I was running late today, as I had to hustle home from
Let's hit some of the key points from the couple hours I spent in 49ersland today:
--First, an observation from yesterday's game. Alex Smith was very successful in the two-minute drill at the end of the first half. He completed 5 of 6 passes for 49 and a touchdown while in the shotgun formation and a three-receiver set. (The first play of the drive, a 27-yard pass to Michael Crabtree, came with him under center.)
But in the second half, the 49ers used the shotgun formation just four times - and three times were on third and long. He completed 1 of 2 passes and was sacked twice.
I asked Mike Singletary why they scrapped the shotgun formation and three-receiver sets in the second half. He said it's because the coaches have not had much "exposure" to Smith, and Smith has not had much "exposure" to that portion of the playbook.
Said Singletary: "You don't want to put him in a situation where, 'OK, is Alex really ready to do that?' You take a step back. 'Is our offensive line really ready to do that?' Once you do that then there are some things that are not happening, which you say, 'Well, maybe it's the core of your offense.' I think going forward, there's a trust issue there and there's also using wisdom and making sure that if we are going to put them in that situation, why are we putting them in that situation, when do we put them in that situation and is Alex really ready for that?
"Do we do something to hurt him? That's not something that I want to do. I think Alex, what he's doing right now, he's taken advantage of some opportunities that are there and we are finding out more and more, what routes he throws really well, what he feels really comfortable with. I think as we go along here in the next week or two, it gives us a better idea, when we see in practice, what he can and cannot do, what he really feels comfortable with."
--I've received a few questions about Smith calling plays on that two-minute drive at the end of the first half. Actually, he called just two plays at the line of scrimmage as the 49ers were in hurry-up mode. He called plays that resulted in a 12-yard gain to Isaac Bruce and an incompletion to Vernon Davis. The plays he called came from the two-minute portion of the game plan. The plays he called came when the clock was running and the 49ers were in no-huddle mode.
--Singletary said he fully supports the play-calling of offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye.
"I, 150-percent, back what he's doing, absolutely," Singletary said. "There's not one iota that I'm wavering here or there, whatever. Jimmy knows there are some things going forward that he has to learn about our players, what they can and cannot do."
Singletary also gave the single biggest endorsement of Smith since he's been in the league.
"It looks like he is developing very quickly into that quarterback that can be a special quarterback," Singletary said. "We are excited about that."
--Cornerback Nate Clements will not be placed on injured reserve, Singletary said. He has a fractured right shoulder blade. The 49ers obviously believe Clements can return late in the regular season. (The 49ers expect him to miss 6-to-8 weeks.) Also, Singletary said he expects the 49ers to be in the playoffs. If the 49ers placed Clements on injured reserve, he'd be ineligible to play again this season.
It was a rough day for Clements. He was benched in favor of Tarell Brown, and then he sustained his injury while returning a punt late in the first half.
"It was tough," Clements said of the demotion. "It was tough, but I'm going to be professional about it and do anything to help my teammates and help this team get back on track."
As for his future, Clements said he has not given it much thought. It's debatable whether the 49ers would bring him back at his current $6.5 million salary - including a $500,000 workout bonus -- for next year. His focus, he said, is on rehabilitating his right shoulder to make sure he is ready to go when the fracture heals.
"I'm just going to continue to be Nate and work hard like I've done my whole career," Clements said.
--There's good news regarding left tackle Joe Staley. He did not sustain an injury to his anterior-cruciate ligament. His right knee injury is not considered a potential season-ending injury. There is still no timeframe for when he might return to action, though. He looks doubtful for Sunday's game against the Titans.
--Aside from the opening game in which Isaac Bruce caught a 50-yard pass and had 74 yards receiving on four catches, the vet has not produced much. He has averaged about 25 yards receiving per game and failed to come up with a handful of catchable passes.
Singletary was asked if Bruce is still among the 49ers' best 11 offensive players.
"Right now, Isaac Bruce is one of the guys that we count on to win," Singletary answered. "As far getting into is he one of the best 11 and all of those things, I'm going to say that he gives us a chance to win and in certain situations he is one of the best 11 on the field, and in other situations he isn't.
