Matt,

Heard you break this on KNBR - not good news at all, especially regarding Staley. My concern is now that Smith is healthy, how do you keep him from getting nailed from his blind side and not getting hurt himself?

There's something deeply wrong with our offensive coaching staff/trainers (starting with Chris Foerster) when even durable players like Staley end up going down.

What's even more sad is that 70% of the offensive line injuries are coming from our own players landing atop of eachother due to crappy play-calling, execution, and poor common sense.

Although we got the best out of Sims at LT against a bummed up Bob Sanders, that consistency isn't going to last forever. -Our season just got harder.

Uhh.. how was Sims matched up against Bob Sanders?

Matt, any move to move Alex Boone up from the practice squad?

Maybe Evans injury will force playing time for Balmer. Our first round pick of two years ago who still hasn't done squat. He's entering Rashaun Woods territory.

Matt,
Are the 49ers looking at any linemen to bring in or are they sticking with what they have?
On a side note, is it me or is Isaac Bruce as un-interested in playing for the 49ers as it looks during games? He reminds me that he is here but not really here, does that make sense? Does he have short timers disease knowing that he won't be back after this season (which probably won't result in a long playoff run) so is attitude is sort of, "ehh whatever"?

Snake Plissken - what on earth are you talking about??

dammm........why us?

Hope that Staley and Clements will make it for the Cardinals game on Dec 14. In the NFL, team never has enough good CBz. Singletary's decision to put an $80 million cornerback on punt return was questionable, when he has many WRs to do this job. Tarrel Brown is untested against Fitzgerald and Boldin.

First of all that was one of the best road trips the 49ers have made in a long time, love Lucas Field, the JEWEL stadium of the NFL right now. I hope the 49ers new stadium if/when will have a similar feel to it. The 49ers played very well yesterday, just lost to the better team in the end. Thanks to the Arizona debacle, I think the 49ers still have a good shot at the NFC West title. The defense was superb as could be expected against that offense. The biggest thing I noticed is that Michael Crabtree is open virtually EVERY PLAY. Alex Smith played okay but could have been better in the 2nd half if he would throw down the field. One big play would have one the game and he had Crabtree 2 times for sure in the second half down the field but chose to check down short instead. The biggest difference between Smith and Hill is the mobility, Hill would have been sacked 4-5 times yesterday and Smith really looks comfortable moving around in the pocket. Great Supper at St. Elmos Saturday night, lots of 49ers came and went. I think the Bass Family bill must have been pushing 3 grand judging by the Big Smile on the waiters face at the register! Time for the 49ers to start a winning streak with the upcoming schedule.

Matt,
Wanted to know what you thought about the two "injuries" or cramps that the 49ers had on D in the second half, not very popular in the crowd with the colts fans as it did look pretty planned?? Also what is with the "Bling, Bling" red and gold bottom of the shoes with Crabtree and several other 49ers??? Does Crabtree have his own shoe already???

Thanks for the insight JV. I agree the defense played about as well as they could yesterday. The offense . . oy . . . but they were going against a good defense as well and even they have had worse games. Ok, the hardest part of the season is over, its time to get down to business.

Snake Plissken - Its people like you that keep me from reading more comments on Matt's blog. I just get so irritated reading a post like yours and thinking to myself what the heck are you talking about! Injuries happen in football. Tell me . . . how are the offensive coaches/trainers supposed to prevent a player from getting sprained ligaments? Please . . . enlighten me!

Or in Pashos's case a broken shoulder blade? How could the coaching staff done a better job to prevent that Snake? Just ridiculous.

Sims actually played way better than I expected. Lets hope he can keep it up.

Hi Matt, Will Cody Wallace ever suit up?

I heard several posters make comment on the fact more shot guns were not preformed. They criticize our coaches for this.

Don't we come in with a specific playbook each week. Plays we have practiced and are ones we feel will be effective in the matchup we have?

What makes everyone think that there WERE more Shot gun plays for us to have run. Even when alex audibled later in the game, he did it into plays from his 2 minute drill handbook.

This was one of the knocks on Martz. Some players have commented how Martz sometimes would call plays they had never practiced and how difficult that was to deal with.

I don't think Alex has practiced enough shot gun formations yet. This is why they are uncertain if Alex is comfortable or able to just go into any shot gun formation. Sings words make sense to me when looking at it from that perspective.

This isn't a video game, you don't have an unlimited playbook to choose from each week.

Snake Plissken is an idiot. Football's a rough sport. You get hit, you get rolled up on, you get landed on. It happens. It doesn't denote poor execution. Also, Sims was going up against defensive end Dwight Freeney, not safety Bob Sanders.

Alex Smith played his whole college career in the shotgun and clearly looks the most comfortable in it, why not run the same plays until they stop, like Montana to Rice(Slants and outs), Indy was down to 2 rookie corners and any other team would have taken advatage of that...hence we are outcoached again. Its really frustrating to see that talent and the coaches don't...ie.J.Hill, Ziggy, and who is this D. Evans that is missinng 3 weeks, never heard his name mentioned, he must be a star.

Matt...Please try to pin Singletary down when he goes off on a tangent when asked questions? Really. I've gone over his answers to the questions that were asked of him in the previous Blog of yours and others.
He sounds like he's using the Nolanese Nolan used for whatever reason when asked questions that he felt uncomfortable with. Singletary reacts like the questions are an attack against him personally or the way he is doing his job. Like he knows what he's doing and it's an affront to him if he's asked certain questions.
The guys weakness is definetly his ego. Kind of like Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men." I really think reporters might be hesitant to push him because he might explode or something like that.
The whole system he has instituted, starting with his coaches being closed off from answering questions that any coaches across the league are asked smells of ego. And it's simple to see it's for reasons of control.
Just what I see.

