RAMS It turns out that the St. Louis Rams do have some significant injuries to report in the wake of yesterday's kickoff weekend loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The worst of the bunch is LB Chris Chamberlain who has a turf toe type of injury that will sideline him 6-8 weeks. The Rams will have to make a roster decision in this case. That's a tougher injury than you think. On special teams, they'll probably replace him with Dominique Curry, but Spagnuolo also mentioned Chamberlain's role at weakside LB in the team's nickel package. CB Kevin Dockery is out for at least the next week with a hamstring injury. CB Justin King is day-to-day with a slightly less serious hamstring injury. CB Jerome Murphy will surely be active for next week's game against the Raiders, but it's important to remember that he's struggled in coverage in the preseason, as rookie CBs often do. It's just a game without Dockery, but we saw what happened in the fourth quarter yesterday when the Rams were forced to use safety James Butler in the nickel defense rather than an extra CB. Steven Jackson had an MRI today for an inflamed knee. The MRI was negative and he's day-to-day as well. Laurent Robinson has an irritated ankle that will be watched. TE Michael Hoomanawanui, who the Rams could really use in the red zone as I mentioned earlier, is set to miss some time with a high ankle sprain. http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/9/13/1686427/how-will-the-rams-adjust-without The St. Louis Rams may have lost their season opener, but they did achieve on small victory during kickoff weekend: injuries seem to be minimal. The Rams have been so decimated by the injury bug in recent years that a game without major injury gets its own post. Special teams ace Chris Chamberlain seems to have suffered the most significant injury, according to the Rams official site. It's a foot injury and he'll be evaluated today. TE Michael Hoomanawanui left the game with a sprained ankle. While that's not the most serious injury, it's worth keep an eye on since it's also one of those injuries that can keep a player out for longer than you might expect. The Rams could have used him in the red zone. The best example of that came late on the Rams' second drive of the second quarter. Inside the red zone on 2nd-and-8, TE Billy Bajema fumbles a 4-yard pass that QB Sam Bradford eventually recovers. You can't help but wonder how that play might have turned out with Uh Oh catching the ball with hands that have been more than advertised, not mention his YAC potential. That was the first of five attempts to Bajema. Both nickel corners, Justin King and Kevin Dockery, missed the fourth quarter, forcing the Rams to use a safety, James Butler, in the nickel package. Their loss was felt as the scoring drive that put the Cardinals on top, culminating with a 21-yard TD to Larry Fizgerald. On that drive, Anderson found Breaston for 27-yards in a gap between the Rams linebackers and safety James Butler that might have turned out differently with a better coverage guy in there. It actually looked a like missed assignment in the replay, but the loss of those cornerbacks was felt throughout that fateful scoring drive. Dockery and King both left with hamstring injuries. It doesn't sound serious, but it's worth keeping an eye on. CB Jerome Murphy was inactive for this contest. Another personnel decision that had an impact in the final outcome was the decision to leave Brandon Gibson and Dominique Curry inactive. I understand that you can't dress all 53 players, but Gibson was a curious omission who could have helped a team that opted to pass 55 times. If Chamberlain is out next week, Curry will most likely be active on special teams. The Rams already look like a much better team this year, but the fact remains that they have a razor thin margin with their personnel. Every injury and roster decision matters, this game was a reminder of that. http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/9/13/1685842/rams-injuries-and-personnel Starting the season with a win would have been ideal for the St. Louis Rams, who lost a heartbreaker that went down to the wire. The cup half full version of the story should probably include something about how fired up Steve Spagnuolo's Rams were, how solid Sam Bradford looked in his NFL debut and how much pressure the defense put on the Arizona quarterback. Sam Bradford was the story of the night, throwing a ridiculous 55 passes for 253 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs. His stat line doesn't tell the full story, and the interceptions are a little deceiving, especially the last one coming on a Hail Mary. What already has people talking was the Rams' decision to throw that much, only a year after fans pulled out their hair watching a vanilla offense. The Rams fed the ball to Steven Jackson just once on their first three series of the game, the entire first quarter. Very atypical, especially when you have Steven Jackson in uniform, but I liked the decision to go that route. The Rams put it on Bradford to start the game, coming right out and challenging the best secondary in the division and maybe the NFC. It was ballsy, and it established the passing game even though it only produced three points. More on Bradford and why the Rams didn't run more after the jump. Star-divide The Rams offense showed flashes of brilliance this afternoon, and there was no better example than the TD drive that ended the first half of the game. They converted some key 3rd downs in the second half too, the kind that would have been drive killers the year before. So much for it taking time to get Mark Clayton up to speed in the offense. He was a force out there, but a couple drops, one of which would have been a TD, take away from his 10 catch, 100+ yard night. The Cardinals had the Rams receivers smothered, particularly Laurent Robinson. Danny Amendola was well covered too, but still found a way to get 6 balls for 67 yards. I still think he's the Rams best receiver and they need to get more balls thrown to him...like that beautiful crossing route he ran. And why not run more? 3k sent me an email after the game and made a very good point that: the Rams offensive line did a piss poor job of run blocking. The Rams couldn't run more, because they couldn't get the yards. Runs on the outside and in the middle were slogs that rarely got many yards. The Cardinals defensive front is a tough, tough unit, but there should have been more holes for Jackson to find. I also think they could have been a little more creative with the runs. They ran out of the shotgun twice, for a total of 10 yards. A reverse would have been a good call to keep the pressure honest. And why not use Darby more? The line did a solid job keeping Bradford upright, but they have to get better opening running lanes...Bradford can't throw 50+ times every week. On the other side of the ball, I don't mean to take anything away from a great effort by the Rams defense, but if this had been a team with a legit QB, Arizona would have more than 17 points on the day. Still, the Rams consistently brought pressure. Anderson got hit and rushed many times. Chris Long was a beast and at one point the Cardinals had three men on him. Fred Robbins was absolutely indispensable as well, though I thought the group did a good job as a whole. Save for one series, that resulted in an AZ touchdown, the run defense was very good. They held the Cardinals to just 112 yards rushing, and 70 of those yards came on one series. Clifton Ryan obviously hasn't done much work on ball control. I though the secondary turned in a solid effort. Breaston ate them up for 132 yards, and most teams that pass for 297 yards will score more than 17 points. Breaston was open too much, and I'll be anxious to go back and look at the tape on some of his plays. Ron Bartell stood out for his night, and Bradley Fletcher was solid too. The star of the show for the secondary, however, was Craig Dahl who made plays all over the place for the Rams. The Rams secondary wasn't as good as the Cardinals secondary. Though the defense got turnovers, there were still a few others that they should have had, like that line drive coming right to Bartell. Spagnuolo gets a demerit for not taking his timeouts as the clock wound down in the second half. I don't know if it would have mattered, but ideally it would have given the Rams one more play to work with. The most notable accomplishment was how the Rams played, with passion, the kind we haven't seen in a long time, except from a few key individuals. Sam Bradford scrambling for that fumble and recovering it comes to mind; that was a sure fire turnover with previous Rams QBs. The defense too showed a real fire in their bellies too. It's a tough loss to come away from, but the Rams look like they can win some game this year. This looks like a team that will practice hard this week and take the field next Sunday, in Oakland, unwilling to lose. We'll find out soon enough. http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/9/12/1684854/recap-rams-lose-a-close-one-to Ram Rod may be above the fray, but not me. I've got some overreactin to do, and I plans ta do it. This week, the overreactions will go along with each unit, so everyone gets to play. Even special teams, because they're just so special. QB: C It's hard to grade this game in context for Sam Bradford. Do I judge his performance on the standard of a 7-year QB with a legitimate WR corps, or should the grade reflect the reality that this was Sam's first NFL game (and start), doing so without Donnie Avery and with a wideout in Mark Clayton whose experience with the team and said rookie quarterback was all of a couple practices before gameday? The answer is both. We all saw Sam "make" plays. He's going to be a good quarterback. He threads throws into tight windows that other quarterbacks can't. Juxtaposed against Derek Anderson yesterday, the difference was obvious. The issues for Sam is going to be the same issues for every quarterback, whether they're blessed with his arm and touch or not: decision-making and timing. He's going to get better, and he's going to win games. Yesterday was a performance that I think will prove to be a middle of the road game in retrospect. He didn't take the game over entirely, and there is plenty to improve on. In context, it was a hell of a first game for Sam. If there was still an A.J. Feeley contingent, it died yesterday. Thankfully. Overreaction: Sam is unstoppable. Best three interceptions I've ever seen. A winning season? I smell playoffs. Or maybe that's bacon. Either way, I smell what Bradford's cooking and it smells great. Rest of the grades, overreactions and aromas after the jump. Star-divide HB: B- Some people might look at the box score and think this is generous, but Steven Jackson wasn't afforded much generosity in terms of room to work with yesterday. Credit the Cardinals - they filled up running space all day with a qualified array of blitzes and linebacker coverage schemes. Still, Jackson didn't break out as often as one would've hoped, and he certainly didn't carry the game offensively as just about everyone expected. The silver lining on his performance yesterday was that he wasn't overworked, and for a Pro Bowl talent coming off of a back injury, there's something to be said about protecting him. For all the talk of a backup RB, it's obvious that Steven needed breathing room. We just didn't expect it to come in the form of a 50+ pass attempt day from Bradford. Overreaction: Where the hell did our running game go? Did we expect Bradford to rack up 300 yards a trio of TDs? This was an absolute failure in strategy. The Rams' future may rest on #8's shoulders, but the present Rams sit on the back of Steven Jackson. Boo. WR/TE: C When Mark Clayton has a career day after all of three practices with the Rams, it lets you know Bradford was making a game here instead of having one handed to him. If I were giving out individual grades, Clayton would be A-/B+ range for being the immediate go-to guy for Sam Bradford, but the costly drops will stand out more than anything. If nothing else, Clayton just created expectations for his first season in St. Louis when there weren't many going into the game yesterday. Danny Amendola had a very Danny Amendola performance. Six catches for 67 yards in just nine targeted plays, Amendola is quickly earning himself a playing part of the Rams' future. The problem was the dropoff after those two. Laurent Robinson was all but invisible aside from the imrpovised touchdown at the end of the first half. Mardy Gilyard didn't exist outside of special teams. And the trio of Billy Bajema, Daniel Fells and Mike Hoomanawanui accounted for eight receptions, 41 yards, a fumble and an injury to Hoomanawanui. Too often Bradford was waiting to make a play instead of this unit creating something for him. If people were already looking at taking a WR early in the 2011 draft before the season started, yesterday didn't do anything to motivate them otherwise. Overreaction: Clayton is going to the Pro Bowl. Amendola:Welker::heir:king (SAT, people). Laurent Robinson is on borrowed time. O-line: C- Overall, I thought the pass protection was pretty good, considering how well Arizona disguised their blitzes and the level of talent they have in their front three. It was the run blocking, or lack thereof, that disappointed me. Maybe it was playing against a 3-4, maybe it was the combination of Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell, maybe it was just the product of a line that needs experience working together as a unit with two young tackles. Whatever it was, it wasn't pretty in the running game and at times in pass protection. Those excuses are going to wear incredibly thin after this week. Overreaction: Jason Smith is a bust. Rodger Saffold is going to be a bust. Our line isn't strong enough to help Steven Jackson. Bradford's going to get injured next week. D-line: B Save for Arizona's drive midway through the 2nd quarter, I thought the defensive line did a hell of a job yesterday. Fred Robbins looked like himself but from three years ago. He and C.J. Ah You each had a sack, and Chris Long deserved at least one for as much time as he spent with Derek Anderson. And George Selvie had a solid first game, albeit unspectacular. For such a yeoman line, this was a solid first effort. Overreaction: Fred Robbins is the best free agent signing in recent memory. C.J. Ah You is a stud. This line can't be stopped! LB: C- With a strong day from the D-line, the linebackers weren't called upon as often as they were in 2009, but this was a down game for the unit. Too often, the running lanes expanded because of overpursuit, made obvious on the aforementioned TD drive from Arizona in the first half. There's a lot to like in the trio of James Laurinaits, Larry Grant and Na'il Diggs, but yesterday was as pedestrian of a game as these guys will likely have. One could hope. Overreaction: Sophomore jinx for Laurinaitis. Why oh why didn't we take Aaron Curry! DB: B- Considering how talented Arizona's WR corps is, this is as good as the Rams could have done. Larry Fitzgerald finished with just three catches for 43 yards. Think about that. I know the touchdown left a bitter taste, but in the weeks ahead as Fitz returns to form and carves up opposing secondaries, yesterday's performance should look better and better. And yes, Steve Breaston had a hell of a game, and Dockery had some lapses. Still, overall it was a damn good game for this crew. Overreaction: Derek Anderson passed for nearly 300 yards - garbage. Steve Breaston?! We can't stop anyone. Kurt Warner would have thrown for 700 yards yesterday. Leinart might have gone for 400. Ok, maybe that's an overreaction of an overreaction. Let's be fair in our overreacting... ST: C Punt coverage was shaky at times, which especially hurt when watching Arizona's Max Komar fumble as often as he did. And the blocked field goal was absolutely crucial. Donnie Jones did his thing; noone should be surprised at that anymore. Overreaction: Let's recap. To start the 2009 season, the Rams fumbled the opening kickoff. This year, it's a blocked field goal on the opening series. I hereby vote to eliminate special teams from playing in the 2011 season opener. It hurts too much. Overall, there was plenty to be proud of. I think the optimism that was there before the game is still there today. But the game was there for the taking, and yesterday we didn't take. I'm gonna watch the game again and see if anything else jumps out at me, but save for maybe a round up of notable quotes, I think that's it for me today. Holler. http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/9/13/1685435/overreaction-monday-and-report
CARDINALS You're only as good as your previous game in the NFL. For the Cardinals, that means that they nearly lost to the same St. Louis Rams team that hasn't had a winning season since 2005. On Sunday, the Derek Anderson-led Cardinals scratched and clawed their way to a four point victory over their division rivals. Many questions were answered but many still exist. Can Derek Anderson lead the Cardinals to a third straight playoff appearance? We don't know yet. We do know that Anderson is not an accurate quarterback -- there's little doubt about that. He overthrew Larry Fitzgerald numerous times on Sunday. However, he also improved in the fourth quarter and led the Cardinals on an 86-yard scoring drive. Anderson certainly needs more practice time with Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, but today was a good start. We'll see what he's made of as the season continues. The Rams also reveled a new quarterback -- their coveted first round draft pick Sam Bradford. He immediately provided a spark to the Rams offense. This is arguably the best Rams offense the Cardinals have faced in years. Bradford established his presence quickly, wasting no time to test the Cardinals defense. In the end, his inexperience led to two late interceptions. Let's take a look at some of the positives and negatives from the game: Positives: Adrian Wilson individually dominated - I can't say enough about the play of the Cardinals Pro Bowl strong safety. Wilson began the game by blocking a field goal attempt. He continued his day by adding two interceptions and a sack. Evidently, Wilson was using this game to campaign for the All Pro first team and another Pro Bowl selection. Defensive play as a whole - The Cardinals defense did what they had to do to stop the Rams. They swarmed Sam Bradford continuously. The secondary didn't break and the run defense limited the Ram's running game to 85-yards. Daryl Washington and Greg Toler played well in their debuts on defense. Joey Porter didn't register a sack but pressured Bradford enough to force a few incompletions. Steve Breaston - Even though Derek Anderson struggled with accuracy, he figured a way to get the ball into Steve Breaston's hands. Breaston wasted little time filling Anquan Boldin's spot and caught a career high of 132-yards. Special teams play - The Cardinals special teams unit continued to play well, carrying over from last season. They contained Danny Amendola -- a very fast return man, blocked a field goal, and Ben Graham punted the ball well. A division rival lost - 6-31. That's all I have to say. The negatives are after the jump... Star-divide Negatives: Offensive chemistry - All game Anderson struggled finding his receivers. He may not have hit Larry Fitzgerald if he was standing ten feet tall. I won't blame it on Anderson's accuracy problems, but more on the lack of chemistry between he and the rest of the first team offense. Many of Anderson's passes should have landed in Fitzgerald's lap. It was ugly, but it leaves room for improvement. The running game - Aside from the Cardinals second scoring drive, the running game could not and would not take off. The offensive line couldn't open a hole -- period. Throwing Beanie Wells into the mix might have helped, but it also isn't inspiring if Wells should miss any more time. Fumbling issues - The Cardinals lost four fumbles on Sunday and one during a key drive to drain the clock and end the game. Tim Hightower can add two more fumbles to his career total of nine. Color me more interested in Beanie Wells starting. Max Komar blew it on punt return on didn't help his case when he fumbled in the red zone. The offensive line - The much-anticipated new-look offensive line didn't bode well for Ken Whisenhunt. Holes were rarely opened. Protection for Anderson rarely lasted. They did however, show some signs that they could become a good unit. Let's not forget that they were also lining up across from the Rams' defensive line. This unit needs some work. The refereeing - Some of the calls today were head-scratchers -- particularly the Tim Hightower fumble late in the game. It appeared as though the ground caused the fumble, but unfortunately the refs didn't see it the same way. I won't go into anymore detail because the Cardinals won, but if you watched the game then you know what I'm talking about. For a game that should've been an easy win, I'll admit that I am disappointed. I'll take the victory but the Cardinals won't be able to defeat better teams with that type of play. The Rams appear to be improved but we won't know for sure until we look back on this season. Sam Bradford could be the Rams savior but for now he's the reason the Cardinals won the game. In a couple of years, the Cardinals won't be able to get away with some of the mistakes they committed today. As for the offense, Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm will have their work cut out for them this week preparing for the Atlanta Falcons. Anderson needs to align in sync with Larry Fitzgerald and the rest of the offense, and the line needs to open running lanes for the running backs. Are the Rams still the Rams? Is a win still a win? Yes. Regardless of what the critiques say, the Cardinals did what they had to do and won their first game of the season. http://www.revengeofthebirds.com/2010/9/12/1684784/arizona-cardinals-escape-st-louis Five Things That Were Good 1. Steve Breaston's outstanding hustle on the defensive end in stopping two potential touchdowns off of Rams' fumble recoveries. 2. Adrian Wilson's all-around dominant play, accruing two interceptions, a sack, and a blocked field goal. Possibly the best single game of his career. 3. Greg Toler's solid play at cornerback. His stats didn't jump out of the box score, but he did a respectable job while being targeted most of the game. His 13 tackles were greatly appreciated. 4. Derek Anderson started off strong, but nose-dived with seven consecutive incompletions that stalled the offense in the middle of the game. However, he shook it off, and finished with a 6-for-7 passing drive that scored the go-ahead touchdown. Gotta give it up for tenacity. 5. The Cardinals pulled out a win in an inter-divisional road game that was about as ugly as it could be. Seven fumbles and a crapload of penalties later, the Cards are lucky to be 1-0. Star-divide Five Things That Were Bad 1. Tim Hightower. Come on now, THT. If you're going to fumble, please wait until the fourth quarter of a blowout game. You have a knack for losing the ball at the worst possible times. 2. Play-by-play phrase-of-the-day: "D.Anderson pass incomplete [insert field position] to L.Fitzgerald" ... there's more chemistry in your average English class. 3. Max Komar's butterfingers. No Cardinals fan would be shocked if Komar were cut today. I'm guessing he's still on the team, though, since he saw the field even after his last devastating fumble. 4. Larry Fitzgerald's knee. He was obviously a broken man last night. He tried (oh, how he tried), but all is not right with Fitz. Let's hope time heals this wound. 5. The O-line. Anderson took hit after hit, but luckily stayed upright. The line was not able to open a whole lot of running lanes, nor prevent QB pressure. http://arizona.sbnation.com/2010/9/13/1686097/arizona-cardinals-st-louis-rams-good-and-bad