"That goes for a number of our receivers and I think that we just have to continue to evaluate our team and our talent and this team right now is going through some changes. You're seeing new guys step up and young guys stepping up and some other guys stepping back and it's going to continue to be that way. I believe in the best eleven guys on the field and whoever that is, that's who is going to be out there."
--Singletary said he was encouraged by the improved play on the right side of the offensive line (Chilo Rachal and Adam Snyder).
--He said linebacker Patrick Willis was able to play faster without the burden of relaying defensive signals to his teammates. Safety Dashon Goldson is now responsible for receiving the radio transmissions and calling the defense in the huddle.
* * *
I'll be working on the all-53 player review after bedtime tonight. (We'll see if I agree with Singletary's assessment of the Rachal and Snyder.)
* * *
Of course he does. Does everyone on here feel the same. If it's not an issue. Why is it being brought up? That's why they need to go. Waisting talent.
Matt,
Thanks for all the info, I read your blog all the time as you really are dialed in to what is going on in Niner land.
I suspect your analysis of Rachal will be 50-50- He helped spring Gore on his big run but again I saw him struggle to move laterally in pass protection and he was beaten, badly, for a sack. He simply does not seem to be able to move well enough laterally to be a consistant pass blocker. O_line definly needs to be addressed in the draft and I would also say that the team needs a dynamic return man. Look at what guys like Cribbs, Percy Harvin and DeSean Jackson have done for their teams. With our offense not being able to sustain long drives and our O coordinator seemingly not comfortable going for plays that get big chunks of yards, we really need a returner that can flip field posiion for us. It would help with Sing's philosophy big time IMHO.
What is an acceptable amount of time for an OC to evaluate the talent of the players on his own dang team? Singletary has the players believing and has made great strides with people like VD, but his Raye hire is the biggest question so far in everyone's mind (Why not hire someone to balance your lack of offensive knowledge?). How can it be week 8 of the NFL and we are still hearing that "Jimmy is still learning about our players...what they can and cannot do" seems like a preseason quote.
Matt,
there seems to be at least a couple delay of game penalties every game. Is it possible that we lead the league in those particular infractions? Also, why do they keep happening? Is it lack of QB clock awareness? Is it late play calling from Raye? Is it confusion in the huddle? I was wondering if why this hasn't been corrected. It has cost us dearly this year.
"Right now, Isaac Bruce is one of the guys that we count on to win," Singletary answered. "As far getting into is he one of the best 11 and all of those things, I'm going to say that he gives us a chance to win and in certain situations he is one of the best 11 on the field, and in other situations he isn't.
$$$$$$$$$$$ like catching a routine ball. Cmon sing. Put down the ego and bring him off the bench. Him knowing the system and dropping balls are not the best chance to win. He had a great career, but we need youth and speed out there with smith as qb.
Also thought it was appropriate that Singletary was asked about Bruce's role shortly after his quote about being a physical team whether passing or running the ball. Bruce better get ready for a reduced role next week after the tape shows how much he dodges any physicality whatsoever...probably desires that anyway because if he's dodging colts defense he really doesn't want to face the titans.
Scasmflop - This offense is starting a new QB, a new RB (since week 3), a new #1 receiver, and a new LT/RT. I dare you to find five more important position in an NFL offense. There has been ZERO continuity on the offense side of the ball since Jimmy Rae took over.
Singletary backs Raye's playcalling
The better headline is:
Singletary refuses to admit he made a mistake last spring.
Hey bro. He has always done the tuck and role. I'd take that if he's catching the ball at least15 yards down the field. But he is dropping to many easy balls this year. Time to switch it up.
Matt- do you think the fact that the NFL hasn't made an official decision yet on the tampering charge against the Jets is a good thing or bad thing (for the 9ers)??? Personally, I think they should have, and have internally, made a decision by now. Which I think is a good thing, because if the NFL knew for sure that there wasn't tampering they would've killed that story ASAP. I also think they're waiting until the end of the season to see what picks the Jets have before deducting one or (please god) give us one of theirs.
