When I asked Mike Singletary yesterday why the 49ers did not employ the shotgun/spread in the second half (other than third-and-long situations) after having success with it at the end of the first half, I did not fully understand his answer.
He spoke in vague terms about the coaches not having exposure to the players and Alex Smith not having exposure to the spread offense.
Then, I spoke to Smith about it, and I think I have a better idea of what Singletary meant.
The first thing Smith told me is that if a team plans to be running that kind of attack in situations that aren't a two-minute drill at the end of a half, the groundwork has to be laid for it in the offseason.
The 49ers' offseason vision for this offense under Jimmy Raye was going to be a power-running team behind a physical offensive line and running back Frank Gore. Out of those run formations, the 49ers wanted to get the ball into the hands of Vernon Davis. If Singletary wanted a spread-'em-out offense that throws the ball around the field, he would've retained Mike Martz as coordinator.
Raye and the coaches did not have a lot of "exposure" to Smith and Michael Crabtree, and Smith - in turn - did not have a lot of exposure to the "spread" during his offseason work when he was competing against Shaun Hill for the starting job.
As I understand it, the 49ers have their basic two-minute package that consists of three wide receivers, tight end Vernon Davis and running back Frank Gore. They run many of those plays out of the shotgun formation. But if they want to use that offense during the regular course of the game, they don't have the kind of variety with their play-calling and their adjustments to what the defense is doing. In other words, the 49ers might be able to have success in the short term, but then the defense quickly sees everything the 49ers have to offer and, maybe, there aren't enough adjustments to stay ahead of the curve.
I think that's what Singletary meant when he said he wondered aloud if it were wise to put Smith in that situation and whether he was ready for it.
This is also the reason why it's imperative that teams maintain continuity on offense. Raye's first priority in the offseason was to install the team's offense. The Colts, for instance, can do all kinds of complex things with their offense because offensive coordinator Tom Moore has been with the Colts since 1998 - Peyton Manning's first year in the league.
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Quick observation about the offensive line . . . Gore had a 64-yard TD run in which the blocking was good and he split two unblocked defensive backs en route to the end zone. But the 49ers did not have consistency with the run game. The 49ers averaged 2.88 yards on the other 17 rushing attempts. Yet, I do not believe the offensive line played poorly. On many of the short runs (or losses) I could not assign blame to anyone. The Colts simply outnumbered the 49ers at the line of scrimmage on many of those plays. Even in pass protection - all things considered - the line did a very good job of providing time and a clean pocket for Smith. There seemed to be something different on nearly every drive that kept the 49ers from sustaining drives: a failure to stay inbounds, a bad break on a tipped pass, a fumble, a penalty, a 12-yard route when they needed 13, a dropped pass, an inaccurate pass and - yes - a sack. From what I saw after re-watching the film, the line might have been the offensive position group least-responsible for the 49ers' loss.
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ROSTER UPDATE: The 49ers today signed cornerback Keith Smith, formerly of the Detroit Lions. Smith was signed as the 49ers expect to be without Nate Clements for up to two months with a broken shoulder blade. To make room on the 53-man roster, the 49ers released receiver Micheal Spurlock.
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And, now, here's the all-53-man review:
Quarterbacks
7-Nate
11-Alex Smith: He generally played with poise, though there might have been a couple times when he broke out of the pocket too soon - but certainly nothing egregious. Smith made some very nice throws. The pass on the deep comeback to Crabtree, in which he dropped it in between two defendeers in the fourth quarter was extraordinary. The one pass Smith wishes he could have back, I'm sure, was an overthrow to Isaac Bruce from a clean pocket on the final drive. That play would've gone for at least 20 yards. Also, Smith should've been better aware of the play clock on the 49ers' penultimate drive. He should have called a timeout instead of taking the delay penalty. Singletary said Smith is developing into a player who looks as if he might be special. I'll say that all signs are pointing up.
13-Shaun Hill: The backup QB did not play.
Running backs
21-Frank Gore: He did a nice job of crashing through two defensive backs to turn a 7-yard gain into a 64-yard touchdown. The 49ers were definitely outnumbered at the line of scrimmage, but there were a couple opportunities for Gore to make cuts to get additional yardage. Again, he did a pretty good job on blitz pickup. On the 49ers' final offensive play of the game, he picked up Dwight Freeney, who came inside on a stunt. Gore squared him up nicely, which should've been good enough. But Freeney bounced off Gore and got the sack of Smith a full 3.7 seconds after the snap of the ball.
24-Michael Robinson: Did not play any snaps from scrimmage. He was the team's primary kickoff returner, and he managed a 19.8 average on five returns. He was always right there on the coverage units. He was credited with one tackle.
29-Glen Coffee: Played just five snaps from scrimmage and carried once for 8 yards. He was also the up-back on kickoff returns. There were several times he missed a block on a man who ended up stopping Robinson after a short gain.
44-Moran Norris: Played 19 defensive snaps. He picked up first downs on third-and-1 plays with rushes up the middle of 3 and 1 yards. His blocking was not bad at all, but it seems that when he's in the game, defenses send an extra defender into the box and things get stacked up rather quickly. Norris did a nice job of picking up Robert Mathis, who was in the process of getting around Adam Snyder, allowing Smith just enough time to deliver a 17-yard pass to Crabtree.
Wide receivers
15-Michael Crabtree: He started at split end and played 50 of the 49ers' 54 snaps. He led the 49ers with six catches for 81 yards. His third-quarter fumble when the 49ers had already put together a couple first downs near midfield was very costly. Crabtree had a drop on a swing pass that wouldn't have gotten any yards. He ran a 12-yard route when the 49ers needed 13 yards on third down. He got his right hand on a pass in which Smith led him too much, the ball was deflected to Colts safety Bob Sanders for an interception. Crabtree nearly busted a big one on a slant that resulted in a 27-yard gain. He also held on at the sideline for a 12-yarder despite a big hit from defensive back Tim Jennings.