SEAHAWKS eattle executed as planned. The Seahawks dominated but were not dominant. They were disciplined, opportunistic, and smartly game-planned. Through that, through what should not be their best showing of the season, Seattle protected home turf against the favorite to win the division. Cut that. Seattle lit up San Francisco like a gas soaked piñata. Discipline created opportunity. Seattle stopped long plays. It stopped intermediate plays. From snap one, Seattle locked San Francisco into a station to station offense, and without a functional run game, that put a burden on Alex Smith he couldn't bear. He crumbled. He threw the game away. Opportunity created and prevented scoring. Seattle drew tight in the red zone. The goal line stop set the tone, but Seattle also forced two short field goal attempts on promising looking drives of nine and eight plays. Then it scored 31 unanswered points. It started slow and built momentum and through interceptions, flipped field position and scored, and turned a bad looking start to the game into an out and out blowout. Game planning made a still gelling offense trustworthy, able to cash in, and it did cash in. Matt Hasselbeck did not look radically different than he has for many years, but instead of run, run, run against a dominating run defense, broken only by desperate play-action bombs, Jeremy Bates identified the Niners weakness, passing, and specifically, double-moves, and attacked. And attacked. And attacked, until it was safe to run. What a revelation, Bates game plan. What a difference a smart secondary coach can make to an already talented secondary. What a difference from Marcus Trufant, but where we knew Trufant could return, every other member of Seattle's coverage, from its linebackers swarming, to its corners keeping tight, to its safeties flirting with huge plays, was a revelation from seasons past. Just amazing, and exciting, and ... Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Alex Smith is wild, and as the points stacked up for Seattle, Smith reverted to the terrible, panicky, mistake-prone mess he has been for most of his career. With very, very few interruptions, Smith has been among the greatest, most persistent, and most cumulatively damaging busts in NFL history. Still, though it may not have been against great competition, and though it wasn't dominating, no matter how Seattle ratcheted up the score through turnovers, it was a big victory, an assured victory, not lucky, not close; The Seahawks hosted the pre-season darling 49ers and beat them by 25. Game Ball: Marcus Trufant Trufant can cover the league's elite wide receivers and turn and burn on mistake throws. He is, simply, what every team wants. He is a number one corner. Welcome back, Tru. http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/9/12/1684737/seahawks-31-gold-panners-6 The NFL commandment that thou shalt focus only on thy next game has one exception: Monday. It's the one day for diagnosis, a time for one final look at the week that was. Credit gets distributed, blame assigned as everyone from coaches to players to fans tries to put a finger not only on what happened, but why, in an attempt to discern the most critical factors in the game as well as the level of importance: Run defense "We all came in," linebacker Lofa Tatupu said. "Came in and brought the hard hat and the big-boy pads." San Francisco believed it could bully Seattle up front, administer a healthy dose of Frank Gore between the tackles, mix in a few underneath passes from quarterback Alex Smith and call it good. Except it wasn't that simple. Seattle's defense was stouter than expected with defensive tackles Colin Cole and Brandon Mebane holding their ground, linebacker Lofa Tatupu cleaning up the mess or cornerback Kelly Jennings getting a critical open-field stop of Gore, who outweighs him by nearly 40 pounds. Gore gained only 38 yards on 17 carries as Seattle's defense held its ground and kept the Seahawks in Sunday's game as the Seattle offense sputtered away its first three possessions. Passing-game adjustments "They were just taking gambles," quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. "I give Jeremy Bates a lot of credit and our receivers a lot of credit for taking advantage of it. Really, I think that was the difference in the game." A year ago, opponents completely disregarded the Seahawks' ability to beat them deep and with good reason. Seattle's wide receivers had only two receptions gain more than 40 yards. San Francisco cornerback Nate Clements was working off that scouting report, aggressively looking to jump routes. It paid off on Seattle's first possession when Clements totally disregarded Deion Branch — the player Clements was supposed to be covering — to jump in front of tight end John Carlson for an interception. advertising That aggressiveness cost the 49ers in the second quarter, though, first on Mike Williams' 35-yard reception to set up Seattle's first touchdown and later on Deon Butler's 13-yard touchdown reception that put the Seahawks ahead 14-6 at halftime. In each instance, Seattle caught Clements creeping forward on a double move and then made San Francisco pay over the top. Rushing attack "We can't be misled by the fact we had 70-something yards rushing," coach Pete Carroll said. "That's not any great number at all, but half of it was on one run." Seattle certainly didn't run its way to the lead Sunday. The Seahawks didn't run on the third-quarter drive that culminated in Branch's 3-yard touchdown catch five minutes into the second half. At that point, Seattle led 28-6 and had 10 yards rushing on seven carries. The only sign of progress on the ground was the fourth-quarter field-goal drive in which Seattle ran the ball eight times, using three backs, gained 48 yards and two first downs and put Seattle in position for the final score. Pass rush "The rush was pretty obvious all day long," Carroll said. "We didn't have to call blitzes to get that done. I can't pinpoint it, but we had a good push inside." Raise your hand if you thought Seattle would have more sacks (two) than the 49ers (one) and more quarterback hurries (11) than San Francisco (five). Everyone with a hand in the air, stop lying. Defensive end Red Bryant had his first NFL sack in the first half, and DE Chris Clemons consistently pressured Smith in the second half. The Seahawks were a little overeager with three penalties for neutral-zone infractions, but Seattle's ability to pressure the passer — a problem last season — showed signs of improvement. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2012889465_hawkmonday14.html The Seahawks expect to be missing another offensive lineman this week after right guard Max Unger suffered a toe injury, but they will get a former starting linebacker back as Leroy Hill is expected to return from his season-opening suspension. Considering the instability along Seattle's offensive line over the past few weeks, it's not a fair trade, but Seattle doesn't have much choice. Unger suffered an injury to his left toe early in Sunday's victory, but finished the game. "He just toughed it out," coach Pete Carroll said. "It's going to be really difficult to make it back this game." Unger was wearing a plastic protective boot in the Seahawks locker room. Team policy generally prohibits interviewing a player who is injured. Carroll declined to specify who would replace Unger in the lineup. Ben Hamilton figures to be first in line though it's also possible Hamilton could step in at left guard and starter Mike Gibson could move to right guard. Gibson suffered a lower back strain in Sunday's game, but is expected to be fine. He was replaced by Hamilton in the second half. Hill was suspended for Sunday's opener against San Francisco for violating the league's policy on substance abuse, the result of pleading guilty to a misdemeanor drug possession charge in Georgia. He will also be fined an additional game check, but Carroll indicated the team was told Monday that Hill should be available for this week's game. "We're pleased to have him back and we're going to get him to play," Carroll said. "He's not coming back to sit. He's coming back to play." Hill will not start the game, Carroll said, but he will have a role. David Hawthorne started Sunday at weakside linebacker, which was Hill's spot the previous five seasons. Hawthorne suffered a back injury Sunday, which resulted in more action for Will Herring. Carroll said Monday that Hawthorne is fine to play this week. Hill's status for the Week 2 game at Denver was a question because he could face additional discipline after he was arrested in Issaquah in April and charged with fourth-degree assault/domestic violence after an argument with his live-in girlfriend. Hill, who turns 28 Tuesday, avoided trial on that charge, agreeing to a court-stipulated continuance. If he complies with all the court conditions for the next 18 months, the charge will be dismissed. While it is not a guilty plea or a conviction, the league has previously disciplined players for similar agreements. Notes • Left tackle Russell Okung is expected to begin running this week as he rehabilitates from a high ankle sprain suffered a month ago. A timetable for his return to practice has not been set. • Tyler Polumbus remains the starting left tackle as Chester Pitts continues working his way toward game shape. Pitts was inactive Sunday. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2012889212_hawk14.html
49ERS The first half the team looked very sharp, marching up and down the field with impunity, but failing inside the red zone. Josh Morgan had a TD catch that was ruled incomplete due to not having two feet in bounds. That drive led to a field goal. A drive later we were stalled inside the 20 on a 4th and short and we ran up the gut behind Moran Norris who missed a crucial block allowing Gore to be tackled for a loss. The final trip inside the red zone also led to a 4th down play with Moran Norris rolling out left and the rest of the team going right. Norris was all by his lonesome and Alex Smith overthrew him. The Seahawks got the ball back with 3:57 to go in the 2nd half and proceeded to march 86 yards down the field for a TD (helped with a questionable PI call on Nate Clements that gave them a first down on a 3rd and long pass). The 49ers got the ball back with a chance to score to go into the half with some points and try to salvage something out of the situation, but on a 3rd down and 5 Michael Crabtree ran the incorrect route leading to an Alex Smith INT that was returned to the 49er 20 yard down. Two players later the Seahawks scored another TD and went into the half 14-6. The second half was more of the same as the team continued to fall apart and play very poorly. The Seahawks defense dominated the 49er offense, particularly the offensive line and Seattle manhandled the 49ers the rest of the game. For the Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck went 17/22 for 151 yards. Justin Forsett had 7 carries for 43 yards and had another 17 yards in receptions. The leading receiver for the Seahawks was Mike Williams with 4 receptions and 64 yards.Defensively the Hawks leading tackler was Jordan Babineaux with 5 tackles and 1 INT. Marcus Trufant added another INT. Alex Smith got plenty of opportunities to throw, going 26/45 for 225 yards, no TDs and 2 INTs. Frank Gore carried the ball 17 times for 38 yards, and added another 45 yards receiving. Vernon Davis was the leading receiver with 73 yards. Patrick Willis was led the defense with 10 tackles and Travis LaBoy notched the only sack. There's nothing good that can be taken from this game. The offense stunk, our 3rd down conversion was atrocious just like last year and our secondary did not perform well next year. Here's hoping we rebound from this and come to play against the Saints with a vengeance. http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/9/12/1684681/san-francisco-49ers-6-seattle Today I ventured to Qwest Field for my first 49ers road game and I think it's safe to say I did not get my money's worth. It's certainly a great stadium but obviously that butt-whupping took away from the aesthetic value of the experience. I brought my camera and got some pictures and will try to get them up at some point. I was pretty high up and with a fairly weak zoom the pictures aren't great. I will say that if you do get a chance to go, don't worry if you have seats high up. I was parallel to the northwest endzone (49ers kicked to it to start the game) and I was about 3 rows from the top of the stadium. I needed an oxygen tank and a sherpa to get to my seats, but really most seats there are very solid. I could see everything and it helped in following the game in some respects. While I love the 49ers and love the NFL, I rarely actually attend games. Aside from the cost, I really enjoy being able to kick back at home and have the replays fed to me on a silver platter. And dealing with some of the fans is always a pain in the butt (more to come on that tomorrow). Nonetheless, embarrassing defeat aside, it was a fun stadium. After the jump, a few of my thoughts mixed in with some game-day observations. Star-divide First off, the noise. They talk about Qwest Field being the loudest stadium and after one game I can see why they have that reputation. It quieted down at times, but when things were going well (yes, we'll just call them fair-weather fans!) it got incredibly loud. One thing I actually kind of liked was a glowing seahawk type of deal on the scoreboard when they wanted to pump up the crowd. It was the equivalent of "Make Some Noise" but it was at least a unique take on it. The difference in the noise between Candlestick and Qwest Field is unbelievable. In watching the game from up high, I had the option of checking out the receivers and seeing how the openings come along (or close up) for running backs and return men. That's a good option to have but it can also create problems in tracking everything else going on. When you watch a game on tv you are forced to watch exactly what they show you. It was easy for my eyes to wander as the play was developing, and thus miss some developments. At the same time, one of my favorite aspects of attending games in person is seeing holes open and close. Ted Ginn had a couple solid punt returns (one of the few highlights for the 49ers) and you could watch the play develop and spot holes opening and closing. Maybe not that big a deal for many, but interesting nonetheless. Speaking of Ginn, prior to his knee sprain I was certainly happy to see a level of competency from the punt returner. Compared to last season it was like night and day. When Ginn went down, Phillip Adams came in for a punt and Josh Morgan for a kick. Hopefully Ginn remains healthy because I was quite pleased with his two punt returns. It's the first time in two years that I didn't get nervous on punt returns. Alex Smith I'll have plenty more on Alex Smith but this was certainly an up and down performance from Smith. Naturally we've got folks ready to unload him and I can see the reasons people are pissed. After the strong start, Smith had an incredible amount of trouble with his accuracy and touch. Sure the offensive line didn't do him any favors, but he had some passes that were just plain bad. There are plenty to complain about, but the one that really annoyed me was an incomplete pass to Ted Ginn. On 3rd and five at the Seahawks 40 with eight or nine minutes left in the third quarter, Ginn ran a bit of a fade type pattern (feel free to describe it better than me). Smith threw from the shotgun and tried to drop in the pass. The ball came down over Ginn's right shoulder and the pass was broken up by Marcus Trufant. If Smith drops that ball in to Ginn's left side, Ginn catches it and probably scores. Before the game, Smith was dropping passes in exactly like that with great accuracy. Obviously warm-ups don't mean anything if you can't execute during the game. Nonetheless, he can make that touch play. We'll see if he ever makes it happen during game action. As far as the Moran Norris drop is concerned, that goes on both Smith and Norris in my opinion. They've run that play before with success. This time, Norris probably should have caught the ball, and Smith probably could have had a little bit better touch on the ball. 49ers Defense One of the interesting comments came from bignerd who said he couldn't name one thing Seattle actually did to win the game. I would argue that they executed against a 49ers defense that started strong but fell apart just as badly as the offense. I would argue it was an overall lack of discipline, primarily in the secondary. This came in the form of some horrendously stupid penalties and poor pass coverage. There were two penalties, one bad and one atrocious. The first was Nate Clements defensive holding penalty. The Seahawks faced a 3rd and 4 and Matt Hasselbeck threw an incomplete pass. However, Clements was called for holding when it didn't appear as though he really needed to hold the guy to stop the play (although I could certainly be wrong). The Seahawks got a first down and eventually scored their first touchdown of the game. The second penalty was Dashon Goldson's unnecessary roughness penalty early in the third quarter on the first play of a drive that resulted in the Seahawks fourth touchdown. Hasselbeck threw a pass to John Carlson that was over his head and he was not going to catch. Goldson came in like a missile and absolutely blew up Carlson. Initially folks thought it was going to be pass interference. However, after huddling up the officials called the unnecessary roughness. Having not heard the TV people discuss it I'm assuming the ball was uncatchable, thus no PI, but the receiver was in a "helpless" position and thus receives added protection from the referees. Whatever the case, it was a horrendously bad decision by Goldson. I realize the hit would have been great if Carlson had caught the ball, but great safeties are able to better judge when to blow a receiver up and when to wait a split second. Goldson still has plenty to learn before he becomes a great safety in this league. Dumbass of the game: Rather than give a player of the game award, let's give the dumbass of the game. Today it goes to Travis LaBoy. With the 49ers down 28-6 he managed to sack Matt Hasselbeck (the team's only sack of the game). He then proceeded to get up and do a little dance. He may have had a very solid game (sack and 2 tackles for a loss), but you don't dance after anything when you're down 28-6. This isn't a matter of acting like you've been there before. This is a matter of the fact that you're getting your *** kicked. DO NOT DANCE. http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/9/12/1685007/seahawks-31-49ers-6-taking-my Things are certainly a bit bleak after an ugly season opener. At the same time, there was one bit of good news to come out of the game, although even that is colored by some bad news. The only real positive to come out of yesterday's game was the very solid performance by Ted Ginn Jr. as the team's punt returner. He had two punt returns for 27 yards along with a fair catch. Given the struggles of the 49ers punt returners last year, I think we should actually be pleased we have a guy who can make a fair catch. The downside to this was that Ginn sprained his MCL late in the game on his only reception of the game. Ginn is day to day with the injury so hopefully he'll be fine by next Monday. Given his success in returning punts I'd imagine if healthy he'll be the main guy on punt returns for the foreseeable future. Phillip Adams had a good preseason, but clearly Singletary has a bit more trust in the veteran Ginn. If the team does stick with him on most returns, does that mean a scaling back of his role as the third receiver and general deep guy? The team mixed it up with him against the Seahawks to little success but is there any concern about overwork if you've got him working the deep threat along with kick and punt returns? Do you give Josh Morgan some kick returns to keep everybody fresh? I suppose it doesn't really matter if you can't score touchdowns, but consider that my only real complaint in this story. http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/9/13/1686532/49ers-seahawks-how-about-the-one Mike Singletary thanked the Seahawks for their drubbing. "To Seattle I do want to say thank you very much for kicking our tails." Singletary is already framing the 49ers blowout loss as a wake-up call. But before we think about the future, we should go over what happened in Seattle. First, the 49ers probably came in arrogant instead of confident. The same thing happened last year after the 49ers started 3-1, which included the near win in Minnesota. Coming out of their fourth week bye, which gave them time to bask in their fast start, they were overconfident and we're blown out at home by Atlanta 45-10. The same thing happened in Seattle. "When you're a young football team, and you win four preseason games, you start to feel pretty good about yourself," Singletary said. Secondly, Seattle, whether it was the influence of former 49ers Michael Robinson and Jeff Ulbrich or not, knew how to defend San Francisco perfectly. Vernon Davis said Seattle completely took away the middle where he and Delanie Walker like to operate. Additionally, Seattle slanted their defensive linemen on run plays and they seemed to always slant right into where the 49ers were running. Seattle knew when and where to slant. Here are some other notes from Singletary after the game: -He said there was a technical problem on a fourth down in the red zone, which led to a critical delay of game penalty. When have you heard that before. -He didn't know the extent of the injury to either guard Chilo Rachal (stinger) or Ted Ginn Jr. (knee strain). -He said Michael Crabtree didn't run the wrong route but needed to get his head around quicker on the interception that was returned for a touchdown by cornerback Marcus Trufant. Smith said he was trying to throw the pass before Crabtree broke, but that Crabtree hadn't even lifted his head when the ball went by him. Obviously a critical miscommunication. -Singletary was asked if he thought about replacing Smith in the second half and he said no. He went back to re-emphasize the point later in the news conference. Singletary did say he thought Smith started to press in the second half. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ninerinsider/detail?entry_id=72138#ixzz0zUAauJG1 Rookie right tackle Anthony Davis had plenty working against him in his NFL debut Sunday, from the ear-shattering crowd noise at Qwest Stadium to a multiple-look pass rush. None of that kept the 20-year-old from taking responsibility for his end of the 49ers' 31-6 loss to the Seahawks. "I don't want to make excuses," said Davis, who gave up two sacks and one forced fumble, and made a false start. "I just go back to work and get better." The Niners' coaching staff wasn't as hard on Davis and left guard Mike Iupati, the dual first-round draft picks. "If the rest of us did as well as they did, we would be having a different conversation now," offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye said. The further behind the offense fell, the more it had to depend on the pass, which exposed the offensive line to a nonstop Pete Carroll-orchestrated pass rush. With the running back needed on pass routes, and right guard Chilo Rachal missing half the game with a stinger, there was only so much the 49ers could do to help the rookies. "I think we put them in a very unfair situation as time went on," head coach Mike Singletary said. All Davis and Iupati have to show for it is their place in footnote history. They're the 49ers' first tandem of rookie offensive linemen to start a season opener since 1958. Union effort: The 49ers and Seahawks duplicated the show of solidarity by the Vikings and Saints in Thursday's league opener, as players on each sideline took a step forward after the national anthem and raised an index finger to indicate that they were all one in their labor fight with management. Owners are threatening a lockout next season if the players' union doesn't agree to serious concessions. Takeo Spikes, the 49ers' union representative, had been coy Friday about whether the teams planned to make a statement, but he praised Drew Brees' leadership in Thursday's display. The Saints' quarterback is an oddity, a marquee player deeply involved in the union. "You will rarely see a quarterback put himself on the line like that," Spikes said. Briefly: Ted Ginn Jr. returned two punts for 27 yards, but left the game with a strained knee after a 19-yard return in the second half. Ginn struggled to average 18 yards on three kick returns. ... Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson had a 13-yard catch and run against his former teammates to set up the fourth touchdown of the game. ... Travis LaBoy had the 49ers' lone sack of the game. ... Outside linebacker Manny Lawson left the game with a rib contusion. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/13/SPJ31FCT9A.DTL&type=49ers#ixzz0zUB9CSVn