Escobar - As MM has reported multiple times the decision is expected until sometime in Feb/March 2010. Secondly, we will not be given any draft picks. They will punish the Jets, but we likely will not gain anything. All Chicago got from us was 5 extra slots up in the 3rd round of the draft as we traded slots.
Matt,
Towards the end of the afternoon presser, it seamed that Coach Singletary back peddled away from being primarily a running offense. When asked if the team was becoming geared toward a passing offense, his comment about being comfortable with Martz passing the ball as long as the ball went to our guys. "I want to do whatever we have to do to win". Maybe realization that smash-mouth is not working?
Coach Sing and staff based the talent on the roster on a run oriented offense........all the work during T. Camp was focused on running the ball........
then....
....S.Hill did yuck....F.Gore has not been 100% and coffee is a rookie.......dont even know where to start wit the O-line
..Welcome to the Reality of NFL Regular season..........(this is why all that talk during T.Camp is a waste of brain cells)
Now with A.Smith, Crabtree they obviously know we need a chage in offense - Focus more on passing......or as some might say "open up the playbook"
Do i blame them for not being prepared - No, cuz it is Sing 1st season as coach and Raye 1st season with the team.
I do fault them for having S.Hill play those 5 1/2 games ....but I rather have a coach who isnt afraid of change instead of a Stubborn Coach afraid of change ....
Time is everything....
....there were times during the past yrs I wished the season was over very fast cuz i knew there was no way
we could compete with anyone.....
....now its obvious we have the making of a great defense .....(that can play well against MANNING in his house).....,....and an explosive offense that can break records..
We are young, talented and coachable.......I think the next two games will tell us alot......this two games should be wins......
Now i wish we had more time in the season, I wish A.Smith can get more time with this updated or upgraded Offense, .....cuz I know when we do have the chemistry, no team will be able to beat us......i believe.......
i got my seat for the ride to the playoffs.......i believe
So Smith was OK to use the shotgun and score in the first half.
Yet in the 2nd half, Raye didn't know if Smith could run it or not?
That makes no fekking sense whatsoever. Sing's talking out his ass to cover bad play calling.
Said Singletary: "You don't want to put him in a situation where, 'OK, is Alex really ready to do that?'
5 of 6 passes for 49 and a touchdown while in the shotgun formation and a three-receiver set in the 1st half.
I think that qualified as being ready coach... the man cant ever seem to own up to his bad decisions.
___
Mike in SF #2, we also lost a 5th round pick man
pt100. We lost a 5th round pick but Chicago didn't gain that pick. The implication was that the 49ers will get something of value out of this. Not the case. Regardless of what the NFL does to the Jets it won't help our team much.
Something I noticed about A.Smith ...
His TD drives this season have been executed very quickly....I understand the 3 td's in the texans game since we were trying to catch up.......but still it was 3 td's
....then against the colts he kinda just went straight down the field before halftime.....
The last time i think i saw this was the opener against the Cardinals 2 yrs ago - the winning drive.........
If what i am seeing is 4 real.....WOW, I didn't even think he would have grown this fast....but then again the talent on the field helps alot....
He can only get better.......i believe
We lost a 5th rounder, but not to the bears. He is just saying the league will probably do more to punish the Jets (like with a loss of pick) than to reward us (precedent is only the same round slot switch). Nobody should be holding their breath for the Jets relinquishing a 1st rounder to us (especially since they've already traded next year's away).
You right ...that makes no sense at all....
Defenses play semi-prevent in the 2 minute time. They don't do it during regular time. I guess the Colts play calling really sucked in this game, too. Better can the OC and the HC and get a new QB who can call good plays.
If the commish can't find any evidence of tampering, I wouldn't be surprised if he punished the Niners for make a false accusation.
Raye's play calling stinks. Don't give me that crap about how the plays are split between runs and passes. They are about even because the team has been behind lately and has to pass. The team needs to pass on the early downs and use it to set up the run. We are not a dominant team on the o-line. We're not hitting anyone in the mouth. We don't have two good running backs until Coffee gets more seasoned. What matters is when you pass the ball, not how much you pass. Smith's numbers were okay but anyone who has watched him in the past knows he just looks like a different guy. Let him go and see what happens, the current philosophy has not worked.