18-Micheal Spurlock: Inactive; coaches decision. Spurlock was released today to make room on the roster for cornerback Keith Smith.
81-Brandon Jones: Suited up for the game, and saw action on just one offensive snap. He replaced injured Nate Clements on punt returns in the second half, and made the regrettable decision to field a fourth-quarter punt at his own 3. He returned it to the 6.
83-Arnaz
84-Josh Morgan: Started but played just 27 snaps in the game. He caught just one pass for 3 yards. He was also called for excessive celebration when he went to a knee to pretend he was taking photos of Vernon Davis after a touchdown. That meant the 49ers kicked off from the 15, allowing the Colts to travel into position for a field goal in the final 30 seconds of the first half. Singletary on Monday said, "It's just not being smart."
88-Isaac Bruce: He did not start the game, but he saw more action than Morgan. Bruce played 41 snaps. He had one dropped pass and another that was thrown behind him that he got a hand on. Bruce caught four passes for 51 yards. He also made a very alert play when he did not give up on the play in which Crabtree fumbled. Bruce saved a touchdown when he tackled Jerraud Powers after the recovery.
89-Jason Hill: Inactive; coaches decision.
Tight ends
46-Delanie
85-Vernon
Offensive line
59-Cody Wallace: Inactive; coaches' decision.
61-Chris Patrick: New addition to the roster was inactive and did not suit up.
62-Chilo Rachal: Started at right guard. I like the way Rachal started out the game and he put a shove on Powers near the end of a run play. On Gore's touchdown run, Rachal got defensive tackle Daniel Muir turned around and drove him to the ground with Gore running up their backs. His pass protection was a lot better than it's been. The only time I really saw him get beat was when Muir slipped through to stop Gore for a 1-yard loss on a draw play.
64-David Baas: Started at left guard. He handled defensive tackle Antonio Johnson on Gore's touchdown run. Baas did not give up any sacks, but he did get one when he stepped on Smith as he was backing up under center. The next play, linebacker Gary Brackett beat Baas to throw Gore for a 1-yard loss. Baas did a nice job on a third-and-1 run by Norris that gained 3 yards. Baas was also called for a holding penalty that he did not deserve. In the first half, Johnson tried to spin against Baas, and then he just fell down. Baas never had ahold of Johnson, but he was called for the penalty nonethess.
65-Barry Sims: He entered the game on the 49ers' second offensive play after Joe Staley's injury. He was matched up mostly against Colts DE Dwight Freeney. Sims played very, very well. In fact, I'd go so far as to say he pitched a shutout against Freeney. Sure, Freeney had a sack in the game, but it came on a stunt in which Gore picked him up. Even then, that was more of a coverage sack.
66-Eric Heitmann: Started at center. On Gore's touchdown run, Heitmann started out with a double-team block on Muir, then got to the second level to tie up Brackett. He also did a nice job up the middle on Norris' two third-and-1 runs. The Colts were geared up for those to runs, and the 49ers still got the yardage.
68-Adam Snyder: Started at right tackle. Snyder helped provide a very clean pocket most of the day for Smith, including on the 8-yard touchdown toss to
69-Tony Wragge: He played two snaps of offense when he reported eligible as an extra tight end on two Moran Norris run plays.
74-Joe Staley: He started at left tackle, but his day lasted just one play when he sustained a right knee sprain on the first play of the game. Staley is expected to miss six weeks with a right knee sprain.
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Defensive line
90-Isaac Sopoaga: Started at left defensive end and played very well. He showed his athleticism when he came across from the other side of the line to stop Joseph Addai for a 2-yard gain in the first quarter. Sopoaga also took advantage of good coverage to throw Manning for a third-quarter sack. He was credited with four tackles.
91-Ray McDonald: Looked much better this week in his second game back from an ankle injury that forced him out of the Falcons game back on Oct. 11. He entered the game in passing situations to rush from a defensive tackle position. He recorded a third-quarter sack in which he simply overpowered guard Mike Pollak.
92-Aubrayo
93-Demetric Evans: He played mostly on special teams as part of the wedge on kickoffs. Evans sustained a left shoulder injury that is expected to keep him out of action for three weeks.
94-Justin Smith: Started at right defensive end. He was his usual relentless self with seven tackles. He also did a nice job of pushing left tackle Charlie Johnson into Manning, forcing him to step up and into
95-Ricky Jean-Francois: Inactive; coaches' decision.
96-Kentwan Balmer: He saw limited time on defense, but he did OK when he was in there. He made a tackle. And got some decent pressure on Manning while working against Johnson. I know he gets a lot of scrutiny because he was a first-round pick, but it looks as if he's doing what's asked of him. He'll probably get a few more snaps a game with Evans' injury.
Linebacker
50-Diyral Briggs: Recent call-up from practice squad was inactive.
51-Takeo Spikes: Started at "Ted" linebacker and played a lot more than anyone anticipated after getting limited practice time with a shoulder strain. He had a nice game with eight tackles. One of his best plays was when he was isolated outside on Addai on a sweep. Spikes had great position, great balance and Addai ended up faking out himself and falling down. After returning from an officials' timeout with cramps, Spikes looked just as fresh and quick as ever and made two quick tackles.
52-Patrick Willis: Started at "Mike" linebacker. He recorded eight tackles, including a play in which he closed quickly on backup running back Chad Simpson to throw him for a loss. Willis was in coverage on four pass completitions, including an 18-yarder to Dallas Clark in the first half.
55-Ahmad Brooks: Saw playing on special teams. I might have missed something, but I did not see him on defense.
56-Scott McKillop: Played on special teams. He had one assisted tackle.
57-Matt Wilhelm: Played exclusively on special teams, and recorded one tackle.
98-Parys Haralson: Started at weak outside linebacker, and was silent throughout the game. He recorded one tackle and did not get any pressure on Manning.