RAMS In the wake of the world banking system's near failure, the rush to find rational solutions quickly devolved into the kind of partisan finger-pointing typical of the more trivial political pursuits, drowning out the rational voices. It's a reminder of just why it's so important to tread carefully and dispassionately when conducting the pathology of a meltdown. So, having had a good night's sleep and a heavy dose of Xanax to kill the rage of watching the St. Louis Rams steal defeat from the jaws of victory, let's go back through some of the key failures in yesterday's loss and diagnose what potential impact they'll have on the Rams moving forward. Where to start? Star-divide Coaching/Playcalling This is an area that incites lots of passion among the Rams faithful, and I'm not exactly sure how to approach it. The most glaring area of concern here is with the offense. Not that the first half was just pure genius, but it looked that way compared to the second half. Facing eight or nine men in the box, the play action passes disappeared along with the slants and screens and whatever grit the offensive line might have had earlier in the game. Finally, on the Rams last possession of the game, one that ended with Mark Clayton's second touchdown catch, the Rams found ways to move the ball, feeding Danny Amendola (the team's most capable receiver) on quick routes in the middle of the field, behind the horde of black jerseys taking away the run and bringing pressure on Sam Bradford. People hate the dink and dump passing, but it does work when the pass rush is getting to the QB too easily and the run game has been taken away. With that established, the Rams can start taking some shots downfield...if only they had a receiver who could find enough separation to make those plays work (more on the receivers below). The decision to use all three timeouts late in the game was a little mystifying. I understand using a couple to stop the clock and not allow Oakland to simply burn as many seconds as possible and to keep the defense fresh since they'd been on the field for all but 2 minutes of the fourth quarter. The coaches, in my mind, are also partly responsible for the lapses in discipline that resulted in 8 penalties for 92 yards, with 5 of those penalties costing 15 yards a piece. Discipline Teams like the Rams cannot afford to make costly errors like taking bad penalties, blowing coverage assignments, failing to pick up a blitz or not getting rid of the ball on a sack. Across the board, the Rams failed in this department, and it made it exceedingly difficult to move the ball. To me, accountability for that starts at the top. Look at where the penalties came too. The chop block on a second quarter punt was quickly followed by Craig Dahl's unnecessary roughness penalty. Combined, combined those two calls helped move the Raiders from the St. Louis 44-yard line to the 11-yard line, before they eventually kicked a field goal. It only got worse from there, and Fred Robbins' roughing the passer play doesn't need anymore discussion. A couple of those calls were bunk, but when teams get sloppy they don't get the benefit of the doubt on calls like that. Wide receivers The Rams have a real problem at wide receiver. Their two best wide receivers are Danny Amendola and Mark Clayton, both fine players but not enough to make the passing game dangerous. And some of this comes back to the coaching, best seen in their reluctant use of Amendola on quick passes over the middle to move the chains. Clayton has been a good get for the Rams, but he is not the complete package. Both his catches were touchdowns, but he was targeted a total of 5 times. Amendola is by far the team's best receiver. His role will almost certainly have to be expanded. I cannot understand why the Rams weren't throwing to him more often in this game. If nothing else, it might have taken some heat off the other receivers. Part of the problem is that this group can hardly get any separation in their routes, even with most of the defense's attention focused on stopping Steven Jackson. Laurent Robinson really deserves all the negative credit you can heap on him. Targeted four times, he came up with just one catch, and helped create Bradford's only INT on the day because he could not get away from coverage. Ideally, the Rams would be seriously considering a move to get Vincent Jackson. In terms of this season, it would make the division race interesting since the NFC West looks like a big joke at the moment. More importantly, it would send a good faith signal to fans who now need a really compelling reason to spend dwindling disposable income on tickets to the Dome. In the seasons ahead, V-Jax would make the Rams much more legitimate. That's probably not going to happen. So we have to seek other solutions. Start by getting Brandon Gibson back in the mix. The Rams, ironically enough, opted for special teams and blockers among their actives this week. Gibson would help the Rams in a passing game that needs to utilize those routes over the middle the field. When you lack quality, sometimes you can make up a little ground with quantity. What about Fendi Onobun? The coaching staff says he's not ready, and I do believe them. However, they need to get him ready because Bradford needs all the threats he can get at tight end. Onobun also has the potential to be a threat with his size and speed, creating mismatches with opposing linebackers and secondaries. Has anyone signed Keenan Burton yet? If not, the Rams might want to give him a call. The three areas above are by far the biggest areas of concern for the Rams going forward. However, there are a couple other areas in need of mention. Defensive front I really can't say too much negative about the Rams defense. They were tasked with the impossible and forced back onto the field before they could even get a drink of water. However, the defensive line collectively struggled to get pressure on Gradkowski, though he was so quick working in the pocket, they didn't have much chance. That put more on the linebackers and the secondary. For the most part they did well limiting the damage from Oakland's short range passing game. The biggest concern I have about this group was the sheer amount of yards they allowed to Darren McFadden on the outside. Given that, I can't help but wonder if run stopper extraorinaire David Vobora shouldn't be seeing more snaps. Offensive line This group played much better against a tougher Arizona defense last week. Run blocking has to be better. I hate to take Adam Goldberg off the field because he's a real presence with his leadership (did you see who it was arguing the first call that denied Clayton's TD), but I can't help but wonder if the Rams don't need a bigger guy at RT? Is John Greco really so bad that Hank Fraley is the preferred option? Pass blocking snafus happened here and there with running backs, full backs and tight ends, not just the o-line. Having Bajema and Fells off the field for periods of time hurt the Rams. And Mike Karney...? The group just needs to have the fire under their asses stoked again. Play harder, play smarter. As does the rest of the team... http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/9/20/1699675/rams-oakland-postmortem-and-what The Rams took some more bumps and bruises this week that could limit the roster again this weekend against Washington. Coach Steve Spagnuolo gave the full injury report and it looked like this… - TE Billy Bajema has a mild MCL sprain and is expected to miss two to four weeks. That injury is believed to be similar to the one suffered by safety James Butler. - Fellow TE Daniel Fells also has an MCL injury though it’s not as serious and he’s going to be day to day this week. - DT Darell Scott probably has the most serious ailment, suffering a high ankle sprain in the same category as the one suffered by TE Michael Hoomanawanui last week. He’s expected to miss some extended time with that injury. - DT Clifton Ryan will have a second opinion on his migraine headache issues this week after he was unable to play against the Raiders. The Rams are hopeful everything will come back OK from that ailment, especially with Scott out this week. The Rams could bring DT Jermelle Cudjo back to the varsity if Ryan and Scott are both not likely to play. - LB Chris Chamberlain (foot) and Hoomanawanui (ankle) are out of their casts and in walking boots. They are still a ways away from getting back on the field but that’s a good sign for each of their recoveries. - CBs Kevin Dockery and Justin King are making progress and could both return to practice this week with King’s return more likely earlier in the week than Dockery. - As for the game, Spagnuolo expressed his disappointment at many of the same things that he was upset with in the immediate aftermath of the game. The penalties, the Rams’ inability to run the ball in the second half and the Raiders’ success running in the second half were the main culprits, according to Spagnuolo. - Spagnuolo also put the blame on himself and the coaching staff, saying the Rams need to be better prepared, especially in the second half and come out with the same energy and intensity they had in the first half. - The biggest issue to Spagnuolo in terms of the inability to run the ball is how that correlates to an inability to convert on third down. The Rams were just two-of-10 on third down against the Raiders, mostly because they rarely found themselves in manageable third down situations. - “The combination of not being able to convert on third down and not being effective in running the ball on first and second kind of did us in a little bit,” Spagnuolo said. ” I don’t think they did anything different. They did it a little bit better and we probably blocked a little better in the first than we did in the second. And here we are.” - As for the penalties and mistakes that have plagued the Rams in the first two weeks, Spagnuolo says they’re doing everything they can to correct them…”We are in there knocking out the mistakes,” Spagnuolo said. “I talked to the team this morning about some of the things that happened that shouldn’t happen. But after that it’s on to the next game.” - On further review of some of the calls that went against them, particularly the close personal fouls, Spagnuolo did not want to address. He did say that he wants to team to be “aggressive but smart.” - Spagnuolo was asked directly about the possibility of the Rams making a trade for a wide receiver, particularly one from a West Coast team that is currently suspended. Spagnuolo had this to say in response: “Billy and I always talk about that (stuff). Usually today, this afternoon is where we sit down and evaluate where we are at with injuries and who is available and all those other things. So we will have that this afternoon.” - On the topic of receivers, Spagnuolo indicated that rookie Mardy Gilyard is closer to being ready to contribute to the offense, saying he will “get involved” and complimenting Gilyard’s work as a gunner on special teams. - In the final evaluation of QB Sam Bradford’s second NFL start, Spagnuolo said he was pretty pleased with the way the rookie fought through the struggles he had in the third quarter…”There were a couple of things in there obviously he needed to do better. But he knows that. All in all, the offense that took the ball from the minus 3, all the way down to the 5, that was pretty impressive for a bunch of young players. I was proud of the way Sam, after struggling a little bit in the third quarter, then all of a sudden putting that together and being able to score to put us in a position to have a chance.” - Spagnuolo acknowledged Bradford’s comfort level in the no huddle offense at the end of the game, an area Bradford excelled at Oklahoma. - On the other side of the ball, Spagnuolo was pleased with how rookie CB Jerome Murphy competed in his first NFL playing time as he worked extensively in the nickel position. While Murphy was targeted a lot by the Raiders, he battled and came up with an important interception to keep the Rams alive. For his first game, Spagnuolo thought Murphy did pretty well. - Back on the injury front for a moment, the Rams seem to continue to get hit at the same positions over and over. Here’s the way things look right now at a few positions and how the Rams figure to go about handling the personnel at those spots: DT: (Healthy) Fred Robbins, Gary Gibson. (Hurt or sick) Clifton Ryan, Darell Scott – Should those two be out this week, Cudjo could get called back up from the practice squad to the active roster. CB: (Healthy) Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Jerome Murphy, Marquis Johnson. (Banged up) Dockery, King – It appears the Rams are about to get King and Dockery back. That would perhaps allow Johnson to return to the practice squad and free a roster spot somewhere else. TE: (Healthy) Darcy Johnson, Fendi Onobun. (Injured) Hoomanawanui, Bajema, Fells – Pending the way Fells responds to treatment this week, the Rams might again have a need at this position. For at least the next two weeks, Hoomanawanui and Bajema will be out and likely longer. Spagnuolo said Onobun still has some work to do to be ready to contribute so that could also factor into this equation. S: (Healthy) Oshiomogho Atogwe, Darian Stewart. (Mostly healthy) James Butler. (Injured) Craig Dahl – It’s possible Dahl could recover from the concussion in time to play this week but the Rams won’t rush anyone back from a head injury. Butler stepped in for Dahl at the end of the Oakland game and appears to be slowly getting back into football shape. Spagnuolo indicated he’d be the top option to fill in for Dahl but it also remains to be seen if Butler is ready to take on a full workload, meaning another body could be brought in to help at safety or Stewart could see a more active role. http://blog.stlouisrams.com/2010/09/20/wrapping-up-oakland/ QUARTERBACK: Sam Bradford was sharp early; he finished the first half 9-of-11 with a glitzy 142.0 passer rating. But things turned dramatically in the third quarter, and only improved slightly in the fourth. Not a bad day for the rookie, considering that he was sacked three times and harassed often. GRADE: C+ RUNNING BACKS: After an impressive start, Steven Jackson managed just eight yards on five carries in the second half. He wound up with 75 yards on 19 tries, plus 50 yards on four receptions. His blitz pickup wasn't nearly as good as it was last week. GRADE: C+ RECEIVERS: Danny Amendola showed some grit, popping up after a nasty tackle and going across the middle for another catch on the next play. Mark Clayton scored touchdowns on both his catches. But the WRs should be getting more separation and producing more. Only two receptions by the TEs. GRADE: C- OFFENSIVE LINE: Jackson had some room early, but it was tough going in the second half. The pass blocking was mediocre, at best. GRADE: D DEFENSIVE LINE: The Rams didn't blitz much, and the four-man front didn't get much pressure on the QB. RB Darren McFadden pounded out 107 yards in the second half along. DE James Hall had a strong outing, but otherwise it was a mostly unproductive showing for the unit. GRADE: D LINEBACKERS: MLB James Laurinaitis was active after a so-so showing in the opener. OLBs Na'il Diggs and Larry Grant were OK. Decent job against TE Zach Miller. GRADE: C+ SECONDARY: Raiders threw for 231 yards -- 162 in the second half. CB Ron Bartell and S Oshiomogho Atogwe both committed personal-foul penalties. CB Bradley Fletcher was solid in coverage. Rookie CB Jerome Murphy's interception set up the Rams' late TD. GRADE: C- SPECIAL TEAMS: In a two-point loss, K Josh Brown botched a 36-yard FG in the first quarter. Rams gave up a 53-yard return on their first punt. Overall, Rams coverage was OK, their returns just so-so. Donnie Jones dropped three of seven punts inside the 20. GRADE: D+ COACHING: Rams failed to adjust to new Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski, the defense getting steamrolled in the second half. After going blitz-crazy last week, DC Ken Flajole was far less aggressive. Rams had better balance on offense -- 28 pass plays and 21 runs -- but 14 points won't win many games. At some point, the Rams are going to have to find a way to stretch the field to keep defenses honest. GRADE: D+ http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a6fd435a-c459-11df-9af4-0017a4a78c22.html
SEAHAWKS I want to be optimistic. I feel optimistic. I don't feel beat down by this game. So I am going to be optimistic. There truly is a lot to be optimistic about, but before I tap that, let's take care of a few things. The long pass attempt directed at Deion Branch on fourth and two was suicidal. Whether it was play call or read, that decision was aborted in the tube. Walter Thurmond had a rookie moment. Now that it's over, I think we can accept that. Kid was nervous. Kid screwed up bad. Seattle does not have a functional pass rush. I know people want more blitzing. The Seahawks do blitz, just not terribly often. They do not have a ton of talent to send on a blitz. Lofa Tatupu is not a great blitzer. David Hawthorne has shown flashes. Aaron Curry has shown flashes. Who do you send? Blitzing reflexively, blitzing because you are desperate for pass rush, is cutting off your nose to spite your face. The Seahawks have a quality secondary. Keep it stacked, and find some pass rushers. Find a starting Leo end. Matt Hasselbeck is brutal. I know we all had a holding hands, better together moment with our foregone greatest quarterback ever, but every opponent from now until he retires will sit on routes. Double moves will not work forever. Better teams have better safeties that stay over top. Everything Hasselbeck spins hangs. Receivers are consistently caught playing defensive back. It would be one thing if there were picks and only picks, and there are picks for sure, but there's so many near picks. It's hard to see the interceptions going away. It started last season, it started in 2006 if we want to be honest with ourselves, and I think today is the death gurgle. Hasselbeck is everything you want in a quarterback, but when the arm goes, it's like a great junk baller with a batting practice fast ball. You're going to get some outs and you're going to give up some bombs. On to the good stuff. This run defense is legit. Yawn. I don't think I need to keep typing that. Brandon Mebane was dominant. He generated interior pressure, recorded two tackles for a loss and another for no gain and was, all game, quintessential Me! Bane! The defensive line was mostly good. Colin Cole showed some range. He manages playing nose. Sometimes he's kicked back. Rarely does he generate pressure, but as a pure nose, playing over center and controlling gaps, he's good. He is good enough. Aaron Curry made small strides towards his potential. He blew up two pass attempts in the back field. Those are awareness plays, and that's welcome. His ability to pressure is improving ... maybe. It's game to game with Curry, but this game felt like improvement. Deon Butler had a nice little start to the game. He gets pounded running short routes, but that's where he excels and that's where he needs to be targeted. Hopefully his later game disappearance is nothing significant, because wringing value out of Tim Ruskell's big wager would be nice. If Butler can be Eddie Royal-like, however reduced, it would be another talent added to a talented, young wide receiver corps. Golden Tate is awesomely athletic. It's crazy, on the one hand, he looks so so lost. He looks like he is absolutely stumbling through the play. And then, when you look up, he's fifty yards down the field. Tate is potential personified. He's in over his head, but with talent like his, strides will come in leaps (and screw ups will feel like slow death.) Seahawks fans complained about Niners fans complaining about the Niners defeating themselves. Well, shoes on the other foot. San Francisco did own a good bit of Seattle's week one stomping, and the Seahawks own a good bit of this blowout loss. Turnovers are deadly. Stacking them, especially early in the game, especially early in the game with an offense that can not produce explosive plays, is efficient suicide. And so Seattle plunged the tanto in their abdomen and all that was left was the bleeding out. Game Ball: Mebane. Some guys control like Cole. Some guys knife in like Clemons. Few can do both, and fewer still do both simultaneously. Mebane is a weird profile. You wouldn't expect him to be good at basketball or tennis or track and field. He doesn't blow doors off with his generic tools. Brandon is purest of the pure defensive tackle. If you wanted to build an under tackle for an under system, you build that mother like Brandon Mebane. http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/9/19/1698505/postgame-seahawks-14-broncos-31 Random thoughts on the Seahawks' 31-14 loss at Denver on Sunday: # Defensive pressure disappears: My biggest question heading into this game was whether Seattle's defense could back up the impressive showing from last week's home opener. Without the 12th Man noise advantage, how strong was this group? Unfortunately, the answer wasn't good. Even against an injury-ravaged Broncos' offensive line, the Seahawks mounted almost no pressure against Kyle Orton and paid the price as he ripped them up for 307 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The positive news? Seattle's run defense appears legit, holding Denver to 70 yards on 35 carries or just 2.0 yards a crack. But without the crowd-noise factor, the pass rush disappeared. And that was the Achilles' heel everyone feared coming into this season. The way to counter that, of course, is to blitz more and get more creative defensively. The Seahawks didn't seem to take many chances Sunday and Orton picked them apart. # Top Pot delivers: Golden Tate deserves to play. Bottom line. Period. This game would have played out much differently if Walter Thurmond hadn't muffed Denver's first punt and handed the Broncos a 7-0 lead just moments after Seattle's offense had blown a golden opportunity to score itself. # That 14-point swing was too much to overcome on the road. Tate replaced Thurmond and returned two points for 82 yards, including a 63-yard beauty the first time he touched the ball. He also caught a 52-yard pass on his first reception in the NFL after being inactive last week. That would be 134 yards on three touches of the football, or precisely the kind of playmaking ability everyone talked about all training camp. OK, apparently he isn't the best route runner yet. But he is the most elusive, gifted athlete on the offense. Play him. # Missing in action: Where was Mike Williams in this game? Why not more Leon Washington out of the backfield? Just as with Tate, this team needs to get the most out of its playmakers. Credit the Broncos for keeping Seattle off the field with 37:27 time of possession, largely because of 14-of-20 on third-down conversion (after the 49ers were 1-of-15 a week earlier). But when Seattle does have the ball, why waste carries with Julius Jones? Justin Forsett and Washington clearly have more burst. Forsett got just eight carries for 44 yards. He looked good early, but never got into the flow after the first quarter. Washington scarcely played until garbage time. Williams had a thigh injury this week that might have limited his effectiveness, but that didn't explain why -- on a critical fourth-and-2 at Denver's 20 with 2:20 left in the third quarter -- the Seahawks attempted a deep shot to Deion Branch in the back of the end zone against Pro Bowl corner Champ Bailey. Trailing 24-7 at the time, that was about as low-percentage of a play as you could come up with. The Seahawks came out in a two wide-receiver formation and didn't give Matt Hasselbeck many options or themselves much of a chance. # Was that Michael Vick?: Not sure it means much, but in the last six years Hasselbeck had run for two touchdowns. Two games into this season, he's run for two TDs. Probably more significant is the fact that no Seattle running back has yet run for a score, though Forsett had one called back Sunday by a Sean Locklear holding penalty. # Pick-ing them apart: The more significant stat for Hasselbeck was three interceptions. Seattle won't win games when that happens. No, I'm not calling for Charlie Whitehurst, but that is 13 picks by Hasselbeck in his last five games. Not a good trend. # NFC Worst: Not really sure what we know yet about this Seahawks' club. They thumped San Francisco at home, got thumped by Denver on the road. The San Diego Chargers come to Qwest next week on the heels of a 38-13 home victory over Jacksonville. Phillip Rivers will have a field day unless Seattle pressures him, which may be possible with the homefield advantage. One thing we do know, the NFC West is indeed up for grabs. Arizona got drilled 41-7 at Atlanta to fall to 1-1. The Rams dropped to 0-2 with a 16-14 loss at Oakland. The 49ers must beat defending champion New Orleans on Monday night to avoid an 0-2 start and things already are shaky with coach Mike Singletary. So the Seahawks at 1-1 look as good as anybody in the division, for what that's worth, even in the wake of Sunday's lopsided loss. http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/221900.asp