Stayley out 6 weeks
Clements out 6-8 weeks
painful
Realfan that is EXACTLY what will happen. It's already been stated several times here and on other sites, that official league policy states that if the charges brought do not bear fruit, the team making the charges could be punished. This is all the more reason to beleive that the Jets did do something wrong as the Niners SHOULD have known this before they brought the formal charges before the commisioner.
150 Percent? That's a lot of percents, but he DIDN'T say 1,000 percent I notice. Not ONE iota of wavering!!! Wow! Whatever happened to the idea of taking it to the opposition, beating them to the punch, throwing them off balance (see one "Mr. Walsh")
NO GUTS - NO GLORY
So we lost Staley for six weeks? That means Sims is his replacement at LT
Alex Look Out! We have lost three offensive tackles this year; Marvel Smith, Tony Pashos, and now Staley from a weak O Line to begin with.
This is indeed horrible news.
All we needed was one good drive for a TD in the second half. We saw Alex make the shotgun work for one TD in the first half, but we're afraid to try to do it again? The logic bypasses me.
Seems like he was okay in Houston for the second half.
I'm 150% in favor of Alex throwing more TD passes to Davis.
He should back him. There is no one better than Raye this year. Hands down the best play caller in the league. Sing and Raye adjust to every half and destroy teams. Almost. These guys have improved this team into an almost beat a good team, rather than get destroyed by a good team team. They have gotten us to a 3-4 record this year so far. I am so excited about the playoffs this year. Titans, Rams, Lions, Jags, Seahawks. You guys better watch it because we are going to destroy you guys. With Rayes tricky play calling and our potent air attack and strong running game its trouble for you. And the playoff teams when we see you guys there will be no more stomping us. We are going to barely lose to you guys now. And gain more moral victorys. Watch out NFL WE ARE BACK! There is that optimistic enough. GOOOO NINERS!
Jimmy Raye and Sing won't allow this team to go to the playoffs, not on their watch.
QUICK question, does anyone know the rule on a neutral zone infraction? the 49ers were flagged for one and the play was blown dead, but usually they let the play go. but the whistle was blown as the colts right tackle clearly flinched and i thought a falst start would be called, instead the 49ers were flagged for a neutral zone infraction seems weird. another hochuli mistake?
Matt,
Good read above! You were excellent on KNBR this afternoon as well. Regarding Raye's play calling, seems he has a game plan but he doesn't make the necessary adjustments during the game very well. Smith is looking great so far and Raye should get some credit for that (as well as QB coach Johnson). Clearly, the next 9 games will be a gauge as to how 9ers make adjustments during the game.
But in the meantime, they need to do everything possible to keep Smith healthy. Players are dropping like flies...
That was a bad call. Watch the Vikings front four. They never get called for offsides, and they clearly jump before the ball is snapped. All the time.
Matt:
All the 49ers beat-writers including you are going soft on Mike Singletary and letting him off the hook on the un-acceptable offensive play-calling that has directly resulted in at least 2 losses this year! I don't want to hear about Raye still getting used to what his players can and can't do! That is plain B.S. and a cop-out! Singeltary is quickly heading in the same path as Mike Nolan with his lack of knowledge on the offensive side of the ball! He just doesn't get it and his stubbornness is killing the 49ers playoff chances! YOU BEAT WRITERS NEED TO NAIL HIM ON THIS STUFF! The 49er faithful are tired of so many losing seasons and enough is enough! Put the heat on so this team can improve and realize its potential!!!