99-Manny Lawson: Started at strong outside linebacker, and had a pretty good game. Lawson had four tackles, and forced Manning to throw sooner than he wanted when he leveled
Defensive backs
22-Nate Clements: He was demoted from the starting lineup because the coaching staff did not think he matched up well against the Colts receivers. He was the team's primary punt returner, but he sustained a broken right shoulder blade late in the first half when he absorbed a big hit from Powers.
23-Marcus
25-Tarell Brown: Made his first start of the season, as he replaced Clements at left cornerback. He was mostly responsible for covering Pierre Garcon. I counted seven times in which Brown was tested in coverage, and Manning completed four of those passes for just 21 yards. He might have gotten a bit lucky on the first play of the game, though, when it looked as if Garcon was open on a deep route but Manning underthrew him.
26-Mark Roman: Entered the game as part of the 49ers' dime coverage. It looked as if he went for the two-handed interception of a third-quarter pass to Garcon instead of extending further and knocking it down with one hand. The ball slipped through and Garcon turned it into a 32-yard play.
28-Curtis
30-Reggie Smith: Inactive with a severe groin strain that was injured Sept. 27 against the Vikings.
31-Dre' Bly: Used as an extra defensive back. He let a potential interception slip away early in the game on a pass to Reggie Wayne. He did a good job in coverage throughout the game.
32-Michael Lewis: Returned to action after missing last week's game with a concussion. He started at strong safety. He broke up one pass and forced a fumble while making five tackles in his return to action.
36-Shawntae Spencer: Started at cornerback, and his job was to cover Colts wideout Reggie Wayne. If the goal was to not allow
38-Dashon Goldson: Started at free safety. He recorded 10 tackles and did a nice job of cleaning up after some completions. He delivered his biggest hit of the year on a incomplete pass down the right sideline to Parcon. Goldson did a good job of avoiding a hit to Garcon's head, which would have been a 15-yard penalty.
Special teams
4-Andy Lee: It was definitely one of his better days. He averaged 50.0 yards on eight punts, with an impressive net average of 46.0. He also landed four of his punts inside the Colts' 20-yard line.
6-Joe Nedney: He made his only two PAT attempts. He was put in a bad situation of kicking off from the 15-yard line late in the first half. The Colts returned it to the 39 with :26 remaining and they quickly got into position for a Matt Stover field goal.
86-Brian
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Injured reserve
OT Tony Pashos: Sustained a fractured left scapula Oct. 25 vs. Texans during his only start. Pashos signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with 49ers after he was among the Jaguars' final cuts.
LB Jeff Ulbrich: Placed on injured reserve Oct. 19 due to multiple concussions.
CB Walt Harris: Sustained torn ACL in right knee during organized team activities on May 19 and placed on injured reserve on July 29. Harris, 35, is not under contract to the 49ers next season, but he said he plans to rehab and play again.
RB Thomas Clayton: He sustained a torn ACL in right knee in the 49ers' exhibition opener Aug. 14 against the Broncos.
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i believe......
at least we don't have the famous 3rd and short problems anymore....
What are we doing with Alex Boone?
Thanks for the analysis MM; love the blog.
I've read one point in a couple of places and disagree with the analysis on Vernon Davis you give for this game regarding his not getting his feet in bounds. I remember the play you are referring to distinctly and have seen replays. That play was not Davis' fault and was one that I think the coaches and Alex Smith will attribute to the quarterback. Sometimes Smith has the bad habit of taking choppy steps and continuing to back up out of the pocket. Among other problems, this forces him to have to throw off of his back foot occasionally and lose some velocity on the throw. And on that throw to Davis, that is what happened.
Sure, it would have been a great catch if Davis had gotten both feet in bounds. But Smith needs to step into that throw and get it there sooner via more velocity. It's a tough throw to make, but I expect him to improve on it. They'll fix it. cheers, Luis
I want to see what Jason Hill can do. MM is there a chance we will see him this week? Hopefully Brandon Jones gets to play Sunday againts his old team.
Good stuff Matt. I enjoy reading this section every week.
Is Curtis Taylor progressing much in practice? Any possibility that he might be a legit starter at safety in the future?
Matt,
What is the explanation for Haralson's decline in play? I was expecting 8 to 10 sacks out of him this year.
I know VD is having a career year but I just don't trust him as a receiver. He just doesn't seem to be a natural at the position. Like you said, Matt, he should have and very easily could have dragged his left foot to complete that third down catch. I think he's still so focused on just catching the ball that he doesn't think about the other things.
Great analysis Matt. It's good to hear details from someone really braking down the performances.
Luis,
Though it would be nice to have better velocity when it is needed, NFL receivers need to know when they are near the sideline and they need to toe tap. We see amazing efforts in this regard week in, week out. Davis made zero effort. IMO, he does NOT get a fee pass there.
Matt,
According to NFL.com the 49ers play by play in the 2nd qtr looked like this:
Possession 1: 1. Run Formation 2. Run Formation 3. Shotgun 4 Punt
Poss 2: 1. Run Formation 2. Run Formation 3. Shotgun 4. Punt
Poss 3: 1. Run Formation 2. Run Formation 3. Shotgun 4. Punt
Poss 4: 1. Shotgun 2. Shotgun 3. Shotgun 4. Shotgun 5. Shotgun -TD
** I took penalties out of the equation
I know I'm no expert but I'd say the first 3 possessions look fairly predictable. What in your opinion will it take to get Singletary to change the strategy?
I also think it was weird that the 49ers cut Spurlock before really seeing if he could be a return man. Why not try him out before cutting him?
Your explanation of the spread O makes sense, and is somewhat depressing. If they really can only use it against a two-minute defense, then I hope Raye can start laying some more ground work right quick.
I don't know enough about what is needed to get to that point. But in a copy cat league, it is hard to see why they can't take a look at New England's spread they occasionally run on first down and employ something like that.