Yeah, where the heck is Wallace???

Smith was comfortable running the spread only in his final year at Utah. Judging from Singletary's remarks, the coaches aren't comfortable with asking him-- or a short-handed O-line-- to do more than what they'd seen in practice. Running the same play would have eventually invited the zone blitz. At this point in their careers, Smith isn't Montana, Crabtree isn't Rice, and it's asking too much to expect them to play as if they were.

hey matt,
jimmy raye and mike S. are sure taking a lot of fire for there decisions in the game. how do you feel about what they are doing? do you think clements taking punts was a questionable move? what about raye's playing calling?

Trigger is hiding Cody Wallace under his desk.

These are both Real body blows. Not only as players BUT as leaders. Staley was becoming a STAR in the league and Nate was a leader on D. I like how Sims played but loosining Joe is a REAL killer.

Singletary:"I will put it this way right now. Isaac Bruce is one of the guys we count on to win. As far as getting into, 'Is he the best 11?' and all of these other kinds of things, I'm going to say 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. And that goes for a number of our receivers. And I just think going forward, we have to continue to evaluate our team and talent. And this team right now is going through changes and seeing some guys step up ... And it's going to continue to be that way. I believe in the best 11 guys on the field, and whoever that is, that's who's going to be out there."

Damning with faint praise... do I sense an impending change at a starting receiver spot?

Both starting tackles are done. The guards play like backups. Gore is gimpy and there's no real threat at RB to back him up. And as far as the Head Coach is concerned he's not sure if his QB can handle working out of the shotgun which is the way he played his college career that got him to be a #1 draft choice! But the coach is 150% behind his handpicked OC. WOW! WHAT A MESS!
Sounds like we ought to hope for a 3-13 season and another high draft pick for McCloughan to most likely waste.

Said it all off-season: Singletary is a short term answer, not a long term solution. In the modern NFL, rah-rah coaches only last so long. Besides, I hate the idea of a Bear running my team when Mike Shanahan (or anyone from our old tree) is available. Call me a homer but I am what I am.

Man oh man, most of you guys sound like the Castro when Prop 8 won. It's football. Have you compared our team to other teams? I mean get over yourselves. there are 9 games left. We have a great opportunity to win 10 games. We could and will win the next 7 of 9. We are a pretty good football team. And we are very young taboot!! The future is bright. It's on! Have some faith. Sheeeesh...

10 WINS??? at the ABSOLUTE most 9.
Good football teams don't have loosing records or mire through prolonged loosing streaks,
To win 10 means they go 7-2.
Not with the irritating habit of loosing leads in the 4th qtr.

NOW to agree with you
Very Young yes
Future bright YES

Time to unleash the spread Offense

The Castro Prop 8 line was funny tho..

Losing Clements gives Brown his chance to shine...it was no coincidence he just got a 3-yr contract extension. Losing Staley means Sims will have to hold the fort down...it looks as if he's a lot more comfortable at LT than RT, so good for that. Rachal really needs to step up his game...because Wragge's really the only other quality b/u.

As for Singletary & Raye...I'm sensing Coach is getting defensive...with all the questions about the playcalling. Well, Coach, that's what happens when your offense is basically stagnant week after week. Raye's opened the playbook some, got to give him credit for that. I know they want to be careful w/Alex...they don't want to give him too much, too soon. I think he can handle whatever he gets...he's really matured more than many of us realized.

Overall, I'm on the Shanahan bandwagon now...I think he's THE coach who can resurrect our offense. The defense is a couple of players from being an elite group...so Shanahan could really focus on the offense, and if so, many good things will happen. The OL, for starters, needs an infusion of youthful skill. I know Staley, Rachal and Baas are young, and they should be the corps OL...but, RT has been very problematic and needs to get solved. Snyder's best value is as the top reserve...not convinced he's good enough to be the everyday RT. Heitmann's still good...but, also not convinced Wallace is the heir apparent. Really haven't seen enough of him to be sure...but the fact he hasn't played isn't a good sign. I still wouldn't mind seeing Baas at C...he played it and OG at Michigan. OG's are fairly easy to find...good C's aren't.

Shanahan would also fix our RB situation...his track record speaks for itself. Gore needs some help...Coffee may still develop, easy to be hard on him, but he is a rookie and also a guy who might thrive in Shanahan's system. Speaking of his system, yes, it'd be yet another one for our offense to learn. However, long-term benefits are definitely there...again, look at Shanahan's NFL legacy. We need a top X's and O's guy...Singletary's just not it.

Receiving corps needs to be Crabtree, Hill, Morgan, & Jones...Bruce's value has decreased markedly, maybe in part to Raye's conservative playcaling. Vernon's emergence is a positive...and hopefully it continues. Would still like to see Walker get the ball more...he can be a real force in the open field.

I am in total agreement with "ska" and several others one can get VERY hesitant to read this Blog. That dribble that spewed out of "plisken" or whatever that individual wants to be called, was just that - dribble.
"...coaching (or lack of same) causing injuries." Oh, please. I think if one does not know or understand football AT ALL like "Plisken" person, they should never, ever write in to ANY blog - anywhere.

