Zohn readers seemed angry with your truly's column and blog from last night's snore-fest at Candlestick Park. I duly gave the 49ers credit for winning the game and for holding firm. But I could not bring myself to praise them to the skies as some fans wanted.
I couldn't give them all-out praise because the game stunk and the Bears stunk and the Niners weren't so hot themselves. Bears QB Jay Cutler threw 5 picks, two of them near the Niner goal line. Which means the 49ers could not actually stop the Bears' drives until Cutler stopped the drives for the 49ers.
Also the 49ers don't seem sold on Alex Smith and hardly let him do anything in the second half. Not a good sign.
One thing I would like to amend from my writing last night. I wondered if the 49ers are a playoff team. This morning I looked at their schedule and with the exception of a few games, it's a pretty easy schedule filled with games they may be able to win. So they are a contender. As Ira Miller pointed out, it will all come down to the Monday night game against Arizona in SF on Dec. 14.
I apologize to 49er Faithful for not being more enthusiastic about their team. When the Niners give me something to be enthusiastic about I'll be enthusiastic. To read my column on the 49er win over the Bears click here.
The reason that you are not enthusiastic about the "win" last night is because the offense really showed us nothing except conservatism because they were trying to avoid a 5 game loss streak. This sure does not look like a playoff deserving team, and it looks like they will be lucky to finish at .500, which in bay area sports seems acceptable to local ownerships (except the Sharks). Hard to get pumped up about a .500 record.
Zzzz...
Lowell,
Never, I mean never apologize for being clear eyed and honest.
This team is awful.
So, Lowell do your job and forget the cry babies!
This team is not awful.
Singletary can be a great HC if he's surrounded by the proper coordinators. He needs Norv Turner to come back, because he will NEVER get another shot at a HC job after this failure(Oh, I hope he gets fired).
I don't know who is holding the offense back. Is it Jimmy Raye not believing in Alex Smith, or is it Singletary wanting to be a 'smash-mouth' team? Jimmy Raye has called good plays, we've seen him do it, the question is who is determining how this offense is run.
If the problem is Raye, then it's time to let him go and give Mike Johnson a shot at the job. If he pans out, then whoopie, we have an OC, if not then we look forward to next year.
Here's the thing though, if we can't get Norv, and we don't think that Johnson can do a great job, then we should think about going after Shanahan, or Gruden. I love how Singletary is such a great leader, and his speeches are very influential(As you've said Lowell), but he has never been an OC, or a DC. If he can't find the right OC by the beginning of the offseason, then we need to cut our losses ala Terry Donahue, and go after a HC with the ability to call his own plays.
Lowell, I still think you're a jerk, but if you really believe you're asking the tough questions, then ask Singletary who is controlling the offensive game plan. Is it Raye, Sing, or a mixture of both. Because if it's both, then that might be the answer to whether Sing is ready to be a HC or not.
FYI, I know I"m an a$$hole, I've never denied it, that's just how I am, but I'm thinking you're probably something similar.
I feel that both teams tried really, really hard to lose, and the Bears were just more determined. Neither team is very good this year. Even Gore can't run with this team. And, yes, I've been a Niner fan all the way back to when Cohn was a newbie at the Chronicle.
What is it with Chicago and quarterbacks? Can anyone remember when the Bears had a good quarterback? Jim McMahon, maybe?
I'm sorry, but I watched that horrible game. The Niners were given the game on a gold platter and just about threw it away. If it weren't for that pick at the end, the Bears could have won the game with 4 picks to the Niners 1. If you were to refer back to one of your older blogs about that game being a deciding factor, I would definitely tally this under a loss. Maybe next year Niner fans.
Listening to Singletary talk football at his pressers is like listening to a politician give a stump speech; platitudes with no substance. Going to a Singletary presser on one's day off, insane.
From Chicago Trib writer Rick Morrissey after hammering the Bears and Cuttler he mentioned the 9ers in the second to last paragraph of his article...
"What you kept coming back to was how absolutely awful the 49ers are. They made so many mistakes, it looked like remedial football. Flags flew, blocking schemes broke down, passes went nowhere."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-13-morrissey-bears-nov13,0,6699990.column