing close games and moral victorys. Ill talk to you when your boy Alex chokes or does well.

I'd like to step in on this one. I don't see us with an improved record if Martz were the OC. I'm of the opinion that he has his way of offense and he'll force-fit players into his way, not attempt to utilize the strengths of his players. Don't take this as support for Raye; Sing tried to do better and was rejected. He's the one that was willing to stick with JTO, fumble, after funble. Without Sing's intervention our record last year would have been worse.

Pfft. If Martz were still OC, we'd still be talking about Vernon Davis being a bust still. And we'd be 2-5. Maybe 1-6 considering Gore wouldn't have had the type of game he did against Seattle.

I'm also convinced most of the critics here are closet Al Davis fans since they think like him. Go back to Oakland with your "quick fix" mentality. I'll focus on patience. Right now, my focus is on the offensive line. Either it be the problem of the players or the problem of the OL coach (I'm leaning towards the latter), this is the primary issue.

Bottom line- No, Raye isn't the problem here. We simply aren't at the level yet where teams have to respect what we do and what we can do because we haven't done it long enough yet.

There is room for improvement, personnel and execution could both get better. Yeah we tend to be predictable- but u know what? So were the 49ers of the winning era, but no one could stop them. Once our offense executes consistently better with the plays we have, you can start blaming the OC. But until we prove that yeah we can actually run between the tackles consistently, or that we can beat the 8-man box with consistent throws from our QB and catches from our receivers, forget it.

There's no gimmicky play call Raye can make that will somehow make the offense formidable. Nor will going into the 2-minute offense throughout the game somehow make us a kick-ass team. I guess many of you forgot how our defense was on the field 80% of the time last year because Martz's genius offense was doing so well. Well go back and check exactly how are offense was ranked with Martz and how our defense was ranked (because of Martz) and then tell me how we were a better team for it.

We make way too many mistakes from our personnel out there to be blaming any of this shit on the OC. Why don't you ask Morgan to stop blowing it every week with his game-changing drops and penalties? How about old man Bruce actually caring out there or just plain catching the damn ball? Oh, maybe Rachal could actually block someone on those runs instead of getting spun around.

Vernon Davis has somewhat figured it out this year. He's not dropping nearly the balls he used to and he's actually making plays. But you know what? Even he still needs to learn how to run routes properly on blitzes and how to run with the ball instead of dropping on the first sign of contact like he just got a phantom cramp (yes, I did just go there). The rest of the offense hasn't quite figured it out yet.

Finally, there are some plays we simply can't call right now because we're not there yet. We would all love to see them mix in a few more screen passes but our QB still needs to learn how to throw them and our offensive line still needs to learn how to execute a basic screen. Throwing short to intermediate passes to Gore would be great as well but you know what? On passing plays, we can't afford to have Gore running routes because our O-line can't block for more than 1.5-2 seconds.

Do you sense a theme here? Maybe if we fixed our O-line, those senseless runs up the middle might actually work! Oh, and maybe we can open up our offense on passing situations as well since our QBs would have time to throw the ball and our RBs can actually run patterns instead of staying back to help.

The only thing I can point out in terms of a change (and really, what do I know) is that perhaps it's time to rethink whether we want to go back to using a full-time full-back on offense instead of throwing Delanie Walker as an extra TE out there all the time. I understand he's able to stretch the field and really he is sort of a freak out there with his size and speed downfield, but he hasn't quite gotten open much this year, probably due to pass-protection breaking down consistently. I really thought with him and Davis out there at TE that we would pose significant match-up problems for defenses. But it hasn't quite worked out that way with Delanie. How about getting Norris back out there full-time to support our running game and pass-protection? Maybe you swap Norris for Delanie on 3rd down and longs? Something to consider.

Real niners fans cant critisize their team. You arent allowed to be frustrated about poor play and coaching. You have to be optimistic about how this team has improved with a losing record. Or your not a real fan. If anyone wants to pay my way for games and partys and gear that i spend money on. Then hey Ill be optimistic with ya. If its free Im with your opinions. Houston watch what you say man. You have to believe in this coaching staff we have.

Dude Jared Allen goes to his knees after every sack with his stupid celebration, never gets a flag...is that not "to the letter of the law"...don't try to answer questions you have no idea about!

..lol...dude - why pick on me?.....wht did i say now?....:)

i don't care about your rants, i do find it entertaining.....

more power to you bro..