This team is evolving (beautifully-with an occasional stumble here and there) right before our very eyes - and far too many "Bloggers" are too bloody blind to see it. These are humans trying their damndest to be really good - and like most of us humans, they make mistakes. And amount of paycheck be dammed, they are STILL mere mortals just like you and me for crying out loud. Fortunately I can (and do) tip my hat to the majority of Bloggers on here for your objective knowledge/observations and for sharing. Thank heavens for you. The rest of you NEGATIVE doom-sayers, please go somewhere else. Please.
Either learn to take the "bitter with the sweet" or just go away with your pain-in-my-rear crappy comments.
Thank you for your attention

We're tired of waiting dude. Every year it's wait until next year. I don't want to wait any more. I want them to win now.

I want every effort, every dollar, every priority, every decision to be to make us win RIGHT NOW.

That's how teams go from the cellar to playoffs in a year. They don't fuch about worrying what picks they'll get next year and how they're going to be paid. They don't worry about BS like tampering. They spend 100% of their time figuring out how to win RIGHT NOW.

All that nonsense with Crabtree told the world that this franchise is not dedicated to winning. Dollars are more important than team wins.

Picking Raye is OC says the same thing. Having him here in 5 years time is more important than his ability to win games RIGHT NOW.

I could go on but it's bed time. The guys at the top of the Niners aren't willing to dedicate everything to winning. Pisses me off. Where's Eddie D when you need him?

7 years of the 3rd worst record in the NFL is TOO LONG!!!!!!!

That is the truth.

The Raiders the Lions and the 49ers have THE worst records in the NFL the last 7 years

ENOUGH LOOSING...

Regarding the shotgun, Brekkon is right that the plays from the playbook that are put in for the game plan are typically the ones to draw from. The question is then, why was the shotgun NOT put in? And when I advocate using the shotgun, I am not saying use it on every down, every other down, or every passing down. Mix it up. Pop it out on a first down in the 1st half, or when you're ahead.

As for them not wanting to throw too much at poor poor Alex Smith, I have to scratch my head on that. The guy has been around absorbing for a long time. I doubt that he would say, "Please coach, not so much, I am overwhelmed!". Instead it looks like a classic case of Sing not trusting Smith, and remaining super conservative. Sometimes you gotta take some chances.

There is no "answer" to the offensive woes, and with the loss of Staley, the OL just got more dicey. But if Smith can make reads faster being able to see his WR's on the line of scrimmage like in the shotgun, it SHOULD be in the game plan, even in modest doses.

Yeah, forget about taking the long view. I wanna be just like the Redskins!!! Let's blow 100 mil on a single free agent who won't produce!!! Let's fire our coach after less than a full season!!! He isn't winning every game!!! My favorite part of Monday Countdown on ESPN is "C'mon, Man!" because that's what I want to say to some of you bloggers. Have patience. Sheesh.

The reason New England, Indianapolis, New Orleans and the other elite teams keep winning is because the players WANT to be there. The reason Oakland has sucked for so long is that they don't, other than the paycheck. Sing is building a culture of winners. That takes time, people.

Every team has multiple formations in the playbook for each and every game. The 9ers had several shotgun plays in the playbook for the Colts game. They were very successful using those plays against the Texans in the 3rd & 4th quarters the week before. There is a thing called "adjustments" within a game. In fact, the reason Bill Walsh scripted his first 15 or 20 plays was because he wanted to see how the defense covered certain plays so he would know what "adjustments" to make for success later in the game. When a team has success using certain formations in a game and then decides to discontinue using those plays because they aren't certain if the QB is ready for them, I really question the logic of the coaching staff. It's not Smith who's uncomfortable with those plays, it's Singletary and Raye who are uncomfortable because it contradicts their previously stated strategy. The "adjustment" required here is with the coaching staff, not the players.

And I'm the idiot for saying the same thing on the other blog. Where are all the peeps beating me down. You have a couple of more realists on this blog. Where are you?

Does anyone else get the impression that Sing wants to bring things along slowly. Its always we dont wont to put Alex in a difficult situation or "I will say this, it will get better". I mean cmon man, this is pro sports, at some point you have to go balls out! Look at how many teams are winning through aggressive play calling. I really beleive that Coach Sing does not have faith in his players and the talent on the team. Perfect example Bruce, your telling me he is a better option than 3rd round pick Jason Hill and Brandon Jones who you committed all that money too, we will always be mediocre if you play not to lose and thats what I am sensing as a fan. I'm not saying be pass happy, but put people in who have the ability to make plays when others are not producing: Isacc Bruce, Michael Robinson, Delanie Walker, Parys Haralson, all these guys have done nothing all year!

I also don't understand why we had Clements returning punts. What about Battle, or Jason Hill? Maybe we can just move Vernon Davis to LT....Sims played well, was he considered for the RT position?

Options are running out with these injuries. Bringing Boone up from the PS is a gamble. In preseason, he showed good run blocking skills but slow feet in pass protection. The new guy we signed a week ago (can't remember his name) is an unknown and still learning the system. Other options? Clement may have lost a step, but he is a great tackler and leader. Maybe Hudson can be a decent backup. If R. Smith comes back, he can add some coverage skills at the Safety position.I don't see any of the next few games as sure victories. To have both starting Tackles out of an already weak OL is devastating.

"Quarterback Alex Smith connected on 6 of 7 pass attempts and took the 49ers on a 89-yard touchdown drive in 71 seconds, one of the most impressive drives of the season. For the rest of the game, however, the 49ers stuck with their stock formation, which features two wide receivers, Isaac Bruce and Michael Crabtree.