49ERS After every 49ers game this season, Press Democrat writer Eric Branch will grade the team's effort. Here is a look at the grades following Monday night's game against the New Orleans Sains: Quarterback B Alex Smith was wonderful on the Niners' game-tying drive and passes such as his 41-yard strike to Vernon Davis were brilliant. But we can't give As to QBs with two INTs. Running backs A Frank Gore had 168 total yards, averaged 5.6 yards a carry and caught seven passes. Rookie Anthony Dixon scored on his first, and only, NFL carry. Wide receivers/tight ends C With the notable exception of Josh Morgan (6 catches, 70 yards) only two other completions went to wideouts. Those shortcomings were offset, in part, by Davis and Delanie Walker, who combined for 6 catches and 104 yards. Offensive line A Wow. Gore had holes to run though. And they didn't allow a sack. Are those two guys really rookies? Defensive line B The Saints averaged 2.1 yards a carry and the guys up front did a decent job of making Brees uncomfortable. Linebackers B Patrick Willis and Ahmad Brooks had their only sacks and Takeo Spikes (5 tackles) was solid before leaving with an injury (knee contusion) in the first half. Secondary A This patched-together group held up well. Brees (254 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs) looked merely really good not otherworldly. Coaching/Overall B The play calls arrived on time. And Singletary made sure his team never quit. But four turnovers - that stuff needs to be cleaned up. http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100920/sports/100929970?tc=ar Frank Gore said it twice. Maybe it was "60 Power." Maybe it was "60 Counter." Maybe it was both. After endlessly rewinding my tape recorder, I still don't know. But the name of the play - or plays - isn't the primary point. Gore's point was this: They Niners repeatedly ran Monday night directly over rookie left guard Mike Iuapti and the first-round pick repeatedly resembled an earthmover. "The (offensive line) did great," Gore said. "All five of them. But Iupati, man. We probably called (those plays) almost the whole game. And big 77, he did a great job. Especially from the first game until now." Iuapti wasn't alone. The line was leaky in the season-opening loss to Seattle. And with right guard Chilo Rachal out against the Saints, prospects for a turnaround looked dim. The Niners had two starters out and two rookies in against a defense known for its exotic and aggressive fronts, trademarks of Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. But Alex Smith wasn't sacked for the first time in six games, Gore averaged 5.6 yards carry - 3.4 more than his average in Seattle - and the Niners rolled up 417 yards, their most in four years. Asked if his two-minute drive in the fourth quarter was fun, Smith didn't really answer the question. He was too busy praising the front five. "I thought our protection there in that two-minute drive was great," Smith said. "I thought the guys up front - we hit all the calls. They were trying to overload us a few times, and we picked it up and were able to take shots. I was able to get out there and run a little bit because the guys up front picked all that stuff up. I thought all those guys did a great job. We communicated well." After the loss in Seattle, tight end Vernon Davis said the communication up front was spotty, particularly with the rookies, Iupati and right tackle Anthony Davis. So it will be interesting to see what happens Sunday in Kansas City, a place veteran quarterback David Carr ranks above Seattle for its ability to generate rock-concert decibels. The heartening news for the Niners is the line functioned brilliantly at home, a scenario that seemed unlikely after Gore's game-opening runs up the middle netted five yards and converted center David Baas hurled a shotgun snap to Burlingame. But they clearly settled down. And Iupati, whose impressive training camp had many envisioning a Pro-Bowl career, looked the part. Based on Monday, I guess you can expect to see plenty of 60 ... plenty of runs over Iupati this season. http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers/2010/09/run-over-the-rookie-iupati-leads-improved-line-1.html Yesterday was one of the most frustrating and exciting games we've had in 49ers-land in quite some time. Losing is certainly not something I enjoy, but there were positives to take from the game. First and foremost was the play of Alex Smith in the 49ers final offensive drive. Smith drove the team down the field using his arm and legs in impressive fashion. Obviously the team left too much time on the clock, but at that point a score was all that mattered. On that final drive, Smith was 4 of 5 for 51 yards and had two key scrambles for 24 yards and a pair of first downs. Smith showed incredible poise and precision in marching the team down the field. And yet, it's not the first time we've seen this from Smith. There weren't a lot of comments about it, but some may recall the 49ers 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. In that game, the 49ers were trailing 17-13 with 2:58 to go when Smith led the team on an 86 yard drive that culminated in the go ahead touchdown on an Arnaz Battle end around with 26 seconds left. Of course the difference in that game was the fact that Alex Smith had been fairly abysmal up to that point. Smith threw for 60 yards on that final drive, which was almost half his total for the game (126). Last night Smith made his share of mistakes, but Smith also put together some quality drives that we didn't see in that 2007 game. We had the drive that led up to the Delanie Walker fumble and the drive that saw a tipped pass to Crabtree get intercepted. For 5+ seasons now folks have been waiting and waiting for Alex Smith to take his game to the next level. At this point I'm not ready to declare last night a "turning point" in his career. It only becomes a turning point if he follows it up with success this weekend against the Chiefs. The Chiefs are definitely not a gimme game in spite of what some might think. While they've had their fair share of breaks, 2-0 is still 2-0. Alex Smith has provided teases of his great talent from time to time. Off the top of my head, there was the 21 points fourth quarter against the Seahawks in 2006, there was the closing minutes drive against the Cardinals in 2007, there was the filthy second half performance against the Texans in 2009 (trailing but still impressive), and then there was last night. The consistent factor throughout Smith's career has been inconsistency. The question now is whether he can build on last night's performance. At this point, Smith seems to find the most success when he's got quality offensive line play and a strong running game. How shocking is that? He's shown that he can occasionally put the team on his shoulders, but give him a strong supporting cast and he'll make some plays. It seems like we've said this many times before, but once again, if he can build on last night's performance, we might have the makings of a legit quarterback on our hands. Will he take that next step, or will we have our hopes dashed yet again? http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/9/21/1702563/49ers-qb-alex-smith-the-next-step
CARDINALS Any hope of a quick 2-0 start to the Cardinals' season ended today at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. The Cardinals quickly saw a close game balloon to a 34-point beating. More questions arose then answers did today. How long does Derek Anderson have before he's benched? What is wrong with the defense? Losing that bad leaves me wondering how the remainder of the season will fare. I'm not giving up yet. Below I'll give you some of my thoughts from the game: * Derek Anderson's leash should be very short right now. He didn't play well last week against the Rams -- sqeeking out a win. This week he continued to struggle and couldn't lead the Cardinals offense into the red zone or get one third down -- none. I won't start calling for his head just yet but I was ready to see Max Hall in the second half. The game was already out of reach and Anderson did absolutely nothing. Why not put Hall in? * The defense has the talent, just not he right coordinator.Bill Davis has disappointed me so far this year. His predictable play calling on third down has burned the defense and was the primary reason Matt Ryan and the Falcons' offense were so successful through the air. Davis' constant blitzing at the wrong time has killed the secondary and he's vastly underusing some of the talent on the defense. Davis is slowly turning into Clancy Pendergast 2.0. * Ken Whisenhunt isn't taking chances. His choice to go for a field goal at the end of the second half didn't make much sense at the time. Down 24-7, a field goal wouldn't have made much of a difference. Also add the fact that the field goal attempt was for 54-yards and Jay Feely isn't known for his leg strength. I would have much rather seen a quick pass for a first down and an attempt for the endzone. * Penalties have murdered the Cardinals.Twenty penalties in two games is ridiculous. Ken Whisenhunt needs to hold players accountable for committing stupid mistakes. There's really not much more I can say about them. They are drive-killers. * Jason Snelling Who? Most football fans with common knowledge would consider Michael Turnerout of the game a good thing. Instead, the Cardinals surrendered to his back up's back up -- Jason Snelling. Snelling played the game of his career against the Cardinals and was the primary reason they were blown out so bad. That's all I can say right now. The only positive was Tim Hightower rebounding from his terrible week one performance. Right now this team must get their crap in order and figure out what they need to do by the time the Raiders come to town next weekend. For now let's just hope the Broncos can continue beating the Seahawks and the 49ers lose to the Saints tomorrow night. http://www.revengeofthebirds.com/2010/9/19/1698342/arizona-cardinals-get-pummeled
49ERS Things cant get much worse right now for the 49ers, Jimmy "Cant get the Play in" Raye is gone (Im happy about that due to our abismile offense in 2 of 3 games,) Gore has no holes to run through, Crabtree is a non-factor while the TE seam that Vernon and Alex executed perfectly all last year I havent seen yet, Our line has no teeth so they cant bite. And on the defensive side of the ball while we went into week 3 with the number 4 defense, as fair as yardage goes, is giving up way to many big plays and while I havent looked Im sure were in the cellar of the league in points per game and plays over 20+ yards by the opposing offense. Oh yeah we are 0-3 and in last place in what is supposed to be our division this year!!! Thats as bad as it gets, or is it, well lets just hope it is. So we are in fact down, but I stress this, we are not out. We need a W in the worst way if we were at home this week I believe it would be highly likely against the Falcons, but as we at NinerNation all know, we flatout SUCK on the road, so with 1/4 of the season soon to be over we will be 0-4, but there is still hope, now Im not just being hopelessly optimistic. We all saw against the Saints just the kind of team we have, now while they didnt play anywhere near good enough to win, even though they almost did, the team never quit and played their asses off. Thats the kind of team we have, I refuse to believe that game was a fluke and the other 2 where the 49ers got blown out is the real 49ers. So now with Raye gone im praying that gives just the spark the offense needs to compete on every drive, cuz we all know several players were unhappy with Raye's antiquated and outdated play calls and whats even more the manor in which he called them in, so Mike Johnson is now the OC and while I know nothing about him with the exception that Alex Smith likes him better than he ever did Raye, well thats enough for me. Now im not the new OC but i know this game of football we all love so much and the truth is they have to open the offense up a whole hell of alot. I know Sings mentality and vision of our offense, but with our line playing this bad we just cant continue leading out with the run. The days of running to set up the pass should be over, the 49ers offense should now pass to set up the run. Im not stupid and I know what some of you are thinking, "Take carries away from Frank Gore and rely more on Alex Smiths arm" thats not it at all, changing our philosophy of how we distribute the ball while balancing run/pass is what Im saying. First off, Moran Norris "get ****ed" as my buddy eliquently put it this week, he should be benched and a 2 TE set should be our primary formation. Ok look we know what Frank Gore and Vernon Davis can do with the ball in their hands, all im saying is those 2 plus Delanie Walker, Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree should be giving defenses around the league fits, get Westbrook more involved and when Ginn is healthy have him spread the field vertically. It all depends on Alex Smith and guess what, any true 49ers fan knows Smith plays his best when the offense is in hurry up mode, yes this is what im suggesting "Run and Gun" and I dont care who thinks im crazy, its easy to ridicule me for what you may consider something outlandish, but before you do why dont you present a better option. Im basing this on what the team has showed me thus far and the personnel we currently have, it just makes sense, so the 2TE set, split backs with Gore and Westbrook, 3 wide with Gore or Westbrook, Davis of course and Morgan Ginn and Crabtree. You then can keep the defense on its heels while selecting run or pass because I have been 90 percent accurate so far this year calling run or pass before the snap, how many of you are there with me...we telegraph everything!!! As for the defense its the same old story, yes they will be a top 5 defense all year, but with them constantly having to be on the field due to the offenses inability to sustain drives and score, eventually big plays will happen for the opposing offense, we saw this clearly Sunday with the Chiefs spreading the perimeter with their speedy backs and wideouts, eventually leading to that sick *** fleaflicker, sorry but it was, oh yeah that rookie TE made the catch of the year so far, and finally with the D so worried about the perimeter it opened up the middle of the field and we got gashed. The Chiefs dictated the tempo of that game and eventually our defense collapsed, now if our offense wasnt so impotent then the Chiefs game plan could not have been executed the way it was, but my hat goes off to them. The bottom line is we need a win in a big way, Im a firm believer in "Victory heals all Wounds" should we get it this week, then it just might save our season, its possible cuz we always play down but whats more important up to our competiton in recent years, think about our losses to the Vikings and the Colts last year and just imagine what that could have done for team moral should we have won, and how we played the Saints last Monday, a bounce or two our way in each of those games and well last year would have spelled playoffs, but this year we wouldnt be 0-3 and would have played with alot more confidence knocking off the champs in week 2, this week in KC, Right now where there is hope is that our division is so weak, and if we can get a win, I believe we can put a string of wins together, Success breeds Success and after this week all of our games are easily winnable with the exception of Green Bay, but only if the 49ers play to their full potential, and that is undisputable. So if they want to pack it in for the year and say "we tried were just not that good" i'll hate it, but will still keep this sunny optimism going even when its raining negativity all around me, and if by some miracle we do turn our season around and start playing winning football, I guess i'll be the only one on a pretty big ship heading for the playoffs...as always GO 49ERS!!! http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/9/27/1715766/down-but-not-out Leaving aside the desperate nature of firing offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye and the 49ers style of crisis management, the question must be asked - was firing Raye and promoting Mike Johnson the right move to make? After seeing the spark in the eye of tight end Vernon Davis when he talked about Johnson, this might have been the way to go. Past coaches and offensive coordinators made the mistake of casting the 49ers as a bludgeoning run team. Every time they say that and try to institute it, the 49ers wind up mired in the La Brea tar pits of offensive football. Mike Nolan said he wanted to run in 2007 and the 49ers finished last in the league in offensive yards. When Nolan first became the coach in 2005, he said he wanted to run. Again the 49ers finished last in offense. Last year, the 49ers were on their way to more offensive futility when they made the change to Alex Smith from Shaun Hill. Only after Smith softened defenses with shotgun formations and more passing, did running lanes begin to creak open at the end of the season. The 49ers need to be multiple, with the ability to kick into the shotgun hurry-up and a twin tight-end power game at a moment's notice. This offense has never been able to declare itself as a run or pass team. What the 49ers need is that tricky concept that only the most talented of coordinators know how to capture - balance. They also need to get rid of saying, "THIS IS WHO WE ARE. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE OTHER TEAM DOES." Singletary is fond of saying that its all about his team and what they want to do. With the firing of Raye, the 49ers might be moving away from that stubborn stance. Instead players were using code words for tailoring their game plan to what a defense shows by saying that Johnson was good with isolating "match-ups." Starting Sunday in Atlanta, we'll see how good. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ninerinsider/detail?entry_id=73271#ixzz10tS6FRpF The 49ers score, Josh Morgan scores on a 12-yard pass, Morgan looked like he hurt his calf. That would be bad 49ers drive: One of the issues in this game is an inability for the receivers to get open down field. Smith has had nowhere to go. Brian Jennings got crushed on while covering a punt, hopefully, it's not a concussion. 49ers drive: Another three and out, another two hit, including a sack, on Alex Smith. Anthony Davis is really struggling. Chiefs drive: NaVorro Bowman is now in for Takeo Spikes. Touchdown again Kansas City. The Chiefs came in with the 30th-ranked defense, they are going to give up about 450 yards and close to 200 yards rushing. It's shameful. 31-3. 49ers drive: Another three and out, Vernon Davis couldn't make the catch over the middle. Chiefs drive: 49ers do force a punt. At this point, big deal 49ers drive: Why didn't the 49ers kick a field goal? It was 4th-and-7 from the Chiefs 27. Why not go with the 45-yard field goal? Still on 4th down, Michael Westbrook was open in the middle of the field but Smith never saw him. Chiefs drive cont: What a spectacular catch by tight end Tony Moeaki for a touchdown. It's now 24-3. Michael Lewis has a sprained ankle, his return is questionable. Chiefs drive: Safety Michael Lewis is down. 49ers drive: Mistakes are rolling up for the 49ers now. On first down, the Chiefs rushed four, the 49ers protected with six, and yet a pass rusher went unblocked. Smith threw the ball away but got caught for intentional grounding. On third down, Anthony Davis missed a block that led to a sack. On the punt, Andy Lee kicked in short, and the 49ers were called for illegal man downfield. Chiefs drive: Flea flicker pass works to Dwayne Bowe downfield. 49ers completely fooled. Chiefs up 17-3. 49ers drive: Smith gets hit twice; and goes three and out. The 49ers are getting nothing in the air. 49ers drive: Taylor Mays just got called for holding on the punt coverage. Bad call. Mays was simply aggressive. He had a little jersey, but not much and his hands were inside. Chiefs drive: Why does it feel as if the 49ers are down by 30? 49ers do get a 3 and out. 49ers drive: The drive stalls, with Anthony Davis getting called for a personal foul when he punched nose tackle Shaun Smith. But Davis was well within his rights, it looked like Smith grabbed Smith's package. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ninerinsider/detail?entry_id=73182#ixzz10tSKPr8h Michael Crabtree didn't start sniffling and crying like Terrell Owens once did defending his quarterback. But Crabtree did say he has his quarterback's back - no matter who the quarterback might be. All this after Crabtree said he ran the correct route on a first-half interception. Quarterback Alex Smith thought Crabtree would be where Chiefs defender Brandon Flowers was instead. "All I can do is my job," Crabtree said after catching three balls for 37 yards in Sunday's 31-10 loss. "I can't really worry about what Alex is doing. Even though that's my quarterback, and I'll always have his back, whoever the quarterback is, I'm just doing my job." Whatever went wrong, Smith and Crabtree haven't gotten their pass-catch thing figured out yet. Too bad they didn't get a chance to work out this stuff during any of the four exhibition games, when Crabtree was sidelined by a sore neck. After his rookie-season holdout, the second-year receiver still hasn't benefited from a complete training camp. On the interception in the second quarter, Smith threw a timing pass on which he thought Crabtree would "come in front" as the third option against a Cover-3 defense. Crabtree was still outside, near where he lined up, and couldn't prevent Flowers' two-bobble pick. "It's something I've got to be more careful (about) there," Smith said. That makes it three Smith interceptions on passes intended for Crabtree in two road games. Crabtree is averaging two catches for 27 yards in three games. If the passing game is ever to graduate beyond screens and dump-offs, Smith and Crabtree need to get their acts together. "I'm focusing on doing my job," Crabtree said. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/27/SPND1FK302.DTL&type=49ers#ixzz10tSZXhAe
RAMS There was plenty to like in the St. Louis Rams 30-16 win over Washington yesterday. Sparkling individual performances combined with inspired play from each unit that made this the team's sweetest win since Super Bowl XXXIV, well, maybe not quite at that level, but pretty satisfying nonetheless. Anyway, I want to comment on a few things that happened in the trenches that made a big impact for the Rams. With Steven Jackson out of the game, I suspect more than a few fans were ready to concede. How could they not be after an offseason of commentary pointing out just how doomed this team would be without Jackson? Instead, the coaches and Sam Bradford shifted some of Jackson's tremendous burden to the offensive line, asking them to step up, dig deep and find just a little bit more to give. A unit featuring a rookie and a second year offensive tackle responded positively. One tactical move that made a huge difference was the decision to bring in John Greco for some work at right guard. The largest of the Rams guards, Greco's career to this point had been working in relief of boneheaded Richie Incognito. He missed a good bit of the preseason and with it his chance to earn a starting job. Working in rotation with Adam Goldberg, Gerco mauled Washington defenders to open holes in the middle, allowing the Rams to keep that weapon at their disposal even with Jackson on the sidelines. Will we start seeing a rotation of Goldberg and Greco based on the matchups going forward? I hope so. Pass blocking deserves praise too. Though it wasn't perfect, Washington sacked Bradford just once and he was hit just twice. That should not imply that Washington did not managed to pressure the QB; they did. However, the Rams handled the pressure quite well, especially Bradford who seems to make things happen when he rolls out of the pocket. Funny, in a post prior to this game I linked to a discussion about how dangerous McNabb was when pressured. The offensive line took some heat after last week's game. This week, the unit lived up to its potential. Perhaps more satisfying: the line's play flew in the face of all the Adam Carriker is great talk in the press this week. http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/9/27/1714571/rams-win-it-in-the-trenches For openers, the Rams allowed eight "explosive" plays against Arizona, which are defined as pass plays of 20-plus yards or runs of 10-plus yards. That's a lot of pyrotechnics. The following week against Oakland, they allowed 145 yards rushing by Darren McFadden, committed five penalties for 62 yards and couldn't get the Raiders' offense off the field. Next came the Redskins, who at halftime were averaging nearly a first down per carry on the ground. And then, as if to mix it up, they opened the second half by dropping a 56-yard bomb on the Rams' secondary. Those are bleak numbers. All of them. And when you put it all together, the Rams are ranked 25th in rushing defense and 24th in passing defense three games into the NFL season. But in a bottom-line sport, the only number that really matters is points allowed. And in a season in which most of the focus has been on the offense, be it Sam Bradford, Steven Jackson, the pass-blocking, the wide receiver corps, and so on ... the defense has quietly held down the scoring. The Rams have yielded only 49 points in three games, their fourth-lowest total after three games since the franchise moved to St. Louis in 1995. They rank ninth in the league in scoring defense, yielding 16.3 points a game. A standard team goal in the NFL, Rams included, is to hold the opponent to 17 points or fewer. And the Rams have done that every time, albeit in a 17-13 loss to Arizona and a 16-14 loss to Oakland, followed by a 30-16 victory over Washington. The last time a Rams team opened the season with three consecutive games of 17 points or less allowed? The '99 Rams, who went on to win the Super Bowl. Dick Vermeil's squad opened that season with a 27-10 victory over Baltimore, a 35-7 triumph over Atlanta and a 38-10 win at Cincinnati. This Sunday against visiting Seattle, the Rams will be trying to make it four games in a row of 17 points or less. That hasn't happened since 1978, a season in which coach Ray Malavasi's team finished 12-4 and yielded a total of only 34 points en route to a 4-0 start. Obviously, too many flaws exist on the 2010 Rams to expect that kind of success, but defensive coordinator Ken Flajole's unit is starting to develop a stingy personality. "I think we're jelling," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "We're very resilient. We have a mentality right now that the next play's the most important — I think that's the one thing you can look at. "If a big play happens, OK, forget it about. You can't change it. There's no need getting all out of control and yelling, and everything." The best example of that attitude took place at the start of the second half against Washington. Squandering an early 14-0 lead, the Rams led only 14-13 at halftime. The Redskins received the second half kickoff and on the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Donovan McNabb connected on a 56-yard bomb to Santana Moss. Rookie defensive back Darian Stewart compounded the problem by pulling Moss down from behind, drawing an illegal "horse collar" penalty. So just 20 seconds into the second half, Washington had a first-and-goal at the St. Louis 8. But the Rams stiffened in the red zone and yielded only a field goal. Washington did take a 16-14 lead on the Graham Gano kick but didn't score again. "That's huge," Laurinaitis said. "But that's what you have to do a lot of times. You hate to be a bend-but-don't-break kind of team, but when big plays happen like that, all you can do is think to yourself: 'It's the next play.' We say that a lot in the huddle." The Redskins didn't score a touchdown in three trips inside the Rams' 20 Sunday, settling for three field goals. So instead of a potential 21 points on three touchdowns, the Redskins came away from their red zone forays with only nine points via field goals. That's a 12-point swing in what was a 14-point Rams victory. The Rams are fourth in the NFL in red zone defense, allowing the opposing team to score TDs on only 27.3 percent of its possessions inside the St. Louis 20. Two other factors are keeping the score down for the Rams' defense, even though it's giving up a lot of yards. The Rams rank eighth in third-down defense so far this season, allowing opponents to convert on only 32.5 percent of their third-down plays. Washington went just one for 10 on third downs Sunday, making it the Rams' best third-down work in seven seasons. But the biggest eraser for a defense is takeaways, and the Rams have eight so far this season, which is tied for second-best in the NFL, behind only unbeaten Pittsburgh (10). It's the most takeaways for the Rams in the opening three games of a season since Scott Linehan's 2006 squad had 10 takeaways en route to a 2-1 start. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_6d026cab-a8a9-594c-bf58-a57cd218d11a.html Skies of fire. Raining brimstone. Flying pigs. Hell freezing over. In past years all of these would be about as likely to happen as the Rams pulling off a win at home. Yet yesterday the Edward Jones Dome came alive for the first Rams home victory since 2008. The defense and offense both made big plays and performed at a level the likes of which we hadn't seen since the days of an American-owned Anheuser-Busch. We should temper our hopes: we are probably not winning this Super Bowl (although who knows about next season!). Yet even though the injuries keep piling up, optimism should flow freely; the Rams have a bright future ahead of them. Speaking of that bright future, much of it is hinged upon the development and performance of our rookie quarterback. Until this week, Bradford was the only starting rookie quarterback in the league, even though at times he hasn't looked like your typical rookie passer. He is now joined in the starting ranks by Jimmy Clausen, who had a rough start to his NFL career this past week. Heading into Week 4, our Samchise QB looks to be kicking it up a notch, even in the face of heavy pressure. Once again ignoring all the banter about statistics not reflecting the nature of the game or the performance of the player, let's look at Bradford's statistics through his first three games: Star-divide Week 1 : 30/55, 253 yards, 1TD, 3INT, 53.1 passer rating, 2 sacks Week 2: 14/25, 167 yards, 2TD, 1INT, 86.6 passer rating, 3 sacks Week 3: 23/37, 235 yards, 1TD, 1INT, 78.1 passer rating, 1 sack Extrapolating his current statistical output out to a full season, Bradford theoretically would finish the season with 3,493 yards, 21TD, 27INT, a 72.6 passer rating, and a total of 32 sacks. Now let's put this in context and establish what it really means in comparison to his current and recent competition: 1. The sack totals places him in a tie for the 9th most sacked QB this season. 2. Bradford is currently 17th in the league in passing yards. 3. While he is currently tied for 11th in TD passes, Bradford is tied for the 3rd most INTs in the league right now with 5 interceptions. Yet two relatively heralded quarterbacks still have thrown more picks than him: Brett Favre (6) and Eli Manning (6). 4. While ranked 23rd in passer rating, here is nonetheless a list of the quarterbacks Bradford is currently ahead of in the rankings: Brett Favre, Joe Flacco, Alex Smith, Trent Edwards, Jason Campbell, Jimmy Clausen, Derek Anderson, David Garrard, Shaun Hill, Matt Moore. Yet it is rather unfair to compare a rookie Sam Bradford, with a void of talent surrounding him (except for Steven Jackson) on offense, to quarterbacks such like Tom Brady, throwing balls to a talented pass-catching corp including Randy Moss and Wes Welker. Instead let's compare him to heralded quarterbacks snatched up by the worst team in the league relative to their competition: other quarterbacks drafted #1 overall. After projecting his current production to a full season, among the 19 quarterbacks drafted #1 overall in the past 40 years Bradford would be: 1. The 5th most sacked quarterback. 2. The 3rd highest QB rating, behind only Jeff George and Tim Couch. 3. Behind only one other quarterback in INTs: Peyton Manning. 4. Behind only one other quarterback in TD passes: Peyton Manning. I think this week's performance is more or less what we can expect from Bradford here on out, perhaps with a few more sacks and attempts. If Steven Jackson is out for an extended amount of time, that could prove troublesome for Bradford's stat line, but King Sam looked great this week, even under constant pressure and with defenders in his face. The biggest thing he has to learn is how to get rid of the ball rather than take a sack, as he has taken the sack twice in his past two games when he should have thrown the ball away. I can tell he is concerned about a lack of room behind him (due to a defender coming from behind him after a rollout) to pull his arm back and get a solid pass off. He just needs to learn how to make a short-armed pass past the line of scrimmage while under pressure. My prediction that the volume of passing opportunities Bradford received in Week 1 was an outlier within the 2010 season is proving to be true, although I'm surprised he threw as much as he did this week when we were leading, even with Jackson out midway through the game. And now I end with my discaimer: The cause of Bradford's statistical output may have nothing to do with his abilities and may more appropriately be attributed to line play, receiver talent (or lack thereof), game planning, adjustments to the running game, etc. Furthermore, this small sample of play is not a good basis for judging Bradford's development. What I mean by that is: it really means nothing at this point in the season...although we're getting there. Nonetheless, some food for thought. http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2010/9/27/1714276/the-bradford-report An MRI exam Monday confirmed the initial diagnosis made by Rams medical officials late Sunday afternoon. Namely, that Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson had suffered a strained groin muscle — and not a tear — in the Rams' 30-16 victory over Washington. "We were all happy it wasn't anything worse," coach Steve Spagnuolo said Monday. But exactly when Jackson can return to the lineup remains uncertain. "It is going to be day to day now, you've got to be careful with these," Spagnuolo said. "So we'll see how he is. He'll get treated, obviously, today and tomorrow and be in on Wednesday and we'll see where we're at." Will two days of rest and rehab be enough for Jackson when the practice week begins Wednesday? "I've really got to trust the player," Spagnuolo said. "And obviously (trainer) Reggie (Scott), I've got a lot of trust in. What you don't want to do is get him out there too soon and set him back. Because the whole goal will be to get him to the game on Sunday." The Rams (1-2) play host to NFC West rival Seattle (2-1) in a noon kickoff at the Edward Jones Dome. Spagnuolo spoke to Jackson on the phone Monday, and Jackson told him the groin was sore. Jackson has been down this road before when it comes to groin injuries. Late in a 2007 game at Tampa Bay, running on a slippery, rain-soaked turf, Jackson suffered a partially torn groin muscle and missed the next four games. All indications are that this injury isn't as severe. But it's entirely possible that Jackson could miss a week or two. Not unlike hamstring injuries, groin injuries can be tricky. The last thing the Rams want to do is have Jackson return early, aggravate the injury and then be sidelined a month or more with a tear. The Rams pondered options at running back Monday afternoon and into the evening. They will have a roster spot available because wide receiver Dominique Curry is heading to the injured reserve list with a torn ACL in his right knee. But veteran Larry Johnson, a two-time Pro Bowler as a Kansas City Chief, won't be one of those options. Johnson, now 30, rushed for more than 1,700 yards in both the 2005 and '06 seasons with Kansas City but hasn't topped 874 yards in any season since. He was cut last week by Washington. League sources indicated Sunday night that the Rams were interested in Johnson and that there would be discussions Monday. The Rams quashed those reports by Monday afternoon, letting it be known that Johnson was not an option for the team. In terms of street free agents, there's not a lot out there. Willie Parker is available, but the Rams had him in for a visit last March and decided against it. Former first-round draft pick Kevin Jones was at Rams Park for a visit last week but signed Sunday with Hartford of the United Football League. Former NFL veterans Ahman Green, Dominic Rhodes and DeDe Dorsey are all currently playing for UFL teams. They can't sign with NFL clubs unless released by their UFL squads. The Rams tried signing Joique Bell to their practice squad following the final roster cutdowns on Labor Day weekend, but Bell opted to stay with Buffalo's practice squad — he had been with the Bills in camp. Bell subsequently was signed to Philadelphia's active roster. If Jackson can't go this Sunday, the Rams could try to get by with a Kenneth Darby-Keith Toston backfield combination against the Seahawks. Darby and Toston combined for 71 yards on 25 carries against Washington, with Darby scoring what proved to be the game-winning touchdown on a 12-yard run in the third quarter. "When you're given an opportunity, you have to take advantage, and I think those guys answered," Jackson said. "That was a big touchdown run on (Darby's) behalf — he hit the hole and he looked very good. He made someone miss." Complicating the picture is the fact that Toston suffered a sprained shoulder in the Washington game but kept playing. "He did battle through it," Spagnuolo said. "He hurt it on a special teams play early in the game, and then went in there and did a nice job fighting through all that." Spagnuolo termed the play of Darby and Toston "real solid," and said he'd be fine with that combo against Seattle if Jackson wasn't ready. "Based on (Sunday), yeah, how could I not be?" Spagnuolo said. Maybe so, but Darby and Toston averaged only 2.84 yards a carry. Over the long haul, that kind of production probably won't win many games. But it was good enough Sunday to help the Rams put up 30 points on Washington, their highest point total during Spagnuolo's tenure in St. Louis. "Let's face it, we want Steven out there all the time or as much as possible," Spagnuolo said. "But I think it's a boost for the offensive line and those young guys if we can still finish a game out like that, without really one of your best players." Jackson indicated Sunday that his injury was a blessing in disguise because it showed the team could score points and move the football without him. "He's a deeper thinker than I am," Spagnuolo said, laughing. "Because I'd rather just have him out there." http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_e83c4520-6a03-5e3c-8735-8d2023ebd28c.html
CARDINALS If you made it out of today's game without a heart attack occurring, consider yourself lucky. The Arizona Cardinals won their second game of the season by narrowly beating the Oakland Raiders today in their home opener. The game itself was filled with mistakes made by both teams. The Cardinals muffed two punts while Raiders' kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed three field goals -- including the game-winning attempt. The Cardinals began the game with LaRod Stephens-Howling taking the opening kickoff to the house. It appeared that the 34-point beating the Cardinals received last week woke them up. That notion quickly vanished when Andre Roberts failed to fair catch two punts that led to turnovers. Derek Anderson added a third turnover by tossing a Favre-esk shovel pass to Tim Hightower that bounced into a Raiders arms. There was some good however. Anderson played his best game as a Cardinal -- throwing two touchdowns. That doesn't equate to a great game either, as his quarterback rating was a mere 69.7. Anderson was never on the same page as receiver Larry Fitzgerald, much as he hasn't been so far this season. Beanie Wells, who missed the first two games nursing a knee injury, provided a spark off the bench rushing for 75 yards on 14 carries. On defense, the Cardinals forced three sacks and one interception out of Raiders' quarterback Bruce Gradkowski. Staring at 4th and 1 in the second quarter, head coach Ken Whisenhunt took a gamble and rushed the ball up the middle for a first down. That drive eventually led to a Steve Breaston touchdown. Although they won, the Cardinals also gave the Raiders every chance to win the game. The offense had two opportunities to drain the clock with 8 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but orchestrated two horrible drives instead. A late pass interference call against Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would have sealed the deal if it weren't for Janikowski's missed field goal. Penalties continued to set back the Cardinals as well. Adding insult to injury, the defense had trouble stopping both Gradkowski and running back Darren McFadden as well. The Raiders put together 364 yards of total offense. It's a shame the Cardinals couldn't win in convincing fashion today. Luckily, the win left them standing in first place in the NFC West. We'll talk more about the win later, but for now, what stands out most about the victory? http://www.revengeofthebirds.com/20...-survive-late-field-goal-attempt-beat-oakland Once, the whole operation seemed cursed. Now, NFL insiders are wondering where the Cardinals are hiding the horseshoe. They've worked hard to be this lucky. But if there's a lesson wafting from a malodorous 2-1 start, it's that the reigning NFC West champions better not push their good fortune. And that means a shift in quarterbacks, immediately. "Yeah, I feel like I could do it," backup quarterback Max Hall said. "I have a lot to improve on, and there's nothing that can prepare you for live bullets unless it's live bullets. But I feel comfortable with all the schemes and all the game plans we've put in. I feel I could run it all. It's just a matter of getting the opportunity." slideshow Profile: Max Hall | Derek Anderson Less than 24 hours after receiving an incredible gift from the Raiders, Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt wasn't in the mood to bench anyone. He tried hard to peddle the positive, admiring his team's scrappiness. He cited significant improvement from the 34-point loss in Atlanta. He said the rising tide of talent in Arizona helped Sebastian Janikowski miss an easy field goal at the end of the game. The idea has merit. In recent years, opposing teams have seen 6-foot-8 Calais Campbell block multiple kicks, and they've seen Adrian Wilson and Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie come screaming off the edge. That adds an element of unseen pressure, one that might have influenced Janikowski's mind-set. But Whisenhunt is mostly happy that he can move forward "without all the doom and gloom" that would've accompanied a loss to the ragged Raiders. The collateral damage would've been severe, and now he doesn't have to listen to fans screaming about Derek Anderson or wondering aloud why he cut Matt Leinart. "This is an opportunity to build off of that and do it in a (good) mind-set," Whisenhunt said. "Last week, it was depressing just because everybody was embarrassed and they were hurt with the way we played. This week, it's a little bit easier to put that behind us but yet still keep our focus where it needs to be." No one is quibbling with Whisenhunt's approach. His steadiness in times of crisis is a great asset to this organization. For proof, see Mike Singletary, whose emotional turbulence has negatively impacted the 49ers. But there's danger in believing that everything will be fine just because the coach says so, and there's nothing in Anderson's history to suggest he's anything more than a strong-armed, highly erratic quarterback. For instance, Larry Fitzgerald is one of the more-talented receivers in the league. Put the ball anywhere in his vicinity, and he'll make plays. Yet Anderson has connected with his star receiver only 12 times in 34 attempts, proof that too many of his throws are simply not catchable. "Obviously, Derek needs to improve, and that's something he'll tell you," Whisenhunt said. Whisenhunt's patience with Anderson hasn't expired yet, and surely there's some ego involved. Unlike Leinart, this is the quarterback he selected. But Whisenhunt also is extremely lucky that a Rams defensive player forgot to secure the football a few steps from the end zone, and that a powerful kicker missed as many field goals in Sunday's game as he did all of last season. In the end, he's lucky the Cardinals aren't winless, just like that fractured team in San Francisco. And that's precisely why it's the perfect time to hand the ball to Hall. With two victories in pocket, the Cardinals don't have to win another game until they play Seattle after the bye week. This would be a pre-emptive strike, and really, could the backup be any worse than the incumbent? "I was glad I had an opportunity to get my toes wet against Atlanta," Hall said. "I tried to force one pass, and I learned my lesson." The Cardinals should do the same. In the NFL, you can't survive on lucky charms forever. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/car...r-hand-another-quarterback.html#ixzz10tV0PtCT Offense: After all three games this season, the Cardinals have said "they left plays out on the field." After all three games, coach Ken Whisenhunt has said he had seen enough signs to convince him that the unit will improve. Having running back Beanie Wells in the lineup will help that cause. Wells gained 75 yards on 14 carries in his debut and looked fast and powerful just weeks after knee surgery. Fantasy owners will want to know when Wells will be starting. The answer is who cares? He had three more carries against the Raiders than starter Tim Hightower, and that gap probably will widen as the season progresses. It's the passing game that troubles the Cardinals the most. Quarterback Derek Anderson struggles with accuracy, and there doesn't appear to be much chemistry with Anderson and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald's been the target of 31 passes this year and caught only 12. Not all of the passing game's problems are Anderson's fault. There were at least three dropped passes Sunday. The Cardinals made a nice halftime adjustment by rolling Anderson out in the second half. That was set up by a competent running game. Defense: A consistent second-half performance gave the Cardinals the victory. After the game, defensive end Darnell Dockett said the unit was pointing fingers at each other last week in Atlanta. Linebacker Joey Porter said the group played with an enthusiasm that was missing against the Falcons. Kerry Rhodes and Adrian Wilson showed why they can be an excellent duo at safety. Both have the ability to blitz and play the run. Wilson, however, had a penalty for a late hit and was beaten for a touchdown. Rhodes led the Cardinals with 10 tackles, and Porter recorded his first sack with the team. After a quiet first half, Dockett asserted himself in the second and had a sack. Inside linebacker Paris Lenon played a solid game, and Greg Toler looked like he could be the long-term answer at right cornerback. The Cardinals were excellent in the red zone, limiting the Raiders to one touchdown in five possessions inside the Cardinals' 20-yard line. Holding the Raiders to a field goal after being faced with a first and goal at the 1 was a turning point. Special teams: LaRod Stephens-Howling is a dynamic kick returner. He had a 102 yard return for a touchdown Sunday, and a 98-yard return was nullified by penalty last week. Coaches are in a tough spot in deciding who will return punts. Receiver Steve Breaston is hobbled by a knee problem. Rookie Max Komar dropped a couple of punts in the first game, and rookie Andre Roberts was used Sunday. Two short punts hit Cardinals, and the Raiders recovered both times. It was hard to say if Roberts should have fielded them. Afterward, there were hints that he should have been more demonstrative in yelling at teammates to get away from the ball. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/car...nd-raiders-what-we-learned.html#ixzz10tVzDVmW