I like coach Singletary. He is a good man who cares about his players and is a great inspirational leader. But he is what's wrong with this team. His offensive philosophy scared off 3 or 4 offensive coordinators that would have been a better hire then Raye. His idea of a ball control offense is a bit off. Ball control maens getting first downs however you can get them. Leading the league in three and outs is saying to me that his ball contoll philosophy is working in reverse. Singletary and Raye's offensive ideas are what's keeping this team from being as good as they could be. I remember Singletary said that he wasn't worried about out smarting the other team and that shows evey week. I don't think it will happend because coach Singletary has a lot of support ( fans, players and management) but I think the organization would be better off targeting one of the more experienced coaches this off season like Holmgren, Shanahan or Gruden. Since that's not likely Singletary just needs to stay away from the offensive side off the ball and let people who know what their doing handle the hiring and the philosophy. wow I feel better now.
Pierre99 | November 2, 2009 4:34 PM
Singletary backs Raye's playcalling
The better headline is:
Singletary refuses to admit he made a mistake last spring.
------------------------------
What mistake are you referring to? Firing Mike Martz...the guy who put J.T. O'Sullivan at the helm?
Hiring Raye after three other OCs reportedly turned the position down? Who would you have had him hire who was willing to take the job?
Hiring a guy who uses the digit system is the only reason why Alex Smith has been able to step in and have a chance at resurrecting his career.
Well i am finally glad to hear an explination as to why they didn't open up the playbook and come out in the secound half with more shotgun 3 wr sets. I may not like the answer but at least now i have an answer. I may wish that they were a little less conservative, in how they are brining alex along, but I don't want to rush alex, we all know how that ends up. Seems like they should have gone over a few 3wr set plays at half time to work into the game... but sounds like now that they know that it works, they will be practicing that part of the play book with smith, and hopefully utilizing it more in the game. I guess it is something of a good point, i mean smiths 2min drill which was unpracticed looked awful, 2 weeks ago,but this week was looking crisp at the end of the 1st half. So oerhaps there is something to the if you didn't practice it you don't play it in the game mentality with smith.
I really like Singletary, but does he really believe the BS that he is feeding us? Alex Smith isn't ready to run the Shotgun,the coaches aren't comfortable with him...WTF is he talking about? If nobody is comfortable why is he playing? That was a game we could have won, if they let Smith play...Everytime they run twice for 1-2 yards we are at 3rd and long, but we expect Smith to be successful...Why haven't they gotten the plays in faster, we keep hearing the same excuses, I thought for once Sing would be a no BS coach, now he's turning to the Nolan approach and giving us the run around, Raye will cost him his job if he doesn't change it! He's so bold to change his players, he should do the same for his coaches, the defensive coaches obviously game planned, and the OL coach prepped his guys and Jimmy Raye went with the same game plan as week 1-6, I thought they said they were going to do more now that Smith would allow them to be more successful, Now they make excuses, Smith looks comfortable, NOT THE COACHES...Enough with the excuses, Don't Tell me show me!!!!!!!!!!
Is it just me or does Singletary sound like Nolan more and more each day he answers questions!! I thought when Nowin left Nolanese left too! But I guess Singletary must have taken Nolanese for a language this off season!
I guess its fair to say Raye wasn't the first choice or second, probably not even the third, but his excuses are so pathetic that he doesn't know Smiths talents, did he not spend the Spring with him, Summer OTAs, TC...Get rid of this loser and let Rathman finish the year, We have the talent to make the plaoffs, unfortunately we keep getting outcoached, even the players have to make excuses for their coaches, that will get old...Sing is probably going to tell us to give Jimmy Raye a couple of years to evaluate the talent...he's a slow learner, don't feel sorry for the old man, he's never been a winner...it's part of the business!
Is it just me or does Singletary sound like Nolan more and more each day he answers questions!!? I thought when Nowin left Nolanese left too! But I guess Singletary must have taken Nolanese for a language this off season!
'OK, is Alex really ready to do that?'
Is he ready to try to execute the plays it will take to control the ball and win the game? Gosh, I hope he has been ready for that since seventh grade. You see, I am not a moral victory kind of guy. I would rather try and fail, than to live with the kind of cowardice that gives you no chance to win. Look in the mirror, Mike. Right now, I see a reflection of Coach Nolan.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a dfiferent result..
Jimmy raye has always been a conservative style OC.
His career stats as a O coach show that.
The team has compotent pass recievers, Davis, MC 15,
A STUD RB in Gore.