Though Smith has appeared to excel when the 49ers use the spread attack, coach Mike Singletary on Monday said he was hesitant to turn to it more because it puts so much pressure on a quarterback who has started only one game this season.

"You don't want to put him in a situation where, 'OK, is Alex really ready to do that?' " Singletary said. "You take a step back. 'Is our offensive line really ready to do that?' "

Smith also said he didn't want to rely on a spread offense because it would make the 49ers too predictable. He said the fact defenses such as the Texans' and Colts' had prepared for a ground attack allowed the 49ers to be successful with three receivers. Lose that element of surprise, he said, and it's not as effective.

"When you're lopsided either way, I think it makes it easier on (the defense)," Smith said."

Without a change at top management it won't get any better. Jed York needs to do what Miami did and bring in a heavy to run the team (clean house ).
Cleveland just fired their GM (I'd love that to happen here) and will probably hire the guy that we could use to turn the 49ers around. But Jed waits and waits and waits.....

SCREEN PASS
WHY cant we ever run a screen pass properly, everytime we do it looks pathetic. shouldnt we have these plays down perfect, i watched the patriots do the screen over and over and over again with high success. actually every team but the 49ers can execute a screen pass. oh yeah and when we run the football, lets not just go between the tackles EVERY time. try some off tackle stuff and get the defense to chase you a little then maybe a cut back. just some thoughts. theres no cloud of dust when theres a bunch of fake grass.

Way to go, Oneniner. Now you've ruined the day of the great coach in Houston who knows more about what Alex should do than our coaches and Alex himself. Sigh. He must now retire to the bathroom for his regular morning egg face washing.

Louie wants to start all over again! In mid season! By firing everyone in the building and hiring, uh, a HEAVY. Hmm. Who might that be? Sorry, Louie, Jed wants to go to the playoffs THIS year. I'm sticking with his goal, not yours. I mean, really, suggesting we emulate that mess in Cleveland? What were you thinking?

There are a couple things that bug me about these statements:

'Is our offensive line really ready to do that?' "
First of all, what, exactly, is our OL actually ready TO do?

Smith also said he didn't want to rely on a spread offense because it would make the 49ers too predictable.

Who is saying that we should RELY on the shotgun? Someone suggests that maybe we should use the shotgun MORE, and then it is now being RELIED on? It is all part of mixing it up. Truth is, we have NOTHING to rely on.

As for Smith echoing Sing's comments, I am not sure what the question to him was, or if he knew what Sing had said. If he did though, it is hard to imagine him saying anything other than the company line. Surely not something like, "Yes, we should definitely run the shotgun more than we do. I am ready, but Coach is holding me back."

Coach Raye has one of the worst O Lines in the NFL to work with. Don't you think he knows that when he calls plays? Don't you think that may influence his game calling stragety?

We don't have an NFL caliber O Line. We haven't had one for four years. We have two fair O linemen, no All-Pros, and now one is missing for six weeks. His replacement is a cast off from the Raiders O Line.

Hopefully they will get it together and at least protect Alex so he isn't injured again. Rachal & Baas have potential but lots of good that does a QB scrambling for his life.

If McCloughan doesn't address the O Line and accomplish real results he needs to be showed the door. This is his fourth year, second as GM.

For those that have been ragging on Raye (myself included), check out how some other first year OC's are doing. Below are some others and their corresponding team's offensive rank:

Oak - 32
Cle - 31
KC - 30
Buf - 29
TB - 28
SF - 27
STL - 26
Det - 25

Yikes.

And you stick to form. Not adding anything to the conversation and only criticizing others. No one said the 9ers should go to the spread exclusively. People are saying to open it up more. It's not just me saying it. Billick said last week the 9ers should open up the offense to accomodate Alex Smith's skill set but they probably wouldn't because Sing and Raye would predictably stick with the conservative offense. Billick predicted they would lose because of that strategy and what happened on Sunday? The 9ers score in a fast paced 2 minute offense and then get shut out in the 2nd half. I'd say Billick was right. Poor offensive coaching cost the 9ers the game.

If you'd like to actually disagree with my opinion and back it up with facts then we can rationally discuss the offensive issues. Something tells me you don't have that kind of reasoning ability. You're a drive by critic with no substance. Your next intelligent post will be your first.

thats a good stats - to share

Matt,
Do you know if the Niners have discussed signing Adam "Pac Man" Jones? Back in the day, Eddie D wouldn't have blinked to bring in someone like him if he was available.
Love your blog. Keep up the great work!

WHAT???....why would you even think that.....we are good at the CB position

A lot of you guys hit it right on. The game is all about adjustments and on the offensive side of the ball, our Head Coach and OC are lost. They don't know how to adjust on the fly. Ya'll know that Raye-Raye's playbook consist of 17 pages pages right and the shotgun formation plays are in chapter 5 which begins on page 15, his plan is not to introduce this chapter until the middle of next season when every team in the NFL is absolutely certain that we are a run team than bam! we're in the shotgun --- the element of surprise my friends according to Raye-raye ....... vanilla ....... pure vanilla

..am actually surprised how quick he has changed his tone towards A.Smith...

according to Coach houston now, A.smith the BUST has a skill set .......sounds like a believer...(wow...after 2 games)

the only reason i can think why this happening is that i am still hangover from the halloween nite....

plz someone pinch me...