SEAHAWKS Man, I have no words. I do not even know if I enjoyed this win, not during the win at least. I enjoyed portions of the game. I enjoyed the outcome. I still can not exactly piece together how it happened. Maybe that's just how it feels when special teams and turnovers win the game. There wasn't a defining drive, or a big catch, except maybe Earl Thomas's last second interception. Justin Forsett fit a couple nice runs, between battling blockers in the backfield, and Matt Hasselbeck found open receivers, but the Seahawks best pass play ended in an excruciating fumble by Deion Branch. That fumble, much of the game felt like that fumble. Except, in the metaphorical version, Branch tracks down the ball and falls on it for the touchdown. I'm all spun around and worked over and not yet happy even though I know the Seahawks have won, should win next week, should command the division with a 3-1 record entering the bye, should take the NFC West, should host a playoff game- Let me regroup. For three years, Seattle settled for special teams coach Bruce Dehaven. Dehaven continued unchallenged because of a solid reputation, despite mostly poor results. Coverage teams played poorly. The Seahawks were unprepared for trick plays. The kick and punt return units were more or less ignored, with lots of good enough players allowed to stick around, while free alternatives were never pursued. In a lowkey move this off-season, Pete Carroll hired Brian Schneider. Schneider's only been around a little while, helped "coach" Shane Lechler to a pair of Pro Bowl bids, which is impossible to interpret from the outside. Is Lechler gifted with a golden leg? Is Lechler gifted with a terrible offense giving him space to boom punts as long as possible? Is the Pro Bowl a worthy distinction fraught with head-scratching errors? No, Schneider didn't have much of a reputation. What he has is the Seahawks special teams playing like God-damned men possessed. Attacking, fiery, flying around and shedding blocks and controlling lanes and making blocks and, today, winning the game. Leon Washington is a quality return man, great even, but he doesn't block for himself. Dude had blocks. His presence, alone, is a victory for Schneider and John Schneider. It's about doing every little thing possible to win, and if anything at all today was half-assed, taken for granted or ignored, the Seahawks don' win. This was winning the hard scrabble way. The effort above talent way. The way a team that's been down and out for a damn long time wins. It counts as shiny and pristine and virginal and awesome in a biblical sense as any other. Game Balls Chris Clemons Clemons will always be hot and cold, and he seemed torrid in the first half and a lot colder down the stretch. And, yes, he was facing a backup. But ends are opportunistic creatures by nature, prone to big showings and disappearances. When you have a good matchup, and you have the talent at end to take advantage of that matchup, if only for a few snaps here and there, that's how you win a game. Clemons showed up not just as a pass rusher but with a couple stops in the run game. Maybe we don't get this level of play every week, but as long as Clemons can cash in when the matchup's favorable, that'll do. That's more than enough from a throw in. Earl Thomas Rapacious. You know this one. Thomas has insane ball skills. Just insane. No need to pile words on top of it. Thomas can spot a ball in flight and coordinate his break angle and hand placement better than you or I can tie our shoes. Leon Washington Kam Chancellor I also thought David Hawthorne had a very nice game, forcing a fumble, tipping a Thomas interception, and executing an inside blitz that reminds us that he's a former Horned Frog. This was discord ending in harmony, as nerve-wracking as it was exciting, and I am still far from recovered, but a win. The Seahawks won. The Seahawks won. http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/9/26/1713856/postgame-seahawks-27-chargers-20 Call them Pinocchio numbers. They lie. Through three games, the Seahawks rank near the bottom of the NFL in the two biggest statistical categories. They're 29th of 32 teams in total offense and 28th in total defense. Their three opponents have outgained them by almost 100 yards per game. They just completed a game in which San Diego outgained them 379-26 in the second half. And yet, the Seahawks possess a 2-1 record. Pinocchio numbers. On the surface, you're led to believe the Seahawks' early-season success is an anomaly, and disappointment is on the horizon unless they find some stability soon. They can't live off the special teams and timely playmaking for an entire season, can they? Well, of course not, but it also would be wrong to toss those victories, not to mention the guarded excitement they've spawned, into Elliott Bay. The Seahawks won those games because of more than just good fortune. While it's premature to make grand statements about this team, it's OK to praise the Seahawks for the promise they've shown thus far and anticipate that, with some fine-tuning, they can become a truly solid football team as the season progresses. Their record says what the statistics don't: This isn't a football team to disregard. "It shows you we're hungry, and a lot of guys make plays," defensive end Chris Clemons said. "We play the whole game on heart." The Seahawks aren't fooling themselves, however. They know they must get better. Interview every player long enough, and the words "not satisfied" will come out of their mouths. All they've earned so far is the opportunity to tick you off if they fall apart. The must capitalize on this momentum. Coach Pete Carroll calls the day after games "Tell The Truth Monday." It's really no different from what most other teams do. The Seahawks watch film and evaluate what they did right and wrong — standard procedure. But for Carroll, this is more than just a routine act, and therefore, the postmortem period takes on added significance. On this "Tell The Truth Monday," the coach pointed a finger at himself. He wants to make better decisions. Like everyone else, Carroll was still smarting over the Seahawks' bumbling play at the end of the first half against San Diego, which ended with the offense running out of time at the 1-yard line. "We need to take care of business better," Carroll said. "I need to do a better job." advertising Carroll mentioned the team "has a lot of work to do" several times. It carries over to his players. Even in celebration Sunday, they kept perspective. For a franchise that had won only nine games the previous two seasons, it could be easy to get too excited. For a roster that is purposefully getting younger, it could be easy to choke on success, even a bite-sized portion. But that's not how a Pete Carroll team acts. Instead, the players watch film looking for violators of the team's "high and tight" policy. When ball carriers are running with the football, they must keep it high and tight. Offenders get mocked during film sessions. Wide receiver Deion Branch, who was stripped of the football inches shy of the goal line Sunday, started punishing himself for not protecting the ball immediately after the game. The Seahawks understand they can't survive a season without more consistency on offense and defense. But they also won't apologize for winning despite their shortcomings. Because this team is so young, the ability to triumph over mistakes early may propel the Seahawks in December, when the upside of being young and talented figures to bear its sweetest fruit. "The biggest thing is we know we've got players," Branch said. "And we have an aggressive nature mentally. So when somebody's got to make a play out there, somebody is going to make a play. Nothing surprises me about what guys are doing. They do it every day in practice. Now, we have to do it more consistently." Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck relayed a message Carroll gave to his team Monday. The coach told them the identity the Seahawks are showing on special teams — led by coordinator Brian Schneider — is the model for how he wants the entire team to play. The Seahawks have been perhaps the most effective special-teams unit in the league so far. Explosive plays. Relentless attitude. Sharp attention to detail. It's the biggest reason why they're 2-1. Now, they must get better in all phases, especially when it comes to offensive efficiency. It's no surprise we're talking about the Seahawks' flaws right now. It was apparent this unfinished product would have struggles. But they're making progress anyway. "The best is yet to come," kick returner extraordinaire Leon Washington said. Unlike those Pinocchio numbers, that's no lie. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrybrewer/2013012813_brewer28.html Matt Hasselbeck wasn't on the field for either of the Seahawks' second-half touchdowns. He watched the defense fend off two fourth-down throws into the end zone in the final three minutes. So what was it like for someone who plays the most important position in football to be a spectator for the decisive moments of Sunday's victory? "It was fun," he said. "It was exciting. Our defense played great, created a lot of turnovers. Our crowd was into it. Obviously, our special teams has really led the way for us so far this year ... It was fun to be a part of it." It was also progress. Seattle won without Hasselbeck playing a great game. That hasn't happened much recently. Since the 2008 season began, Seattle needed Hasselbeck to play well — maybe even excellent — to have a chance to win. The Seahawks were 6-3 in games in which he had a passer rating higher than 80. Less than 80? Seattle was 1-13 before Sunday, when the Seahawks won with Hasselbeck getting a rating of 77.6. A rating of 66.7 is considered average. Hasselbeck was better than that, but well short of great. "He played a very solid, very solid game," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. Not superb. Not spectacular. And Seattle still won, which made this noteworthy and at least a little like old times. From 2003 to 2007, Seattle was 9-12 in games when Hasselbeck had a passer rating of less than 80. It's not exactly breaking news that the Seahawks had a better team around him when the franchise was busy making the playoffs five successive seasons. Through the first two games this season, Hasselbeck's performance remained the weather vane for Seattle's fortunes. In Week 1 against San Francisco, he rallied from a game-opening interception against San Francisco to complete 16 of his next 20 passes and he had a hand in all three of Seattle's offensive touchdowns. In Week 2 at Denver, his three interceptions pretty much surrendered any chance Seattle had of winning. And Week 3? He was as much of a non-factor as a quarterback can be in an offense like Seattle's. He had a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Carlson and was intercepted on a deep heave toward Mike Williams that had too much air under it. A 42-yard scoring pass to Deion Branch was nullified because Branch fumbled out of the end zone, but Hasselbeck also overthrew Carlson on a third-and-one scramble. The quarterback's balance sheet was pretty close to even yet Seattle still won. That is progress because it's evidence there may be more difference-makers on this roster now. It's not all up to the quarterback. The Seahawks have Leon Washington, a former — and perhaps future — Pro Bowl kick returner. In two quarters of his third game in Seattle, he accomplished something that no one had in the first 34 years of franchise history: He returned two kickoff returns for touchdowns. He will be named the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday. Rookie free safety Earl Thomas picked off two passes in his third game. No Seahawk safety has intercepted more than three passes in any season since 2004. Golden Tate again flashed big-play potential, linebacker Chris Clemons had two sacks and anyone who wondered whether Lofa Tatupu's best years were behind him needs to watch the first three games again. The Seahawks' middle linebacker is playing at the Pro Bowl level of his first three seasons. Carroll entered this offseason saying the team sought more firepower. Has he seen evidence that there are more difference makers on this roster now? "It's (too) early to tell," Carroll said. Still, Sunday showed Seattle has much more than a quarterback in its arsenal. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2013020527_hawk29.html
RAMS ETROIT -- The grades for the St. Louis Rams after Sunday's 44-6 loss to the Lions: QUARTERBACK: Sam Bradford's day began to tumble downhill after his favorite target, WR Mark Clayton, left with a knee injury on the Rams' second series. Bradford and WR Danny Amendola hooked up 12 times for 95 yards, but there was no rhythm with the other receivers. Both of Bradford's interceptions came as he tried to force the issue with the Rams desperately needing points. Still, he wound up with a woeful 46.1 passer rating. GRADE: D RUNNING BACKS: Granted, Steven Jackson got a good chunk of his yardage well after the issue was settled. But he did top 100 yards rushing -- 114 on 25 carries -- for the first time this year. Plus, he often had to create room for himself, behind mediocre blocking. GRADE: B RECEIVERS: Amendola had a career day, but no one else had more than three catches. The other wideouts were of little help after Clayton went out. TE Darcy Johnson had an ugly drop. GRADE: D OFFENSIVE LINE: Bradford was sacked just once, but he was run ragged much of the afternoon. The run-blocking was less than stellar. GRADE: D- DEFENSIVE LINE: The Rams were OK vs. the run, but they couldn't get any consistent pressure on QB Hill. The front four was stymied on non-blitz plays, with Hill often getting way too much time to survey downfield. An uninspired effort overall. GRADE: D- LINEBACKERS: MLB James Laurinaitis was active, racking up a team-high seven tackles (unofficial press-box stats). But the OLBs basically were non-factors. GRADE: D SECONDARY: CB Ron Bartell dropped a sure interception, but did a pretty good job vs. WR Calvin Johnson. Hard to place much blame on the DBs for the Lions' passing success, because of the amount of time Hill was given to throw. GRADE: C SPECIAL TEAMS: Onside kick to start the game fizzled, virtually handing the Lions a 3-0 lead. The 105-yard KO return was a crusher. Is it time to return Amendola to kick-return duty? GRADE: F COACHING: Decision to open the game with an onside kick backfired big-time. DC Ken Flajole was oddly unaggressive, even after it was obvious the front four couldn't get pressure on the QB. OC Pat Shurmur was handcuffed a bit after Clayton was hurt, but the offense should've been able to generate more than two FGs. GRADE: D http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_a8e5027e-d4c7-11df-9079-00127992bc8b.html The St. Louis Rams made it official Tuesday, promoting wide receiver Danario Alexander from the practice squad to the active roster. Alexander, the former University of Missouri star, replaces Mark Clayton on the active roster. Clayton was placed on the injured reserve list Tuesday after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his right knee Sunday against Detroit. The Rams also have promoted linebacker/fullback Brit Miller, a University of Illinois product, to the active roster. Miller joined the practice squad on Sept. 14, or two days after the season opener against Arizona. To fill the practice squad vacancies created by the Alexander and Miller moves, the Rams signed wide receiver Brandon McRae and linebacker Mortty Ivy to the practice squad. Ivy was on the practice squad the first week of the season. McRae was as well, after an impressive training camp that had him competing for a spot on the 53-man roster. There were no players in for free-agent visits Tuesday. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_04557c0e-d63c-11df-831a-00127992bc8b.html DETROIT Rocky start: The Rams tried on onside kick to start the game, but Detroit recovered, got great field position, and took a 3-0 lead. Rams lose top receiver: WR Mark Clayton went down with appeared to be a serious injury to his right leg. He was hurt on a long route down the right sideline. Bradford's numbers: QB Sam Bradford has connected on 7 of 10 passes for 81 yards. Jackson rolling: Running much freer than he did last week, when he was hampered by a groin injury, RB Steven Jackson had 38 yards on eight carries. 0:00, Rams 3, Lions 3 The Rams drove from their 29-yard line deep into Lions territory. An 18-yard pass from Sam Bradford to Danny Amendola on 3rd and 11 keep the march going. But after getting a first down at the 12, the Rams were forced to settle for a 28-yard Josh Brown field goal. Fumble kills Rams drive: The Rams marched from their 37 to the Lions 9-yard line. But WR Danny Amendola fumbled after taking a short pass from Sam Bradford. The Lions recovered and took over at their 27. Clayton hurt: Mark Clayton, the Rams' leading receiver, is down after being injured on a long pass route down the left sideline. It appears to be an injury to his right leg. 3 and outs: After the Rams went 3 and out on their first possession, the Lions did the same on their second. Rookie DE George Selvie sacked Shaun Hill on 3rd and 5. 13:44, Lions 3, Rams 0 Getting great field position after a failed onside kick, the Lions started at the Rams 41-yard line. But the drive stalled at the 12, and a 30-yard field goal by Jason Hason put Detriot in front. Opening surprise? The St. Louis Rams opened the game with an onside kick by Josh Brown. The Lions weren't fooled, and they recovered at the St. Louis 41-yard line. DETROIT Special teams breakdown: A 105-yard touchdown on a kickoff by Detroit's Stefan Logan broke a 3-3 tie on the first play of the second quarter. Linehan's offense rolls: Former Rams coach Scott Linehan is the Lions' offensive coordinator, and he carved up his old club in the first half. Detroit piled up 192 total yards and put up 24 points -- albeit 7 on special teams -- against the Rams, who had been giving up just 13 points per game. Bradford at the break: Rams QB Sam Bradford is 11 of 19 for 136 yards. The Lions' Shaun Hill is 16 for 24 for 155 yards and two TDs. Bright spots: Rams RB Steven Jackson has rushed for 56 yards on 14 carries, and WR has six receptions for 53 yards. :10, Lions 24, Rams 6 Detroit trumped the Rams' FG by rolling over the defense in the final minute and a half. The Lions went 80 in 12 plays, taking just 1:27. The TD came on a 3-yard pass from QB Shaun Hill to WR Brandon Pettigrew. 1:37, Lions 17, Rams 6 The Rams squandered an excellent opportunity to cut Detroit's lead to a touchdown just before the half. They drove from their 22 and had a first down at the Lions 12. But the drive fizzled there, and Josh Brown booted a 28-yard field goal. 6:14, Lions 17, Rams 3 The Lions have taken firm command by driving 81 yards for a touchdown. The 13-play march took 7:16 and culminated with a 1-yard pass from QB Shaun Hill to WR Calvin Johnson. The Lions hurt the Rams repeatedly with swing passes on the drive. Clayton done for the day: Rams WR Mark Clayton is finished for the day aftter suffering an injury to his right knee. 14:46, Lions 10, Rams 3 Stefan Logan took the kickoff by Josh Brown of the St. Louis Rams on the first play of the period 5 yards deep in his end zone, weaved his way through the first line of defenders, then bolted into the clear down the right sideline. His 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown tied at Lions record. DETROIT Small victory: The Rams forced Detroit's Nick Harris to punt late in the period. He hadn't had to since about midway through the first period as the Lions took command. Amendola bounces back: The Rams got a scare when Danny Amendola went down grabbing his knee after colliding with teammate Mardy Gilard on the punt return. Amendola hobbled off, but he was back on the field during the ensuing series. Bradford's numbers: Sam Bradford is 16 of 29 for 152 yards. Fourth-down failure: Desperate to get the Rams' offense jump-started, coach Steve Spagnuolo decided to go for it on 4th and 10 at the Detroit 38-yard line. Chased out of the pocket, Sam Bradford rolled left and his pass for Danny Amendola sailed high. Johnson's day over: Rams TE Darcy Johnson took a blow to the head and is out for the game. 10:54, Lions 31, Rams 6 The Lions needed just four plays to boost their lead after starting at the Rams 41. Shaun Hill hit WR Nate Burleson with a short toss, Burleson juked S Craig Dahl, and pranced into the end zone. The rout is on. Going backward: The St. Louis Rams opened the second half inauspiciously. They lost 4 yards on a first-down carry by Steven Jackson, lost 6 more on a swing pass to TE Daniel Fells, then punted after a 4-yard gain by RB Kenneth Darby. After Donnie Jones' punt, Detroit has another short field, starting at the St. Louis 41. Defense sags: The Rams defense had been giving up just 13 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the league. But it yielded three TDs and three FGs to the previously winless Lions. Big day for Amendola: Rams WR Danny Amendola had a career-high 12 receptions for 95 yards. Jackson tops 100: Rams RB Steven Jackson went over the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time this season. He finished with 114 yards on 25 carries. Bradford's numbers: Rams rookie QB Sam Bradford completed 23 of 45 pass for 215 yards, and was intercepted twice. Stanton in for Lions: With a 38-point lead, the Lions have gone to second-team QB Drew Stanton with less than 3 minutes to go. Fourth-down failure (reprise): For the second time, the Rams went for it on fourth down. Again, Bradford's pass fell incomplete. 7:06, Lions 44, Rams 6 On the next snap, Lions CB Alphonso Smith picked off a pass by Sam Bradford, intended for WR Danny Amendola, and dashed 42 yards to the end zone. Rams win challenge: Rams TE Daniel Fells fumbled after a 10-yard pass from Sam Bradford. Ex-Rams CB Jonathan Wade recovered for the Lions. But coach Steve Spagnuolo challenged, and after review, it was ruled an incompletion, the Rams keeping possession. 7:50, Lions 37, Rams 6 After an interception by DT Ndamukong Suh, the Lions got a 47-yard FG from Jason Hanson. Suh bests Bradford: Lions rookie DT Ndamukong Suh, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, batted a pass by Sam Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick, into the air, grabbed it and returned to the Rams 30-yard line. Toston takes over for Gilyard: RB Keith Toston has replaced Mardy Gilyard on kickoff returns for the Rams. 11:18, Lions 34, Rams 6 The Lions have increased their margin to four touchdowns. Taking over at their 18-yard line, the Lions got the Rams 30. Jason Hanson drilled a 48-yard FG. Bartell hurt: St. Louis Rams CB Ron Bartell has been helped off the field after suffering an injury, apparently to his right leg, on the first play of the period. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_1af9ef9a-d4a6-11df-904a-00127992bc8b.html READING TIME 5 MINUTES: * As expected, defenses continue to test Rams rookie QB Sam Bradford by blitzing him to see how he handles it. The answer through five games: he handles it pretty well. When blitzed Bradford has completed 39 of 66 (59.1 percent), with two touchdowns and an interception. He's passed for 24 first downs when blitzed. His passer rating against the blitz is a respectable 80.4. That ranks Bradford around 19th in QB rating when blitzed. If that doesn't sound so hot, then consider this: so far this season Bradford's passer rating when blitzed is better than that of Eli Manning, Matt Schaub, Tom Brady, Matt Hasselbeck, Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, Shaun Hill and Alex Smith. Bradford's play ranks near the bottom of the list of things the Rams should be worried about. The only negative to the blitz against Bradford? The Ds have trapped him too many times. He's been sacked 7 times via the blitz; only Michael Vick (8) has been sacked more times when blitzed. * C'mon TLR ... make the decision. You've had weeks to think about this. Let's go. * I didn't watch the Texas Rangers as much as I would have liked to this season. No particular reason; I take in more NL games on the satellite dish and there's only so much free time for watching ball. With the Rangers, I missed a good show, and an entertaining style of baseball. While the Rangers' joy of "small ball" has been overstated and overblown, the lineup does have an obvious ability to make some things happen rather than to base the attack on home runs. Aggressive base running played a major role in the Rangers' clinching Game 5 win over Tampa Bay in the ALDS. This season in the AL the Rangers ranked 1st in batting average, 4th in onbase percentage, 1st in sacrifice bunts, 2nd in sac flies, 2nd in bunt hits, 1st in infield hits and 2nd in reaching on an error. The stolen base is only a part of it -- and not nearly as much as you'd think. Texas swiped 123 this year, 5th in the AL. But the Rangers also got caught stealing 28 percent of the time to rank 8th in the league in SB percentage. They also gave away too many outs when trying to reach that extra base. But the Rangers' style is to push it, and that risk leads to some extra runs and to opponents' errors that sets up more runs. Five of the Texas players -- including Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler -- ranked among the top 50 in the MLB in overall percentage of successfully advancing an extra base. A Rangers team that used to be overly dependent on the home run has diversified; this year they ranked 5th in the AL in homers and 6th in slugging. The Rangers can rock the baseball; the power is there for sure. But being able to score runs in a variety of ways is clearly beneficial to the Rangers. It took them to a higher level. St. Louis Cardinals, please take note ... * I'm not going to take cheap shots at Mardy Gilyard's intelligence. I'm a Gilyard honk. I was delighted when the Rams drafted him. I've yapped about the need to play him more. That said: c'mon, dude. You should have the playbook down by now. The West Coast offense is more complex than some fans and media realize. The route tree has more options and variables than we'd imagine. So it isn't easy to learn right away. But Gilyard should be there by now. Let's play some Mardy Ball. * The Rams' decision to put Danario Alexander on the roster is interesting; up until now the team had aggressively tamped down expectations for playing time for Alexander in 2010. The Rams have said that they want his leg and knee to be at maximum strength. So I'd expect they'd be cautious with him; he probably won't have much of a role. I do think (and hope) Alexander will be a factor in 2011. But one thing we'd like to see for now: use him in the red zone when you spread the formation. DA is tall, has long arms, and can jump. Even if his usage is confined to that of a specialist, Alexander looms as a potentially inviting target for Sam Bradford. * Given the dominance we have seen from Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Tim Lincecum, Cole Hamels and others during the MLB postseason, it's easy to offer up "starting pitching is everything" bromides as flash analysis. Well, among the top 10 MLB teams in starting-pitcher ERA this season, only three qualified for the playoffs -- San Francisco (3rd), Philadelphia (4th) and Atlanta (6th). But six of the top 10 offenses (runs per game) made it to the postseason. What does it mean? Well, pardon me for stating the obvious, but the more complete your team is, the better chance you have of getting to, and through, October. The Giants, for example, didn't crystalize and become a legit contender and threat until they did something about their offense during the season. And the aggressive lineup makeover put them into the tournament. Having pitching aces is a huge plus, but as the St. Louis Cardinals found out in 2009 and 2010, if your lineup dies on the vine, the great starting pitching won't get you very far. * I know I'm late on this -- sorry, couldn't blog on Tuesday -- but the Blues' performance in the 5-1 win over Anaheim on Monday was about as thorough and dominant as we've seen from the team in a long time. That was impressive. It was great to see the guys have each others' backs when the chippy stuff got underway. In no particular order things we like so far: (1) two wins at home; (2) Thirteen players have at least one point; (3) Average ice time per game of 31 minutes for rookie defenseman Alex Pietrangelo; (4) a power-play goal for Brad Boyes in the first period of the season; (5) a little extra jump in Eric Brewer' s game -- probably health-related; (6) David Perron's assertiveness in the offensive zone, the goals will come; (7) all things Erik Johnson; (8) seeing a guy like Matt D'Agostini come up with two goals, because when your role players contribute more than expected, that's when you can really build something; (9) Andy McDonald winning 8 of 12 faceoffs; (10) Jaroslav Halak hasn't had a lot to do, but he's looked good in doing it. * More on the Rams' red zone running: a look at the numbers reveals that the desire to run it is there. The Rams have averaged 4.5 rushing attempts per game in the red zone so far; only 7 NFL teams have more. But the success is elusive. The Rams are averaging only 4.8 yards rushing per game in the red zone (tied for 29th) and only 1.09 yards per RZ rush (30th). When the Rams were in their glory offensively (1999 through 2003), Marshall Faulk averaged 3.3 yards per rush in the red zone, and he scored 52 TDs in 212 rushing attempts. That's outstanding. But Faulk and the Rams had the deluxe receivers to give a defense problems and the defense couldn't gang up on Faulk down there. So in addition to needing better design, blocking and running in the red zone -- obviously the Rams could use more dangerous receivers down there as well. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_527b9654-d6da-11df-a9d7-0017a4a78c22.html