...fire them all, new coach, new everything next week.........i say we even get a new janitor at the niner stadium ...lol

...Dude - why pick on me?..lol.....what did i say now?..:)

more power to you bro......you can go nuts as much as you like....i am for freedom of nutness...

lets just fire the coaches and everyone...lets bring in a new janitor for the stadium too...:)

Maybe we should take your advice...it's worked for Snyder and the Redskins - changing coaches every year and throwing money at the problem. :)

AND I want you to stop making excuses for these coaches. 7 years isnt enough patiance? Losing football for 7 years is old. I know you must be a new fan, but damn 7 years of the same thing every year I would think wears on you a bit. A nd again how has this team improved so far? You want to go through another year of vanilla offenseive play calling? Not me! Our offense has been bottom of the league for years now. If it takes another year with a real oc to get it right Im in. Can it really get worse than it is right now? And besides these guys are use to it. They are the masters of adapting. Sounds like your than one thats upset. Ill put my frustration on the team, not poeples opinion. Has anyone answered how this 3-4 team has improved yet? Maybe some of you new fans have a little more in the optimistic tank then I do, but 7 years of patience is gone. I WANT WINNERS! Sound familiar? And with these coaches unwilling or unable to grow and change their run first philosephy. WE ARENT IMPROVING! DEAL WITH IT.

Ninermd, criticism is fine. You never criticize, though. That would take having something knowledgeable to say, which you never do. You just rant and rave about everyone being losers and people who have not given up on the team you call people who accept losing. That is not criticism. It is baloney. You are the loser. A guy who quits and blames. A guy nobody wants in the foxhole with them. A guy who is a crybaby, a blamer, and a loud mouth name caller. You have not made one intelligent statement about football in your whole life. When we win, you come in here and try to be cute. When we lose, you rant at the team and everyone who disagrees with you. You say we have not improved. That is not supported by fact. The past six years, after seven games, we were out of contention, losing by blowouts, and usually having about a 2-5 record or worse. This year, we have the best defense we have had in ten years, have a 3-4 record, are competitive to the wire with even elite teams, are in contention for a playoff berth, and getting better each week. Since you don't grasp these FACTS, I again imply strongly that you, sir, are a blithering idiot.

Actually, MD, we HAVE improved. Our defense is better. VD is playing better. Our WRs are better with #15 now.

But that's not enough, if you don't have the horses up front. Its the O-Line where McCloughan has failed. And in the NFL, you often go only as far as your O-Line can take you.

And if this doesn't get fixed this off-season, there should be torches and pitchforks converging on Trigger's office down there in SC.

Upshot? With a good Offensive line, this team would be 5-2 or maybe even 6-1. Its the glaring weakness that is holding us back.

I think the majority has spoken. NinerMD is a fwf!!!

Just because you buy Niner gear and go to their games doesn't make you a fan. I drive my car everyday, but I am not a Nascar driver. Real fans can critic their team, but do it in a positive way. You are not doing this. You are foaming at the mouth with hatred that makes no sense. You may have stuck with the team for the last 7 years as you say, but I have been with them for the last 28 yrs. (I am 31 yrs old). Sorry, my dad is a Dallas fan and I didn't understand what the NFL was about before than. I am not a fwf. I stick with my team whether they are losing or winning.

P.S. Ninermd, I cannot watch the team play on tv as I don't have DirectTV because I cannot afford it. I listen to the games on the radio. It takes more of a fan to listen on the radio than to go to the game. Believe me!

Did anyone find Tim Ryan so biased in his game calling that they had to check to see if we were watching the same game? What a Idiot that guy is? I know the COLTS are good but the way we played made them look very average to say the least.

No, Raye isn't the problem here.

No, he is not THE problem. But he doesn't get a free pass either. There is room for improvement for the players AND coaches.

As for execution, is it just me or does the "we just need to execute" line get overused? I mean seriously, if you just execute on the run plays, you could just execute your way all the way down the field, every time, and into the end zone.

The point is that execution of plays is never going to work all the time due to the other team. Never. Just saying they just need to execute better is ultimately just an generalized excuse that doesn't address what other problems there are.

The problems with the 9ers go beyond execution. We will not see a great OL this year. This makes it even more imperative that the play calling use plays that the players have the best chance at "executing" -- that includes some aggression when you are ahead. What, exactly is there too lose?

Here is the answer to your question about defense being on the field under Martz vs Raye. Be prepared for a surprise:

Average Time of possession for SF:

2008: (16 games): 29 Minutes 30.68 Seconds
2009: (Through 7 games): 29 Minutes 5.56 Seconds

Sometines Sandip reality trumps preception. No our Defense was NOT on the field 80% of the time last year.