Ha ha I saw the same thing. If they are going to use the excuse of we don't know are talent and what they can do right now. Then why don't they just come out and say " We will see next year". I'm not saying for raye to be walsh. I would just like to see him make game time adjustments when the running game isn't working. He hasn't yet, and I don't think he can. We win if he has a gameplan that works from the begining. He has been outcoached in the booth in all of our losses this year. And our three wins are division rivals. You know he got some cheats on those games. 0-4 outside our division and I'm going to believe in playoffs?
Why release Spurlock now??!!! If he is kept on the roster for 6 friggin weeks, he must have done something to deserve that spot. it makes no sense at all to me(BTW, someone who knows nothing about football).
The release of Allen Rossum is really beginning to haunt the niners. Fumble by Battle against Texans. Injury to Nate Clements.
Good thing Michael Robinson is making himself useful, but bad things comes in threes, I wonder what will happen next??
Does anyone know of a good website that tracks NFL statistics. Say like, road teams records on Thursday night games?
Barley - I agree with you that Davis did not make an effort to toe tap. For this he can and should be faulted. I concede that point. I did not mean to imply that he did nothing wrong. My post was not meant to be in support of Davis. It was meant only to say that blame also lies elsewhere. My point was just to highlight the problem Smith still sometimes has with his feet. There are not many tight ends in this league that would have made that catch, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't try. If Davis continues to improve as he has then hopefully he'll be making that catch in the future. However, there are a lot of quarterbacks in this league who can make that throw and whose mechanics would have directly contributed to their getting that ball there sooner. I like Alex Smith; so don't think that this implies otherwise. I was just pointing out his bad habit of sometimes continuing to back up after completing his drop. It doesn't mean I think he is a bad quarterback or anything other than what my comment says. I just wanted to point out that there was more that went wrong in that one play than Davis failing to get his feet in bounds.
Matt: A bit off topic. You wrote recently about your talk with aspiring journalists and the uncertain future of dead tree journalism. I was wondering if you are working more (and paid less?) during your transition to electron journalism. It seems that your regimen is extremely demanding on your time. I am one of your faithful in admiration and gratitude for your efforts.
Jimmy Raye needs to split VD so he can get more mismatches. He can out run most linebackers and DB arent big enough to cover him. They need to set the match up before the snap so defense can't just load the box. If Davis is split out someone will have to adjust their coverage. If he runs the play from the line thats one more guy in the box. It will help the pass game as well as the run.
It WORKS REAL WELL WHEN I DO IT IN MADDEN
I would also love to know what is up with Parys Haralson's lack of production.
Sunday's game was very encouraging ... I am just discouraged by the fact that the loss can be placed at the feet of the coaching staff. The Niners played the Colts hard but the coaching staff failed them by not putting them in a position to win ... by failing to prepare an offensive game plan to put enough points on the board and by failing to devise an offensive strategy to keep the opposing defense off balance.
The defensive staff did exceptionally well and the defensive players executed well, and they gave Peyton Manning one of the toughest challenges he has had in quite some time ... however the other side of the ball did not hold up their end of the bargain.
The offense runs when everybody knows they are going to run. They pass when everybody knows they are going to pass. The results on the field bear that.
Mike Singletary needs to evolve or this team is going to be painfully mediocre as they continue to refuse to adapt their offensive strategy to something that works as demonstrated by other teams ... that win.
I understand his comments to be more targeted toward the desire to not put the pressure of carrying the offense every drive too heavily on Alex's shoulders (especially this early in his return). The desire to start the season was to have Gore carry the load and the QB to simply be complimentary. That obviously hasn't happened but they still tried to credit that philosophy by saying any QB success that was there happened because it was setup by the incessant desire to run in all the other drives. I can understand the desire to not rely heavily on a gimmick that doesn't have enough depth to sustain play or have options when defensive adjustments are made, but it is definitely time to start investing the offense's time in further developing the areas in which we have had some success. We can still be balanced and run from the spread - quite possibly with a lot more success there to (see the Jax-Titans game from last week). You don't have to reinstall the entire offense to be spread based, but you can at least dip into that jar until a defense does adjust (especially when you need that spark).
TheGuru speaks the truth. In fact, I have recently swung a trade (I turn off the deadline) that sent Gore and Bruce for Adrian Peterson and Sidney Rice! I think we should do that, it would help us. I also turned off injuries (even pre-existing) so I think they should do that too so we can get our injured players back.
Jackass roster move of the season... Cutting Allen Rossum. Stupid move #2, keeping Spurlock on the roster for so long and not using him. If he wasn't good enough to be on the active roster, then we should have cut him weeks ago and kept Sheets or Rossum. Matt, do they have an answer as to why Spurlock never got the chance to return kicks or punts?
We have already been using what could be called the spread offense ,since Alex has been playing. But that has only been 6 quarters so far,so give them a chance to get to know what Alex does well,before we see how far they will go with the changes they make for Alex.
We already know that Singletary and Raye are certainly not opposed to passing ,because they have been passing more than running the ball all year long already.They passed 17 times on 1st down against Indy but only ran 8 times,so they are not just being old fashioned run up the middle 3 times and punt. But Raye's choice of called pass and run plays do still seem questionable after almost half the year has gone by.
Mike49er23: A giant LOL to you. that was really funny.
I can't see how anyone can possibly say running a spread offense more often would hurt them any. Indy runs a pretty wide open offense quite well. Kevin Lynch was talking about the possibility of the 49ers moving toward a Colts-like offense given Smith and Crabtree's familiarity in spread offenses.
Did you actually read what Matt wrote?
Baas was also called for a holding penalty that he did not deserve. In the first half, Johnson tried to spin against Baas, and then he just fell down. Baas never had a hold of Johnson, but he was called for the penalty nonetheless.
Matt,
I have a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway.
Can the coaches throw a red flag and challenge erroneous penalties called such as the phantom call on Baas?