I wonder if coach houston feels those games played with S.Hill could have had a different result......

or maybe he thinks if A.Smith had started the season we won't be opening up the playbook in week 7.....but instead earlier in the season

oh well...what do i know - i am a troll and he his a super coach

Oneniner, you can never have too many corners. Injuries. He can also help in the return game. did you not see how clements was injured.. Bottom line.. he can help, and we need it.

IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS IS

true....but our problems are not with cb position, O-line = yes, but cb = c'mon men..

...t.brown and spencer, bly are doin well.......do u just want to bring a cb to seat on the bench?

in terms of the return game...we have robinson, battle, spurlock, and many more players that can fill in....

and why even bring in pac man who couldn't find a job with the other 31 teams......he wasn't all that great in dallas

OK Guys. Time to put the Indy loss behind us and focus on the Titans. I was so happy to see the Titans win last week. No way did I want the Niners to face a winless team.

The key matchup is Kyle Vanden Bosch vs Barry Sims. Sims has to protect Smith's blindside. This matchup scares the heck out of me. There is no way we can leave Sims one on one against Vanden Bosch. I think Davis will have to be kept in to help Sims on most pass plays. The other Tackle (Ten plays a 4-3) is William Hayes who will be matched up against Snyder.

But...Vanden Bosch has just one sack for the year and Hayes just 1.5. As a team Tennessee has just 15 sacks for the season which places them 21st in the league (The Niners have 16 sacks ranked 18th). So if they play to form, Alex should have plenty of time to throw.

I think as a defense we should be able to force Vince Young into a couple of picks. Stopping Chris Johnson is the real key. The Niners have played a number of top line running backs so far this year and have pretty much held them all in check. (Only Turner of Atlanta had a big day against us).

I see Raye opening up the offense. Crabtree getting his first TD. Niners 31 Tennessee 14.

Go Niners.

Boy! I see Gruden being a color man on ESPN and I can imagine a HC like him on our sideline instead of the 80's throw backs Singletary and Raye!
There are available for next year coaches like Gruden, Shanahan and Holmgren and other guys who are at least in the 21st century for the 49ers.
I've stood by Singletary enough! He's not the guy! Too much Bear's mentality of the 80's! Too much control freak for me!
The 49ers should be leading the division easily with the team they have despite the injuries. But it's a struggle to get Singletary to admit a mistake and fire Raye who might as well run the wishbone!
With Singletary acting and talking about Smith like he just arrived with the team is hilarious if it wasn't so sad! And stating Raye is still "learning!" The time for learning about players should have been months ago! Not still learning half way through the season! Is Singletary kidding us or what!
Nope! It's time to dump this Abbot and Costello act of the 80's after this year no matter what happens! It's one thing to see the team get beaten because of lack of players! It's another to get beaten because the HC sucks and is a negative to the team and holds back because he wants to play Mooch ball and run the clock out with inept play calling and kick field goals!
Calling all Coaches!! 49ers need you!

My point was the 49ers can only put in only so many shotgun plays after 1week. It is possible that they had very few of them in the playbook against the colts. It is also not like they could have put in a boat load of them. That would have taken time and practice and taken away from their scheming they needed to do against the colts.

We would have been much less prepared for the game if we had taken time away to instill more shotgun plays just to have them available.

If the coaches are now gaining a sense that Alex plays the shotgun better than basic formation then maybe they will begin to tailor that in more. But after a half game against the Texans they no way had time to instill more for the colts game let alone realize that might be Alex's most comfortable formation. Yes he may have played that a lot in college but he hadn't played it with any consistency for 5 years. So don't say they should have known he could do it. It's not always like riding a bike when it comes to these things. Remember just 2 weeks ago Alex was saying it was a big change that he was getting first team snaps because he had been running the opposing teams offenses for so long in practice.

Oh and did anyone really expect Singletary to come out and say.

"You know he did look really good in those shotgun formations, I think we are going to be running a lot more of those from now on."

I mean really!!!! Since when do head coaches tell you what they will be running next week.

Oh and finally. This really is Alex's last chance to prove himself with the 49ers. There is no doubt about that. If Singletary gives him too much too quick for him to handle and he stumbles and fails. Then this benefits no one. It would be bad for Alex and bad for the team for him to fail in that manner. So quit being outside observers and try to see it with an open mind through their eyes.

Hill was the right guy to start the season. Smith is the right guy, right now. Raye will never be the right guy. It's clear Raye's not the long term answer. Let's give Smith a chance to prove himself. So far he's played well in 2 quarters and average to below average in 4 quarters. His accuracy still seems to be an issue but his pocket presence has improved. I haven't seen anything to make me say Smith is the long term answer but he should be given the opportunity over the 2nd half of this season.

Terry, two weeks ago you were running the rat patrol. Now you are joining them? My, my, my. This is the third time this year you have changed your view 180%. A bit fickle, don't you think? And FYI, the '85 Bears had the #2 offense in the NFL that year (Walsh's team was #5), featuring a deep ball passer (McMahon) and a stud running game (Payton). That's the ideal of Raye's offense, too. It is hardly neanderthal.

"I want every effort, every dollar, every priority, every decision to be to make us win RIGHT NOW."

You are an idiot.
You think spending wildly on FA will win a SB??? You think we should keep the coaching staff rotating so that the players get a new system year after year??? Look at the successful teams and see how long they keep a coach for.

"All that nonsense with Crabtree told the world that this franchise is not dedicated to winning. Dollars are more important than team wins."