But I don't want to get into a protracted argument on this subject. I never have been a great fan of Martz. I am a WCO fan, and Martz comes from the Coryel / Gibbs style of offense. My only point was that Martz appeared to be the lesser of two evils when compared to Raye.

Raye's history as an offensive coordinator is available for all to see. Singletary should have known better.

dude...I'm reading the actual rule right now. during celebrations. the technical term they use is "leaving the feet" i.e. the kneel.

It's widely known the league is very liberal about sack dances (as long as the player isn't directing it towards the opposition) and specifically mention the lambeau leap as being acceptable. Do I think it was stupid call? what do you think?

and yeah.. Jared Allen does "leave his feet" after every sack. but according the actual rule, it was a penalty on Morgan. don't believe me? ask MM

no apology needed, just learn to research before you post next time... k?

The 9ers defense is very good. They haven't kept the team in every game this year but they are doing a good job against good teams.

The 9ers offense is atrocious. They are ranked 26th in the league in yards per game. They are ranked 29th in the league in converting 3rd downs. Here are a few teams who convert 3rd down attempts at a higher rate than the 9ers: Oakland, Washington, Tampa Bay, Saint Louis. I'd say there's definitely room for criticism on the offensive side of the ball.

49erfeverforever: psst... there is this website called NFL.com

and on it, they have this thing called "NFL Rulebook"...

and in there, they have these things called "Rules"

Seriously... I am not making this up!

as to your Jared Allen point.. you're absolutely right. but they specifically mention the "Lambeau Leap" as being ok, and also I think they called it because Morgan didn't score on the play. They alway let the guy who scores jump up and dunk on the goalpost, right? I bet if one of Jared Allen's teammates came over and did the dance with him, they would call the penalty.

I thought Ryan was fine...it was Sam Rosen that was killing me. His voice raised a few octaves every time the Colts made a good play.

Since you think a player can be subpar ie: not good enough talent wise or doesn't execute well enough, why don't you think a coach can be subpar??????? You don't really think all coaches are equal and do great jobs do you????

We all know there are good, mediocre and poor coaches. There just might be a good reason Raye's never been an OC with any team longer than 3 years and none of his teams have made the playoffs. You really want nothingless than a good OC coaching a relatively young inexperienced offense like the Niners.

Interesting look at TOP this year vs. last year. I would say this year is obviously directly related to our offense 3 and outs where last year had the "bend but don't break" philosophy employed early on where our defense was keeping itself on the field for long stints. Martz' offense biggest trouble was consistency. We'd string a couple of good plays together but then hand the ball over with a turnover in the red zone. Singletary wanted to dump it because you can't consistently coach an offense with a fuse. How do you determine if you are improving when one week things look good and the next week they blow up in your face even though you are running the same thing?
"is it just me or does the 'we just need to execute' line get overused? " Probably, but it is applicable here. It's a copout when teams are consistently getting beat by the other teams on the play, but applicable when a team is committing a lot of unforced errors. The Niners are a young, promising, but still immature and growing team. At times earlier in the year they were getting blown up by the other team on consecutive predictable plays to end up in 3rd and longs. Yesterday, some of the third and longs and bad field positions were caused by poor execution and penalties on our own part.
"...reading the actual rule right now."
Segueing on actual rules... isn't the actual rule that an elbow on the ground = runner is down? Crabtree's fumble may not have had a knee down, but his elbow was definitely down and I thought the reason for the challenge.

I get what you're saying Tele! What I mean is the Bears supposed "great" offense that won them one SB in the 80's because half the teams in the league, including Walsh's team, had long lines of injured players! To prove it, what happened to the Bears and Ditka after that year when they played the 49ers under Walsh and Siefert? Ditka even ended up hitting a 9er fan with his gum after one game!
This Singletary-Raye recreation of the Bears lousy offense with the midget McMahon trying to play QB and the rest of that antiquated offense is what we're seeing every week by the 49ers under these two has beens! All we need is for Singletary to sign the Fridge to play in the backfield!!!
There is about as much imagination with our offense as there was with the wishbone offense! I've seen High School coaches dial up more plays in one game than these two have in their whole playbook!
Usually even High Schools add some plays each week to take advantage of the next opponents weaknesses on D! Pro teams add as many as 10 to 15!
But what do we have!? The same unimaginative plays week after week no matter the opponent!
It's up to the D to win our games with all the pressure that goes with it! If the D doesn't play well, well we see what happens to the team when the Falcons came to town!
This division is there for the taking because the Cards have nothing but an old QB who gets sacked every other play like yesterday! But we're actually losing ground to them??!! I'm disgusted with the offensive (and that means smelly) philosophy of these two men caught in the past!