Thanks
The answer is no
SINGLETARY B. S. -- What Singletary said makes no sense and likely is more of his "Cover Raye's Hindside." Sure, Smith clarified things, but that's not enough to take care of the egregious decision making about play calling. There are more simple ways to handle a hurry-up offense than what was practiced in training camp--and both Singletary and Raye blew it in this game.
Sorry to say it, but Raye is in over his head and Singletary looks foolish when he says he supports Raye 150%. Even little kids know 100% is all there is and that coaching misstatement is sad. The Niners are limited as long as Raye calls plays.
Matt, I don't envy you having to deal with those two coaching misfits.
MM,
Can you find out what Raye's plan is as far as implementing more shotgun and 3 WR sets for the game plan this week against TEN and get back to us?
Thanks
Interesting discussion, but deeply flawed.
Maiocco, I appreciate many of the points you make, but you did not mention that tight end Vernon Davis had to stay in and block on pass plays much more than normal , especially in the 2nd half. The offensive line was and is clearly the weakest part of the team. Injuries have decimated an already suspect offensive line.
The fact that our best receiver had to stay and block is a measure of that weakness. It was necessary, but far from ideal or "normal".
49er fans need to have a realistic understanding of how weak the offensive line is, how difficult that makes things for the offense and OC, and how well Alex Smith, Davis, Crabtree et al. are doing in spite of that.
I thought it was a good performance, overall. It was an away game against the Colts, an elite team.
We had a battered offensive line.
We did a decent job on Manning.
Smith played creditably.
I'll never be happy losing, but how many of really thought we'd beat the Colts away?
Count me in with those who don't want to hire yet another offensive coordinator.
Matt knows a little about football. Singletary is in the hall of fame. He was one of the smartest players in football. He was middle linebacker and leader of one of the best defenses (Ryan's 46) in football history.
I wouldn't idolize Matt so much. He neglected to mention that Vernon Davis had to block on plays where he would normally be in pass routes, because this offensive line, due to injuries, lack of cohesiveness etc., is very weak.
His analysis of the offensive line play in this game is entertaining but completely wrong!
ZachSF - Can you back that up with some stats and/or proof? I didn't think Vernon blocked anymore in the 2nd half then he did in the first. Joe Staley was hurt on the first play of the game and I didn't see us all of the sudden shift Vernon as an in-line blocker in the 2nd half. Why do you think Vernon blocked more in the 2nd half?
If you go to NinersNation you will be able to find a play-by-play analysis soon, I think. Or if you, or anyone, has time to replay the game I believe you will see that. Halftime is when they have time to consider how to adjust to Staley's injury.
here is a post from NinersNation (not by me):
VD staying in was under-reported,
I didn’t notice it during the game but not having him in pass patterns during the 2nd half was big, especially with the season he is having. I also noticed the dumpoffs to Gore seemed to gain a few more yards than other games and I have to think that our willingness to pass up the field puts LBs and Safeties further back.
Feel free to check the video tape. Pretending the offensive line is okay is sort of avoiding reality and doesn't give the coaches or players credit. That is why this article particularly bothered me.
Comment: you did not mention that tight end Vernon Davis had to stay in and block on pass plays much more than normal , especially in the 2nd half.
My response: Vernon Davis remained in to block on ONE pass play in the second half. That's right, once in the second half. It was early in the fourth quarter, and the 49ers had a max-protect blocking scheme. Both Davis and Delanie Walker remained in, and Alex Smith hit Isaac Bruce with a 20-yard pass. That's why I made no mention of Davis remaining in for pass protection. Smith dropped back to pass 17 times in the second half. Even on the pass play that did not count because of the delay penalty, Davis was running a pass route. --Matt M.
The line is built more for pass blocking than run blocking and did perform admirably especially considering the adversity of losing staley. While they do look pathetic trying to be the power running line that was envisioned they can hold their own in the passing game and aren't nearly as bad as you are letting on. Not getting blown up by a defense that knows our qb can't throw middle to deep passes is also going a long way. We obviously still aren't a great line, but I would say that we are taking away the pass to the backs out of the backfield for extra protection a lot more often than we are sacrificing vernon as a weapon..
Singletary is taking a lot of heat but he should get full credit for making VD a pro-bowl caliber player.
Coupla things about Alex that have me bouyed. First, Matt's interview shows the kid now understands the game and how it unfolds. Second, on that nice drive at the end of the half -- SMITH CALLED HIS OWN PLAYS. All were GOOD plays.
So, I don't care about the off-season prep, I'd play a LOT of spread NOW. And I'd (1) go to the no-huddle 10-12 times a game (and not just in two minute drills), (2) let Alex call the plays when they go no-huddle, and (3) run a moving pocket to BOTH sides.
Running to set up the pass just won't work -- and really hasn't all season. But going back to Walshian precepts -- adding in the spread and its flexibility -- is the best tonic for our personnel. And Alex and Crabs know the spread so well.
It'll work. Just watch.
Question: Can you find out what Raye's plan is as far as implementing more shotgun and 3 WR sets for the game plan this week against TEN and get back to us?
My response: Oh, sure. The Tennessee Titans would be very happy if I reported that. Heck, I might even be forced to move to Nashville if I reported on what I see at Thursday's practice. --Matt M.
Comment: on that nice drive at the end of the half -- SMITH CALLED HIS OWN PLAYS. All were GOOD plays.
My response: Actually, Smith only called the plays when the clock was running. So, of the seven plays on that drive, he called two plays at the line of scrimmage. The first one was a short pass to Bruce that went for 12 yards. The second play he called was an incomplete pass short left to Vernon Davis. --Matt M.
At MM: took the words right ought my mouth. I thought the comment was suspect so I loaded up my TIVO, to see...
But you nipped that stupidity in the bud 20 min before I could verify.
you win...
Gotta give it up for the O-Line. Dem boys put in work.