SEAHAWKS I just scrapped a lengthy counterpoint to my Marshawn Lynch post because I recognized the argument was becoming strained and illogical. I just scrapped a look at the 49ers and their future, because who the hell cares. So I'm starting over with something I meant to do this week, but I guess needed to take a wandering path to reach: progress reports on players, coaches and off-season moves. These should be comparatively easy to write, so let's dive right in. Defensive Line Starters Red Bryant It was not a sure thing that Bryant would excel as a run defender. He still isn't a great leverage player, and though we can look at his skills and talent profile and understand why he would work as a 3-4 end type, that does not mean he would. Well he has. Bryant has probably been the MVP of the front four. He is playing with better quickness off the snap, a natural development given his increase in playing time. Concerns about leverage have proven unfounded, as he has held ground or created push against tackle and guard, and guard-tackle and tackle-tight end double teams. Bryant has made some plays in run D, set the edge for Curry and Milloy on blitzes, and even, and definitely most surprisingly, proven to be a solid pass rusher himself. That final part was the big wager. It's not surprising that a defensive tackle can stuff the run playing a pass rush position, but Bryant's quickness and agility in the open field have made him more than just a run stuffer and a component to blitzes. Bryant is a weapon in his own right as a pass rusher. Colin Cole Cole is stuffing the run, controlling either side of center, and though he doesn't pass rush pretty much at all, and though he needs another defensive lineman to keep double teams from pushing him into next week, in the modest role he's been assigned, Cole is stuffing the run, controlling either side of center, and doing so effectively. Brandon Mebane Mebane has good technique, but his tools are at best so-so for an interior lineman. You want a bigger frame, taller, or quicker and more agile, and though Mebane is a little big, a little agile and a little quick, he is not someone you expect to break out. Under tackle is a little more friendly to his talent than three tech. He's playing on Seattle's speed side and he helps the Leo and the Leo helps him, and Seattle's been pretty disruptive overall. I actually think that Seattle is executing the defense it wants, but the offense has not stepped up and proven able to exert much pressure on the scoreboard. However, though Mebane is playing pretty well, and though Mebane is playing in a capacity that better fits his ability than the one he was assigned last season, Mebane still isn't playing at the level he established from 2007 to 2008. He is attacking at angles more and he's stumbling, being tripped, being pancaked and losing ball carriers in space more because of it. Mebane isn't Kevin Williams. He isn't Ndamukong Suh, and he therefore isn't a "playmaker" in the traditional sense. He's best working through blockers and closing from a straight line, and this year, he's stunting, edge rushing when the Leo drops out, and angling from the blindside, and it's exposed some of his limitations. Mebane is still the only interior lineman Seattle has that can consistently withstand a double team. Chris Clemons Clemons has not only posted some gaudy counting stats, he has four sacks through four games, he has stayed healthy. The latter is remarkable. The former, less so. On virtually every down, Clemons is pinning his ears back and attacking, and so, through sheer force of attempts, he will get sacks. He will get pressure. Which is fine, because that's his job. Clemons has not helped Seattle much between the pressure. He doesn't hold ground against the run. He doesn't defend against screen passes. He contributes some tackling against the run, but not a ton. Right now, I look at Clemons as someone still very much defining himself. He's playing very well, especially for a trade throw in, and against weaker competition like the Bears, he could feast, but is Clemons someone that will explode against bad offensive tackles and harebrained schemes and disappear against better offensive tackles and smarter coordinators? Is there value in that? Certainly some, but I still find myself uneasy about the situation. That said, through four games, Clemons has been a very good pass rusher and a very important part of the Seahawks defense. Depth Star-divide Kentwan Balmer Balmer is a funny profile. He moves pretty well, has pretty good closing burst, can edge rush when a blitz demands, can move around in traffic okay, but the meat and potatoes stuff you need from a defensive tackle, Balmer doesn't have. He doesn't stuff the pile. He doesn't plug the run. He isn't very disruptive, which is a shame considering all that I just wrote about his agility and burst. I can not think of a time he's really shown up, fought through a blocker and influenced a play, except on long plays when blocking begins to break down. Balmer tends to run himself out of plays getting cute and that can be deadly when done by an interior defensive lineman. His potential is interesting and I almost expect Carroll and Quinn to eventually challenge Balmer to push Mebane for playing time, but I think it would be a fatal mistake right now. Mebane may be off his game but someone has to be able to stop the weak side from splintering open every other down, and I don't think Balmer is that player yet. Juniour Siavii Siavii hasn't played end like I anticipated. He has played tackle and been, well, good enough to not be noticed and bad enough to not stand out. He seems lost in the pile a lot. Not a real leverage player, though he holds ground about as well as anyone besides Bryant and Bane. Certainly not a play maker; Siavii doesn't shoot gaps, doesn't move well in space and isn't proficient as a hand fighter. He's fodder, more or less. Someone that keeps Seattle's depth and rotational depth a bit above replacement level, but someone not too markedly different from Howard Green or his ilk. Raheem Brock Brock has been a pleasant surprise. He looks leaner than I remember, and he has, on a snap by snap basis, been about as successful as Clemons. He's quick, aware, fights hard, isn't much of a run defender but a designated pass rusher, which is what the Leo is anyway, and he's done pretty well in that capacity. Perhaps the best thing I can say about Brock, about almost any backup, is that I do not think Seattle would suffer too much if Brock had to start instead of Clemons. Maybe that's the genius of the Leo position. Dexter Davis Davis has played some nickel end, some end, and has played pretty well in limited capacity. He's a nice mix of quick and stocky, and that seems to confound some offensive tackles, but he hasn't shown much as a pure edge rusher and I'm not sure if that's something he'll ever be. He influences the tackle, but he doesn't separate and make plays like a good pass rusher must. Like a lot of Seattle's end, Davis is probably best utilized as a component to a blitz, instead of as someone that can generate pressure on his own. Overall, the line has played pretty well. Bryant and the strong side are impossible to run against, as envisioned, and Bryant, Aaron Curry and especially Lawyer Milloy have created pressure individually and in tandem. The weak side is disruptive and only the Broncos have exploited the built in liabilities. There are some unresolved questions. Can Cole succeed without Mebane forcing doubles teams? Will exposure lead to vanishing returns from the Seahawks Leo ends? Does the Leo concept and the stifling strong side run defense each, individually, work against certain weaker teams or less adaptive coaches, but fail to give Seattle a weapon against better teams? What is the future of Mebane and the Seahawks under tackle, and is Balmer a legitimate replacement? But there's also some stuff we can be pretty sure of. Bryant has taken to end, and as long as Seattle values a massive run stuffing strong side end, it has a heck of a talent to fill that need. Mebane is still among the best players on this team, and if he's traded some sacks and stuffs for disruption and influence, he still makes those around him better. Clemons is nothing if not a talented pass rusher, and right now, teams have not figured out a counter. Cole can disengage from a single block and tackle runners in space, and as long as he's facing single blocks, teams will struggle to run up the middle. Perfunctory grade: B http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/10/11/1745505/quarterly-report-seahawks-defensive-line Funny how something sticks in your memory. I will always remember Doug Farrar mentioning how much he dislikes the phrase "linebacking corps." It is awkward. What is "linebacking?" The adjectival form of "linebacker?" Seattle's linebackers have been the team's pride and joy since 2005, and like a lot of notions that have stuck around since 2005, positive assumptions about Seattle's linebackers have survived more on reputation than production. Leroy Hill declined sharply in 2009. Lofa Tatupu declined sharply in 2008. Seattle cast Julian Peterson overboard and his replacement hasn't filled the gap as a pass rusher. I don't think Aaron Curry will ever be the pass rusher Peterson was. That is a less than enthusiastic opening to this review, but not nonplussed, because nonplussed doesn't mean that. It isn't meant to define Seattle's linebacker corps though. It's only meant to provide context. If Seattle no longer has the best linebacker corps in football, well, it hasn't for some time. Recognizing that allows us to recognize something else: the Seahawks new Brutal Three is pretty good in its own right. Linebackers Strongside Linebacker Aaron Curry I must have went to bed without drinking last night, because my mind is wandering. I think "strongside," one word, is the adjectival form of strong side. But I wage my own private war on the English language, and that's not what you're here to read about. Curry didn't take the league by storm in 2009. Many were disappointed. Mass suicides were recorded in Seattle but the uptick was not considered significant by statisticians. Seattle's first top ten draft pick in a decade wasn't wielding linemen like clubs and bludgeoning quarterbacks into red and white piles of bone meal and blood pudding. Draft classmates Clay Matthews and Brian Cushing were succeeding while Curry wasn't, and that twisted the knife. It was a big ol sloppy cluster and though it was premature to give up hope, hope was dreaming about its teeth falling out. Star-divide A couple weeks back, on a show I sometimes listen to, Philosophy Talk, the hosts were discussing the philosophy of Gandhi. You don't care about this. They later talked about Ben Kingsley's performance in Richard Attenborough's Biopic, Gandhi. Richard is David's brother, and doesn't that put your family into perspective. You probably don't care about any of that, either. But one thing did come up, and it's an important consideration. Mohandas Gandhi was not always Mahatma Gandhi, five time Noble Peace Prize nominee and revered human being of the 20th century. For a while, he was just one of many people that shared a similar cause, not sure to succeed, or be remembered, or even be a footnote in history. Curry didn't take the league by storm in 2009, and that sucks. A little more than a season into his young career, he has improved enough to be considered an above average linebacker in the National Football League. That's like the opposite of sucks. The game seems to be slowing down for Curry, to proffer a common but elegant turn of phrase. Where he once was a bull in a china shop, Curry is now more like a bull with helpful flags waving to indicate which direction to charge. Moving him to the strong side in Carroll's interpretation of the 4-3 has helped. He is back to doing the two things he does best: shadow tight ends in man coverage and smashing the living crap out of tight ends and fullbacks in run support. Seattle's strong side has become just about impossible to rush against, and though Red deserves a lot of the credit, Curry deserves credit too. Offenses attack off right end and find no edge. Red Bryant controls the trenches and Curry strings plays wide, and Curry, Milloy, Tatupu or someone else, Trufant maybe, finish off the attack. It's become a dead zone, somewhere rushers wander and drown and sink to the bottom of the ocean, to be picked apart by crabs and eels. I don't know that Curry will turn it around as a pass rusher. He's young and a lot of what's being thrown at him is new to him, but great pass rushers turn the corner in a way that Curry has never shown he is capable of. That said, his physique and athleticism is almost ideal for an end, and you never know. As is, I suspect Curry will always be a component blitzer that does nuts and bolts stuff like string out the right tackle and concuss the backfield blocker, but does not amass a ton of sacks himself. The big improvement I would like to see from Curry, one I know he's capable of, and one that would dramatically increase his value, is better recognition and break in zone coverage. He is still someone that watches the receiver and recovers to tackle, or watches the quarterback and blows coverage, and doesn't do a little of each so that he can make a play on the ball when possible and time the tackle when necessary. Once he refines his skills in coverage, Curry has the chops to be a pick sick and forced fumble machine. That will not only pay dividends in spurts, it will scare the crap out of opposing quarterbacks and take away the outlet pass. Middle Linebacker Lofa Tatupu Tatupu never did wrack up a crap ton of tackles. What is a crap ton? Well, in this context, it's the threshold a linebacker must reach before people start talking about how good he is. Tatupu reached something like a crap ton in his rookie season, but even then, Tatupu was not known as a sideline to sideline guy that produces Tyjuan Hagler Announcer Fixation Syndrome. In fact, because Tatupu is so good at what he does, and because what he does so often produces no stat whatsoever, and because what he does is almost entirely ignored by anyone but coaches and savvy fans, it's easy enough to notice Tatupu's presnap gesticulations and ignore his post-snap execution. What is it that Tatupu does, that he has done all season in support of the NFL's best run defense? He anticipates plays, guides teammates, shoots gaps, neutralizes lead blockers, and cleans up busted zones. Tatupu and Lawyer Milloy are partners in crime in many of those endeavors, and the two are more or less irreplaceable. Tatupu looks quicker than recent, better able to shoot gaps and turn that into disruption and pressure, but though he has never excelled at separating from blocks, he has retained his ability to neutralize and counteract lead blockers. Someone else gets the tackle stat, but when Tatupu can pound a fullback or guard back into the rushing lane, the tackle itself becomes almost academic. His quickness has not yet translated into pass defense, but I suspect that against the right combination of quarterback and offense, Tatupu will show the quick reaction, ball skills, angles and awareness as a pass defender that orginally made him a truly great young middle linebacker. As for now, he's doing well enough, minus any flashy plays, plus a notable screw up against a screen pass. Weakside Linebacker David Hawthorne Hawthorne is taking to pass defense. Awesome. He has the agility to become quite a pass defender and that's key to him becoming an effective weakside linebacker. The way Seattle loads up the strong side, it needs someone with good range on the weak side, and range and the ability to clean up broken assignments has always been Heater's strong points as a run defender. He doesn't attack runs like a great linebacker, like Tatupu or Leroy Hill, but there isn't a lot of opportunity to attack runs on the weak side, because there's likely blockers and space and not the kind of claustrophobic, in-traffic conditions that allow a linebacker to shoot in and wrestle down a rusher looking for a hole. Heater is a good blitzer. That comes into play when Clemons is dropped into cover, and assuming Hawthorne is still around for the next starting Leo (he's an RFA in 2011), could become a weapon if Seattle finds an end with relatively good cover ability. Right now, it doesn't make much sense for Clemons to do anything but rush the passer, he's so disproportionately good at that compared to other skills, and so it doesn't make much sense to rush Hawthorne except when overloading the weak side. Hawthorne has played well. After riding a wave of big plays and hype last season, he's a bona fide above average linebacker now. He has range and developing cover ability and can blitz better than any other Seahawk, excepting maybe Milloy. He made his name as a middle linebacker, but I like his fit on the weak side, and though he's not quite as young as his inexperience would suggest, he's young enough that his future should be brighter than his past. Depth Will Herring I like Herring as a nickel linebacker, though Hawthorne's progress in cover has lessened that need. I do not like Herring as the jack of all trades universal depth he has become. As it is though, he's probably the best man for the job. He isn't good in traffic, though he's improved his ability to shoot a gap. He isn't much of a blitzer, overall leader in sacks among Seahawks linebackers notwithstanding. Herring hasn't shown to be as good in coverage as I'd hoped, but the sample is extremely small, and it's always possible I am not aware of his better work. Coaches tape, por favor. Herring isn't a great backup, he isn't a great run stuffing linebacker, but he is a good pass defender, useful in situations, and as a part time starter, part of a very good, if very thin linebacker corps. Perfunctory Grade: B http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/10/12/1747617/quarterly-report-seahawks-linebacker-corps Corners Left Cornerback Marcus Trufant Tru started the season strong both in his customary role as a coverage corner but also as a run defender, something he has been good at for many seasons but is rarely given credit for. Trufant's performance in week one felt especially exciting because we didn't know how good or bad the 49ers passing offense was or would be. Well, it was and is bad, and Trufant's excellent showing is somewhat akin to Chris Clemons smacking around Brandyn Dombrowski. Neither player should be debited for dominating lesser competition, but it was lesser competition and that dominance proved aberrant. Over the next two weeks, though Trufant didn't look like the potentially elite corner he was or appeared to be in 2007, he didn't really decline either. The competition improved. San Diego and Denver feature two of the NFL's best passing offenses. Seattle couldn't generate much pressure against Denver and that made Trufant's task even harder, but he was steady, mostly avoided being burned, and, well, settled into the level of play I have come to expect from him. He is good in cover, has serviceable ball skills, is a sound tackler and easily the teams best corner, but isn't elite, isn't ever likely to be elite, and, as his showing against Mark Clayton and the Rams evidenced, is vulnerable to game-to-game injury decline. Injury wasn't the only thing that allowed Clayton to get the better of Trufant on a few receptions. Clayton seems like a good matchup for Trufant -- athletic, tracks the ball well, good hands even against tight coverage -- and it's not as if Tru deserves much criticism for pick routes he doesn't perfectly negotiate. Trufant turns 30 this Christmas. I don't anticipate a wall. He entered the league with good speed and hasn't suffered any speed sapping injuries. Instead, I think like a cornerback he's a lot like if not quite as good as, Champ Bailey, I think Trufant will age gracefully, get burned on occasion, have some bad stretches and some good, give Seattle a good enough counter to opposing number one receivers, and, all in all, succeed without often excelling. Star-divide Right Cornerback Kelly Jennings Every corner needs pass rush and almost any corner can survive paired with a dominant pass rush. Or so the thinking goes. In truth, I don't know that Trufant needs pass rush. His mix of cover, ball and tackling skills means he's prepared to do his best no matter hurried wobbler or indefensible strike. Every corner performs better paired with a good pass rush, because every opposing quarterback performs worse facing a good pass rush. Not every corner needs a pass rush, as long we concentrate on the corner's performance and not simply the results, but Jennings needs pass rush more than most. Jennings has one standout skill but he may just make a career out of it: man coverage. He can be chucked off routes and beat. He can be bullied from a spot and left to attempt a clean up tackle. He rarely makes a play on the ball, and when he does, you hope he catches some pigskin with his slap, because he's sure as hell not catching it. But, for most snaps, Jennings does a pretty good job of sticking by his guy and creating the appearance of coverage. Panic a quarterback, force him to make a quick decision or an imperfect pass, and Jennings ability to stick close is sufficient. Give a quarterback time, time to throw away from Jennings, time for the receiver and quarterback to coordinate a break and pass, time for the receiver to improvise as things break down, time for the receiver to command a spot, and Jennings doesn't play the ball, doesn't control position and isn't a reliable tackler. He isn't quite the liability his stickman frame might suggest. Jennings is a hard working tackler, tenacious even, but just not physically able to pop or wrap with much authority. Jennings fills a position capably enough when pressures is steady, and his own steadiness and reliability allows Seattle to blitz more often. Right now, it's a good a relationship and mutually beneficial. When pressure weakens, Jennings is exposed. Nickels and Dimes Roy Lewis This is the weak spot. Roy Lewis is the best of the bunch, but in a lot of ways, he's a different kind of Jordan Babineaux. Lewis doesn't trade big plays with about ten times as many botched plays, like Babineaux, but instead trades decent enough plays with about five times as many plays where you're not sure what he's doing. It's less exciting, less damaging on the whole, less likely to flip the game for good or ill, but all in all, still a problem. Lewis is pretty polished. I wouldn't expect Seattle to stick with him hoping he turns a corner. He's back end roster filler with benefits. Instead, Lewis should stick as a special teams captain in the short term, be shuffled down the defensive back depth chart over time, and rise again in case of injury or poor performance. In the modern NFL, when you're best nickel or dime back is a no name guy that doesn't kill you but doesn't do a whole lot above that, it's a problem, and Seattle has looked its most disorganized and faulty facing three, four and five wide receiver sets. Walter Thurmond Thurmond is supposed to be a big play guy, but that hasn't shown up yet. He had one acrobatic pass defense against San Diego, but otherwise he's been just another corner. When Trufant went down in week three, Thurmond stepped in and showed his inexperience. He's a rookie and rookie corners are typically loose and sloppy, and that's how Thurmond looked. His spacing wasn't great on zones. He seemed a step or two slow recognizing what to do. He just wasn't with it or contributing on most plays, instead appearing for the tackle after the fact, appearing five yards from the targeted receiver, appearing in a zone up the right sideline with no receiver within ten yards, and recovering rather than attacking. Thurmond is someone worth being patient with and I'm sure Seattle will be. He is a physical corner that in college showed man skills, ball skills and tackling ability. Though he is well enough to play, that doesn't mean he's at maximum ability. His recovery from a knee injury is probably somewhere between healthy enough to play and full strength. The rest of the season should be a seesaw. At intervals, opposing offenses will take advantage of his confusion, slow reaction speed and aggressiveness. At intervals, Thurmond will pop through sheer athleticism and make plays. We'll probably see more of the former as the rookie adjusts to NFL speed. Perfunctory Grade: C http://www.fieldgulls.com/2010/10/13/1749676/quarterly-report-seahawks-cornerbacks