In Smtih they have a QB with a knowledge of the spread Offense.
He was drafted #1 to lead a team so
HOW ABOUT THEY install an offense that allows the kid to do so.
I still believe Singletary will be a great coach, but I agree the reporters need to ask him tougher questions.
- Why does it take so long for the offense to gel? We had the whole off-season, training camp, and now it's the 8th week, and the offense is really terrible. The running game is non-existent. Other teams have turned around much quicker than this.
- Singletary blames execution for the loss yesterday. True, if the team executed 100%, we would have won. But are we really waiting for the team to execute 90-100% of the time to win? The Colts didn't execute well either, but they still won. My point is that there's a bigger underlying problem with the philosophy here. We cannot play conservatively because that means a very narrow margin of error.
- What's up with Jason Hill? He was great last year. We need some speed.
- What's wrong with the offensive line? Sing blames injuries for the poor performance, but most teams don't have all their players healthy either.
Some of his answers showed lack of deep analysis, and I am afraid his conclusions are wrong ones.
mike in sf #2. true dat. thanks for the clarification.
Reporters need to ask tougher questions??
And this makes the team better being haraunged by talking heads?
Singletary has more football knowledge in his index finger than the combined news media, obtuse bloggers and beer fans knowledge of the game..
While I appreciate Singletary's passion and commitment, I think he's committed to the wrong things, at least on the offensive side of the ball. The strength of the offense is in the receiving corps...especially now that Vernon is a key part of it. Now, he has a QB who can get the ball downfield...so he should insist Raye's playcalling feeds to the team's strength. Doesn't mean we abandon the run...it simply means Raye needs to put Alex in the shotgun more often. Shoot, look at Peyton...he's in the gun quite a bit, and it sure seems to work for him. I'm tired of conservative playcalling...open it up! Loosen it up!
Our OL's really banged up...but, we're not alone, around the league quite a few are. That's where quality depth counts...and we're not where we need to be in that regard. Next draft, we should take at least 3 top OL, and a good RB. Oh yeah...just one more thing...and hire Shanahan to run this team and restore our once proud offense back to where it belongs.
Alex excelled in the shotgun in college, so much so, it made him the No.1 pick in the entire draft.
Our O'line is depleted, and has struggled to pass protect anyway.
Obvious solution = USE MORE SHOTGUN
Rayes solution = Change nothing.
With coaching like this, we'll go nowhere, slowly.
It appears to me that singletary is treating smith as if he is a rookie. The comments in print by singletary suggesting "...he was hesitant to turn to it [spread attack] more because it puts so much pressure on a quarterback who has started only one game this season..." leads me to make this conjecture.
It does appear both the offensive side and defensive side of the ball is going through some preseason-like major tinkering. It is like this whole season is like a preseason for the future of the niners.
I read the headline and continue to feel that Singletary and Raye are holding this team back. Sure, he's a motivator. But big effing deal. Finding some clown to drop his pants and act the fool only requires the circus to come into town. Heck, I could do that and I am in no way qualified to be an NFL coach (making me Singletary's equal)!
As a bonus, I'll even throw pies at the refs!
At only one other point in my fandom that stretches back into the early 1960's have I felt this complete lack of confidence -- During the DeBartolo/Joe Thomas days (pre-Walsh for you youngsters). Heck, I was more comfortable with Dennis Erickson than I am with Singletary. Sure, things went to hell under Erickson, and some of it was his fault, but let's face it, Donohue did him in with horrible personnel choices and nobody could have succeeded under him.
You and I had the same reaction. Reading Singletary's comments gave me a Mike Nolan flashback. What a bunch of BS. Of course, what is he supposed to say. I can hear it now, "Well yeah, the play calling sucks but we expected that after I ran off all the qualified OC candidates."
I go back to my comment of several weeks ago. Since Raye is such a fan of outdated offenses, he should dust off the old K-Gun offense from the Buffalo Bills in the early 90's. At least that offense would utilize his weapons a little better than the current crap he's trying.