I wonder if moving the green dot to D.Goldson had any significant impact on the defenses play. Regardless, they did way better than I think anyone could have anticipated.
They better smoke the Titans.
Comment: I thought the comment was suspect so I loaded up my TIVO, to see... you win.
My response: Thanks for having my back. --Matt M.
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.
Hello Matt,
Could the Niners work the half-back option pass (ala, Colts) into their offense by useing M. Robinson a former QB in college? I also believe that he would be a good candidate for running the wing where he could have the option the throw. I've always believed that M.R. could be a weapon for us if used more creatively.
You mean you actually don't report stuff to benefit the team. I'm skeptical. I recall reading your stuff sometimes and thinking if I was facing the niners, I'd just read Maiocco.
Nothing like the Tuesday afternoon game facts to let the air out of the tires of the Monday morning QBs/Coaches demolition derby cars. Hmmm. Perhaps we should inaugurate a Wednesday morning analysis of the Monday morning posts. We could call it Wednesday at the Comedy Club.
Matt,
As always, Thank you.
Your game /player break down, extends and deepens the game expereince for me.
Hi Matt, Thanks for your analysis breakdown. Does the general manager have any say in this organization? Scot was in Nolan's shadow and now with such a powerful presence as Coach Singletary does he get over ruled?
It seems that a GM should take care of the personnel decisions and provide the coach with the right pieces. There have been decisions that makes you wonder if Sing is calling all the shots.
Matt, thank you for your analysis. Despite being frustrated as a fan i am getting tired of reading none sense rationale about why we lost the game and your position specific break down really gives me a better understanding of our shortcoming as a team.
Also, Matt to your opinion, what do you think Haralson has not been productive lately? is the the offenses better preparing to stop him or is it lack of effort/ poor technique? I appreciate your response
If coach singlatory was making all the decisions then Alex Smith probably would not be here this year!!!
For a guy whose confidence was shaken by the last regime, I like how Singletary and Raye are handling this.
But I hope they can do something different with the offense to make it less predictable.
Above it all, the Sheets and Rossum releases were most perplexing and I have to question McCloughan on those.
Traj
Thank you for moving the "Game Time Live" advertisement to the side, now you can read the whole blog.
Nice job of covering the team
Nothing like those facts! They show your still out of touch with your comments!
By the way I went to my attic and found my old College book on the Ancient History of the Western World! Yep! I found out about the Bears and their great offensive prowess in the 80's! I think it was the 80's B.C.S.(Before Common Sense!)
But just remember! "FINISH!" LOLOLOLOL! The team is doing the "finish" real well! They are trying to set the record for NFL offenses that have the most 3 and outs!
Don't give in Skeebers! Just keep running up the middle!
Nothing like those facts! They show your still out of touch with your comments!
By the way I went to my attic and found my old College book on the Ancient History of the Western World! Yep! I found out about the Bears and their great offensive prowess in the 80's! I think it was the 80's B.C.S.(Before Common Sense!)
But just remember! "FINISH!" LOLOLOLOL! The team is doing the "finish" real well! They are trying to set the record for NFL offenses that have the most 3 and outs!
Don't give in Skeebers! Just keep running up the middle!
Terry, you're just posting gibberish now. Pretty sad.
I'm with Matt! I have to "think" what Singletary says compared to "knowing" what he says! MS is GREAT at Nolanese!
I guess you have to go to Alex, who's very familiar with Nolanese, to figure out what MS is trying to say! Alex probably thought he was done interpreting with double speaking head coaches! Poor guy!
Heck Skeebers! Didn't you hear what Singletary said: FINISH!" So "FINISH" commenting!
Roman went for the INT??!???! LOL
Guys, out of fairness, none of the reporters questioned MC response!!! As Alex explained the spread offense was not implemented during the off season so the coaching staff did not want to put Alex and the team at risk against one of the best teams in nfl.
However, my questions is then why not open the offense and do something that the defenses have not seen? are we at all installing motions and shifts to creat confusion? Are we moving VD or Walker/ Gore all over the place to create mismatches base on defensive formations?
It would be nice to know from the players prespectives rather the coaching staff!
A lot of people have questioned why Rossum was cut. Go back and look at all the punt returns he had before he was cut this year. I bet he didn't have 50 yards total in all of his returns. He just continued to either lose yardage or run sideways on his returns. His only decent return was when Coffee got the holding penalty on the reverse that went for a touchdown. I remember saying in his last game that he needed to be cut. I have to admit, he didn't muff punts!
On another topic, that celebration penalty on the Davis touchdown was just plain stupid. The worst past is that the players involved actually planned that garbage. Singletary has to get every player on that team together and eliminate these stupid mistakes. We've lost 2 games that should have been wins because of the kind of mistakes that we repeatedly made last year. We are allowing some disturbing habits to linger.
I knew that excessive celebration play was gonna cost us points as soon as I saw it. We put Manning in his own 2 minute offense. Of all people it was Josh Morgan and Chilo. Can anyone imagine New England getting a penalty for that stupidity! NEVER!!!
We don't look as focused and as disciplined as a team. We looked better to start the season. We appear to be tailing off to me. This team appears to be too young to keep their focus.
Lastly, I so appreciate what Alex is doing, but he has got to be more aware of the play clock. Dleay of game penalties are rediculous. He's got to be a leader and say to heck with the call from Raye and call his own number more often with that clock running down. Go Niners!!!
A lot of people have questioned why Rossum was cut. Go back and look at all the punt returns he had before he was cut this year. I bet he didn't have 50 yards total in all of his returns. He just continued to either lose yardage or run sideways on his returns. His only decent return was when Coffee got the holding penalty on the reverse that went for a touchdown. I remember saying in his last game that he needed to be cut. I have to admit, he didn't muff punts!