All that 'nonsense' told the world that this franchise IS dedicated to winning long term. It showed that one player is not more important than the team. It showed that the 9ers will not be bullied by agents. This will save the team millions of dollars in future negotiations, money that can be used for FA, and building a team with depth at every position. That will put a winner on the field consistently, instead of just worrying about this year.
Your shortsighted view shows you have no idea what you are talking about.

...anyone who thinks they should sign Pacman is in the same boat with this guy

Sounds like a plan, modeling our offense on one from 24 years ago.

I read Smith as criticizing Sing/Raye when he said running the offense one way becomes lopsided and easier for the defense because Raye called the same conservative plays all second half.

I think Smith was telling Raye that he should have mixed it up more.

Wow... Some of you whine like babies. Did it ever occur to you that Matt, who's a pretty intelligent guy, and really tries to read through all our comments, might be a little sick of it?

I have seen our (intelligent) questions on this blog go directly to the staff and players. sometimes the same damn day!

And then some of you call out a beat writer who has to balance his relationships within the organization so that he can get the important inside stuff to us first, about how he performs his job?

Want to know why Smith didn't start from the beginning of the season? He only started throwing in MARCH! He hasn't played organized football in 2 years!

You want to run more Spread formations? So do I... but that also means minimum pass protection and Barry Sims at left tackle. I would also like Alex Smith to see his 26th birthday.

Want to know why professional football players break bones? Because very fast large men hit them at a high rate of speed with great force!

Want to know why Jimmy Raye is the OC? Because he ran a familiar system and nobody else wanted the job at the time!

Do we really need to waste Matt's (and our own) time with moronic whining, And utterly ridiculous questions?

Hey.. just a thought. Why don't we let Singletary coach a full season with his staff before we make judgements about his performance? I seem to recall giving Bill Walsh a few years to get things right?

We have a quarterback who got throughly destroyed as a player at the age of 21, and who has played 6 quarters now in 2 years. We have a patchwork offensive line without it's starting tackles. We just lost our #1 cornerback. Our #1 wide receiver has been a pro football player for less than a month. Despite all that, we are 1 game out of 1st place and went into Indy and nearly beat the best team in football.

Oh.. and we have two 1st round picks in the upcoming draft- I don't know? Is this organization really in such bad shape? Am I the only one who actually sees this team moving in a forward direction for the first time in years? Am I the only one who sees a potentially bright future with a core of good, young and exciting players, and a coach who while making some mistakes in his first 15 games, is actually trying to teach young men HOW to properly play the game?

Is it just me, or has Vernon Davis gone from being an idiot to a captain of men and a great player in the course of 1 year? Who is responsible for that? Who protected Alex Smith so that he could come in when he was ready, and have a chance to finally succeed as a QB? Who had the balls to go against conventional wisdom and start a holdout rookie (whom many of you said would fail) with 2 weeks of training? Singletary hasn't even had a full year yet to develop this team. I think he's earned just a little of our trust. He's certainly earned the players trust. Give the man a chance. I don't agree with all his choices either, but then again, I don't know what happens in practice. I can't say what the team or QB is ready for...

Sorry Matt. I don't like to use this blog as a platform to rant, But all the negativity is getting to be too much

...dude - you are making it worse.....

Coming from you, that's funny

hmm..so let me get this straight coach houston

Hill was the right guy to start the season.

Smith is the right guy, right now.

Raye will never be the right guy.

:)....So coach Raye who isn't the right guy, played Hill who was the right guy to start the season according to you,..... but then the same coach who wasn't the right guy played A.smith who is now the right guy,

So i am guessing coach raye who isn't the right guy did something right twice.........or am i wrong?

Also keeping in mind the A.Smith you said was BUST couple of weeks now deserves a chance to prove himself with Coach raye who isn't the right guy

hmm.....(i am scratching my head)

But then according to you - you havn't seen anything to make you say A.Smith the right guy now is the long term answer.....but you will give him the opportunity over the second half.....am guessing cuz its the right thing to do

because "So far he's played well in 2 quarters and average to below average in 4 quarters. His accuracy still seems to be an issue but his pocket presence has improved. ".....

hmm......so i will conclude....according to you A.Smith who wasn't the right guy 5 weeks ago is now the right guy because of those 6 quarters you have seen and not only has to deal with the Coach raye who isn't the right guy, but also his throwing accuracy.......hmm

damn coach houston you really broke it down....

Men - i wish you could inform A.smith on how to deal with this issues....

Can we bring back S.hill so A.smith can work on this issues with you?.....

I mean you did have faith in S.Hill.....i mean he was the right guy ...wasn't he?

The Bears team in 1985 was a one year wonder. They never went to another Supwer Bowl, and the only other time they even made it to the NFC championship they got slaughtered by Bill Walsh and the 49ers; IN CHICAGO, in sub zero weather, with all the East Coast biased morons on CBS (Pete Axthelm was one of them if I remember rightly) babbling on all week leading up to the game about Bear weather etc. etc.

You can have the 1985 Bears. I will take Bill Walsh and George Siefert's five Super Bowls over the same period any day.

The Bears team in 1985 was a one year wonder. They never went to another Supwer Bowl, and the only other time they even made it to the NFC championship they got slaughtered by Bill Walsh and the 49ers; IN CHICAGO, in sub zero weather, with all the East Coast biased morons on CBS (Pete Axthelm was one of them if I remember rightly) babbling on all week leading up to the game about Bear weather etc. etc.