Scasmflop - This offense is starting a new QB, a new RB (since week 3), a new #1 receiver, and a new LT/RT. I dare you to find five more important position in an NFL offense. There has been ZERO continuity on the offense side of the ball since Jimmy Rae took over.
This is all true, but it's their fault. Hill should have never had started. It was obvious he was the king of cheap stats who lucked into a great run due to playing a load of bad/collapsing teams.
It wasn't that he was a "winner." It was he played a bunch of losers that finished 2008 (from time of collapse to end-of-season) with a 14% winning percentage. Sorry, but that was no accomplishment. Just as throwing the ball two-yards and sucking up occassional big-play RAC to pad stats.
Now, I understand FANS getting fooled. Fans, for the most part, did not play, or if the did weren't even good at, HS football. But Singletary and Raye are supposed to be professionals in the most coach-demanding professional sport, not a bunch of HS football wanna-bes.
I look back on it and wonder where we'd be if Singletary wouldn't have been anti-Smith biased. I doubt we'd have lost any of our three victories. But I think we might have won a couple of more games with Houston and Minnesota being the most likely culprits.
The defense got us 14 points against the Vikings, could Smith have gotten us more than 10? So far I'm thinking he could have... Or Houston. Without Hill's scoreless half I think we could have won that game. I think against a defense that was playing as soft and poorly has Houston had been at the time we could have put 28 points up on them.
Obviously it's merely speculation. For all we know Smith might not have done any better than Hill in those two games. But considering how well he played against one of the NFL's toughest pass defenses... A defense that allowed just two TDs through the first six games, I've got to think Smith might have made the difference in those losses.
Since I've been beating on Raye and his conservative play calling, I have to say that when he opens things up the "O" seems to be much more effective in moving the ball down the field and score even with both QBs. It's when he continues to try and make the running game the main focus that causes the 3 and outfense. SEE BELOW
An interesting stat I saw on Comcast Sports yesterday regarding Gore's 65 rushing attempts:
4 TD runs for 229 yds, however, his other 61 went for only 135 yds = 2.2yds/carry. That means almost 94% of the time he's only averaging those 2.2 yards. You don't even get a 9 yd avg with 4 rushes.
PS Jimmy Raye, the running game is not the Niner's strength right now, how many games does it take to figure that out????? Mix it up with a little more imagination!
I don't think I've ever read a bigger pantload than what Sing had to say in a LONG time. What a steaming pile.
Raye is senile, ready for the nursing home. Umm, Mike, in case you hadn't noticed, YOUR GODDAM TEAM ISN'T WINNING!
Sing and Raye should be fired at the end of the season and Holmgren or Shanahan should be hired.
Can anyone say we need to just throw Alex Boone into the lineup now, at least he's a big body that can run block.
Article about a change in offensive philosophy...is it necessary?
Personally I believe we need to move forward with the passing game to set up the run, especially with the OL issues. How many times can we depend on a Gore 50+ TD run...I would say those runs are not very common in the NFL but other than those 3 runs, we have not done anything to talk about on the ground.
Quit trying to make the players fit your system and build a system that fits your current players. This does not mean that we give up on the power running in the future years but it does mean that we need to obtain players suited for that type of system, which we just do not have at this time.
Can anyone tell me why Smith was 5-6 in shotgun formation on a 2 minute drive with a touchdown before the half, and we used it 4 times in the second half and scored 0 points.senseless! He completed to 4 or 5 different recievers and he was obviously comfortable. The play calling is inconsistent. Im sick of us running on 1st down with the box stacked, audible or something, we dont have the line and the opponent knows its comming. Im not saying never run on 1st down but, mix it up.In indi besides the 1st play of the game, almost everytime 49ers ran on 1st down they would get no more than a yard or 2. Audible to a different play, play action or do something different. I think every week that goes by the comfort level will grow bigger between Alex and his recievers, we should soon start taking shots downfield and open the the field for Gore. O yea whats with bruce, sing needs to tell him to kick rocks,hes sluggish, hes been dropping balls, plus his attitude and body language shows no fire in him. Whats up with jones or promote hill.