Hi Matt:

Any news about Staley? Will he play against the Titans.

Thanks

I get NFL Red Zone and I watch it for the away games! As each game is covered from one game to the other over and over! It's great!
You see the other teams yesterday pushing the ball down the field constantly pressuring the defenses with passes and quick outs! Even Flacco was passing all over the place and being successful!
Then I'd see the 49ers running up the middle and trying to move down the field like a turtle! Playing right into the hands of the Colts who were as flat as a pancake! It was as if the 49ers were too afraid to do anything with the ball! 3 and out! 3 and out! And it ALL stems from the OC and HC!
Alex looks good! Gore is one of the best runners in the NFL! We've got an exciting and real good reciever corps finally! The OL played well enough to win! The D played lights out!
But the Singletary-Raye offensive philosophy is the same as Woody Hayes used to run!
It's would be funny if it wasn't so sad!

HAHA! Reading these blog entries are like watching the old WWF wrestling matches! One week you have oneniner as the heel and the next week he's being celebrated. Then you have a dark force that is more evil than oneniner named ninermd and a new heel is born!

How about making well-informed, well-written comments that are actually substantive instead of inflammatory? Bunch of juveniles!

Wins are what counts. And me personaly I win at most things I do. I don't make excuses. I change what needs be. That's the problem with you younger guys. Never learned what defeat means. Take it like a real fan and face that this team is not that good. Plain and simple. Ok we did improve from 2-5 to 3-4 wow what a huge step. My rants that you call them are many because a fan can't have his opinion on here without critisism. You and about 4 other blind bats love to put your two cents in on my opinion, and I can't retort to all of you without it being a rant. Let me teach you something son. The truth is a bitter pill to swallow sometimes. And of course when their winning I have something good to say. That's why I watch, and when they lose continually I am their biggest critic. That's called passion son. You can't sugarcoat everything. And 7 losing season are damn good reasons to be critical. Man you would never make it in the military. Waaaaaaaaaa!

sad thing is that there has been a lot of activity to try to improve the OL, the results lack. I know I'll miss some, but Jennings was the best available FA OL at the time (they sure paid a bunch for him). The year we picked up Alex we drafted Baas in the 2nd and Snyder (in the 5th? maybe lower). We jumped up to get Staley and have added others such as Pashos. We can argue we haven't done enough, or it was poor choices of talent, or development......Man, I sure do miss McKittrick

And for all the bashers out there, how many of you expected Indy to kick the crap out of us?

Once again, you have said nothing about football, made a false opinion of my age, tried to demean me by calling me "son", complained that somehow "4 other blind bats" are intimidating you from being able to post your hate rants because you get criticized by them, admitted you are incapable of intelligent response and so justify ranting instead, gave yourself license to rant because it's "passion", and made a slur about me vis a vis the military. You have proved the points of my previous post. Not only are you a blithering, unintelligent idiot, but you are a know-nothing, disagreeable churl. Do you still advocate trading our two #1 picks for a free agent, as you ridiculously suggested last week when you attempted to actually discuss football instead of your "passion"? I fear the only solution for you is a brain transplant, preferably with a tadpole, so as to approximate the general level of intelligence you constantly display. We will then exhibit patience as you slowly grow into a toad and accomplish the visual resemblance you currently possess. Please excuse my "passionate" response.

The Crabtree situation was botched. If he'd been signed at the beginning of training camp we would be now sitting at 5-2 instead of 3-4.

You would rather the Niners miss the playoffs than see their Panther pick drop.

That might be the most retarded view I've ever read.

Dude I'm glad your reading the rules right now, WHAT A TRUE FAN...F$%@ing TOOL! Psst...Ronnie Lott, can't believe you got the balls to call yourself Ronnie Lott, nuff said about you! Can you explain the tuck rule and the onside kick rules and the 10 second run off on a penalty, since you are such an NFL rule expert, can't wait to look up that insignificant BS, oh wait I'm not going to waist my time, like i just did ranting about a poser who thinks he's worthy of calling himself Ronnie Lott...Hahahahahahahahaha

Thanks Skeebers, you speak for many of us regarding 'ninermd'.

DAWG I agree If we could only add icons like folding tables aluminum ladders and folding chairs to whack each other with.. OOOH YEA dig it... woooooooo