On another topic, that celebration penalty on the Davis touchdown was just plain stupid. The worst past is that the players involved actually planned that garbage. Singletary has to get every player on that team together and eliminate these stupid mistakes. We've lost 2 games that should have been wins because of the kind of mistakes that we repeatedly made last year. We are allowing some disturbing habits to linger.
I knew that excessive celebration play was gonna cost us points as soon as I saw it. We put Manning in his own 2 minute offense. Of all people it was Josh Morgan and Chilo. Can anyone imagine New England getting a penalty for that stupidity! NEVER!!!
We don't look as focused and as disciplined as a team. We looked better to start the season. We appear to be tailing off to me. This team appears to be too young to keep their focus.
Lastly, I so appreciate what Alex is doing, but he has got to be more aware of the play clock. Dleay of game penalties are rediculous. He's got to be a leader and say to heck with the call from Raye and call his own number more often with that clock running down. Go Niners!!!
barley,
It's obvious that there's alot of posters that either don't know how to read or they just plain don't read Matt's articles. These same posters are so into themselves & what they want to post that they have no desire to read anybody else's post but rather would just like to see their own takes posted. You know what that does to Matt's blog barley? ....I'll tell you.... It makes Matt's blog go right into the sewer & brings the whole quality of the blog down. Talk about self obsorbed! Ya know Jim Rome has a saying on his radio show "More of me & less of you makes this show alot better!"
Matt, thanks for all the updates. I check your blog multiple times each day for the Niners news I love to read. The analysis you provide ain't so bad either.
This is a strange year for this Niner fan. Hope that the dark days of Erickson/Nolan are gone for good. Desire to really succeed NOW. Patience to allow the team to develop slowly, yet surely. Frustration at the close losses to really good teams. Bewilderment at the blowout loss against a middle tier team.
I'm an eternal optimist. I always hope that the people in charge know what they're doing. I have yet to see anything that truly tells me they don't, from the Crabtree holdout, to releasing Rossum, to the switch at QB when we needed it the most.
The only think I'm not 100% sure on is Raye as the OC and the OL coach. Raye, I have a little more hope for as it seems that he is taking his time bringing along a young team. The OL seems to be underperforming after last year, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now and I'll continue to drink the kool aid until they prove unworthy of the legacy of the 49ers.
I say we pick up N.Turner after he gets fired from Diego, give him the keys to the offense and tell Singeltary to stay out of the way, And concentrate more on getting the team prepared to play, and managing the game!!
I say we pick up Norv, tar and feather him and throw him in the bay. That scumbag ruined our 2007 season by bailing out at the last minute and leaving us no time to hire a replacement.
Question: You mean you actually don't report stuff to benefit the team. I'm skeptical. I recall reading your stuff sometimes and thinking if I was facing the niners, I'd just read Maiocco.
My response: If it's game-plan information that I know about only because I'm allowed to watch practice, that stuff is off-limits. Most everything else is fair game. --Matt M.
So why do we sign Kevin Smith and not Eric Green as a CB? Dare we take a shot with Adam Jones, he would if anything add some speed to our KR/PR game and secondary!
ENOUGH about Pacman!!! He is a cancer...
Does Jed look like Jerry Jones to you??
Tar and feather seems kinda harsh... he does deserve to go to hell for that though (by hell I mean back to the Raiders)
Some of the best people who post on this site are losing it.
Ladies (You know who you are) and Gents. We have a long way to go. The season has nine more weeks. Nobody is running away with anything. This weekend is the biggest GPS of the YEAR. The Titans are a good football team. VY is coming to play. He wants to be in the HOF. GET A GRIP PEEPS! If we do not make this kid look like an idiot VY will make us look like idiots.
You know and I know the NFL is a week to week tournament.
Why the hell do you guys eat on each other? Bring something to the table that does not sound like people stuck in -25 degree weather. The process of the NFL in this decade is the ability to adapt. Do you have studs on your team and practice squad who will be able to adapt when the time comes? YES OR NO? If the Answer is NO you finish below 500 if the Answer is YES you have a good chance at the playoffs. Do you all feel that miserable at home? Do you not see the night and day improvement over the last 6 years? Todays 49ers are on the cusp of being really really good. Their young Their extremely fast and they are a family. Let's look forward to the next 2 weeks. We will be 5 and 4 with 10 days of rest and a great opp to ROLL into the playoffs.
Agree w/Ron in St Pete...a good deal of the blame for our 4 losses is the coaching staff. Poor clock management, confusion, poor playcalling, etc. are happening too often for my taste. I see many in this blog are willing to give Singletary, Raye, Foerster a pass...but, with almost half the season gone, my patience is wearing pretty thin. With the right coaching (which includes getting the right personnel on the field), we could be 6-1 now. I'm tired of a less-than-stellar OL, weak RB corps (outside of Gore), uninspired playcalling (I don't buy that because they didn't practice a more wide open offense they're reluctant to run it now). This is the NFL...meaning not for long...our coaches are paid very good money to get it right. You have to be able to make adjustments...and so far, I'd say the offensive coaches, Raye in particular, have shown little ability to do that. I'd say Manusky's definitely earning his $$. He makes the adjustments...because he gets it that each team he confronts presents different challenges. Until Singletary and Raye show they can be unpredictable, we'll at best be an 8-8 team. Not good enough...we can be a lot better, but only with the right coaching and some upgrades in the OL, RB, & pass rushing positions. Saying we'll be in the playoffs is one thing...actually getting there is something else again. I hope they can turn things around...but if not, I'll be one of the first on the bandwagon to hire Mike Shanahan at season's end. He'll FIX our offense...no doubt about that. He'll give Alex some real direction...from a future HOF coach.
If the term self absorded had a picture next to it it would be Jim ( Long pause) Rome. Never cared ( even longer pause) for Romie ( an even LONGER pause) and his ...( another Jim Rome pause) EGO... Pausing on the radio is DEAD AIR Romie...
Titans - excellent running team with explosiveness.....