You can have the 1985 Bears. I will take Bill Walsh and George Siefert's five Super Bowls over the same period any day.

Just like the SF Giants, we know exactly what we need to be successful for next year and beyond.
- Alex Smith now looks like a keeper with Davis in the fold.
- Bruce and Clements are done.
- Defense is good but not great.
- Wide receiver group is very much set.
- Run backs are set.
- Offensive coordinator is set only because Singletary will keep Raye. Hopefully it will get better with Smith now a vertical passer and they can game plan it better with time.

We can be a continued playoffs participant if we focus almost all of our draft picks and free agent pickups on 1) offensive line, 2) corners and safety. An impact defensive lineman is also welcome.

For this year, I think we can make the playoffs if we beat Arizona again at home. This is a make or break game I believe.

I don't know why do we keep throwing the ball laterally and hope the players break tackles. Bring Turner back please (wishful thinking here...)

We've got Ten coming up. Off Rank: 23, Def Rank: 31. Don't get misled by their record. They actually have pretty decent stats compared with us. One that I don't like is that they've only allowed 6 sacks and gotten 15 all year while we've allowed 22, but we've gotten 16 so far. We really need to get some pressure up the middle. Slow down the run and speed up their QB.

Does anyone know what we are doing with Alex Boone?

From the bus - Jerome Bettis....

I was just as excited, however, to see Alex Smith back in there. His resurgence really is a good thing for this team. The guy looked confident and he looked like a leader. The 'Niners lost, but I was impressed by what I saw. Here's the thing: Smith finally fits in because he has a decent defense. He doesn't have to do as much as he had to do two years ago, when he'd sling the ball around to catch up. That wasn't his game. Now he can call a normal football game; he can hand off to Frank Gore; he can play small ball. I think we'll see a whole new side of Alex Smith.

• I'll say this to Michael Crabtree: That costly fumble in the third quarter on Sunday is what happens when you don't go through camp. Crabtree caught the ball and made a pretty decent move, but he was carrying the football way outside his body, leaving it up for grabs, and it got swiped out. That's one of those things you see happen to rookies in the first couple days of training camp, before they know what these big boys in the NFL can do. Perhaps you can get away with that in college, Michael, but not in the NFL. The kid has some things to learn. I hope he takes a few things away from this loss.

...yea, how come nobody is talking about the crabtree fumble?

The coaches made him fumble. They also made Smith get sacked on our last drive. And they made our players drop a couple of passes. Thus spake coach Houston from his drive-by critics couch: "Poor offensive coaching cost the 9ers the game."

Here you go again alex himself. You led us to two losses. But now your a pro bowl qb. You had the best protection this year in the Indy game. You threw for 1 td. 1 int on a bad throw that was tipped. And a loss. You want to bring up the td drive before the half. It was nice, but what else did you do that game? I seen some missed recievers wide open down field, some of your old off the mark 10 yard passes, run from a little pressure TO THE RIGHT instead of forward for some positive yards, now the good you got better on the outs. You have yet to beat hills game at minn. I know it's been only 1 but quit soundind like you are manning himself. Calm down on the smith talk. He's not that impresive yet. And hell next to o Sullivan hill and dilfer. Your play must look pro bowl caliber. Easy tiger. It's only 6 quarters yo.

Skeebers....you just made my point! You just quoted Bear stats from the 1 year they won the SB in the mid 80's! Why don't you just go back to the Lombardi years and quote the Packers stats to us!? Both offenses are ancient history! And so is the MS coached 49ers!
Who give a damn what happened in the Bear SB year? The only ones who seem to care are MS and his 80's buddy Raye...and I guess, now you!
Yea! I changed and so what? These 2 coaches brought a run first smash mouth offense that many commenters here said they would back when MS and his buddy said that wasn't what they meant! They might not have meant it but that's just what the 49ers have!
Skeebers... I read your comments and have agreed many times after understanding where you were coming from! Yea! I can change because of what I see in the 3 STRAIGHT LOSSES we've had and am fed up with what I see! And it seems I'm not alone! Think about it? 0...ZERO points in the 2nd half against a team who was as flat as a tire with 10 nails in it!
These players are PROS and can do the any changes when necessary! Their not snotty nosed kids in high school or even young college guys!
As for the rat patrol, that's for commenters who jump off the ship at first loss! I didn't for your info! I'm not jumping! I'm just writing what I've heard and seen during these 3 losses in a row! I'm not a blind rat that sucks up phony excuses and ego driven decisions and statements by a HC way over his head!
Seems you are! Too bad!
And no offense!

You talk about ranting? Your a joke. I guess you love power running offense with no power. Run run pass. Wow that's genius coaching. But then again what do you know?

Considering it is an area we have struggled. I thought the pass rush this past week was darn good. Peyton almost never gets sacked and we did it 3 times.

We now account for 60% of the sacks the Colts have allowed this year!!!!! We were the first team since week 2 to sack Manning. We had 3 times more sacks than any other team that has played the colts this year have had!!!!!

Overall our Def did really good. Cant wait to see Matt's grades or player eval's are.

Uh, Terry. Norv Turner and the Cowboys ran that same type of offense, too. It's pretty common to this day. I hate the Bears, but they were one and done because Buddy Ryan left to coach the Eagles and Ditka became more interested in being a personality than a coach. McMahon also became injury prone. I'm not trumpeting their offense, just refuting your rant against Singletary's 80s obsolescence. You also say he's stubborn, but he keeps making changes every week, looking for the right winning combination. I can't take you serious if you go from all-anti Singletary, to all-love Singletary, to all-anti Singletary like an adolescent coping with life. You can flip-flop around if you like, it's your life. But it's hard to take you seriously any more. Sorry.