You're all closet Al Davis fans. No patience whatsoever. Not to mention all of you making things up to complain about. Except for oneniner who currently seem to be the only one sounding intelligent.
If the arguments of the pass plays are true, then that's the fault of Alex Smith, not Jimmy Raye. Five years in the league and he still can't perform outside of the shotgun? That tells me Alex Smith didn't grow at all. A good QB can handle any formation, but I guess it's Raye's fault Smith is a bum.
No, I don't buy that argument. I like to believe Smith can be or is better than just a one dimensional QB.
While Raye isn't doing great, he's doing better than the complaints would indicate. With the proper patience, we'll be a playoff team.
The last thing we need to do is think like Al Davis. Those who desire Shanahan or Holmgren will never get them by showing them you're not patient enough to give them a chance to develop a team. Why do you think all the good HCs avoid Oakland like the plague? Our best chance at the playoffs next year is to hold on to what we have (sans the OL coach, he's in my doghouse).
If Bruce starts again this weekend, then Sing is being dishonest about putting his best 11 on the field. Bruce is no longer 1 of that 11. He needs to be on the bench in the 4th receiver role. His passion for the game is non- existent. Bruce has never been known to drop passes. He is unreliable now in an offense that does not have room for much error. His drops are potential 1st downs. We can't afford that so he needs to be sat down.
I predict that he will lose his job this week just like Clements last week. We shall see.
Ok, here's the deal.
I don't care what the stats are, what I see on the field is that there are maybe a handful of people in the country that can throw a football better than Alex Smith.
Running an NFL offense isn't as easy as many here think and he's only a game and half into it and still almost beat the fastest to 4000 completions Manning the 16 in a row Colts.
"It looks like he is developing very quickly into that quarterback that can be a special quarterback,"
Sing and Ray are doing an amazing job of recovering this kid from the trash heap in less than a year.
Statistical inference:
Houston Texans: points scored 24.8 (12th), points allowed 21 (14th), score 24-21.
Indianaoplis Colts: points scored 28.1 (7th), points allowed 13 (1st), score 18-14 (nice job defense).
Tennessee Titans: points scored 16.3 (24th), points allowed 30.1 (32nd), (32nd pass/18th run), projected score SF-30,Ten-16.
SF: points scored 21.0 (19th-in transition), pass 22nd (in transition), rush 22nd, points allowed 20, (12th), pass 29th, rush 2nd.
Huge improvements for Sing/Ray.
Has everyone forgotten the the Nolan (/Martz, etc.) years so quickly when this team was just flat-out terrible? Sing and Ray are doing a phenomenal job of maximizing their talent, playing to everyone's strengths while at the same time getting everyone to be just a little (or sometimes alot) better and still coming up with a game plan every week to keep them in the game. They had a legitimate shot at winning every game and Sing's "execute and finsh" mantra is definitely headed in the right direction.
Everybody thinks they're an expert. It's just like all the expert baseball fans that are willing to offer endless advice. If they started today, and had the the rest of their lives to accomplish it, they could not hit a single homerun off any major league pitcher in any major league park. Most of the people here would find something to bitch about if the 49ers won the Superbowl.
Jordan: I think that Bruce has taken a back seat to Crabs and Morgan already in how many plays they are on the field.
I know that in the Texan's game that Bruce had fewer plays in the game than Crabtree or Morgan.
So Sing and Raye already have done what you are complaining they should do.
As Sing said in his press conference Monday,sometimes Bruce IS the best guy to be on the field for a certain formation etc.
I will let them determine which plays suit Bruce and which suit Morgan etc.
We all know that Bruce is in his final year.He is obviously being phased out already,as you want.
You said " I am sick of us running on 1st down"
Well we ran on 1st down against the Colts only 8 times in the entire game,but passed 17 times on 1st down. So,you should be fully recovered from your illness with that info,right ?
Don't fans actually watch the games or even read the stats the day after the games ???
Even the talk hosts on knbr were making the same mistake as savagenier12 made,by saying the day after the game that they were tired of all the predictable running on 1st downs.
Raye has enough problems and is doing enough things wrong ,without people blaming him for things he is not even doing wrong !