9rs - not so much
Titans - change at QB delivering a season first win
9rs - change at QB and 5 TDs in 1 1/2 games - yet no win
titans - pass rush not so good
niners - equivalent but against a more dangerous running QB may prove more problematic.
my gut tells me a hornet nest is being brought to candlestick.
there will be a lot more intangibles in this game than most games in my estimation
could the special teams for the niners actually end up deciding this?
my gut tells me this is the real litmus test going forward...but i am confused what does blue tell me or pink for that matter. I am guessing blue is better.
this game has me worried more so than any game this season, fanatically speaking.
TITANS have everything to gain nothing to lose at all.
If 49ers can almost beat Indy at Indy than the Titans can certainly steal one.
If the low rent Raiders can physically maul the Eagles than the TITANS can win..
WILL THEY ???
to quote John Blutarsky.. hell no..
SF 49ers 27 Titans 20..
A Smith to MC 15 for 2 TD's One more to Duke Davis.
But watch out for Fischer to scheme a good one..
49ers haven't faced a QB like Young this year.
Titans have an extremely chippy team. They will try to reduce the game to a fistfight against our offense. Hopefully our o-line is up to that challenge. I really think the 9ers should win this game going away. Take away their run game and Vince Young can not beat you.
Matthew Maiocco,
With the success there was in the shotgun in the last game, and the fact our line was not that great in the beginning and getting worse due to injury. Do you expect them to use the shotgun more as a way to give Alex more time?
Matt, we've had 3 long TDs this year by runs up the middle. Shouldn't we be ditching this pass-wacky offense and calling more runs up the middle?
Hi Matt, This time of year has been the black hole for 49er fans. From 2004-2009 between games 5-10 we are a combined 7-23 and that includes 4-2 in 2006. So take out 2006 and we are 3-21. We are 3 plays away from being 6-1 this year. We handle the Titans and go on a run and change the direction of the franchise here and now.
I know you are being sarcastic but your analogy still does not hold water. There have been 3 long TD's out of a total of 100 or so runs up the middle. A pretty low percentage. On the other hand, you cannot deny that every time the Niners have lined up in a spread / shotgun formation they have had success.
Nevertheless, I personally think the success of the shotgun / spread is a product of surprise more than anything else. If you over play the spread / shotgun hand, the defenses will adjust very quickly. That is what Singletary was saying in his press confrence and I agree with him 100%.
I know some of you will roll your eyes and say here goes Rick about Bill walsh again, but... Bill Walsh did not trust the shotgun formation for a reason. It simply does not work in the long run because the only running play you can run from the shotgun is a lame kind of draw. Once Defenses disregard the run and key on the pass, the shotgun formation is toast. The other reason Bill did not like the shotgun was it messed up the timing of his offense. In Bill's offense, timing was everything.
Shotgun or spread is not a panacea. The basic problem with this offense is the predictable play calling. I would rather see Alex line up under center on every snap, and keep the defenses guessing if the play will be a run or a pass.
Matt, I really like your coverage on the 49ers!
I'm not trying to disrespect Michael Lewis at all because I think he's "left it all on the field" on every play. But I'm concerned about the depth at his position, you know, just in case he gets another concussion. So for whatever its worth, what do you think about this scenario... What if Walt Harris (who I hope gets healthy 100%) did (sorta) what Ronnie Lott did back in the day. Ronnie played cornerback and safety. You know, I think it'll be interesting to see if Walt plays at the free safety position where he can create more turnovers & provide experienced leadership to minimize those long completions. And then have Dashon Goldson at strong safety who can also be a threat with his range and speed.
Rick, I have to disagree with "the basic problem with this offense is the predictable play calling." The basic problem is execution of the plays that are called. As Matt broke it down, five Niner drives, successful up to then, ended by player mistakes. That is five wasted chances to score. When we stop wasting chances, we will score more. That is the hurdle teams that have not been successful must get over to learn how to be successful. I think we might just see that happen over the next few games.
Jeff Fisher is a good coach and we better not take them lightly. They have too much talent to have such a miserable record.
Nobody has mentioned how wonderful it was that the Cardinals lost a game they were "scheduled" to win against the Panthers which maintains us in the run for the division...
and that is good
Because we are more focused on the Niners than on external factors.... which means we all think this will be played out within our team... I do believe we are Playoffs Bound (only to loose in round one, but it's still an improvement). If we do not get to the playoffs it will mean we did not play to our realistic potential.
SB
You are right to a point. It is up to the players to execute whatever plays are called. And I am not saying we should pass 70 or 80% of the time. We would be just as predictable if we were a pass happy team.
What I meant was, Raye needs to throw once in a while from a basic I formation just to plant a thought in the defenses mind that he might do so at any time. What I have seen so far is that if we are in an I formation, we ALWAYS run. And, it is always the same staright ahead running play.
Now, one in a blue moon, you can put togather a dominating O line which lets you tell the whole world that you will be running straight ahead and still do it successfully. In this era of parity and salary cap, it is highly unlikely that you can put togather an O line like that. IMHO, the way to win is to keep the defenses guessing. A balanced attack, with equal probability of running or passing from a basic formation is the best way.
"The basic problem is execution of the plays that are called."
Thank you.
I can't remember the last time I saw Singletary miss a block, or J.Raye drop a pass. Maybe I'm missing something.
Has any one noticed how many passes the "reliable" Old man Bruce has dropped? If he can no longer catch consistantly then why are we keeping him ?
Yes, but the predictability leads to the failure to execute. We have become less predictable now that we have Alex to open things up a bit more, but where is the variation in the running game? We're talking about how the spread isn't viable because what's installed isn't deep enough, but what's scary is that the run game that is the supposed focus of the offense lacks variety or the ability to adjust as well.
Blue = pregnant
If everything is down to execution and none to play calling, our playbook only needs one play.
If everything is down to execution and none to play calling, our playbook only needs one play.
That wouldn't work because the offense would be too predictable. :-\
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 !