So I'm an idiot for holding a different opinion from you?

Gee thanks.

Norv Turner!? Yeah he's done a great job with SD? Huh? Where do you get it's the Norv Turner offense? I don't care about the why of the Bears demise! They sucked except for one year! And their offense sucked! Anybody knows it was their defense that won for then that year! My rant? It's called seeing what your seeing! And hearing what your hearing!
Anybody that can make logic out of Singletary's answers to his 3rd straight loss must be an expert in Nolanese! unless you put your OWN SPIN on it!
"He keeps changing?" Where? When? How? What? It looks to me and a lot of others we're watching the same offensive plays over and over again, especially during the 3 losses! ZERO POINTS in the second half Skeebers against a flat Colts team! Two rookie CB's Skeebers!
Then don't take me seriously! I'm sure I'll be so depressed because you do! I'll get drunk because of you tonight knowing you can't take me serious!
Better yet! I'll just take you with a grain of salt! Enjoy watching your old video tapes of the Bears offense in there SB year!! That way you'll know Singletary's and Jimmy Rayes playbook! That's probably what Crabtree did until he signed his contract! No wonder he was ready to start! There's only 5 plays on the video!

It is not easy to change now in any case. This team was built with the Air Coryel style of play in mind. Just look at the offensive line. The late Bobb McKitterick would not have touched any of the guys we have today with a 10 Ft pole. The WCO used smaller quicker linemen, Air-Coryel style uses big fat linemen. McCloughan built the team for the Air-Coryel style of offense.

It's not possible to shift gears now. As I remember, Walsh used to have everybody (even Fahnhorst at times) pulling on the 49ers bread and butter 25-BOB running play. Can you even imagine Rachal, Heitman, or Bass pulling. They will be winded in a couple of plays. This team was built around the idea of an O line mauling the opponents straight ahead. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the O line sucks at it.

A spread formation with Smith in a shotgun, or a no huddle type of offense may work as a surprise move now and then, but if you over-play that hand, the defenses will quickly catch on.

I am willing to see what happens the rest of the year. and I will never ever root against the Niners. However, if we wind up 7-9 agian and miss the playoffs for the 7th year in a row, I hope Jed would pull the trigger on McCloughan and Singletary just as quickly as Eddie pulled the trigger on Joe Thomas in 1978.

All things being equal, I would rather win this year with Singletary and Raye instead of starting another re-building project in 2010. But if Jed does make a change, I hope he remembers the team's history and brings in a WCO guy.

Read or reread what Ronnie Lott said at 11:47. Our defense is pretty darn good. Our offense was a work in progress at the beginning of the season and is working through a number of setbacks due to injuries.

We have had too many player mistakes in every game we lost to overcome a lack of overwhelming talent/points. Eliminate the mistakes whether the are dropped passes, missed interceptions or blocks, fumbles/muffed punts, penalties and we're singing a whole different tune. Coulda, woulda, shoulda don't mean nothin though. Forget about it.

The immediate goal of winning the NFC West is still a real possibility. We are positioned well for a good draft in terms of picks and hopefully money.

Bring on Tennessee and lets kick some butt.

I'm tired of arguing about this whole qb issue. Shaun Hill had his chance and he did not play well. Alex Smith has never shown anything to make anyone believe he was worth the #1 pick in the draft. He has not lived up to expectations or proven he can lead the team over several years. BUT, At this moment in time he is better than Shaun Hill. I am saying to maximize his potential, the 9ers need to open the offense a little more and run plays at a quicker pace. Billick alluded to this idea last week after the Houston game and I agree with him. The 9er coaches chose not to open up the offense. I strongly disagree with that strategy. Just because Raye agreed with MANY people's opinion to start Hill early and then move to Smith now does not make him the long term answer for 9er OC. I dislike Raye as OC because his offensive schemes are outdated and simply do not work. His play calling is predictable and he refuses to adapt his offense to his players. I haven't changed my opinion on Smith. He's not a great QB who can lead us into the future but he's the best we have right now.

i just read this from Matt Barrows blog and canot help but notice these stats!!!!

Niners add cornerback
With Nate Clements out for at least six weeks, the 49ers today signed former Lions cornerback Keith Smith. To make room on the roster, the team released WR Micheal Spurlock. Smith, 29, originally was a third-round pick by the Lions in 2004. He started five games in that span, registering 118 tackles, four interceptions, 14 passes defensed, one sack, one forced fumble and one touchdown.

Your an idiot because you don't know what your talking about and spew crap out of your mouth.

"Receiving corps needs to be Crabtree, Hill, Morgan, & Jones...Bruce's value has decreased markedly, maybe in part to Raye's conservative playcaling" (Frank)

I wholeheartedly agree with Frank on the group of WR's. It's time to REST Bruce on the bench; he is dropping more balls than he is catching. We need the best 11 on the field--and right now, I don't think that Bruce is one of them. Maybe he has run out of gas! Or worse yet...feels a strong compulsion to make the 49ers LOSE.
I know that sounds terrible, but that's my intuition talking.

Niner Mom

I'm not keen on Brandon Jones returning kicks or punts; we need him to be a WR among the 11. Find another fearless guy to do that dirty job on ST.