49ERS The 49ers must not want anything to do with the win column. How else to explain their season-long insistence of giving away the game? With two interceptions and three fumbles, the winless 49ers stuck with their familiar formula of loss by self-destruction in a 27-24 loss to the Eagles on Sunday at Candlestick Park, and there is no telling when they'll hit the hole's bottom. The latest implosion came with a shouting and gesturing match between 49ers head coach Mike Singletary and quarterback Alex Smith in the fourth quarter for all of a national television audience to see. Singletary told Smith he was getting benched. Smith responded to Singletary's threat by throwing two straight touchdowns, but ended with yet another interception and another last-second loss. The difference between this and similar losses to the Falcons and Saints? This time, Smith finally might lose his job. "It is possible," Singletary said when asked if he will change quarterbacks after weeks of unwavering support. Singletary tried early in the fourth quarter. On a sack, Smith fumbled and the Eagles' Quintin Mikell returned it for a touchdown and a 24-10 lead. After the ensuing three-and-out, Singletary told Smith he was done. As backup quarterback David Carr warmed up, Smith argued to stay in the game. Singletary relented, and Smith completed 10 of his next 11 for 99 yards with touchdown passes to Vernon Davis and Josh Morgan to make it a three-point game. Smith didn't do enough to win the game, though, not after throwing one last interception at midfield with 28 seconds left. Singletary wants to watch the video before deciding if Smith did enough to keep his job. "Yep, until they tell me I'm not," Smith said of being the starter after a postgame meeting with Singletary. Whoever the quarterback, the 49ers will not win until the stop committing turnovers. They keep saying it has to stop, but with an NFL-high 15 giveaways, maybe this is the 2010 Niners' lot in life. Take Gore, for example. He lost two fumbles in the first half trying to punch through an Eagles defense that held him to a 2.9 yard average and 52 yards. "I was just trying to make things happen and not being smart," Gore said. "I didn't give Alex much help today." Smith didn't help himself, either. His first interception was on a 44-yard sideline shot to Ted Ginn Jr., the type of deep throw Smith almost never makes. Ginn beat Dimitri Patterson inside, but Smith threw the ball outside where Patterson caught it at the Eagles' 3. His fumble/sack was by far the most unseemly turnover of all. It was bad enough Smith ran into a potential 13-yard sack, but instead of taking the loss, he lost the ball trying to throw it with defensive end Brandon Graham in his face. Smith fumbled the ball, and Mikell grabbed the loose ball and romped for a 52-yard touchdown. "The fumble was just trying to do too much," said Smith, who finished 25-for-39 for 309 yards. Only then, when Singletary said he was sitting his questioned starter, did Smith respond. Only then did Smith air it deep, leading Vernon Davis (5-104) and Michael Crabtree (9-105) to their first 100-yard games of the season. "He just responded, came out being Alex Smith, playing football," said Crabtree, whose 7-yard touchdown catch on the game's opening drive was his first score of the year. "Giving the ball to his playmakers, making plays, getting the ball upfield, trying to make something happen." Smith connected with Davis on their signature seam route for the first time on a 36-yarder that set up their 7-yard touchdown connection with 7:35 left in the game. Smith found Davis again over the middle for 27 yards to the Eagles' 44 with 46 seconds left in the game. After losing two of their previous three games on last-second field goals, Smith was positioning the 49ers for a game-tying field goal. But then, it ended. Smith got hit as he aired a pass to Eagles cornerback Trevard Lindley. Smith was unable to undo three quarters of damage done. Whether he gets a chance again Sunday against the Raiders, only Singletary knows. "I think the best team we've played so far is the San Francisco 49ers," Singletary said. "I feel we are a decent football team. We haven't given ourselves a chance to find out how good we are." Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/11/SPE51FQTDI.DTL&type=49ers#ixzz12HvnBago -I'm on him every week, but on the opening TD drive, Chilo Rachal missed at least three blocks and got driven back into Alex Smith's grill on the 7-yard TD pass. I just wonder if Rachal is healthy. -Takeo Spikes is playing like a man possessed. He looks to have twice the passion of Patrick Willis. -Gore lost the ball on his first fumble because Josh Morgan was unable to get a block on the linebacker. He had a free pass to Gore. -Nate Clements missed a jam on DeSean Jackson in the second quarter and then stayed with him and knocked down the pass. Clements, other than the fumble, has been excellent in the past two games. -Willis over pursued on McCoy's 29-yard touchdown run and was easily blocked. -They showed a graphic on Andy Reid's 12 years in Philly. His teams have averaged 4.4 yards per carry, second highest in league history. It goes to show you how potent the run can be out of the West Coast offense and it shows you that running to set up the pass is folly. Meanwhile this year and last, the 49ers are among league leaders in pass attempts because they are always playing from behind. It seems paradoxical, but if you want to run, you have to be pass oriented. Reid's teams pass 59 percent of the time. That's the only way you eventually get to the run. The 49ers haven't learned that since they ditched the West Coast with the firing of Steve Mariucci. Through the first half, Alex Smith threw two bad passes, he threw to the wrong shoulder on a long pass to Ted Ginn Jr. and it was intercepted. On the last play from scrimmage in the half, he threw low to Vernon Davis in the end zone. His three other incompletions included a drop by Josh Morgan and two tipped passes. SECOND HALF Clements cut off speedy wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on a deep pass to the end zone and nearly made the interception. -NBC color analyst Chris Collinsworth pointed out a few times how Smith missed a few open receivers, including Ted Ginn Jr. over the top to begin the fourth quarter. Instead, Smith threw a 16-yard pass to Josh Morgan. -It seems like everyone on this team is inconsistent and that certainly applies to Ahmad Brooks. He disappears and then makes a Stork Hendricks-like play in the fourth quarter by popping up after getting cut-blocked and then knocking down a pass. -NaVorro Bowman is playing more, but I don't know why. Spikes is also good in pass protection. -It's hard to even say it, because it sounds like such an excuse, but the 49ers have gotten no breaks. Taylor Mays forces a fumble in the fourth quarter and the Eagles recover. The 49ers have one fumble recovery this year, fewest in the league. -No running back pass protects better than Frank Gore. It's unbelievable. He floored safety Quintin Mikell in the fourth quarter and Mikell couldn't get up. -As we all know, Smith is so much better from the shotgun where he can pick out match ups and handle the blitz. The 49ers should go to this early in the game and then run later. When Smith struggled, it was because of pressure from a four-man pass rush, which happened five times in the second half. He was 1 of 4 for 16 yards with a sack in those plays. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/ninerinsider/detail?entry_id=74463#ixzz12Hw3SxEM So I guess in less than 24 hours I'm managing to just continue the obsession with Alex Smith. My apologies for those that are thoroughly disgusted with it, but the ton of some articles yesterday have me continuing to ponder this subject. In fact, it has me reliving that line from The Godfather 3. Alex Smith spoke to the press yesterday afternoon and I've embedded the video of his comments after the jump. Earlier in the week Steve Young made some comments about Smith, specifically pointing to his need to take more risks. This post-practice interview would generally make you think Alex Smith realizes this. He's vowed to play more fearlessly and cut loose. While we haven't really heard this specific line of thought before, we've certainly heard a million and one reasons why things might finally work out for our young quarterback. But as is often asked, can a leopard truly change his spots? Can I got brought in as a relatively safe option just flip on the gunslinger switch outside of the times he's being threatened with benching? I read some interesting comments from drummer I believe (and others have echoed similar thoughts) in which he stated that at least with the interceptions we saw from Smith we were at least seeing a guy opening things up a bit more and not just dinking and dunking his way down the field (drummer, feel free to correct me if it wasn't you or if I'm not posting your thoughts correctly). Frank Gore has a ton of yards from scrimmage in large part because for much of the season he's been a safety valve for Alex Smith in the flats and a few yards past the line of scrimmage. While Smith had some struggles deep, he was taking more chances and moving the team at different points in time. Whether Alex Smith is any kind of answer can really best be determined when he opens things up, not when he's dinking and dunking. The question then grows to whether Mike Singletary really is getting too involved in the offensive game-planning. Maybe he's not setting the plays to be called or anything like that, but he's certainly involved in some aspects of it based on what he said in his press conference yesterday. Would it be in Mike Singletary's best interest to tell Mike Johnson to do what he needs to do and just stay out of it? Obviously Singletary needs to know what's going on and what to expect, but as far as scheming, maybe it's just time for Mike Johnson to have total control of the offense? Of course, maybe none of this matters. I'm sure some folks will view this as a creation of new excuses for Alex Smith. At this point I don't really know what to view it as. The team has not given up on the season (well at least on the surface) and if that's the case, Alex Smith gives the team the best opportunity to win at this point. The objectives of this season could certainly change with further losses. But for now we'll get another week to see if this leopard really can change his spots. http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/10/12/1746384/alex-smith-can-this-leopard-change-his-spots
CARDINALS As we watched the Cardinals beat the defending Super Bowl champs without so much as a rushing or passing touchdown, we were reminded of something that quarterback Max Hall's uncle, Danny White, said early last month when word came that Hall had made the team and Matt Leinart had been released. "You might sit back and watch Max play, and after his team wins you'd say, 'Well, the defense played great. The running game was going good. That's just luck.' You know what? It isn't luck," White said. "There are guys who other guys just feed off of. . . . All of a sudden, the whole team plays better - the special teams, the defense, the offensive line. You can't explain that." Isn't that exactly what we witnessed Sunday from the Cardinals against the Saints? It's spooky is what it is. Some athletes - and people in general - have something about them that inspires others to do the unexpected. There is some sort of magic that flows from their confidence We've been lucky enough to see it from Suns playmaker Steve Nash all these seasons. Hall might just have that same unexplainable Midas touch. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/car...dinals-max-hall-heat-index.html#ixzz12HwmABzA There were 24 seconds left and for Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, it felt like an eternity. His team was clinging to a 23-20 lead Sunday against the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and time couldn't move fast enough. But then Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie leaped in front of a Drew Brees pass intended for Lance Moore. Perfect, Whisenhunt thought, as he waited for his ball-hawking cornerback to take a knee so the Arizona offense could run out the clock. slideshow Game photos Instead, Rodgers-Cromartie juked his way in and out of traffic, taking the interception to the house on a 28-yard return to put the finishing touches on a stunning 30-20 victory at University of Phoenix Stadium. "I can sit here and say no, I'm glad he took it in because he scored," Whisenhunt said, "but definitely the first thing that came to my mind was, 'Get down,' because we could have run the clock out there. That's something we'll talk about. Look at what happened last week in the Atlanta-San Francisco game." 49ers cornerback Nate Clements intercepted a Matt Ryan pass late in that game and had he went to the ground, San Francisco could have run out the clock. Instead, Clements had the ball stripped while trying to score and the Falcons won on a field goal. Rodgers-Cromartie acknowledged later he should have just hit the turf, but he wanted payback for the Saints' 45-14 romp over the Cardinals in last season's NFC divisional playoff game. "I was trying to run the score up," he said. "Them boys embarrassed us and I was trying to make a statement." Whisenhunt might have made the biggest one when he stopped to remind himself how much pressure and criticism his entire defense has been under for the past four weeks. "Look," he said, "our defense has been beat up so much that I can understand wanting to score, wanting to do something positive there." They did it throughout the game, forcing four turnovers overall and three in the decisive fourth quarter. Free safety Kerry Rhodes came up with the play of the game, returning a Ladell Betts fumble 27 yards for a 23-13 8 lead with 10:39 left to play. Cornerback Greg Toler and linebacker Paris Lenon each added an interception as the defense came up with several critical stops on a day the Cardinals marked the starting debut of rookie quarterback Max Hall. "We talked about how good we could be, about how we got all the players and that stuff, but we finally put a good effort together today," said Rhodes, who has now scored on fumble recoveries each of the last two games. Defensive veterans such as strong safety Adrian Wilson and defensive end Darnell Dockett, who forced the Betts' fumble, each decided to avoid reporters last week, putting all their focus on the Saints. On a day when the offense could only muster 194 net yards, the defense came through. "Our whole thing as a defense was just shut the (expletive) up and play football," Dockett said. "That was our whole emphasis all week, stay the (expletive) out of the media, don't talk any (expletive) and just play football. We did that today." Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/car...-effort-new-orleans-saints.html#ixzz12Hwwg6jz Offense: Quarterback Max Hall did some good things Sunday, but the most-important one might have come after the game, when he admitted he escaped with some mistakes. He fumbled twice, but they bounced into the hands of offensive linemen. He had an interception on his second pass. But Hall gives off a vibe that he has this whole situation under control, and he already has the respect of teammates. He is confident without being obnoxious, and that's unique. He's also smart enough to know that he has to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. Anywhere close to him. Hall has to start avoiding hits, however. This isn't the Mountain West Conference. Defenders will close quickly, and they will hurt him. Including Hall, the Cardinals often had four rookies playing at the same time on offense. The other three were receivers, and they appear to be developing. Andre Roberts, a third-round draft pick, caught everything thrown to him, a dramatic improvement over his first few months with the team. This unit should improve as receivers Steve Breaston and Early Doucet return from injuries in two weeks. It's true there is only one way to go - up. The offense has produced one touchdown the past two games, a 2-yard fumble return by tackle Levi Brown. Defense: No one called for coordinator Bill Davis to be fired this week that I know of. If coaches were fired every time fans called for it, someone would leave every week. Shut up and play. That was the mantra by the defense last week, and pretty much everyone followed it. Except cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. "I'm going to be that goofy guy," he said. No surprise. Defensive end Alan Branch split time with Calais Campbell, and Branch appears to be improving every game. Inside linebacker Daryl Washington played better after a poor showing in San Diego. He used his speed for good, not evil. He over-pursued on number of plays last week. He's a rookie, so he will improve. Outside linebacker Joey Porter held up when the Saints ran at him, and the secondary was solid. What Davis and other coaches have to be concerned about, however, is the inconsistency of this group. The attention to detail tends to come and go like the wind, and it has taken special motivation techniques to get the defense to play up to standard. The Cardinals have too many veterans for that to be happening. Cornerback Michael Adams is a demon on special teams, but he continues to struggle in coverage as the nickel back. Safety Kerry Rhodes is playing as well as anyone on defense. If anything, he's an upgrade over Antrel Rolle. Special teams: LaRod Stephens-Howling has emerged as one of the NFL's more-dangerous kick returners. He's quick, fast, and almost as important, decisive. He doesn't spend a lot of time chopping his feet, wondering where he should go. Kicker Jay Feely made all three field goals, and in a tight game, all were clutch. Adams is an excellent gunner, and he and punter Ben Graham worked in tandem to pin the Saints with some bad field position. Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/car...-new-orleans-saints-rewind.html#ixzz12Hx3ljzo Sunday's upset of the Saints was not the only reason the Cardinals entered this off week with renewed optimism. There also is a good chance that three key veterans will return from injuries, just in time to bolster an inconsistent defense and a struggling offense. For weeks the next game, Oct. 24 at Seattle, has been the targeted return date for inside linebacker Gerald Hayes and receivers Steve Breaston and Early Doucet. Hayes can begin practicing Monday after spending the first six weeks of the season on the physically unable to perform list, a result of back surgery in July. Doucet, the team's No. 3 receiver, played in only one game before undergoing surgery to fix a sports hernia. Breaston, a starter, has missed the past two games after undergoing knee surgery to repair meniscus damage. So the victory over the Saints wasn't the only reason for coach Ken Whisenhunt's smile Monday morning. "All three are proven, very good football players," Whisenhunt said. "But it also has helped us that some of the young guys have gotten reps, because you are going to have to play with these guys." Hayes, Breaston and Doucet play positions at which the Cardinals need immediate help. A four-year starter, Hayes plays the strong inside linebacker position and is a key figure in stopping the run, something the Cardinals have had trouble doing. Hayes was ready to start practicing a few weeks ago, but rules made him wait six weeks. He appears to be in good condition, although it's going to take him some time to reacquaint himself to the speed and violence of the game. The club is likely to work him in slow, perhaps as a rotational player. Eventually, he could assume his old role, with Paris Lenon moving to the weak inside spot, replacing rookie Daryl Washington. Washington has struggled at times this season, although he played better in the victory over the Saints. With Hayes and Lenon starting, Washington could become a backup in sub packages. With Hayes back, the Cardinals' rotation at those two spots becomes a position of strength. Lenon has been a pleasant surprise this season, but he has played a lot of snaps and could use some rest at times. At 230 pounds, Washington is undersized and has to learn to get off blocks and fill gaps. From the time Hayes begins practicing, the Cardinals have three weeks to place him on the active roster. The most likely scenario is that Hayes starts practicing Monday, then is activated later in the week, barring a setback. With Breaston and Doucet out, the Cardinals went into survival mode at receiver, although it was hard to tell from Whisenhunt's play-calling. The thought was he would use two tight-end sets more often, but with Max Hall at quarterback, Whisenhunt wasn't afraid to spread the field. On one play last week, the Cardinals had five receivers on the field. Larry Fitzgerald was the only one who had caught a pass in the NFL before this season. The absence of two veteran receivers forced the Cardinals to use youngsters, and they showed development. Stephen Williams got starting experience at the "Z" position, after playing the "X" throughout training camp. Max Komar overcame nervousness and made plays. Andre Roberts, a third-round draft pick, suffered through a case of the yips, dropping as many passes as he caught, or so it seemed. But against the Saints, he caught every ball that came his direction, including as a punt returner. If Breaston and Doucet return for the Seattle game, the Cardinals' questions at receiver change from wondering who will catch the ball to who will sit out. Fitzgerald, Breaston, Doucet and Williams are sure things. Roberts likely will be the fifth receiver, given his punt-return duties. Komar, who has done a solid job, might be the odd man out. More help is on the horizon. Outside linebacker O'Brien Schofield, a fourth-round pick, is eligible to begin practicing Monday, too, after spending six weeks on the non-football injury list. Schofield, who suffered a knee injury at the Senior Bowl, was doing agility drills with a helmet on last week and looked quick. He is a few weeks from practicing, but the Cardinals hope he will play this year. Schofield has three more weeks in which to begin practice. And once he starts the Cardinals have three more weeks in which to active him or shelve him for the season. That means Schofield could make his debut as late as Dec. 5 against the Rams. That's late in the season to expect a contribution from a rookie. The Cardinals, however, don't have much depth at outside linebacker, and Schofield is a pass-rush specialist. It's possible Schofield could provide help in a limited role, as an edge rusher in passing situations. Stat pack Bye blues: Cardinals are 1-2 under coach Ken Whisenhunt after an off week in the regular season. 9-0: The Cardinals' record in their past nine games following a loss. They have not lost consecutive games since December 2008. Cardinals like 3-2: That has been their record in each of Whisenhunt's four seasons Oh, that George Izo: Max Hall (above) became the first Cardinals rookie quarterback to win his first start since George Izo did it in 1960. Izo started on Oct. 23 against Dallas and completed 1 of 6 passes for 22 yards. He left in the second quarter with a knee injury and the Cardinals trailing 3-2. Izo was a first-round draft pick, the second overall selection, out of Notre Dame. He spent one season with the Cardinals before being traded to the Redskins. He also played for Detroit and Pittsburgh. He suffered a knee injury in college and was hampered by knee problems throughout his pro career. Coach's corner Ken Whisenhunt on why he chose to use Max Hall in the shotgun with multiple receivers so often Sunday: "We've moved the ball with it. I think sometimes we can present matchup problems, depending on what defense they're in. Our offensive linemen do a very good job of protecting in those looks. Now, it's easier to do that at home when you're not dealing with the noise. "Kurt (Warner) used to see the field so well, he felt comfortable in that system. We now have a number of players, whether it's offensive linemen or receivers, who are comfortable doing that. And if you can do it and protect the quarterback, you can make some chunks of yardage." Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/car...arizona-cardinals-injuries.html#ixzz12HxKeOLJ
